Philly getting solar rebates, leadership changes at Duke: pvMB 8/13/19

Philly mayor to sign solar rebate bill – Tomorrow, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney will sign two bills which will expedite Philadelphia’s renewable transition. The first establishes a rebate program which offers an incentive payment from the City for residential or commercial solar installation completed after July 1, 2019 (averaging $1,000 per home; up to a $500,000 spending cap). The other bill allows commercial property owners to finance clean energy projects on their property tax bills. The signings will take place at 9 AM on August 14. Source: Philadelphia Energy Authority

Duke leadership changes – Duke is going through a major leadership restructuring. Lloyd Yates, executive vice president, customer delivery operations and president of Duke Energy’s Carolinas region, and Frank Yoho, executive vice president and president of Duke Energy’s natural gas business, have both decided to retire at the end of September. Outside of those two retirements, 12 different individuals within Duke leadership will have their positions change. Source: Duke Energy

Oregon State University researchers find most productive places on Earth for solar power are farmlands – “The most productive places on Earth for solar power are farmlands, according to an Oregon State University study. The study, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, finds that if less than 1% of agricultural land was converted to solar panels, it would be sufficient to fulfill global electric energy demand. The concept of co-developing the same area of land for both solar photovoltaic power and conventional agriculture is known as agrivoltaics. For their study, OSU researchers analyzed power production data collected by Tesla, which has installed five large grid-tied, ground-mounted solar electric arrays on agricultural lands owned by Oregon State. Specifically, the team looked at data collected every 15 minutes at the 35th Street Solar Array installed in 2013 on the west side of OSU’s Corvallis campus.” Source: Science Daily

Hyundai solar roofed car – Folks, we got another one! Hyundai has released the newest model of the Sonata Hybrid, which is now the 5th car covered by pv magazine to feature solar roof charging. According to Hyundai, 30% to 60% of the car’s battery could be charged using the solar technology. The car is set to debut in South Korea before becoming available in the United States. Source: CNBC

Offgrid prefab house – Check out this cool modular house design, complete with the potential for an off-grid solar upgrade. The model begins at 20 square feet and can expand to 40. The available solar system registers in at 1500 W and starts at $27,000. Check out the models here. Source: WZH Modular House

Solar Energy World hosting breakfast workshop for NJ homeowners – “Solar Energy World announced an upcoming Solar Workshop for NJ Homeowners. On Saturday, August 17, 2019, as part of their ongoing community-based educational initiatives, Solar Energy World will host a Munch & Learn workshop for area homeowners who are interested in learning about solar in a pressure-free environment.  Homeowners can attend for free if they register for the event by the August 13 deadline by calling 1-888-485-1909 or going online to www.MySolarWorkshop.com.” Source: Solar Energy World