Silent Yachts launched the first Silent 62 3-Deck yacht, outfitted with 17 kWp of SunPower X400+ rigid glass solar modules and a newly enhanced 350 kWh LiFePO4 battery storage system.

Three-decker, solar and battery powered yacht hits the water in Italy

,

Silent Yachts has launched the first three-decker redesign of its Silent 62 solar electric catamaran. The Silent 62 3-Deck features three separate solar module arrays totaling 17 kWp, an integrated energy storage system recently upgraded from 286 kWh to 350 kWh. Introduced in 2019, the Silent 60 series builds on the legacy of the Silent 64, which made headlines in 2018 as the first solar-powered yacht to successfully cross the Atlantic. The ship cruises at 6 to 8 knots and can reach peak speeds of 16 to 18 knots.

Owned by Austrian business leaders and based in Fano, Italy, Silent Yachts has recently expanded into a new production facility. This facility spans over 230,000 square feet and includes five buildings equipped for shipbuilding, two of which are topped with solar modules. The company celebrated the launch of its first boat from this new facility in February 2023.

Click here to read the full article
Source: PV Magazine

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

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

,

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.

Click here to read the full article
Source: nola

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

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

,

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.

Click here to read the full article
Source: Clean Technica

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

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

,

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.

Click here to read the full article
Source: PV Magazine

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

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

,

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

Click here to read the full article
Source: American Progress

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

SolarCont has developed a mobile solar container that stores foldable photovoltaic panels for portable green energy anywhere.

Mobile solar container stores photovoltaic panels that fold and unfold like an accordion

,

The Austrian energy company SolarCont has developed a mobile solar container that stores foldable photovoltaic panels for portable green energy anywhere. The foldable photovoltaic panels are tucked inside a container frame with corresponding dimensions, and once they are moved and set in place, they can be easily unfolded using the rail system that also unrolls from the container.

Once the user pulls out the foldable photovoltaic panels from the mobile solar container, powering up equipment and properties with green energy follows suit, and this can be done almost anywhere as long as the land is big enough to accommodate the series of panels.

SOLARCONTAINER UNFOLDS UP TO 120 METERS IN LENGTH

Dubbed Solarcontainer, SolarCont has devised a photovoltaic power plant developed as a mobile power generator with collapsible photovoltaic modules. The unfolded panels can reach up to 120 meters in length, and there are 240 solar panels that can be installed. The Solarcontainer is a mobile system that can be used for both on- and off-grid purposes, including rescue missions and gatherings.

Click here to read the full article
Source: Design Boom

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

The San Diego County company producing the car says their goal is to redefine transportation in a more innovative and sustainable way.

Carlsbad-based solar car Aptera one step closer to hitting the road

,

The first solar-powered car is one step closer entering production.

Aptera is a no charge, solar powered car being developed in Carlsbad.

“Really we should get most of our power from the wireless nuclear generator in the sky,” said CEO Chris Anthony. “We’re really making some amazingly compelling vehicles that can lower fuel costs for a lot of people that can lead people to a lifestyle that doesn’t require charging or stopping at a gas station.”

Anthony says their goal is to redefine transportation in a more innovative and sustainable way.

Click here to read the full article
Source: CBS8

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

Instead of collecting the sun’s energy on the ground, it may be possible to harvest it in space using satellites.

NASA lays out the path to space-based solar power

,

A new NASA report found that space-based solar power — a futuristic concept pulled from the pages of science fiction — is likely too expensive to work, but it also lays out exactly what would need to change to make it a viable source of clean energy in the future.

The challenge: Solar power is a revolutionary weapon in the battle against climate change. Every hour, enough solar energy hits Earth to power the entire world for a year, and the cost of harnessing this energy with solar panels has fallen exponentially in recent years.

Click here to read the full article
Source: Freethink

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

The Solar City micro EV from Squad Mobility is a small, cheap, and green car that can zip through the city streets without using any gas.

Don’t judge this solar car just by its size

,

How would you like to drive a car that runs on sunlight? Sounds cool, right? Well, that’s what the Solar City micro EV from Squad Mobility can do for you. It’s a small, cheap, and green car that can zip through the city streets without using any gas. And the best part is, it’s coming out in 2025.

The solar-powered car by the numbers

Imagine driving a tiny car that runs on sunlight. That’s what these vehicles are all about. They have solar panels on the roof that can power them for up to 19 miles on a sunny day, depending on where you are. The Squad can also go as fast as 25 mph, which is not bad for a solar car.

Click here to read the full article
Source: Fox News

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

The new solar-powered concept, which fabricates a DNA hydrogel matrix, incorporates the ability to absorb sunlight and reduce the amount of energy required to evaporate water.

Scientists find new way to desalinate seawater using solar power, study says

,

Scientists may have found a more efficient water to desalinate water using solar power, according to new research, offering a solution for global water scarcity through the use of renewable energy.

Researchers at Nankai University in Tianjin, China, developed the concept of a solar-powered desalination system that produces fresh water by using smart DNA hydrogels that does not consume additional energy, compared to conventional desalination strategies currently in use, such as reverse osmosis, which use copious amounts of energy, according to a paper published in the journal Science Advances on Thursday.

Click here to read the full article
Source: ABC News

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.