The proposed rules closely follow joint recommendations that the SEIA and its partners submitted in February 2022 on interconnection reform.

FERC reveals interconnection reforms that could unleash solar energy potential

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) detailing the proposed interconnection reforms the Commission would like to adopt in order to clear interconnection backlogs and speed clean energy deployment.

The proposed rules closely follow joint recommendations that the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and its partners submitted in February 2022 on interconnection reform. SEIA recently explained and expanded on these comments in an interconnection whitepaper it released earlier this week.

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Source: Clean Technica

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Researchers at Xidian University ran a successful test of the “world’s first full-link and full-system solar power plant” on June 5

New tower in China brings us a step closer to space-based solar power

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Researchers at China’s Xidian University are claiming to have completed testing and inspection of a ground array that could pave the way to space-based solar power—a concept long heralded as a potential solution to our energy woes.

Researchers at Xidian University ran a successful test of the “world’s first full-link and full-system solar power plant” on June 5, according to a translated statement published today by the university. The plant is a 246-foot-tall (75-meter) steel structure located on Xidian University’s southern campus, and it’s equipped with with five different subsystems meant to foster the eventual development of space-based solar power arrays.

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Source: Gizmodo

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NPR speaks with U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm about the Biden administration's actions that could triple solar manufacturing by 2024.

Energy secretary talks US plan to boost solar production

The Biden administration announced actions this week that could triple solar manufacturing by 2024. NPR’s Cheryl W. Thompson speaks with U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm about the plan.

This week, the Biden administration announced a series of actions to reignite the country’s solar energy industry. The president waived tariffs for two years on solar imports from four Asian countries. He also invoked the Defense Production Act to boost American solar panel manufacturing and other clean energy technologies. The administration says it can triple solar energy manufacturing in the U.S. by 2024.

To talk more about the administration’s plans, NPR was joined by U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

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Source: Cap Radio

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The Department of the Interior has issued final approval for construction of the Arica and Victory Pass solar projects near Desert Center in eastern Riverside County.

US DOI approves construction of two solar projects in California

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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — The Department of the Interior has issued final approval for construction of the Arica and Victory Pass solar projects near Desert Center in eastern Riverside County, a significant milestone in the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to modernize America’s power infrastructure in the West and permit at least 25 gigawatts of solar, wind and geothermal production on public lands by 2025.

“The efficient deployment of renewable energy projects is crucial to lower costs for families, support good paying jobs, and achieve the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035,” said Laura Daniel-Davis, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management. “Combined with the historic investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we will continue to work in partnership with states, cities and Tribes to boost climate resiliency, advance clean energy projects, and replace aging infrastructure.”

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Source: US Department of the Interior

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The recent decision by the Biden administration to waive tariffs on solar panels from Southeast Asia gave the industry a much-needed boost

The US solar boom is back on track

The solar energy industry in the U.S. has grown rapidly over the last decade, second only to wind power. But supply chain issues, made worse by the tariffs on solar panels manufactured in Southeast Asia, have been pushing costs up for the U.S. solar industry. This month, President Biden announced the waiving of certain tariffs on solar imports, sending stocks soaring, and potentially giving the sector a game-changing boost.

U.S. solar energy production increased from 1.82 TWh in 2011 to a giant 163.7 TWh in 2021, with significantly more sectoral growth than any renewable source other than wind. Solar photovoltaic (PV) installed capacity is now enough to power around 22 million homes, with solar power accounting for 50 percent of all new electricity-generating capacity added in the first quarter of 2022.

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Source: Oil Price

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This facility will be the largest industrial solar steam plant in the world and the first deployed in both Saudi Arabia and in the aluminum supply chain.

The world’s largest solar-powered steam plant will be built in Saudi Arabia

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MA’ADEN, a Saudi Arabian mining company, and GlassPoint, a U.S.-based solar energy solutions provider, have inked an initial deal to build the world’s largest solar-powered steam plant at the former’s refinery.

To aid in the decarbonization of the energy-intensive, coal-dependent process of producing aluminum, which ends up in our cell phones, computers, automobiles, and other products.

The new facility will help the mining company reduce its carbon emissions by approximately 600,000 tons per year, according to Arab News.

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Source: Interesting Engineering

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NASA plans to reexamine the feasibility of space-based solar power, an approach that is finding new support based on lower launch costs, technological advances and interest in clean energy sources.

NASA to reexamine space-based solar power

WASHINGTON — NASA is starting a study to reexamine the viability of space-based solar power, a long-touted solution to providing power from space that may be getting new interest thanks to technological advances and pushes for clean energy.

In a presentation at the National Space Society’s International Space Development Conference May 27, Nikolai Joseph of NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy said the agency was beginning a short-term study evaluating the prospects of space-based solar power, or SBSP, the first by the agency in about two decades.

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Source: Space News

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The partial shade offered by solar panels creates a microclimate that reduces evaporation and significantly boosts the production of vegetation in arid climates.

Solar panels keeping sheep fed during drought

Two agrivoltaic installations in New South Wales, Australia are being credited with increasing the quantity and quality of fleece in sheep grazing at the facilities during a drought. Research has indicated that the partial shade offered by solar panels creates a microclimate that reduces evaporation and significantly boosts the production of vegetation in arid climates.

While these results are preliminary and anecdotal (and perhaps a tall tale from a fleece salesman down under), they offer potentially exciting field results that could be applied globally.

Graeme Ostini, a wool broker, says he’s been grazing his merino wethers (a variety of sheep) at a solar farm where sheep can graze under the modules. Ostini and other grazers say that over the past few years, these sheep have been ‘cutting an amazing amount of wool’.

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Source: PV Magazine

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Adoption of rooftop solar panels has surged on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico as it contends with high energy costs and frequent outages.

Why tiny solar projects play an outsized role in powering Puerto Rico

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On a given sunny day in Puerto Rico, more than 37,100 rooftop solar installations—mounted atop homes, gas stations, malls and hospitals—churn out 255 megawatts of electricity.

That’s only about 2.5% of the island’s overall power generation. But collectively, the rooftops might be considered Puerto Rico’s largest clean power plant, dwarfing the 101-megawatt Santa Isabel wind farm, the island’s largest renewable generator.

As the US territory of 3.2 million people scrambles to shift to 100% renewables by 2050, much of the focus has been on utility-scale initiatives. In March, regulators conditionally approved 18 renewable power plants that should produce 884 megawatts by 2024. But even with that additional capacity, the island will still depend on fossil fuels for more than 84% of its electricity.

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Source: Bloomberg

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The “Don’t Tax the Sun” rally took place on June 2 in Los Angeles and San Francisco to oppose the provisions of Net Energy Metering 3.0.

Thousands of Californians rally before utility commission to preserve rooftop solar

The “Don’t Tax the Sun” rally took place on June 2, drawing large crowds in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Solar advocates gave public comment before the California Public Utilities Commission to oppose provisions in the Net Energy Metering 3.0 policy that would severely damage the economics of rooftop solar.

A few months ago, public protest in San Francisco and Los Angeles led to the successful delay of California’s Net Energy Metering (NEM) 3.0. The proposal sharply cut payments made to solar owners for sending excess energy back to the grid to be used by their neighbors.

Renewable energy data firm EQ Analysts said the proposal would lead to a 57-71% overall reduction in solar savings for homeowners. At the time, grid controls expert and economist-at-large Ahmad Faruqui lambasted the proposed decision as a “proposed dystopia” and offered ten reasons why.

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Source: PV Magazine

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