City of Sierra Madre hosts ribbon cutting ceremony for solar array project

On Jan. 27, the City of Sierra Madre broke ground on the Sierra Madre Solar Array Project, and on April 22 – also known as Earth Day — they completed the project and hosted the official ribbon cutting ceremony.

The project, located at 611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., contains a 554.58 kilowatt (kW) solar ground-mounted system and a 111 kW battery energy storage system (BESS). The solar panels are located on approximately two acres of city-owned property.

The solar array utilizes anti-reflective technology to reduce reflection and convert sunlight directly into electricity. The project is estimated to generate 948,332 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy, which will offset approximately 38% of the energy to the city’s water department facility, which pumps and distributes the city’s water supply.

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Source: HEY SOCAL

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Working out the details of a circular solar economy

As solar grows rapidly as an energy source, the number of photovoltaic (PV) modules that are manufactured and installed each year will continue to expand. By 2050, the United States may have installed 1,600 gigawatts of PV (or more) to decarbonize its electricity system, about 20 times the amount installed today. Even before 2050, many of these PV modules may start retiring from service. What happens to those modules?

Many researchers and members of the PV industry, including researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), have begun to consider solutions to the end-of-life question for PV modules. Most envision a circular economy for PV materials in which modules (or the glass, silicon, aluminum, and other materials that compose them) are recaptured at the end of their life for reuse or recycling.

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Source: Clean Technica

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Concentrated solar-thermal power harnesses the sun's energy without photovoltaic panels, using mirrors to concentrate the sun's rays.

A different kind of solar power attracts attention

When you think of solar energy, you probably picture the photovoltaic panels that capture sunlight to be converted to electricity. But there are other ways to harness the sun’s power. One method attracting growing interest is called concentrated solar-thermal power, or CSP, which uses mirrors to reflect and concentrate the sun’s energy.

CSP has been held back by technical challenges and a shortage of funding and government incentives compared with other sources of renewable energy. But as the sense of urgency about replacing fossil fuels continues to grow, spurring demand for carbon-free energy, a number of increasingly well-funded entities are trying to improve the technology. Proponents say the heat that CSP systems produce and their storage capacity offer advantages over other renewables for generating grid-scale electricity and fueling various industrial processes.

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Source: The Wall Street Journal

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Tesla takes a 9400 mile, solar-powered road trip

A team of scientists from Australia and the UK are embarking on an epic, 9400-mile Tesla road trip across some of the most remote regions of the world– and they’re doing it on 100% solar power.

The project is called “Charge Around Australia,” and the team hopes to get Aussies to think about new ways to prevent climate change while showing off the range and flexibility of the electric Tesla sedan. Out in Australia’s most remote regions– where the scorching temperatures, vast distances, and lack of water simply prohibit comfortable human habitation– the project’s roll-up solar panels will be put to the ultimate test.

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Source: Clean Technica

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Interior Department outlines roadmap for continued renewable energy progress on public lands

Interior Department outlines roadmap for continued renewable energy progress on public lands

WASHINGTON — As part of its commitment to support and inspire a clean energy transition, the Department of the Interior today announced a series of steps taken to advance the Biden-Harris administration’s goal to permit 25 gigawatts of renewable power on public lands by 2025. These efforts support the Department’s strategy to responsibly unlock and deliver the full potential of renewable energy on our public lands and waters, while creating good-paying union jobs and reducing emissions.

“The Department of the Interior continues to make significant progress in our efforts to spur a clean energy revolution, strengthen and decarbonize the nation’s economy, and help communities transition to a clean energy future,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “The demand for renewable energy has never been greater. The technological advances, increased interest, cost effectiveness, and tremendous economic potential make these projects a promising path for diversifying our national energy portfolio, while at the same time combatting climate change and investing in communities.”

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Source: US Department of the Interior

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Los Angeles, Honolulu leading US cities in solar power generation: report

Los Angeles continues to lead the nation’s cities in total installed solar power capacity, but Honolulu far surpasses any other contender in terms of power generated per capita, a new report has found.

Solar power is expanding rapidly across the U.S., which now has a total of 121.4 gigawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity — or enough to power more than 23 million homes, according to the eighth edition of the Shining Cities survey, published by the Environment California Research & Policy Center.

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Source: The Hill

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Tesla Megapack project with 730 MWh of capacity is now up and running on PG&E’s network

PG&E announced that they have turned on their giant Tesla Megapack project with 730 MWh of capacity, and the electric grid company expects that it will “enhance the overall reliability of California’s ever-changing energy supply.”

We first learned of the project at PG&E’s Moss Landing substation when it submitted it to CPUC and the company was in talks with Tesla in 2017. It involves four separate energy storage projects, and two of them, including the one using Tesla Megapack, should become the world’s largest battery systems.

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Source: electrek

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Drone flyover of Apple 2 campus shows massive solar installation

Apple is in the midst of building its 2nd large campus in Cupertino, CA, and a recently released drone flyby shows the progress.  One of the notables of this campus is a gigantic 5 MW solar installation, said to cover about 700,000 square feet.

Check out the drone flyover footage below:

New Sacramento arena aims to be ‘greenest professional sports stadium ever’

The Golden 1 Center, a multi-purpose indoor arena currently in construction in Sacramento, CA, is making waves in the renewable community.

A large part of the arena’s design revolves around solar power.   A rooftop solar array will be installed by Solar Power Inc. at a cost of $2.5 million and will generate 700 kilowatts. Installing solar power is part of the Sacramento Kings ownership’s goal to have its new sports and entertainment center be the most technologically advanced arena in the country, and that includes being efficient and using renewable energy.

Check out this video for more info on the arena:

Watch: This is the greenest professional sports stadium ever.

Posted by HuffPost Science & Tech on Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Surfer Kelly Slater opens solar-powered wave pool in California’s Central Valley

World Famous Professional Surfer Kelly Slater recently opened up a 100% solar-powered wave pool in the most unlikely of places: California’s Central Valley, or a place some consider the drought capital of the U.S.

The project, which has been under wraps and in the works since 2005, was officially announced on December 18th as being complete.

Slater’s wavepool was one of the first California businesses to partner with PG&E’s Solar Choice program, according to a BusinessWire press release:

“We are committed to encouraging sustainable development at any site using our technology. As part of this commitment, we are pleased that our first site in Central California is 100 percent powered by solar energy through PG&E’s Solar Choice. This program allows Kelly Slater Wave Company to not only be a pioneer in wave technology, but also in supporting sustainable power initiatives as we act environmentally through an alternative to installing solar panels and fulfill our vision of building the best man-made wave,” said Noah Grimmett, General Manager of Kelly Slater Wave Company.

Watch the video below for more: