Tracking the top states for community solar
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance releases its quarterly community solar tracker, which updates capacity in states with formal programs that allow non-utility ownership.
Flexible transmission allocation would allow Western solar projects to proceed
Enabling renewable projects in the Pacific Northwest to obtain flexible transmission rights could help states reduce electricity costs and meet renewables targets, suggests a report. The approach could also have utility in most of the West.
CSP-driven multigeneration system combines hydrogen generation with compressed air, pumped hydro storage
Researchers have designed a novel multigeneration energy system that provides five outputs, namely electricity, hydrogen, cooling, heating, and hot water. The system is mainly powered by a solar heliostat system and incorporates compressed air and pumped hydro storage technologies for storing surplus power.
Grid operator SPP partners with Hitachi to speed interconnection studies
The partnership aims to reduce interconnection study times by 80%, to address SPP’s portion of a national bottleneck of 2,500 GW of solar, wind and storage projects awaiting interconnection.
U.S. solar manufacturing booms in Q1 while uncertainty looms
The increased manufacturing capacity supports the growing solar generating capacity, with solar and storage accounting for 82% of all new generating capacity added to the grid. However, the House bill coupled with rising tariffs threaten the trajectory.
House bill puts nearly 500 GW of solar and storage projects at risk
Meeting the proposed operational deadline coupled with permitting delays and supply chain challenges means developers would have to rush to start and finish projects in 3.5 years. Cleanview quantifies the enormous amount of clean energy capacity at risk.
Iowa researchers explore how solar panel height, design affects crop yields
Iowa State University is using a $1.8 million grant to study whether higher solar arrays create better growing conditions for horticultural crops and beekeeping production.
Module reliability scorecard reveals widespread quality risk
Independent testing laboratory Kiwa-PVEL today published the 11th edition of its PV Module Reliability Scorecard, having extensively tested PV modules from 50 different manufacturers.
Leading threat to farmland is real estate development, not solar, agricultural analysts say
Arkansas could double its total energy generation with solar and still only require a very small fraction of the land to do so, according to analysis by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
Department of Energy axes $3.7 billion in clean energy demonstration funding
DOE said the projects “failed to advance the energy needs of the American people.”
