Solar power

UK-based solar tech developer Naked Energy’s rooftop solar vacuum tubes, which produce both electricity and heat, will soon be sold in the United States.

US shipments of solar panels – including imports, exports, and domestically produced and shipped panels – rose to a record electricity-generating capacity of 28.8 million peak kilowatts (kW) in 2021, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). That was up from 21.8 million peak kW in 2020.

Jackery has just launched its latest portable power station and solar panel kit, the Jackery Solar Generator 1000 Pro.

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).

DIY solar power projects have always been fascinating to me. I kind of wrote the book on the subject. And since electric bikes have always been a huge part of my life, combining the two has always seemed inevitable. And so with a pair of solar panels and one afternoon to kill, I rigged up a simple solar-powered electric bicycle setup that is easy to build. If you’ve ever wanted to build your own solar e-bike, hopefully this guide can show you how easy it can be!

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.

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.

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).

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).

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).

New Jersey recently surpassed 4 gigawatts (GW) of installed solar power, enough to provide electricity to over 500,000 households annually, according to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.

GAF Energy, the sister company of GAF, the largest roofing and waterproofing company in North America, will build a 450,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Georgetown, Texas, to meet growing demand for its “world’s first” nailable solar shingle, the Timberline Solar Energy Shingle, which launched in January.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $56 million in funding to boost US solar manufacturing and recycling.

In 2021, 163 gigawatts (GW) – nearly two-thirds – of new renewable power added was cheaper than the cheapest coal-fired power plants in G20 countries, according to a new report released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

In 2020, 26% of US households – that’s 32.25 million out of 123.53 million homes – used electricity as their only source of energy, according to the US Energy Information Administration. But what the EIA doesn’t note is what fuels that “electricity as the only source of energy.”

Finnish startup Polar Night Energy and local Finnish utility Vatajankoski have together built the world’s first commercial sand-based, high-temperature heat storage system that can be powered by solar and wind.