All posts tagged: solar

In a historic first, wind and solar combined overtake coal in the US

In a historic first, wind and solar combined overtake coal in the US

Published by skeptic

Photo by Amol Mande on Pexels.com In the US in 2024, wind and solar accounted for 17% of total electricity generation, surpassing coal, which fell to a record low of 15%, according to a new report from global energy think tank Ember. Since US coal power peaked in 2007, wind and solar have overtaken coal in 24 states, with Illinois the latest to join the ranks in 2024, following Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and Maryland in 2023, the report finds. It’s the first analysis of full-year US electricity data, which was published by the EIA on February 26. After being stagnant for 14 years, electricity demand started rising in recent years and saw a 3% increase in 2024, marking the fifth-highest level of rise this century. The increase in demand and fall in coal was met with higher solar, wind, and gas generation. Natural gas grew three times more than the decline in coal, increasing power sector CO2 emissions slightly (0.7%). Coal fell by the second smallest amount since 2014, as gas and clean energy growth met …

This Is the Best Portable Solar Lights to Upgrade Your Home

This Is the Best Portable Solar Lights to Upgrade Your Home

Published by skeptic

As I recently prepared for the possibility of a power outage, I yet again dug out my old lights—but when someone recommended I try solar lights, I was blown away by just how much better lights have become. Say Goodbye to Disposable Batteries When many of us need light in a pinch, we just use the LED light on our phones. If that’s not cutting it, I wouldn’t be surprised if you, like me, instead picture a flashlight that takes in disposable batteries. Modern solar lights don’t have disposable batteries. They have rechargeable lithium-ion packs that you juice up by leaving the flashlight in the sun. This alone makes them worth picking up. Solar lights are small, and anything with a tiny solar panel doesn’t recharge quickly. Yet this is okay for lights. During the day, when there is sunlight, I don’t need them. I can leave them outside for eight hours and know they’re ready for a full night’s use by the time darkness falls. Solar Lights Come in Many Forms My colleague specifically …

Solar Quality Summit Europe 2025: Guaranteeing future growth

Solar Quality Summit Europe 2025: Guaranteeing future growth

Published by skeptic

Solar Power Europe shares insights from its Solar Quality Summit Europe 2025, which focused on improving solar project quality, battery storage, artificial intelligence, and skills development. From 18-19 February, members of the Operation and Maintenance (O&M), Asset Management, and Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) communities attended SolarPower Europe’s annual Solar Quality Summit Europe 2025 event, co-organised with Intersolar. The event aims to advance the long-term quality of Europe’s solar projects. Key insights from day one SolarPower Europe’s CEO Walburga Hemetsberger opened the conference with Markus Elsaesser, CEO of Solar Promotion GmbH, highlighting how; “Solar is not only just a solution to climate change but a solution that Europe needs for competitiveness and security at large… Delivering on our climate targets means committing to quality assurance.” © Joan GosaWalburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe opening Solar Quality Summit Europe 2025 Following this, SolarPower Europe’s Project Officer Nikoletta Fodor moderated a panel session to unveil the costs of quality for solar PV. During the discussion, Kate Blades, Head of Quality at Lightsource bp, outlined how; “Prevention is …

GAF Energy’s nailable solar shingle is now 23% more powerful

GAF Energy’s nailable solar shingle is now 23% more powerful

Published by skeptic

Image: GAF Energy GAF Energy has launched an upgraded version of its Timberline Solar nailable shingle, the ES 2, which delivers 23% more power per shingle. GAF Energy says key improvements to the Timberline Solar nailable shingle, which was first launched in 2022, include: 57 watts of power per shingle, a 23% increase in energy generation More area than a traditional asphalt shingle, enabling superior installation speed Enhanced StrikeZone for improved installation efficiency Compatibility with the complete GAF Timberline shingle collection Refined aesthetics with smaller transition boxes and simplified wiring Martin DeBono, president of GAF Energy, said, “Timberline Solar ES 2 represents everything we’ve learned about solar roofing, enhanced by extensive feedback from contractors and homeowners. It’s an innovation that delivers a solar shingle that is more powerful, even easier to install, and more versatile than ever before.” The Timberline Solar ES 2 boasts a depth of less than a quarter inch and integrates with traditional GAF shingles to create a sleek look. GAF Energy says Timberline Solar meets a host of rigorous third-party safety standards covering both …

Register now for Solar Quality Summit Europe 2025

Register now for Solar Quality Summit Europe 2025

Published by skeptic

Innovation News Network is delighted to be a media partner for the Solar Quality Summit Europe 2025, held in Barcelona from February 18-19. The solar sector has experienced remarkable growth in the past year, and this trend is expected to persist. However, to sustain this extraordinary growth, it is imperative to actively involve key stakeholders in ensuring quality assurance. It is crucial that all relevant parties understand the vital role quality assurance plays in the effective and efficient operation of PV installations. The Solar Quality Summit 2025 is here to unite stakeholders essential for maintaining quality in the solar sector, including EPCs, O&M service providers, investors, asset managers, technology companies, and Transmission System Operators (TSO) and Distribution System Operators (DSO). The success of the solar revolution depends on forging close partnerships with all concerned parties, and only through such collaboration can we ensure continued success in this transformative industry. What can you expect: Expert Market analysis and insights: Find out about the hottest solar markets in Europe and trends in the cost of O&M services Deep-dives …

