Electrek Green Energy Brief

American homeowners are expected to install a record 5.6 gigawatts of residential solar in 2022, according to a new analysis from Bloomberg NEF (BNEF).

In March 2021, Electrek reported that scientists published a feasibility study about the benefits of erecting solar panels over canals. That study is about to become a reality when a pilot project breaks ground in California.

Renewables provided more than 25% of electrical generation in the United States during the first half of 2022, according to new data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

In research that could jumpstart work on a range of technologies including fuel cells – key to storing solar and wind energy – MIT researchers have found a relatively simple way to increase the lifetimes of these devices: changing the “pH” of the system.

Seagreen offshore wind farm, 16.7 miles (27 km) off the coast of Angus in eastern Scotland, has generated its first power. The £3 billion ($3.54 billion) project will be Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm. It will also be the world’s deepest fixed-bottom offshore wind farm, as it’s being sited in water depths of up to 194 feet (59 meters).

Denver-based Guzman Energy almost didn’t get approval for a solar farm it’s going to build in western Colorado, but when the wholesale power provider agreed to add irrigation to support 1,000 sheep and possibly host beehives, it then gained unanimous approval from Delta County, Colorado’s commissioners.

US President Joe Biden signed the big climate bill – the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) – earlier this week. Electrek spoke with Dan Gayer, JD, CPA, a senior manager in the tax practice at Baker Newman Noyes, about how homeowners can claim tax credits and rebates as they work to achieve energy efficiency and lower their energy bills.

Electric utility FirstEnergy Corp., which serves most of northern West Virginia, is going to repurpose a former coal ash landfill for a utility-scale solar farm.

US President Joe Biden today signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, and that’s going to give the transition of the United States to clean energy a big boost. According to the American Clean Power Association, the new law could add up to an additional 550 gigawatts (GW) of electricity from wind, solar, and other clean energy sources. Electrek spoke with Enrico Viale, head of renewable energy company Enel North America, about the challenges that states face as they move away from fossil fuels and how Enel is working with states to help them deploy clean energy, distributed energy resources, and energy storage.

Clean energy accounted for more than two-thirds of the new US electrical generating capacity added during the first six months of 2022, according to data recently released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Scientists have come up with a way to make wind farms more energy efficient, and it doesn’t require new investment.

Despite pushback from residents, the Supreme Court of Ohio yesterday approved a permit for the construction of North America’s first freshwater offshore wind farm, which will be sited in Lake Erie, around eight miles north of Cleveland.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) today set a goal to deploy 25 gigawatts (GW) of offshore floating wind power generation by 2045 after adopting a report that establishes offshore wind goals.

The Democrats passed the big climate bill – the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) – in the US Senate on Sunday, 51-50. It’s expected to pass in the House of Representatives this week, and President Joe Biden says he’ll sign it as soon as it lands on his desk. Here’s how the IRA helps homeowners achieve energy efficiency and lower their energy bills.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a now fully supported Democratic bill that addresses climate change and contains wind and solar spending, is expected to be introduced tomorrow in the US Senate. Here’s what its potential impact is, should it become law.

There are currently 4.9 gigawatts (GW) of community solar installed in the US through the second quarter of 2022, and at least 7 gigawatts of community solar are expected to come online in the US in the next five years, according to new research released by Wood Mackenzie in collaboration with the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA).

The 900 megawatt (MW) Nant de Drance pumped storage power plant in Valais, Switzerland, came online in July after 14 years of challenging construction and testing. The gigantic “water battery” is capable of storing enough hydroelectric energy to power as many as 900,000 homes.

Siemens Gamesa’s first recyclable blades are spinning on a wind turbine at the Kaskasi offshore wind farm in Germany. It’s the first commercial installation of recyclable wind turbine technology.

Birmingham, UK-headquartered housing developer St. Modwen plans to build up to 350 fully electric homes in Birmingham – on the MG Rover site that was once home to the MINI – and the development will pioneer smart grid technology.

Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has called for California to bump up its offshore wind target to at least 20 gigawatts (GW) by 2045, accelerating its 20 GW target by five years.

Solar energy jobs were up in 47 states and increased 9% percent across the United States from 2020 to 2021, reaching a total of 255,037 solar workers, reports the independent nonprofit Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC).