May-June 2023 Issue *by Bill McKibben- The United States is on the brink of its most consequential transformation since the New Deal. Read more about what it takes to decarbonize the economy, and what stands in the way, here.

Click now to learn more about these Microgrids.

May-June 2023 Issue *by Michael Mechanic- The transition to clean power will require massive solar expansion—not just home rooftop arrays but photovoltaic installations near population centers. Where to mount all the panels? One answer seems obvious: over parking lots, which also bake during the summer, contributing to dangerous “heat island” effects. Shading Walmart Supercenter lots with PV canopies, for instance, would generate loads of power and allow stores to entice shoppers with free EV charging and cooler lots. And a cool customer is a happy customer.

May-June 2023 Issue *by Michael Mechanic- The transition to clean power will require massive solar expansion—not just home rooftop arrays but photovoltaic installations near population centers.

Where to mount all the panels? One answer seems obvious: over parking lots, which also bake during the summer, contributing to dangerous “heat island” effects. Shading Walmart Supercenter lots with PV canopies, for instance, would generate loads of power and allow stores to entice shoppers with free EV charging and cooler lots. And a cool customer is a happy customer.

May-June 2023 Issue *by Michael Mechanic- Microgrids are poised to take off. If you’ve never heard of them, you will soon. “A microgrid,” as journalist Lois Parshley explains in her accompanying story for our Electrify Everything package, “is basically a relatively small, local system that can generate, store, and/or distribute electricity, and can function off of the main grid if need be.

They can be public or private, and consist of anything from a couple of neighbors sharing a solar panel to a bitcoin mine powered by its own wind farm.”

May 30, 2023 -Form Energy started construction of its first iron-air battery manufacturing facility in Weirton, West Virginia.

When fully operational in mid- to late-2024, Form Factory 1 is expected to have an annual production capacity of 500 MW of iron-air batteries.

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) was on hand for the groundbreaking, and said the factory was a “direct result of the Inflation Reduction Act.” He said the investment, in a community that “has felt the impact of the downturn in American manufacturing,” is an example of the “IRA bill working as we intended.”

May 29, 2023 -New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a $10 million initiative to advance clean hydrogen research, development, and demonstration projects aimed at replacing fossil fuel use in hard-to-electrify sectors.

Applicable New York-based entities must also be actively applying for federal clean hydrogen funding opportunities, and successful awards will be contingent on securing federal funding.

May 29, 2023 -The solar industry has come a long way since its inception, evolving from an experimental technology to an integral part of our daily lives that we take for granted. But, despite the long history and seemingly established nature of the technology, innovation continues. This article covers several things that show how this innovation continues, but first, let’s look at the long history real quick!

May 25, 2023 -Oxford PV’s solar cell converted 28.6% of the sun’s energy into electricity. The company said its achievement was independently certified by Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy.

The 258.15 cm2 cell was made by depositing a thin film of the material perovskite onto a conventional silicon heterojunction cell. The combined ‘perovskite-on-silicon’ tandem solar cell achieves a conversion efficiency that is substantially higher than that of mainstream silicon-only solar cells, which average 22–24%.

May 25, 2023 -Fossil fuels are taking a back seat to clean energy when it comes to global investment.The International Energy Agency says that some $2.8 trillion likely will be invested in energy this year with more than $1.7 trillion of it going to clean technologies including renewables, electric vehicles, nuclear power, grids, storage, low-emissions fuels, efficiency improvements and heat pumps. The rest, around $1 trillion, is going to coal, gas and oil.

May 25, 2023 -California’s largest electric utility launched its Spring 2023 Green Tariff Shared Renewables Requests for Offers (GTSR RFOs) on May 16.

The GTSR program includes two sister programs: Solar Choice (SC) and Regional Renewable Choice (RRC). SC projects have a Dec. 31, 2024 on-line date; RRC projects have an on-line date of 36 months following contract execution.

May 23, 2023 -The Oregon-based company said it aims to disrupt Asian supply chains by using regional steel resources “to end the solar industry’s reliance on imported aluminum.”

It said that sourcing domestic steel frames can tap into domestic content incentives included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

May 22, 2023 - Canada is in the process of introducing tax credit incentives and investments in developing and manufacturing solar PV, energy storage, and other renewable energy technologies.

Think: Inflation Reduction Act heads north. As per the 2015 Paris Agreement, Canada has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40–45% from 2005 levels by 2030 and has made a commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Solar in Canada is a big winner, as the country aims to generate 90% of electricity from renewable and non-emitting resources by 2030.

May 18, 2023 - We Recycle Solar, the aptly named recycler of solar panels, has expanded the capacity at its Yuma, Arizona facility to process 7,500 modules in a single day.

With the addition of new lines of machinery and technology, The company said its 75,000 sq. ft. recycling plant is the largest in North America. Founded in 2019, the company has recycled or remarketed more than 500,000 end-of-life solar panels.

