Solar power

Here’s where the world’s seven largest economies stand in their clean energy transitions ahead of the 48th G7 Leaders’ Summit next week in Germany.

Jackson, Michigan-based Sesame Solar is today unveiling what it claims is the world’s first fully renewable mobile nanogrid – that’s a small microgrid – that runs on solar and green hydrogen.

The US Army has launched the largest floating solar farm in the Southeast. It’s also the first project of its kind for the US Department of Defense.

President Joe Biden will today waive tariffs for 24 months on solar panels made in Southeast Asia in response to a Department of Commerce (DOC) investigation that is destabilizing the US solar industry.

The Biden administration announced this week that it will cut the cost of building wind and solar on US public land by 50%.

Solar electric vehicle startup Sono Motors has announced a purchase contract with European refrigerated trailer expert CHEREAU to codevelop a solar-powered version for fleet trucks and trailers. Together, the companies hope to leverage Sono’s solar technology to reduce both fuel costs and CO2 emissions. The new solar-powered refrigerated vehicle is expected to debut at IAA Transportation 2022 in September.

Seoul-headquartered PV solar-cell manufacturing giant Qcells today announced that it’s opening a new solar panel manufacturing facility in Dalton, Georgia.

The EU plans to transition to renewables more than twice as fast as Japan by 2030, according to new analysis released by global energy think tank Ember ahead of the G7 environment, climate, and energy ministers meeting, which kicks off today in Berlin. The ministers will decide whether and how G7 countries will commit to clean power by 2035. 

St. Petersburg, Florida-based Climate First Bank, which claims to be the world’s first FDIC-insured community bank founded to fight the climate crisis, today launched an online solar lending platform for Florida residents.

Four EU countries – Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands – jointly announced yesterday that they have set an offshore wind target of at least 65 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and then intend to more than double that combined total to 150 GW by 2050.

For perspective, according to the Global Wind Energy Council, as of September 2021, there were 35.3 GW of global offshore wind capacity.

EV charging network Electrify America has announced the start of a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with renewable energy developer Terra-Gen to build a sustainable solar farm in Southern California. The project, named “Electrify America Solar Glow 1,” is estimated to produce enough solar power annually to more than offset any energy delivered on the current EV charging network.

Capistrano Volkswagen/Mazda, a car dealership in San Juan Capistrano, California, has partnered with San Diego-based solar and battery installation company Stellar Solar to offer EV customers solar, battery storage, and EV connectivity to power their cars with clean energy.

If you thought Soho House was exclusive, wait until you see this. ArkHAUS is an upcoming members-only social club that is as innovative as it is stylish, offering multiple solar-powered, electrically propelled vessels than can be connected to create large floating spaces to work, socialize, and enjoy the views – all while supporting local marine research cleanly beneath the vessel.

A US Department of Commerce (DOC) probe — investigating whether Southeast Asian solar cell manufacturers are using parts made in China that would normally be subject to a tariff — is destabilizing the US solar industry, which relies on solar module imports to meet growing demand. Bipartisan lawmakers wanted answers from US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo at a hearing last week, but she basically responded that the inquiry is beyond her control.

IKEA announced yesterday that it’s partnering with residential energy services provider SunPower, a 35-year solar veteran, to sell home solar panels to US customers. The Swedish-based multinational company wants to make solar more easily accessible for consumers.

Solar generators are increasingly replacing noisy and dangerous gasoline/diesel-powered generators for emergency use. And unlike those fossil fuel-powered generators, solar generators have the added benefit of being great for daily use as well. Now the portable power station company Jackery has just announced its largest solar setup yet, the Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Pro.

In order to understand the impacts of adopting rooftop solar in the United States, customer review and consumer news platform ConsumerAffairs polled 1,000 US homeowners about their views on and overall experience with solar panels. Here’s what the homeowners said.

New capacity for generating electricity from renewables such as solar, wind, and other clean energy increased to a record level worldwide in 2021. And clean energy will continue to grow in 2022, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA).

The US achieved a new record in April 2022 – for the first time, the US generated 20% of its electricity from wind and solar power, according to new data released today from global energy think tank Ember.

To me, using portable solar generators are like playing life with cheat codes on. I can have my electricity literally anywhere I want it, whenever I want it. If I run out, I can just make more for free (after shelling out for the gear, of course). Having tested the Mars 1000 portable power station from LiPower, I’m happy to see that prices for such cool and useful technology are headed in the right direction, namely down. And with LiPower offering an exclusive discount for Electrek’s readers, a portable power station of this capacity has never before been this affordable.

Europe’s largest floating solar farm – which is on the Alqueva hydroelectric dam’s reservoir in Portugal – is ready to produce power in July.