The municipality of Falconara Marittima, Italy, has installed a free off-grid PV shade for electric vehicle charging at no cost to users.

Italian municipality offers free EV recharging via off-grid PV shade

The Italian municipality of Falconara Marittima has deployed a public off-grid photovoltaic shade to enable electric vehicle owners to recharge their cars for free.

“The initiative is an unprecedented novelty,” Michele Massacesi, the owner of the company that developed the project, Sistema X, told pv magazine Italy. “There are three unique characteristics of this product: A self-supporting off-grid shade that rests on ballast, without requiring any excavation and therefore easily removable; electricity produced exclusively by the sun, therefore 100% sustainable; and free energy supply without any form of payment. These are unique features on the market today.”

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Source: PV Magazine

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Skydweller has the wingspan of a 747 jet, only 5,000 lbs., will fly without a pilot at speeds of around 35mph and altitudes up to 40,000ft.

A solar-power plane being tested off the Mississippi coast is pushing the limits of flight

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Deep in the piney woods of south Mississippi, an aerospace company is pushing the boundaries of solar-powered flight.

Working from a temporary hangar at Stennis International Airport, a scant 15-minute drive from the Louisiana-Mississippi line, Skydweller Aero Inc. has been testing an unmanned airplane with a wingspan that stretches three-quarters of a football field and, the company promises, will fly continuously for 90 days or longer using only the energy from the sun.

The plane — also called Skydweller, which resembles a giant glider and only weighs as much as a Ford F-150 pickup truck — will fly without a pilot or human crew at speeds of around 35 mph and altitudes up to 40,000 feet, company officials say.

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Source: nola

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The idea of floating solar panels on reservoirs and other calm waters has already taken hold. Sending them off to sea is another matter of next-level engineering.

Floating solar array is designed to take the rough stuff

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The idea of floating solar panels on reservoirs and other calm waters has already taken hold. Sending them off to sea is another matter of next-level engineering. However, the potential benefit of co-locating solar arrays with offshore wind farms is a tempting prize, and the firm Moss Maritime is moving closer to a solution.

Offshore Floating Solar Modules: It’s Complicated

The Moss venture is especially interesting because Moss Maritime is an established expert in floating offshore technology as a branch of the global conglomerate Saipem, which is known for its decades-long experience in offshore oil drilling. It’s a good example of the ways in which fossil energy know-how can work for the energy transition, not against it.

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Source: Clean Technica

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Wastewater, PV solar arrays & available space may come together to create renewable fuel for California's nascent hydrogen fuel cell market.

Hydrogen facility proposed in western Kern would run on solar power, wastewater

Three elements prevalent at Kern County oil production sites — wastewater, photovoltaic solar arrays and available space — may come together before long to create renewable fuel for California’s nascent hydrogen fuel cell market.

A commercial project being proposed in Lost Hills by Chevron Corp.’s renewable energy division would create 2 tons of hydrogen per day by applying electrolysis to oil-field produced water hauled in from company operations elsewhere in the county. The electricity required would come from a solar farm already powering oil production at the site.

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Source: Bakersfield.com

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Aerial imagery provides location intelligence and detailed insights, empowering engineers to design solar farms with laser-sharp precision.

Reshaping the solar landscape with aerial imagery

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Gone are the days of relying solely on ground-level surveys. Today, high-resolution photographs and 3D models generated from aerial imagery paint a comprehensive picture of any given piece of land.

Location intelligence—the process of deriving meaningful insights from geospatial data—and aerial imagery are becoming more prominent in the solar industry. These tools are reshaping the solar power landscape, enabling developers to identify the best areas and layout for solar farms, as well as the optimal tilt of solar panels for increased sun exposure. These changes are not only bringing efficiency upgrades; they are paving the way for timely and relevant solutions to address ongoing climate issues that promise to propel the U.S. toward a more sustainable future.

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Source: PV Magazine

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The photovoltaic and steel industries can work together to meet climate targets and develop a greener manufacturing environment.