May 18, 2023 - In its latest move to expand U.S. production capacity, solar tracker manufacturer Nextracker has commissioned a 1.2 GW factory in Memphis, Tennessee.

The facility will manufacture Nextracker's steel torque tubes and support the company's projects in Kentucky, South Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi, and Georgia. The company said the facility will support 129 new jobs.

May 18, 2023 - Ambient Fuels describes itself as a "pure-play" green hydrogen developer, providing custom projects for heavy industries and transportation, overseeing design, financing, and construction.

The company said it is actively developing a project in the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, where it is also participating in the push to secure one of the Department of Energy's hydrogen hubs. Ambient Fuels is cited in New York's hydrogen hub application, as well.

May 17, 2023 - Clean energy is a wide range of technologies that use non-fossil fuel sources to generate electricity, heat water, or run vehicles. Using these resources reduces carbon emissions and helps fight climate change.

Clean power will be an increasingly important part of our energy mix. New technologies and financing structures are making renewables easier to deploy at scale.

May 15, 2023 - The amount of electricity a solar panel produces depends on several factors, including the panel size, the amount of sunlight it receives, and the panel’s efficiency. The article explores each one.

May 11, 2023 - The hotel ballroom was packed before breakfast as Jigar Shah took the stage at the oil and gas industry’s annual conference in Houston this spring. The host joked he was confident a huge crowd would come out for Mr. Shah, even at 7:30 a.m.

It’s rare for a midlevel federal official to attract so much attention. But the small, obscure office that Mr. Shah oversees, the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, has become an engine of the Biden administration’s efforts to aggressively advance clean energy. And Mr. Shah is no ordinary bureaucrat.

May 11, 2023 - The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is moving forward with a plan to double the federally-owned utility's solar power generating capacity.

Last June, TVA issued what it called "the nation's largest-ever request for clean energy," and intends to begin awarding bids for approximately 6,000 MW of solar and energy storage within the next two months. TVA currently has 1,600 MW of operating and contracted solar capacity.

TVA said the approximately 40 solar projects are expected to begin coming online in 2026. The utility is building out a lot of new natural gas capacity, too.

May 11, 2023 - The Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectricity Incentives will provide up to $553.6 million in incentive payments to maintain and enhance hydroelectric facilities. This funding will help ensure generators continue to provide clean, affordable electricity, while integrating additional renewable energy resources and help reduce environmental impacts. DOE also announced a $45 million funding opportunity to support a pilot demonstration site and community-led tidal and/or current energy project in the U.S.

May 10, 2023 - Germany’s energy minister announced plans May 5 to ease bureaucratic hurdles for solar power as the country set a new record for photovoltaic installations during the first quarter.

Europe’s biggest economy added 2.7 GW of solar power capacity during the first three months of 2023, putting it on course to beat the target of 9 GW this year, compared with 7 GW in 2022.

May 10, 2023 - When Joe Seaman, the city planner for the working class town of Cohoes, New York, Googled the term “floating solar,” he didn’t even know it was a thing. What he did know is that his tiny town needed an affordable way to get electricity and had no extra land. But looking at a map, one feature stood out, he said. “We have this 14-acre water reservoir.”

Seaman soon found the reservoir could hold enough solar panels to power all the municipal buildings and streetlights, saving the city more than $500,000 each year.

May 9, 2023 - The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) marks a historic investment in clean energy infrastructure that will have a transformative impact on local economies and communities across the country. With long-term market stability to support the widespread deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, the industry is projected to add nearly 9 million workers over the next decade.

May 8, 2023 -As the 145-mile Clean Energy Connect transmission awaits the outcome of litigation in Maine, another new line has been proposed to connect the adjoining states of New Hampshire and Vermont.

Latest on Clean Energy Connect: Developers have right to finish $1B power line, jury says.

The Twin States Clean Energy Link is a $2 billion transmission line proposed by National Grid, Citizens Energy Corp., and Northeastern Vermont Development Association. The 211-mile line could move up to 1,200 MW of dispatchible hydropower energy to New England and also export energy to Quebec in times of low demand, according to the developers.

May 8, 2023 - The award against Silicon Ranch Corp. and its contractor, IEA Inc., was announced May 5 by James E. Butler, attorney for plaintiffs Shaun and Amie Harris who live near Lumpkin, Georgia, south of Columbus, WRBL-TV reported.

According to the lawsuit, Silicon Ranch Corp. has developed more than 160 solar panel facilities across the country, many of which were built by IEA. At “Lumpkin Solar,” IEA cleared and mass-graded about 1,000 acres of timberland, farmland, and land near the Harris couple that was previously used for recreational hunting and fishing — without installing adequate measures for erosion and sediment control, Butler said in a news release.

May 8, 2023 -Going by the latest round of activity on the international scene, Ukraine can start ramping up its plans for a post-war future. That’s good news for a more sustainable economic profile across Europe, because those plans are taking shape with a green hydrogen centerpiece that piggybacks on Ukraine’s considerable stock of energy export infrastructure.

