Roadsides, reservoirs & farms are all finding space for solar systems. Germany is experimenting with adding solar cells to railway sleepers.

Solar panels could be installed in the spaces between railway tracks in world first

Solar panels are being rolled out “like carpet” on railway tracks in Switzerland.

Swiss start-up Sun-Ways is installing panels near Buttes train station in the west of the country in May, pending sign-off from the Federal Office of Transport.

As the climate crisis demands that we speed up Europe’s energy transition, developers have been seeing new potential in unusual surfaces.

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Source: Euro News

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The UCLA engineers explore a new, viable application of solar cells that does not require large plots of land.

UCLA engineers design solar roofs to harvest energy for greenhouses

As countries around the globe seek sustainable energy sources and the U.S. endeavors to become a net-zero emissions economy by 2050, renewable energy sources such as solar panels are in high demand.

However, solar panels can take up significant space and are often difficult to scale. Enter the new field of agrivoltaics, which focuses on the simultaneous use of land for both solar power generation and agriculture. For example, replacing the glass in greenhouses with solar panels could power the lamps and water controls in the greenhouse, or even the whole farm. But how does one build solar panels that can absorb energy from sunlight without blocking the light that plants need?

UCLA Samueli School of Engineering’s materials scientist Yang Yang and his team have designed just such a device. In a study published today in Nature Sustainability, they explore a new, viable application of solar cells that does not require large plots of land.

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Source: UCLA Samueli 

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Instant milk chillers powered by solar panels are helping pastoralists in India's Thar Desert to keep their dairy fresh as temperatures rise.

Indian camel herders cash in with solar-powered coolers

The sun used to be a source of trouble for Indian camel herder Bhanwar Raika – but these days it is boosting his income, even as climate change brings ever hotter temperatures.

The pastoralist makes a living selling his herd’s milk but temperatures as high as 52 degrees Celsius (126 degrees Fahrenheit) regularly used to spoil it before he could sell it to the local dairy, about 80km from his home in western India’s Thar Desert.

But the 55-year-old’s fortunes changed last February when a solar-powered refrigeration system – called an instant milk chiller – was installed 2km away from Raika’s Nokh village in Rajasthan state.

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Source: Eco-Business

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Scientists at Stanford University created a solar panel that works in the dark, and discovered how to modify the installed solar panels generate power at night.

Groundbreaking new solar panels can generate electricity in the dark

Solar power is a promising avenue for clean energy. Unfortunately, solar panels have one major weakness – they can’t generate electricity in the dark. However, this weakness could soon change as scientists at Stanford University have now created a solar panel that works in the dark.

The researchers published their findings on the new type of solar panel in the journal Applied Physics Letters back in April of 2022. While they discovered a way to make solar panels work in the dark, they also discovered that already erected solar panels could be modified to generate power at night, too, saving businesses and homes from having to upgrade to new panels.

The process used to make older solar panels work in the dark is called radiative cooling. When the sun sets, the Earth cools down, releasing heat into the air. This helps to create a temperature difference between the air and the surface of the panels. Then, researchers say that we can install thermoelectric generators onto the panels, allowing us to harness the power generated by radiative cooling.

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Source: BGR

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Ivy Energy's Virtual Grid uses smart grid logic and proprietary algorithms to distribute solar energy between multiple units accurately.

How Ivy Energy is influencing policy and bringing affordable clean energy to Californians

The recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, causing soaring gas prices, and the effects of climate change, has made it imperative for most nations to incentivize homeowners to switch to sources of green energy, like solar. In California, owners of single-family homes have greatly benefited from solar energy adoption. But only a few tenants of multifamily buildings have seen any benefit. Luckily for tenants of multifamily buildings, Ivy Energy is on a mission to change that.

Ivy Energy is a cleantech software company that developed a proprietary solar energy billing software called Virtual Grid. Virtual Grid uses smart grid logic and proprietary algorithms to distribute solar energy between multiple units accurately. It makes it easy for property owners to invest in solar for their community and deliver monthly energy savings to tenants while generating a new income. The Ivy team comes from various backgrounds, including real estate development, energy monitoring software, and solar industry operations.

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Source: yahoo!

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Winston Cone Optics seeks to develop pilot projects that use solar energy to heat water, evaporate waste and remove salt from wastewater.

Solar projects yielding exciting potential for dairies, other industries

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A company started by UC Merced founding faculty member Roland Winston – and staffed by alumni – is looking for partners for some exciting solar projects. And the government could cover the costs.

Winston Cone Optics seeks to develop pilot projects that use solar energy to heat water, evaporate waste and remove salt from wastewater.

“Solar energy isn’t a new concept, but what makes our solar thermal collectors unique is the use of nonimaging optics to concentrate sunlight year-round from a stationary position,” said Winston. “The result is less maintenance, fewer components, and better efficiency and reliability.”

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Source: UCMERCED

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Inseanergy recently installed its first commercial installations after completing a pilot project with Hofseth International's fish farm.

Floating solar tech for aquaculture

Inseanergy, a Norway-based renewables developer, has built a floating solar platform for use in aquaculture projects. The SUB Solar system is installed on recycled fish-cage float rings and can be used in combination with onshore power supplies to reduce the need for diesel generators, which are traditionally used to power fish farms. It also allows for excess electricity to be sold to the grid.

The floating solar system is particularly suitable in combination with hybrid system solutions that pair batteries with downsized diesel generators, according to the company.

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Source: PV Magazine

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In January 2023, Caltech Space Solar Power Project is poised to launch into orbit a prototype, dubbed the Space Solar Power Demonstrator.

Caltech to launch space solar power technology demo into orbit in January

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Space solar power provides a way to tap into the practically unlimited supply of solar energy in outer space, where the energy is constantly available without being subjected to the cycles of day and night, seasons, and cloud cover.

The launch, currently slated for early January, represents a major milestone in the project and promises to make what was once science fiction a reality. When fully realized, SSPP will deploy a constellation of modular spacecraft that collect sunlight, transform it into electricity, then wirelessly transmit that electricity over long distances wherever it is needed—including to places that currently have no access to reliable power.

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Source: Caltech

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With Patagonia on board, NEXT Energy Technologies has a high-profile showcase for its new see-through solar windows.

Secret of Patagonia’s new see-through solar windows is revealed

Word has slipped out that Patagonia is demonstrating a new, fully transparent solar window. That’s a neat trick, considering that it’s impossible to see through a normal solar panel. The manufacturer behind the new solar technology was a mystery because the scoop was hidden behind a paywall when first reported by The Wall Street Journal on December 27. Nevertheless, CleanTechnica sniffed it out, and it’s…not who we thought it was!

Turning glass into an invisible solar energy harvester really is a game-changer. Solarized glass transforms windows, doors, and glass-walled buildings into renewable energy power stations, while enabling interior spaces to continue taking advantage of daylight.

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Source: Clean Technica

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Worksport is introducing new solar-enabled tonneau covers that turn pickup trucks into rolling renewable energy microgrids.

Solar panels go perfectly with pickup truck tonneau covers

Despite a wave of opposition against solar arrays on farmland in the US, solar panels are going to find their way onto farmland one way or another. In the latest example, the Canadian company Worksport is introducing new solar-enabled tonneau covers that turn pickup trucks into rolling renewable energy microgrids, whether they run on electric drive or gas.

Before anyone says the T-word, yes it is the case that Tesla teased a tonneau cover with solar panels for its Cybertruck pickup, back in 2021.

A little farther back in time, though, the Canadian company Worksport had already sniffed out the idea of a PV makeover for tonneau covers.

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Source: Clean Technica

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