Solar and green steel: A growing symbiotic relationship

The photovoltaic industry is quite literally built on steel. As a crucial component of racking and trackers for solar PV systems, a reliable steel supply is a necessity for the transition to solar-powered energy. And as a material, steel is the most sustainable choice for mounting systems, producing just one-third of the emissions per kilo of aluminum.

The steel industry is also working to incorporate sustainability in other ways, such as the use of protective coatings made with plant oils rather than fossil fuel oil. But the sustainability relationship is not one-sided: solar energy is also becoming increasingly important for the steel industry. As pressure grows for steel manufacturing to decarbonize, the two industries can work together to meet climate targets and develop a greener manufacturing environment.

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Source: Solar Power World

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The CPUC issued a significant decision allowing renewable energy systems to be approved to interconnect to the electric grid using LGP.

California approves use of DER schedules to avoid grid impact

Today the California Public Utilities Commission issued a significant decision allowing renewable energy systems to be approved to interconnect to the electric grid using an energy export schedule (known as a Limited Generation Profile or LGP) that is designed to avoid grid impacts. This approach, which leverages California’s public grid data, can reduce the need for costly infrastructure upgrades and support higher levels of renewables on the grid.

The decision is the first of its kind in the United States and is a major milestone in enabling distributed energy resources (DERs), like solar PV and energy storage, to operate in flexible ways that align with conditions on the grid. The decision was significantly shaped by recommendations from the nonprofit Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC).

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Source: Solar Power World

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The largest floating solar array in the Southeast US is officially generating clean energy in Central Florida.

Largest floating solar array in Southeast US unveiled in Central Florida

The largest floating solar array in the Southeast U.S. is officially generating clean energy right here in Central Florida. The array is made of 2,236 solar panels, each roughly the size of a pool table, and it’s projected to cut energy costs at the water plant by 25% per year while limiting the impact on land and wildlife, according to county officials.

Orange County unveiled the largest floating solar array in the Southeastern United States situated on a 3.6-acre pond at the Southern Regional Water Supply Facility. This innovative project marks a significant step towards achieving the County’s sustainability and resilience goals.

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Source: West Orlando News

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The Cantine Vaccaro vineyard lives in perfect harmony with photovoltaic panels, a part of the “Agrivoltaico Open Labs” initiative in Italy.

Sicily produces photovoltaic energy and good wine together

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In Salaparuta, the Cantine Vaccaro vineyard lives in perfect harmony with photovoltaic panels. The installation is part of the “Agrivoltaico Open Labs” initiative, a series of open-air innovation laboratories where we test the integration of solar energy production, agriculture and biodiversity protection.

What does good wine have to do with renewable electricity? The answer is a lot, and this is thanks to the Sun. Indeed, its light and heat play a key role in the life cycle of the vineyard and the ripening of grapes. The Sun’s rays contribute to chlorophyll photosynthesis by making plants grow, while at the same time they are a key resource for generating electricity, thanks to photovoltaic panels that can capture solar energy.

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Source: REVE

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First Solar is spending $450M to establish a research and development center focused on the production of thin film photovoltaic modules.

First Solar invests $450M into thin film PV module R&D

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First Solar is investing $450 million in a new research and development center in an already-existing manufacturing facility. This research will be focused on creation and development of environmentally friendly and high-performing thin film photovoltaic (PV) modules for semiconductors.

“The company’s two existing facilities in Perrysburg and Lake Township comprise the largest vertically-integrated complex of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. They will now expand by 0.9 gigawatts (GWDC).” – WTOL11, October 27, 2022

“Designed and developed at its R&D centers in California and Ohio, First Solar’s advanced thin film PV modules set industry benchmarks for quality, durability, reliability, design, and environmental performance. The modules have the lowest carbon and water footprint of any commercially available PV technology today. Each module features a layer of Cadmium Telluride (CadTel) semiconductor that is only three percent the thickness of a human hair. Additionally, the company continues to optimize the amount of semiconductor material used by enhancing its vapor deposition process through continued investment in R&D focused on more efficient module technology with a thinner semiconductor layer. First Solar also operates an advanced recycling program that provides closed-loop semiconductor recovery for use in new modules.” – First Solar, October 27, 2022

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Source: American Progress

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