May 4, 2023 -During a call reporting first-quarter earnings to investors, SunPower CEO Peter Faricy said the company saw battery attachment rates of 26%, 32%, and 47% in the first three weeks since California's net-billing policy took effect on April 15. SunPower believed, and hoped, battery attachment rates would exceed 20% under the new framework, commonly referred to as NEM 3.0.

"We're really beginning to see an acceleration in this channel," Faricy said. "I think it's way too early to make a conclusion on this yet, the numbers are small so I want to give the appropriate caveats, but we're really seeing some real momentum on the battery side. For customers in California, I think (batteries) will be a standard part of the package now."

May 4, 2023 -The green hydrogen company Nel announced plans Wednesday, May 3 to build a massive new plant in Michigan as it works with General Motors to drive down the cost of hydrogen.

The Norwegian company makes devices that take water and split it into hydrogen and oxygen, known as electrolyzers, as well as fueling stations. CEO Håkon Volldal said the company will make electrolyzers in the Detroit area to supply up to 4 gigawatts’ worth of hydrogen each year, making it among the largest such factories in the world.

May 4, 2023 -Incorporating virtual power plants into resource adequacy plans could save utilities billions of dollars in capacity investments, according to a new study.

Brattle Group conducted the study on behalf of Google to explore the cost and ability of virtual power plants — aggregated distributed energy resources, like residential solar, batteries, and electric vehicles — to serve resource adequacy needs in lieu of conventional options.

May 3, 2023 -Solar energy has grown into a popular and affordable source of clean energy in recent years. However, it’s still a challenge for renters to reap the benefits because they don’t own their homes.

Fortunately, you don’t need to own a home to use solar energy. As a renter, you can tap into the sun’s power and help reduce your carbon footprint in plenty of ways.

May 2, 2023, -For a century, hydroelectric power has been synonymous with gigantic dams — feats of engineering that provide renewable energy but displace communities and destroy ecosystems.

New research released Tuesday by Global Energy Monitor reveals a transformation underway in hydroelectric projects — using the same gravitational qualities of water, but typically without building large, traditional dams like the Hoover in the American West or Three Gorges in China.

May 17, 2023 - In tiny Gerlach, just outside the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, residents have watched the Burning Man festival grow over the last 30 years to a spectacle of nearly 80,000 countercultural hippies and tech billionaires, offering an economic lifeline for the unincorporated town. Now, Burning Man and Gerlach are more tightly aligned, joining conservationists and a Native American tribe in an alliance against a powerful adversary: Ormat Technology, the largest geothermal power company in the country.

Both Burning Man and Ormat share a vision for a greener future, yet neither can agree on the road to get there.

Apr. 19, 2023 -Fervo Energy is one of the first geothermal companies to drill and successfully complete a horizontal well pair for commercial geothermal production. It used technologies, skills, and processes that Devon uses for oil and gas production.

Mar. 28, 2023 -There’s a lot to like about geothermal energy. It’s clean, it’s renewable and it generates electricity 24/7. It taps heat from Earth’s interior that, in theory, will last billions of years.

Japan, is a country that sits atop the third-largest geothermal resources of any country by some measures. Chang W. Lee, a photojournalist at The Times produced an article about geothermal power and why it hasn’t taken off there.

Jan. 5, 2023 -Tim Latimer was working as a drilling engineer in South Texas when he couldn't shake a newfound curiosity.

Latimer was new to the oil and gas industry, and in 2012, the industry was at the height of the shale revolution. He was tasked with navigating the challenges created by high drilling temperatures in the Eagle Ford Shale region.

As he did more research Latimer discovered the world of geothermal energy.

Aug. 24, 2022, -The US has vast geothermal energy resources, but most of it is trapped within stubborn rock formations, beyond reach. That is about to change. The US Department of Energy has been supporting R&D on a new approach to 24/7 thermal energy called enhanced geothermal systems, and one of its private sector partners just pulled in $138 million in new funding to complete the construction of two new geothermal-fueled power plants in the US. At least five more could soon be in the pipeline, with more to come overseas.

Aug. 5, 2022 -The project is funded through a $318,000 grant from the Federal Government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), which supports the global transition to net zero emissions by accelerating pre-commercial innovation.

The project will demonstrate how the energy demands of sheds can be coordinated with on-site renewable energy production, showing both economic and environmental benefits to farmers to further support the uptake of the technology across the industry.

Aug. 2, 2022 -The developer of a geothermal power plant facing legal challenges in Nevada agreed Monday to suspend construction just hours after a U.S. appeals court had refused to halt the project that opponents say would harm an endangered toad and destroy sacred hot springs.

In a ruling Monday morning, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a bid by environmentalists and a Nevada tribe to reinstate an injunction that temporarily blocked work earlier this year on Ormat Nevada’s plant 100 miles (161 kilometers) east of Reno.

