Tag Archive for: renewableenergy

The 61kW solar photovoltaic energy system produces enough energy to reduce Full Belly Farm’s total annual energy costs by 50%.

Renewable energy investments bring big benefits to Full Belly Farm

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Full Belly Farm, Inc. is a certified organic 450-acre farm located in Yolo County that sustainably grows more than 100 different crops. By investing in sustainable energy production, carbon sequestration through good soil management, cover crop production, and efficiency, Full Belly Farm, Inc. is working to lower their greenhouse gas emissions. A leader in on-farm production of value-added products such as jams, sauces, oils, dried goods, baked goods, and wheat products like pizza dough and pasta, Full Belly Farm, Inc. employs at least 80 people year-round, supporting more than 20 local families.

The California Energy Commission’s Renewable Energy for Agriculture Program awarded a $75,976 grant to the farm, with a 100 percent match commitment from the recipient. Completed and fully operational in August 2020, the project includes  a new 61 kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic energy system that produces enough energy to reduce Full Belly Farm’s total annual energy costs by 50 percent and  two Level-2, 10 kW electric vehicle charging stations. These chargers supply power to electric farming vehicles and are available to employees and visitors. The system reduces peak loads on the electrical grid and helps Full Belly Farms meet its goal of 100 percent renewable energy usage.

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Source: CA Climate Investments

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According to US EIA, there are more than 5,000 solar farms across the US. In 2022, they produced 3.4% of the nation's electricity.

Amid record heat, solar farms help ease the strain on US power grids

Next to the rows of alfalfa, another type of farm is taking root in Southern California’s Kern County, one that’s harvesting clean, renewable energy.

Solar Star, one of the largest solar farms in the U.S., has a peak output of 586 megawatts.

“These panels track the sun all day,” said Alicia Knapp, president and CEO of BHE Renewables, which owns Solar Star. (I’ll double-check all quotes)

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Source: CBS News

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Research suggests that suspending solar arrays over canals can not only generate electricity but may also reduce water evaporation in drought-prone regions.

Can America’s canals double as solar farms?

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Some 8,000 miles of federally owned canals snake across the United States, channeling water to replenish crops, fuel hydropower plants and supply drinking water to rural communities. In the future, these narrow waterways could serve an additional role: as hubs of solar energy generation.

A coalition of environmental groups is urging the federal government to consider carpeting its canals with solar panels. The concept was pioneered in India a decade ago and will soon be tested in California for the first time. Early research suggests that suspending solar arrays over canals can not only generate electricity in land-constrained areas but may also reduce water evaporation in drought-prone regions.

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Source: Canary Media

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California now has the capacity to store 5,600 megawatts of power using batteries. That's enough to supply more than 4 million homes.

Batteries, not blackouts: California’s power grid gets boost from battery energy

As California increases its reliance on renewable energy sources like solar and wind, there’s a concern that there may not be enough energy during certain seasons and times of the day to keep the lights on.

But this summer, the state is setting a major milestone in energy storage.

California now has the capacity to store 5,600 megawatts of power using batteries. That’s enough to supply more than 4 million homes.

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Source: CBS News

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San Diego officials predict that over the course of the 25-year agreement, the eight microgrids and battery systems will save the city and its taxpayers about $6 million.

San Diego goes big on microgrids

The city of San Diego is about to join the microgrid movement.

The first of eight microgrid projects to be built at city facilities was unveiled Friday at the Southcrest Recreational Center in South County as part of a $5.5 million public-private partnership designed to reduce energy costs, cut greenhouse gas emissions and save taxpayers money.

“This microgrid specifically will allow the Southcrest Recreation Center to keep the lights on should there be an outage,” said Alyssa Muto, director of the city’s Sustainability and Mobility Department. “It would also allow the city to rely solely on renewable energy generated and stored here on site.”

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Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

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Texas has seen a boom in solar power in recent years, and experts say that’s helped the state grid weather an intense June heat wave.

Solar power proves its worth as heat wave grips the state

While Texans drag through another punishing heat wave, people have nervously watched the state’s power grid, hoping it will hold up as the triple-digit days wear on. Under the blazing sun, the state has produced significant amounts of electricity from solar panels to help avoid shortfalls.

The heat pushed demand to a new record — topping 81,000 megawatts on Tuesday — but the state’s grid operator has only requested that residents lower their power use one day during the heat wave, when electricity from wind and power plants that use coal, nuclear or natural gas fell short of their past output.

Solar power provided nearly 20% of the Texas grid’s power needs on Tuesday before demand reached a new high.

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Source: The Texas Tribune

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The microgrid will help provide additional energy storage to improve the hospital’s ability to withstand long duration outages.

Valley children’s healthcare to install microgrid on California hospital campus

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Located in a rural part of Central California, Valley Children’s Healthcare, which delivers care to more than 1.3 million children, regularly faces the threat of rolling blackouts, unsteady water supplies, and wildfires.

This volatility impacts the organization’s ability to deliver services at its 358-bed standalone Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera, Calif., as well as its specialty and primary care practices.

“Our doors need to stay open because these kids don’t have anywhere else to go,” says Danielle Barry, chief operating officer at Valley Children’s, adding that the hospital has a 45,000-mile catchment area.

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Source: Health Care Design Magazine

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For the first time in US history, US-made wind and solar components are now cheaper than imports, according to a new study.

US-made wind and solar components are now cheaper than imports

Dartmouth and Princeton researchers just released a study called, “Effects of Renewable Energy Provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act on Technology Costs, Materials Demand, and Labor” that was funded by the BlueGreen Alliance, which unites labor unions and environmental organizations.

The report examines the estimated impacts the Inflation Reduction Act will have on the US wind and solar industries. Specifically, the report analyzes the impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act’s 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit (45X MPTC), as well as the clean electricity production and investment tax credits.

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Source: electrek

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The US government is greenlighting a proposed multibillion-dollar transmission line that would send primarily wind-generated electricity from the rural plains of New Mexico to big cities in the West.

US greenlights major transmission line for renewable energy in Western states

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The U.S. government is greenlighting a proposed multibillion-dollar transmission line that would send primarily wind-generated electricity from the rural plains of New Mexico to big cities in the West.

The Interior Department announced its record of decision for the SunZia project Thursday. It comes about a year after an environmental review was completed as part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to clear the way for major transmission projects as it looks to meet climate goals and shore up the nation’s power grid.

The SunZia transmission project in New Mexico has been more than a decade in the making. The U.S. Defense Department and others initially raised concerns about the path of the high-voltage lines, prompting the developer to submit a new application in 2021 to modify the route.

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Source: AP News

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California needs to think creatively and find ways to put more solar energy in already built-out places, including rooftops and parking lots.

Editorial: California needs a lot more solar. Why not put panels along highways and parking lots?

California is racing to build enough solar panels, wind turbines and battery storage to meet its carbon-cutting mandates and prepare its electrical grid for worsening heat waves and growing energy demand.

But increasing renewable energy by covering far-off, undeveloped areas with solar and wind farms raises its own environmental concerns. That’s why California needs to think creatively and find ways to put more solar energy in already built-out places, including rooftops and parking lots, canals and agricultural fields, so we can slow the climate crisis without harming sensitive land, like the habitat of threatened Joshua trees or Mojave Desert tortoises.

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Source: Los Angeles Times

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