solar
After years of legal challenges, New Mexico celebrates its first community solar project
After the New Mexico’s investor-owned utilities fought against New Mexico’s community solar program, bringing it all the way to the state’ supreme court, New Mexico is celebrating the completion of its first community solar project. More than three years after New Mexico passed its community solar act, New Mexico first community solar project will soon […]
IEA-PVPS warns soiling costs solar industry billions per year
The International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA-PVPS) says dust, pollution, and debris on solar panels reduce output by 4% to 7% worldwide, costing the industry billions of euros annually and making tailored mitigation increasingly urgent. From pv magazine Global Soiling on solar installations costs the global solar industry annual revenue losses totaling billions of […]
U.S. solar will pass wind in 2025 and leave coal in the dust soon after
Solar and wind represent about 11% to 12% of the energy mix each, while coal sits just under 15%. Developers brought online 16 GW of solar out of a total 21.5 GW electric generation capacity cumulatively added through July in 2025, said the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. There is currently about 5 GW more wind […]
NREL researchers address safety implications of next-generation battery technologies
Report says new evaluation methods, including AI, will help make future batteries safer. If lithium-ion batteries were once viewed as an expensive energy storage solution with tenuous supply chains, mass production has made them both affordable and readily available for a wide variety of applications. Consumer electronics, electric vehicles and, importantly, battery-based energy storage systems […]
Astrobotic, Honda developing vertical solar, storage solution for lunar missions
Pittsburgh-based aerospace company Astrobotic and Honda’s North American subsidiary are working on integrating Astrobotic’s vertical solar array technology with Honda’s regenerative fuel cell system to develop a power and storage solution capable of supporting prolonged exploration of the moon. From pv magazine Global American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and Astrobotic Technology, Inc. have entered into […]
Solar is reshaping California’s Central Valley. What happens to the rural farming communities next door?
A democratically organized nonprofit is giving a seat at the clean energy table to 36 communities in Western Fresno County. Tucked away in California’s Central Valley lies Fresno County, one of the nation’s top agricultural producers and a fertile landscape for new solar and storage development. It’s also home to a fast-growing, democratically elected coalition […]
Don’t leave money on the table: How timely renewable energy quality data leads to smart decisions
Inadequate data management in renewable energy projects can result in significant financial losses due to forfeited payments and poor market performance. Reliable data systems and proactive commercial strategies are essential for financial viability. The financial consequences of inadequate data systems in renewable energy projects can be staggering. Drew Epps, President of MidDel Consulting, recalls a […]
Deploy grid-forming batteries now to avoid costly infrastructure later, says ESIG
Large-scale batteries with grid-forming software can sustain grid reliability as renewables replace synchronous fossil generators, says an ESIG report. The report focuses on test procedures to validate grid-forming capabilities. In most large power systems, transmission grid operators are “still able to maintain grid reliability using synchronous generators present in their systems at this time,” notes a […]
California’s home batteries are replacing gas plants and saving hundreds of millions
The Brattle Group analyzed a gigawatt-hour virtual power plant test that may be the world’s largest as part of its review of California’s distributed peak-shaving program. Battery manufacturing has scaled into the terawatt-hours annually, a breathtaking pace that could soon support multi-day backup of electricity systems. For now, U.S. installations fall far short of what […]
From development to bankability: How accurate modeling can save your solar project
In the high-stakes world of solar development, a project’s journey from concept to completion is fraught with challenges, with financing representing the ultimate hurdle. At the core of a project’s viability lies the energy assessment, where a single miscalculation can jeopardize millions and send a project back to the drawing board. There’s nothing more challenging […]