JackRabbit’s solar powered kit recharges e-bike batteries in 3 hours

JackRabbit’s solar powered kit recharges e-bike batteries in 3 hours

Published by skeptic

JackRabbit, the maker of pint-sized electric microbikes, is back with a new product designed to quickly recharge their batteries from pure, uncut photons mainlined into an e-bike directly from the sun. In true independent charging form, the Solar Charging Kit from JackRabbit keeps riders rolling even when there’s not a convenient AC outlet in sight. Unveiled this week, the Solar Charging Kit consists of a single folding solar panel and a tiny voltage converter that is configured to output 42.0V, which is the exact voltage required by JackRabbit’s little e-bike batteries. There’s also an added USB-A and a USB-C charging port for powering other devices in addition to charging JackRabbit batteries. “This Solar Charging Kit plugs directly into your bike,” explained the company, “letting you recharge without needing an outlet, but with a speed comparable to the charger that comes with the OG/OG2 (42V, 2A).” That would mean the panel outputs around 80W of solar power, which the company says can recharge its batteries in just three hours. That fairly quick recharging speed is helped …

Puerto Rico just got .2B in DOE financing to boost its grid with solar + storage

Puerto Rico just got $1.2B in DOE financing to boost its grid with solar + storage

Published by skeptic

Photo: Convergent Energy The US Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $1.2 billion in financing to replace Puerto Rico’s fossil fuel plants with solar and battery storage through 2032. The DOE’s Loan Programs Office announced two conditional commitments and one loan closing to power producers in Puerto Rico. Each supports a project contracted with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. The announcements include: The closing of a $584.5 million loan guarantee to subsidiaries of Convergent Energy to finance a 100 MW solar farm with a 55 MW (55 MWh) battery energy storage system (BESS) in the municipality of Coamo and BESS installations in the municipalities of Caguas (25MW/100MWh), Peñuelas (100MW/400MWh), and Ponce (up to 100MW/400MWh) A conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $133.6 million to a subsidiary of Infinigen for a 32.1 MW solar farm with an integrated 14.45 MW (4.76 MWh) BESS, and a co-located standalone 50 MW (200 MWh) BESS expansion in the municipality of Yabucoa A conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $489.4 million to a …

How the science of tiny timescales could speed up computers and improve solar cell technology

How the science of tiny timescales could speed up computers and improve solar cell technology

Published by skeptic

Attosecond science, the laser-led study of what happens to matter over very short timescales, could lead to major advances in our understanding of nature’s fastest processes. It could enhance the problem-solving capabilities of computers, develop more efficient solar power cells, and both identify new medical treatments and improve diagnostic processes – all vital areas of research as we look for solutions to climate change and innovative ways to combat illness. An attosecond equates to one-billionth of one-billionth of a second. Attosecond science – the subject of the 2023 Nobel prize in physics – involves using such almost unimaginably short, intense pulses of laser light to transfer lots of energy to a “target” material. This causes the material to emit very fast-moving electron particles along with ultraviolet and X-ray light – allowing the motion of electrons to be observed in real time. Physicists such as myself can then measure or predict how these electrons move, something that can’t normally be done. And by making attosecond pulses even shorter, we can get more information on how the …

U.S. satellites reveal China’s solar dominance

U.S. satellites reveal China’s solar dominance

Published by skeptic

The sun’s energy is plentiful. And China is capitalizing. Images captured by two Earth-observing satellites, operated by the U.S. Geological Survey, revealed a rapid expansion of solar farms in a remote northern Chinese region, the Kubuqi Desert. “The construction is part of China’s multiyear plan to build a ‘solar great wall’ designed to generate enough energy to power Beijing,” writes NASA’s Earth Observatory. (For reference, although all this energy won’t directly power the Chinese capital, around 22 million people live in Beijing; that’s over two and a half times the population of New York City.) SEE ALSO: The Carbon Footprint Sham The two Landsat satellite images below show a section of the major solar expansion between 2017 and 2024. Use the slider tool to reveal the changes. (For a size and scale reference, the images below are about 10 kilometers, or 6.2 miles, across.) Mashable Light Speed Left: December 20, 2017 Credit: USGS / NASA Right: December 8, 2024 Credit: USGS / NASA And the solar complex is still growing. It will be 250 miles …

New hydrocarbon discovery unlocks secrets of how Solar Systems form

New hydrocarbon discovery unlocks secrets of how Solar Systems form

Published by skeptic

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are an abundant class of organic molecules in space, playing a significant role in the interstellar medium (ISM). These molecules, composed of fused carbon rings, are thought to store 10 to 25 percent of all carbon in space. Researchers have recently made a groundbreaking discovery of pyrene, a four-ring PAH, in the interstellar gas cloud TMC-1, a finding that deepens our understanding of the chemical inheritance of our solar system. PAHs have been detected in various astronomical environments, including meteorites, comets, and asteroid samples. Infrared spectroscopy initially hinted at their presence decades ago, but it could not identify specific PAHs. Recent advancements in radio astronomy, published in the journal, Science, have overcome this limitation by identifying molecules based on their rotational spectra. Using this technique, scientists have pinpointed individual PAHs such as cyanonaphthalene and now cyanopyrene, a modified version of pyrene with a cyanide group. An artist’s conception symbolically represents complex organic molecules, known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), seen in the early universe. The large molecules, comprised of carbon and …