July 14, 2022 -The day started inauspiciously for John McLennan, as he tried to break the curse haunting a 45-year quest to coax abundant energy from deep within Earth.

First came news of an overnight accident that left one researcher recuperating in a hotel with a sore back. Then reports trickled in that seismic sensors dangling inside holes bored deep into the Escalante Desert here were malfunctioning. Repairs were delayed by gale-force winds that whipped the sagebrush-covered hills and buffeted a drilling rig that rose 50 meters from the desert like a misplaced lighthouse.

July 9, 2022 -Geothermal technology has many advantages that make it well worth investing in, both for your wallet and for the environment.

You can expect savings of anywhere from 30 to 70% on your heating bill. Not only that, you can expect around a 50% saving on your cooling as well!

June 16, 2022 -A partnership between the mining and geothermal industries could lead both toward a more lucrative and greener future.

Across the United States there are more than 3 million abandoned mining wells. Each hole drilled into the ground offers more than just the ghost of minerals never found. There are layers of valuable data waiting for the right audience.

May 28, 2022 -The Earth’s inner core is substantially hotter than the mantle. Heat flows continuously from its interior to the surface. It transfers to the atmosphere, oceans, and continents at the surface.

This type of energy is a clean, sustainable resource that produces no greenhouse gases or pollutants. Additionally, geothermal power plants can be built in various locations, making them a versatile source of energy.

Mar. 21, 2023 -Manufacturing all silicon solar panels to be deployed in the United States domestically would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 23% and energy use by 4% compared to outsourced manufacturing, according to a new analysis. The findings suggest that “reshoring” solar panel production could help the country decarbonize faster.

Sep. 27, 2022 -You can still have all the benefits of solar power in your home without disfiguring it. Thanks to advances in solar technology over the last decade or so, there are now alternatives to traditional solar panels.

Specifically, building-applied photovoltaics (BAPVs) are a discreet way of installing solar technology in your home – no one will even be able to detect them.

Oct. 29, 2022 -Table of Contents:
Solar Myth #1: Solar panels are too expensive.
Solar Myth #2: Solar panels are not reliable.
Solar Myth #3: Solar panels require a lot of maintenance.
Solar Myth #4: Solar power doesn’t work in cold climates.
Solar Myth #5: Solar panels take up too much space.
Solar Myth #6: Solar power is unreliable because it depends on the weather.
Solar Myth #7: Going solar will cause my energy bills to go up.
Solar Myth #8: Solar energy is not safe

Pager Power, Oct. 6, 2021 -Agrivoltaics is the practice of using the same area of land for both solar photovoltaic power as well as for agriculture, which implies that solar panels and crops will share sunlight.

This type of co-development is not new to the industry. Often terrain used for agriculture purposes is also used by wind developers to harness the power of wind, or animals grazing in farms help controlling the height of the grass in solar photovoltaic fields.

Mar. 17, 2022, (The Conversation) -The UK government is reportedly considering a £16 billion proposal to build a solar power station in space.

Yes, you read that right. Space-based solar power is one of the technologies to feature in the government’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. It has been identified as a potential solution, alongside others, to enable the UK to achieve net zero by 2050.

But how would a solar power station in space work? What are the advantages and drawbacks to this technology?

March 26, 2022 - The solar industry has come a long way in just the last few years. The latest developments and breakthroughs in solar technology include longer-lasting solar cells, solar cells that you can print onto flexible surfaces, solar panels that track the sun from east to west throughout the day, and solar power plants that work at night.

Mar. 28, 2022, (gtm)-Policymakers looking to speed up renewable energy deployment have a best-practice case study to look to: Australia is rolling out renewables 10 times faster than the global average, offering lessons as to what factors can improve the uptake of clean energy.

Mar. 21, 2022, (orbitalmarine.com)-Manufactured and launched in Dundee earlier in the year before being towed up to Orkney, the O2 is Orbital’s first commercial turbine and represents the culmination of more than 15 years of world leading product development in the UK.

The 74m long turbine is expected to operate in the waters off Orkney for the next 15 years with the capacity to meet the annual electricity demand of around 2,000 UK homes with clean, predictable power from the fast-flowing waters. In a further ground-breaking element of the project, the O2 is to provide power to EMEC’s onshore electrolyzer to generate green hydrogen that will be used to demonstrate decarbonization of wider energy requirements.

Dec. 1, 2021, (POWER)- The vision sounds far-fetched: If a kilometer-scale satellite could be outfitted with a hybrid array of photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) panels and launched into orbit 22,400 miles above Earth, it could continuously harvest 3.4 GW of solar power and beam it down to Earth via microwave radiation for grid consumption, potentially delivering 2 GW of dispatchable and baseload power.

But according to a “whole systems” set of detailed engineering and economic feasibility studies conducted by systems, engineering, and technology-oriented Frazer-Nash Consultancy for the UK government, this concept of a typical space-based solar power (SBSP) system is both technically and economically feasible—and it can be achieved within the next 18 years.

