John Fitzgerald Weaver
More solar per acre: 50% more panels and 30% more electricity over the past decade
LBNL researchers have found that since 2011, utility-scale solar facilities have increased panel density by 43-52%, and electricity generation 25-33%, for single axis tracking and fixed racking systems, respectively.
ConnectDER approved to connect in Florida’s capital city
The City of Tallahasee has approved ConnectDER meter collars for residential solar installations, adding Florida to the list of several states with tests and/or rollouts.
Pulling fertilizer out of thin air with solar power
Nitricity has put together an experimental plasma reactor that uses solar electricity to produce competitively priced, environmentally clean, nitrogen fertilizer. Their onsite fertilizer production eliminates emissions from transporting fertilizers, and provides a viable alternative to fossil consuming nitrogen fixation methods like the Haber-Bosch process.
Maine utility admits solar interconnection faults, hiring consultants
Central Maine Power Company admitted that its solar power interconnection processes were at fault in 2020-2021, and has offered a settlement that includes hiring grid analysts, funding a working group between the industry and utility, and greatly tightening upgrade cost estimates.
All solar is equal, rooftop solar is more equal
Cornell Researchers found that upstate New Yorkers prefer rooftop solar to community solar under 50 acres, and opinions are split 50/50 over large scale ground mounts. The distaste for utility-scale solar is strongest when converting forests, public lands, and productive farmland.
Work on Tesla’s rooftop solar system appears to be underway
A local drone pilot found that solar panels, racking, and inverters are starting to be stationed on the roof of Tesla’s manufacturing facility under construction in Texas.
Millions saved with onsite mulching of solar trash
Florida utility FPL has been mulching solar panel packaging — cardboard boxes and pallets — and saving approximately $130,000 per 75 MWac site versus standard disposal practices.
New Yorkers fund 4 GW of solar for less than a cup of coffee per month
The New York’s Governor’s Office has submitted its financial proposal for 4 GW of distributed solar capacity by the year 2030, at an expected cost of $0.00082/kW.
All I want for Christmas is a solar-powered greenhouse
Heliene is developing the solar integrated greenhouse market via multiple angles – integrating standard panels into structures while also developing “quantum dot” panels that shift the photon wavelength away from crop damaging UV, and into the orange and red wavelengths that plants crave.
California first state to require solar power and batteries in commercial structures
The state has updated its Build Energy Efficiency Standards to include requirements for solar plus storage on all commercial and multifamily homes, while also requiring that all new residential construction – which already requires solar – to be energy storage ready.
