Morning Brief: Closest pictures of the sun, while on earth — McDonalds opens solar-powered, zero-emissions restaurant

Also in the brief: GRU and Origis Energy announce a PPA for a new 50-MW solar project, and cooling solar panels with KAUST’s hydrogel.

July 17, 2020 Eric Wesoff

ESA/NASA's Solar Orbiter returning its first science data, including images of the Sun taken from closer than any spacecraft in history.

image: NASA

McDonalds opens its first zero emissions restaurant in the U.S. with technology from Spain’s Onyx Solar: The building located at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, has reopened its doors after nine months of reconstruction. McDonalds wanted a restaurant with 100% green energy and zero CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. To achieve this, they used 55.8 kW of Onyx Solar photovoltaic glass, with which they have covered the entire structure in combination with vertical gardens to absorb the CO2 already present in the atmosphere. Source: Onyx Solar

Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) and Origis Energy announced a PPA for FL Solar 6, a new 50 MW solar project coupled with 12 MW of energy storage. The project is the first utility-scale solar and storage project in the GRU service territory, moving the municipality closer to the 100% renewable energy resources by 2045 goal. FL Solar 6 is slated for completion by late 2022. Source: Origis Energy

The European Space Agency and NASA have unveiled the closest images of the Sun ever taken by a spacecraft: The first images from ESA/NASA’s Solar Orbiter are now available to the public, including the closest pictures ever taken of the Sun. The spacecraft completed its first close pass of the Sun in mid-June. “These unprecedented pictures of the Sun are the closest we have ever obtained,” said Holly Gilbert, NASA project scientist for the mission at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “These amazing images will help scientists piece together the Sun’s atmospheric layers, which is important for understanding how it drives space weather near the Earth and throughout the solar system. We didn’t expect such great results so early,” said Daniel Müller, ESA’s Solar Orbiter project scientist. Source: NASA

KAUST’s Professor Peng Wang developed a hydro gel solution designed to help solar cells absorb and store water from the air in order to cool themselves down – or “sweat” – as the humidity rises. The hydro gel draws water from the air, usually in the evening and at night when the air humidity is at its highest. The water vapor then liquefies in the gel and is stored in the material. When the temperatures rises again during the day, the gel warms up and the water evaporates again, gradually. Source: Kaust

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