October, 2017, (THE VERGE)The wings of a butterfly have inspired a new type of solar cell that can harvest light twice as efficiently as before and could one day improve our solar panels.

Solar panels are usually made of thick solar cells, and are positioned at an angle to get the most amount of light from the sun as it moves throughout the day. Thin film solar cells, which can be only nanometers thick, have a lot of potential.

June 18, 2021 (Scientific American) -Restrictions on land use for greenfield solar projects, roof orientation, and inherent technical advantages, may prove floating solar, or floatovoltaic to be a viable energy alternative.

When it comes to large-scale solar projects, the most common alternatives to rooftop solar panel systems include ground mounts or solar canopies. There’s a newer alternative that’s making quite the splash in the solar industry: floating solar.

Floatovoltaic is defined as solar panels arrayed to float on the top of a lake or reservoir, placed on a buoyant sub-structure, and anchored with a measure of flexible movement. The technology is relatively-new starting in 2008 with China, Japan, and the U.K. as the early adopters.

-Studio Solarix makes coloured solar panels and facade systems by doing this we can make buildings more sustainable, both in new construction and redevelopment. To this end, it designs, researches and develops aesthetic, sustainable and energy-generating facade elements.

It originated from a joint ambition of Reinier Bosch (product designer, artist) and Marloes van Heteren (architect). With a great deal of substantive knowledge, they are the initiators of Solarix in the market of architecture, product development, design and sustainability; a beautiful facade panel that provides energy to people.

July 27, 2021 (CleanTechnica) -A hydrogen fuel cell is an electrochemical power generator that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, with water and heat as by-products. Simply put, hydrogen fuel cells form energy that can be used to power anything from commercial vehicles to drones.

Hydrogen fuel cell technology offers the advantages of a clean and reliable alternative energy source to customers in a growing number of applications – electric vehicles, including forklifts, delivery vans, drones, and cars – primary and backup power for a variety of commercial, industrial, and residential buildings; and more futuristic-sounding applications like air taxis.

Click now to learn the 5 things.

1. Is your location’s climate suitable for solar?

2. Is your home suitable for solar panels?

3. Do you have access to solar financial incentives?

4. How much do you pay for electricity?

5. Have you found a solar installer?

Chris Lord’s FREE Site Lease vs. Buy Modeling Calculator allows users to compare a lease rate against a potential purchase of a solar PV site where the lease rate (including escalator) is known.

Mar. 31, 2021(INHABITATs), -France keeps making green headlines lately… the Eiffel Tower’s wind turbines, the tree-shaped wind turbines being installed in Paris, and now an exciting new law that is sure to have a huge environmental impact in urban centers.

Every new commercial building in France must meet a new building requirement; the roof must be at least partially covered in either solar panels or plants.

Environmental activists had originally called for all for all rooftops to be 100% green, but the Government limited the scope of the law to include commercial buildings only. In an effort to make it less onerous for businesses, the rooftops will also only have to be partially green.

(AE News), Apr. 13, 2020 -German Architect Andre Broessel believes he has a solution that can “squeeze more juice out of the sun”, even during the night hours and in low-light regions. His company Rawlemon has created a spherical sun power generator prototype called the beta.ray. His technology will combine spherical geometry principles with a dual axis tracking system, allowing twice the yield of a conventional solar panel in a much smaller surface area. The futuristic design is fully rotational and is suitable for inclined surfaces, walls of buildings, and anywhere with access to the sky. It can even be used as an electric car charging station.

Click now for the story
with photos and videos.

(The Guardian), Dec. 8, 2020 -The race is on to find a steady source of lithium, a key component in rechargeable electric car batteries. But while the EU focuses on emissions, the lithium gold rush threatens environmental damage on an industrial scale

Click now for more.

(greener ideal), Oct. 19, 2017 -After solar power, solar water heating is often the next step that homeowners take to make their home more sustainable.

A solar water heating system works by converting sunlight into heat using a solar thermal collector. This heat is then used to heat water in homes and swimming pools.

If you plan to install a solar water heating system in your home, make sure to include domestic hot water as well. There’s little point in installing a solar water heating system if you can’t benefit from domestic hot water which is a necessity all year round.

Jan. 31, 2020,(SAGE journals) -Over recent years, few areas of international development research have seen as much transformation as those relating to energy access and low carbon transitions. Ghana, amongst other African economies, has seen an increase in energy demand surpassing the supply of energy in the last decade. The incorporation of the incorporation of renewable energy into the mix is, therefore, seen as a significant role in addressing the energy needs by replacing conventional fuels with clean and reliable domestic electricity with the advantage of local economic opportunities.

The country has adopted the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG); SDG goal 7 targets ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services. This target presents a formidable challenge to Ghana because the country still relies mainly on non-renewable energy sources. The country has a huge potential for renewable energy that remains underexploited. This study, therefore, seeks to assess the current renewable energy resource situation, examine the trend in Ghana’s energy consumption and undertake a comprehensive review and critical evaluation of Ghana’s renewable energy drive and policies.

