Tag Archive for: solarpower

CA, TX and FL are leading the country in solar power generation, while TX, IA and OK are the leaders in wind energy, per a new analysis.

America’s solar and wind energy hotspots, mapped

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California, Texas and Florida are leading the country in terms of solar power generation, while Texas, Iowa and Oklahoma are the leaders in wind energy, per a new analysis.

Why it matters: Solar and wind power are producing a comparatively small but growing share of America’s overall energy supply — yet they make up a bigger slice of the energy pie in some states compared to others.

The big picture: Solar installations generated nearly 240,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity across the U.S. in 2023, per the analysis from Climate Central, a climate research nonprofit.

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Source: AXIOS

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Wastewater, PV solar arrays & available space may come together to create renewable fuel for California's nascent hydrogen fuel cell market.

Hydrogen facility proposed in western Kern would run on solar power, wastewater

Three elements prevalent at Kern County oil production sites — wastewater, photovoltaic solar arrays and available space — may come together before long to create renewable fuel for California’s nascent hydrogen fuel cell market.

A commercial project being proposed in Lost Hills by Chevron Corp.’s renewable energy division would create 2 tons of hydrogen per day by applying electrolysis to oil-field produced water hauled in from company operations elsewhere in the county. The electricity required would come from a solar farm already powering oil production at the site.

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Source: Bakersfield.com

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Meta, the parent of social media apps including Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to buy energy from a solar project in southeast Missouri.

Facebook parent Meta inks deals for solar power in Missouri

Meta Platforms Inc., the parent of social media apps including Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to buy energy from a solar project in southeast Missouri.

Arevon Energy Inc., a renewable energy company, and California-based Meta (Nasdaq: META) have reached two long-term environmental attributes purchase agreements (EAPA) for the Kelso Solar Project in Scott County, Missouri, the companies said Tuesday in a press release.

Arevon’s Kelso Solar Project will generate 349 megawatts of power to support Meta’s operations in the region with 100% renewable energy, officials said. Meta is building an $800 million data center in Kansas City, joining 21 data centers it operates worldwide. Meta expects to spend about $15.12 billion related to its renewable energy agreements as of Dec. 31, most of which is due beyond five years, the company said in its annual report.

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Source: KSDK

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The solar project will provide $139,679 in first-year utility bill savings, and over $12M over the life of the 20-year agreement.

New Santa Maria solar power project to help offset rising energy costs

The City of Santa Maria will soon install a new solar power project to help offset rising energy costs through the use of alternative sources and efficiencies.

On Tuesday night, Santa Maria Public Works Director Brett Fulgoni will discuss details of the plan during a meeting of the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Commission with an overview and presentation of the project.

The Santa Maria City Council previously approved the project in November 2023.

The plan includes the construction of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems at a number of city-owned locations, including City Well Number 12, Wastewater Treatment Plant, Civic Center, Police Department, Transit Yard, Paul Nelson Aquatic Center, James Hagerman Sports Center, and Minami Park.

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Source: KEYT

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US farmers are turning to solar power as a buffer against volatile crop prices, and Biden's clean-energy tax incentives are set to boost the trend.

Solar panels spread across America’s heartland as farmers chase stable returns

For Stuart Woolf, who grows wine grapes, almonds and other specialty crops in California, solar power is a necessary compromise as farming gets more challenging.

Woolf, who has 1,200 acres of panels on his farm in the state’s Central Valley, says individual growers like him are turning to solar to survive. He began leasing land to solar developers about a decade ago, an arrangement that provides him with a much-needed new profit stream.

“We would prefer not to have any solar, but if we don’t have it, we won’t have the ability to keep this farm going,” he said.

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Source: Bloomberg

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From retired landfills to decommissioned golf courses, murals on the buildings, solar installations are proliferating in unexpected places.

Pressed for space, solar farms are getting creative

Solar power is expected to dominate global electricity markets in the next few decades, and already accounts for three-quarters of renewable energy capacity, according to the International Energy Agency. This year, BloombergNEF predicts solar builds will climb another 25%, adding more than 500 gigawatts of capacity.

