Tag Archive for: solar

Agrivoltaics help preserve & improve prime agricultural land while providing farmers with additional income.

Smart agrivoltaics policy allows us to harvest the sun while preserving American farmland

American farmland can play a critical role in the clean energy transition, evolving to thrive alongside renewable energy development like solar, wind and energy storage. With respect to solar generation, in order to meet a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2035, the Biden Administration has set a goal of having 40% of our nation’s electricity coming from solar by that same date, up from the current 4%. Brownfields, closed capped landfills, rooftops and other preferred sites will provide important sources for hosting solar arrays. However, American farmland also has a significant role to play, and it is estimated that farmers and other landowners will lease more than 2 million acres of agricultural land in the United States for community and utility-scale solar projects by 2030 (a small fraction of the 880 million of farmlands reported by the USDA in 2023).

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Source: Solar Power World

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In April alone, electrical generation by renewables grew by 13.5% compared to April 2023 and reached 31.0% of the U.S. total

Renewables surpass 30% of U.S. electrical generation for the first time

A review by the SUN DAY Campaign of data newly released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirms that solar has continued its decade-long streak as the nation’s fastest-growing source of electricity.

In its latest monthly “Electric Power Monthly” report (with data through April 30, 2024), EIA says the combination of utility-scale and small-scale (e.g., rooftop) solar increased by 25.4% in the first four months of 2024 compared to the first third of 2023. Small-scale solar alone grew by 19.3% while utility-scale solar thermal and photovoltaic expanded by 28.4% — substantially faster than any other energy source.

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Source: Solar Power World

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CEOs in the renewable energy sector believe the industry is at inflection point, as Big Tech seeks carbon-free energy to power electricity-intensive data centers.

Solar is growing faster than any electricity source as Big Tech seeks clean energy for data centers

Solar is booming in the United States as power demand surges, outpacing the growth of any other electricity source and disproving claims that the energy transition is a failure.

The energy transition from fossil fuels has faced substantial criticism from leaders in the oil and gas industry, who have argued that renewables still represent a fraction of power generation despite decades of investment. Renewables also face reliability problems, they say, when the sun is not shining or the wind not blowing.

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Source: CNBC

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A study indicates that it would be financially viable to close more than 800 coal-fired power plants in emerging countries and replace them with solar installations by the end of the decade.

800 coal-fired power plants to be replaced by solar installations by 2030

Today, some 2,000 gigawatts of coal-fired power plants generate 15.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide every year. According to the IEA(International Energy Agency), emissions must reach zero by 2040 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. However, closing coal-fired power plants represents a significant cost, especially when these facilities are still in debt or tied to long-term power purchase agreements.

Profitable transition opportunities

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) has identified over 800 coal-fired power plants in emerging countries that could be profitably closed down and replaced by solar installations by the end of the decade. Of these, around 600 were built more than 30 years ago and have already paid off their debt, while the remaining 200, built between 15 and 30 years ago, could also be profitably replaced.

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Source: Energy News

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For 55 days in a row, electricity from solar, wind, and water power exceeded 100% of power demand on CA’s main grid for part of the day.

Solar passes 100% of power demand in California

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California has been a leader in the installation of solar power plants and wind power plants for many years now (despite its recent anti-rooftop solar shift via “Net Metering 3.0”). That has led to more and more of its electricity generation coming from renewables. The trend has been going on for years, but there are a couple of recent developments that should really get people’s attention.

Record Solar Power in California Passes 100% of Power Demand

For 55 days in a row, electricity from solar, wind, and water (hydro) power exceeded 100% of power demand on California’s main grid for part of the day. Also, going back further, that has been achieved in 80 out of the last 87 days. That is since early March (International Women’s Day), late winter.

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Source: Clean Technica

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The Shi family is on the leading edge of a solar boom in China, which has long dominated global solar manufacturing.

Corn, millet and … rooftop solar? Farm family’s newest crop shows China’s solar ascendancy

Shi Mei and her husband earn a decent enough living by growing corn and millet on their small farm in eastern China’s Shandong province. In 2021, they diversified by investing in solar energy — signing a contract to mount some 40 panels on their roof to feed energy to the grid.

Now, the couple get paid for every watt of electricity they generate, harvesting the equivalent of $10,000 per year that Shi can track through an app on her phone.

“When the sun comes out, you make money,” Shi said.

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Source: AP News

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In a major clean energy benchmark, wind, solar, and hydro exceeded 100% of demand on California’s main grid for 69 of the past 75 days.

California exceeds 100% of energy demand with renewables over a record 30 days

In a major clean energy benchmark, wind, solar, and hydro exceeded 100% of demand on California’s main grid for 69 of the past 75 days.

May 21 update: Stanford University professor of civil and environmental engineering Mark Z. Jacobson continues to track California’s renewables performance – and it’s still exciting. In an update today on Twitter (X), Jacobson reports that California has now exceeded 100% of energy demand with renewables over a record 45 days straight, and 69 out of 75:

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Source: electrek

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In March alone, solar accounted for 99.7% of capacity added, marking the seventh month in a row in which it provided more new US electrical generating capacity than any other energy source.

Solar was almost 100% of new electrical capacity added in the US in March

In its latest monthly “Energy Infrastructure Update” report (with data through March 31, 2024), FERC says 52 “units” of solar provided 2,833 MW of new domestic generating capacity in March or 99.72% of the total. The balance consisted of 3 MW each of new biomass and oil capacity plus 1 MW each of new hydropower and natural gas capacity.

For the first quarter of this year, solar accounted for 86.79% (or 6,497-MW) of new generating capacity brought online while wind contributed another 12.40% (928-MW). Natural gas trailed with only 49 MW (0.65%) accompanied by 5 MW of oil, 3 MW of biomass, 3 MW of “other,” and 1 MW of hydropower.

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Source: Solar Power World

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State regulators slashed solar programs that school districts rely on to cut energy bills and finance sustainability projects. A new bill could fix that.

California bill would undo rules making it hard for schools to go solar

California regulators’ hostility to rooftop solar may have hit its political limit, at least when it comes to the impact on public schools.

In the past few months, a host of bills seeking to reverse or amend California’s regulatory push against rooftop solar have faltered in the state Capitol. The exception, so far, is Senate Bill 1374. The bill would amend the November California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) decision that prevents schools, farms, apartment buildings, and other types of customers from using the solar power they generate to offset their power purchases from Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric, the state’s three major utilities.

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Source: Canary Media

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Portugal generated an ‘historic’ 95 per cent of its electricity from renewables in April, according to the network operator REN.

Renewables are meeting 95% of Portugal’s electricity needs

Portugal has made huge progress in renewable power, up from 27 per cent in 2005 and 54 per cent in 2017.

Portugal generated an ‘historic’ 95 per cent of its electricity from renewables in April, according to the network operator REN.

Renewable energy generation averaged just below that for the first four months of the year, covering 91 per cent of the nation’s power needs.

It’s one national good news story within a great continental shift: fossil fuels provided less than a quarter of the EU’s energy for the first time ever last month.

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Source: Euro News

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