April 1, 2020 (AENews)-Since 2011, French Company Ciel & Terre has been developing large-scale floating solar solutions. Their innovative Hydrelio Floating PV system allows standard PV panels to be installed on large bodies of water such as: drinking water reservoirs, quarry lakes, irrigation canals, remediation and tailing ponds, and hydro electric dam reservoirs. This simple and affordable alternative to ground-mounted systems is particularly suitable for water-intensive industries who cannot afford to waste either land or water.

The main float is constructed of high-density thermoplastic (HDPE) and is set at a 12 degree angle to support a standard 60 Cell PV solar module. A secondary non-slip HDPE float is then used to link the main floats together and provide a platform for maintenance and added buoyancy as illustrated when you click on the link to the story.

Dec. 16, 2019  (ScienceDaily)- Artificial Intelligence may be just the thing to accelerate spray-on solar cell technology, which could revolutionize how consumers use energy.

It's a stunning example of how 3D printing is not only a viable and affordable construction method of the future but also a revolutionary system that can help reduce plastic waste.

A research team at the University of Central Florida used Machine Learning, aka Artificial Intelligence to optimize the materials used to make perovskite solar cells (PSC). The Organic-Inorganic halide perovskites material used in PSC converts photovoltaic power into consumable energy.

Sept. 18, 2019 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)-In 2018, about 4,178 billion kilowatthours (kWh) (or 4.18 trillion kWh) of electricity were generated at utility-scale electricity generation facilities in the United States.1 About 63% of this electricity generation was from fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, petroleum, and other gases). About 20% was from nuclear energy, and about 17% was from renewable energy sources. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that an additional 30 billion kWh of electricity generation was from small-scale solar photovoltaic systems in 2018

Bright Hub -One of the most beneficial ways of increasing the efficiency of a wind turbine is to modify the design of the turbine blades. Although there are already many types of blade designs already in the market, only a few designs have turned out to be useful.

Whalepower, a Canadian company that uses bio-mimicry, a concept of adapting the designs of nature into developing mechanical machine, has changed the design of the conventional turbine blades from flat smooth blades to a ridged design similar to that of whale fins. The blades of whale power turbine features a series of ridges just like the tubercles or bumps found on the humpback whale fins.

Apr. 4, 2019 (Power Technology) —How are modern stadiums using renewables as a source of energy and which are the best stadiums for renewable energy in the world?

Sports stadiums require a huge amount of power, in particular on match-days when lighting, air-conditioning and video screens all electricity, along with a vast multitude of other energy-intensive demands. Even when not in use, stadiums and other sporting arenas need large amounts of power for maintenance.

The possibilities for incorporating renewable energy technology into stadiums and the surrounding areas provide a huge opportunity for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This can include placing solar panels on roofs and on the roads leading towards the arenas.

In the U.S. several landfills have already been converted into solar farms. The project also provides the opportunity to convert an unusable land and turn it into something that can become the asset of the community.

Water is a finite resource, as water wars in California can attest. Reducing our water footprint is essential to conserving this life-giving substance.

Solar Thermal Magazine Feb.10, 2019 -You would think that a state that refers to itself as the sunshine state would be rushing to install solar power technology. I mean with all that sunshine ( not to mention wind, wave and tidal energy) available why buy electricity from out of state.

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), already a self proclaimed leader in solar energy, has announced a groundbreaking “30-by-30” plan to install more than 30 million solar panels by 2030 and make the state of Florida a world leader in the production of solar energy.

Jan. 7, 2020 (Arcadia Blog) -One of the most popular clean energy sources in North America, solar power, has skyrocketed in use in the U.S. over the last decade. Current estimates show that the volume of solar energy generated across installations nationally is enough to power 12-million American homes, and that number is only expected to grow.

They’re limited to generating energy during the day — but function less efficiently the cloudier it is outside, collecting an estimated 10 to 25 percent of their typical output on cloudy days.

But recent research from Soochow University in Suzhou, China, stands to change this. In 2018, a research team from the Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials crafted a solar cell that simultaneously generates electricity from sunlight and rainfall — allowing solar panels to continue to collect energy at full capacity during storms and subsequently expanding the duration of time at which a panel can function in any given day. Unlike typical solar panels, these panels would continue working on cloudy days and crucially, could even work at night.

January, 2019 Arcadia Power Blog -The fight against climate change is a fight for everyone, from individuals to businesses, national and local governments.

Among many leaders driving change towards a 100% renewable energy future, find these 156 major global companies—each of whom have pledged to go 100% renewable in the near future.

Look for your trusted bank, service, or a favorite brand, and see when and how each of them are working to meet their goals. Click to read on.

Around the world, cities, states, countries, and companies (and people just like you!) are making the switch to clean, renewable energy to help confront climate change – and because it just makes good economic sense.