All of that solar needs a lot of space. Powering just one megawatt of capacity requires at least five acres, meaning a 200-megawatt project (roughly 3,000 panels) takes up as much space as 550 American football fields. That calculus is one reason China — the world’s biggest solar market — is hosting many projects in remote desert regions. It’s also why the IEA expects rooftop and residential solar to expand faster than farms this year.

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Source: Bloomberg

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Chevron New Energies announced it is developing a 5-megawatt hydrogen production project in California’s Central Valley.

Chevron announces its first solar-to-hydrogen production project in California’s Central Valley

Chevron New Energies, a division of Chevron U.S.A. Inc., announced it is developing a 5-megawatt hydrogen production project in California’s Central Valley.

The project aims to create lower carbon energy by utilizing solar power, land, and non-potable produced water from Chevron’s existing assets at the Lost Hills Oil Field in Kern County. This low carbon intensity (LCI) electrolytic hydrogen will be produced through electrolysis, which is the process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Chevron’s strategy is to leverage our strengths to safely deliver lower carbon energy to a growing world. Chevron believes in the value of delivering large-scale hydrogen solutions that support a lower carbon world. The facility is designed to produce two tons of LCI hydrogen per day, with the goal of supporting an expanding hydrogen refueling network.

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Source: Chevron

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Developers are expected to complete 6.4 gigawatts of new grid battery capacity in Texas this year, according to the federal EIA.

Texas will add more grid batteries than any other state in 2024

California and Texas have a new clean-energy superlative to compete over: who’s got the most grid batteries.

Last year, Texas overtook California in large-scale solar power capacity. When huge amounts of solar power rush onto the grid, batteries tend to follow. Now, Texas is building more grid batteries than California, the longtime undisputed leader in clean energy storage.

Developers are expected to complete 6.4 gigawatts of new grid battery capacity in Texas this year, according to the federal Energy Information Administration. That’s more than double the 5.6 gigawatts of battery capacity it ended 2023 with. It’s also as much battery capacity as the entire United States built last year, which was a record year for the energy storage industry. The projection outpaces the 5.2 gigawatts set to come online in California.

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Source: Canary Media

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Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy in Europe projected to spike by 50 TWh in 2024, surpassing other generation sources.

Europe set for 50 TWh solar power boom in 2024

Despite a record-breaking 60 gigawatts direct current (GWDC) of solar PV capacity expansion in 2023, solar power generation in Europe saw a modest increase of about 20%. This year, however, will be another story.

Rystad Energy forecasts solar photovoltaic (PV) energy will spike by about 50 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2024 – growing for the first time more than any other generation source – due to major capacity installations across the region, with Germany leading the way. Wind power generation is also expected to increase in 2024. However, the growth rate will not match the last one seen in 2023, when wind energy output increased by 50 TWh thanks to additional capacity installations and a windier year, particularly in the last quarter.

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Source: OilPrice

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There are ways for solar developers to make installations less harmful and even beneficial for many species.

The planet needs solar power. Can we build it without harming nature?

For pronghorn, those antelope-like creatures of the American West, this grassland north of Flagstaff is prime habitat. It gives the animals the food and conditions they need to survive fall and winter.

But for a nation racing to adopt renewable energy, the land is prime for something else: solar panels. The sun shines strong, the terrain is flat and high-voltage transmission lines are already in place from a decommissioned coal plant. Energy collected here could speed to major metropolitan regions across the West, part of a colossal wave of clean power needed to stave off the worst effects of global warming.

Animals need humans to solve climate change. But they also need places to live. Loss of habitat is the top driver of a staggering global decline in biodiversity, the variety of life on earth. The boom in solar, set to be the fastest-growing energy source in the United States, is predicted to fence off millions of acres across the nation, blanketing them in rows of glassy squares.

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Source: New York Times

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