Renewable energy is both a clean alternative to the fossil fuels driving the climate crisis and an engine for job creation. What’s not to love? But like any new technology, as it starts to take hold, there are bound to be questions.

While it’s hard to miss a massive solar array or a field full of wind turbines, so much of the action with geothermal energy happens out-of-sight that it tends to not generate as much love as its buzzier brothers in the renewable energy landscape.

And that’s too bad, because geothermal energy is pretty awesome. It takes the natural functions of the Earth and puts them to great use heating homes, creating electricity, and helping to propel the global shift from the dirty fossil fuels driving climate change to renewables.

Dec. 22, 2022 -Dec. 23, 2022 -No matter how sustainable, eco-friendly, and clean sources of energy they are, conventional solar panels require a large setup area and heavy initial investment. Due to these limitations, it’s hard to introduce them in urban areas (especially neighborhoods with lots of apartment blocks or shops). But thanks to the work of ingenious engineers at the University of Michigan, that may soon no longer be the case.

The researchers have created transparent solar panels which they claim could be used as power-generating windows in our homes, buildings, and even rented apartments.

Mar. 21, 2022, (Echo Wave Power)-Eco Wave Power (EWP) (Nasdaq US Stock Symbol: WAVE) developed an innovative technology for production of clean electricity from ocean and sea waves.

Echo's aim to generate clean & affordable electricity, using a simple but smart design, allowing our floaters to be attached to existing man-made structures, and thereby simplifying installation and maintenance as well as accessibility.

EWP’s innovative technology has been recognized as a “Pioneering Technology” by the Chief Scientist of the Energy Ministry of Israel and received an Efficient Solution label from Solar Impulse Foundation.

Renewable energy is energy generated from ongoing natural processes like wind or sunlight that are not depleted when used. Unlike fossil fuels, these types of energy are theoretically unlimited. In contrast, fossil fuels like oil and gas are finite resources formed in the earth ove hundreds of millions of years from the remains of plants and animals.

Importantly, and unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy is clean and doesn’t release carbon pollution into the atmosphere (which drives climate change). Burning fossil fuels does.

Nov. 9, 2021, (Washington Post)-Ocean boosters like to compare the kinetic energy stored in the sea to a ginormous oil reserve that’s never going to run dry.

It doesn’t matter if the sun shines or the wind blows. The tides turn. You can set your watch to them. The trick is how to generate cost-effective, renewable electricity from that limitless, ceaseless motion. They’re working on the problem here on Scotland’s Orkney Islands.

Mar. 20, 2018 -Months after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico is still struggling to become fully energized. A number of grassroots efforts think solar energy can speed the recovery and prevent a total blackout when the next storm hits.

Feb. 27, 2018 -Are you passionate about green energy and protecting our planet? Are you looking for a career you can be proud of that offers possibilities we aren’t even aware of yet? Look no further than the renewable energy industry.

You could be working in wind or solar power in no time with the right education and tools to get you set on this exciting path. Here are some of the best degrees to pursue and the career choices that may come your way.

Here’s a quick primer on what a hydrogen fuel cell is…
Simply put, it’s an electromagnetic cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (for our purposes, hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (oxygen) into electricity through a chemical reaction.

Arcadia's Solar Energy Is available to both renters & homeowners - without solar panels. Get renewable energy at home without switching providers or installing any equipment •easy to use dashboard •wind sources •experts on hand.

July, 2020 (NREL)-A floating solar photovoltaic (FPV) system is an emerging technology in which a solar photovoltaic (PV) system is placed directly on top of a body of water, as opposed to on land or on building rooftops. An NREL blog post from Jan. 24, 2017 discussed FPV and was based on forward-thinking state energy offices inquiring about the technology through NREL’s state technical assistance programs. The blog post introduced the technology and discussed the benefits of FPVs, as well as different examples of pilot FPVs in the United States.

Jan. 21, 2018 - A team of talented scientists from Stanford University situated in Stanford, in Silicon Valley, 20 miles (approximately 30 Km) out of San Jose, California, USA have successfully displayed the usage of nanotechnology. The method to manufacture crystalline silicon (c-Si) thin-film solar cells which are being claimed to be more efficient at capturing solar energy.

Jan. 2, 2018 - From Clean Technica : Not too long ago, the mention of hydrogen, or concentrating solar power, or both at the same time, would be met by a roll of the eye from alternative energy insiders. Hydrogen is an abundant and clean-burning fuel, but the primary source of hydrogen is natural gas. Concentrating solar power has a built-in energy storage element, but it is more complicated and expensive than other solar technologies. Et cetera, et cetera, and so on and so forth.

From Natiional Geographic: There are many benefits to using renewable energy resources, but what is it exactly? From solar to wind, find out more about alternative energy, the fastest-growing source of energy in the world, and how we can use it to combat climate change

Dec. 15, 2017 - From Renewable Energy World: It is easier to believe in the future of solar today than it was decades ago. This article honors eight of the women who believed and persevered and pioneered the PV industry of today and without who it might be a very different industry indeed.

Each woman has in her own way championed the cause of climate change as well as the cause of the solar industry and has worked tirelessly educating, conducting research and deploying solar technologies to ensure the future of the industry.

July 6, 2020,(4C Offshore) -Transmission System Operator (TSO) 50Hertz has launched an economic and climate initiative for the grid area the company is responsible for: the eastern German states as well as the city states of Berlin and Hamburg. With the slogan “From 60 to 100 by 2032: for an economy with prospects”, 50Hertz has set itself the specific goal of getting the electricity demand in its grid area covered – and securely integrated – with 100 percent renewable energies by 2032. In 2019, the annual average share of renewables attained about 60%.

0Hertz stated it will align its entire corporate strategy with this new objective and use all its know-how to that end in the scope of its statutory duty to operate the grid securely and reliably. This involves new approaches to system operation, a consistent digitization of the integration of an increasingly volatile electricity supply as well as the participation in innovative models of sector coupling to generate heat and produce hydrogen from “green” power.

From Wageningen University: Experiments have proven that plants can serve as a source of clean and renewable energy.

As part of the European project PlantPower, researchers are studying whether this technology is suitable for large-scale applications.They are also examining the technical feasibility and the economic profitability.

Scientists all over the world are looking for alternatives to fossil fuels. Plant materials are already used as an energy source through bio-fermentation. Now it appears that living plants can also contribute to energy production. In a plant microbial fuel cell, living plants work together with micro-organisms to create electricity.

This results in clean and renewable energy, while the plant remains alive. The first practical tests have been very promising. In projects supported by the EU and Agentschap NL (an agency of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs), European and Dutch institutes, universities, and businesses are cooperating to gain more knowledge about this technology and its applications.

Nov. 25, 2019  (Environment Florida) —Clean energy is sweeping across America and is poised for more dramatic growth in the coming years.

Wind turbines and solar panels were novelties ten years ago; today, they are everyday parts of America’s energy landscape. As recently as 2010, energy-saving LED light bulbs cost $40 apiece; today, they cost a few dollars at the hardware store. Just a few years ago, electric vehicles seemed a far-off solution to decarbonize our transportation system; now, they have broken through to the mass market.

Virtually every day, there are new developments that increase our ability to produce renewable energy, apply renewable energy more widely and flexibly to meet a wide range of energy needs, and reduce our overall energy use — developments that enable us to envision an economy powered entirely with clean, renewable energy.

Sept. 1, 2019 (Union of Concerned Scientists)-Innovative programs around the country now make it possible for all environmentally conscious energy consumers to support renewable energy directly by participating in the "green" power market. The willingness to pay for the benefits of increasing our renewable energy supplies can be tapped within any market structure and by any size or type of energy consumer.

Forbes Magazie, Jan. 14, 2019  - Two recent developments in the world of fusion power are giving scientists and policymakers newfound optimism for the elusive ‘holy grail’ of energy technologies. The first is a discovery by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) which uses radio frequency (RF) technology to greatly reduce so-called ‘plasma disruption’ – the leading challenge to achieving a sustained, net energy gain fusion reaction. This is a key element in making fusion a feasible source of electricity.

Environment Florida, May 31, 2019  - Solar power is expanding rapidly. The United States now has over 60 gigawatts (GW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity installed — enough to power nearly one in every 11 homes in America. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have invested in solar energy and millions more are ready to join them.

America’s major cities have played a key role in the clean energy revolution and stand to reap tremendous benefits from solar energy. As population centers, they are major sources of electricity demand and, with millions of rooftops suitable for solar panels, they have the potential to be major sources of clean energy production as well.

View a chart showing all of the reported projects in North and Central America that have 100% renewable energy goals, including some you would not have expected.

Feb. 14, 2017 - Here is a vision of the future in a warming world without fossil fuels.

No switching on the air conditioning because your roof re-radiates the sun’s heat back into space.

You don’t have to worry that the current from solar energy will turn off at night, because the same sunlight that powered the refrigerator has also turned two greenhouse gases into hydrocarbon fuel that serves as battery back-up.

The new Solar Farmhouse contains everything the quintessential home possesses -- the quaint front porch, the white wood siding, the gabled roof, and the simple lines -- updated with a slew of net-zero features, including a passive solar design, air-tight building envelope, and open plan.

In 2017 renewable energy represented 17.5 % of energy consumed in the EU, on a path to the 2020 target of 20 %.

The share of energy from renewable sources used in transport activities reached 7.6 % in 2017.

These stats will be updated in Feb. 2020. Stay tuned.

Gardens by the Bay will be Singapore's largest garden project and is central to their continued development of Marina Bay.

There are various incentives being offered. The article explains it in detail.

The world needs widely available reliable, affordable, carbon-free energy. New tools are needed to power the world.

Bill Gates, George Soros and others are behind this.

Affordable, lightweight, and versatile, batteries made of porous materials could soon transform energy storage.