SOLAR ENERGY NEWS
Report shows America’s largest solar panel maker has staggering impact on nation’s economy: ‘Enabling jobs and bringing prosperity to communities’
A recent economic analysis released by the company revealed that it “added $2.75 billion in value and $5.32 billion in output to the US economy” in 2023, with expectations of nearly doubling its economic impact by 2026. The vertically integrated solar manufacturing company prides itself on being the only U.S.-headquartered solar manufacturer among the world’s 10 largest that doesn’t rely on Chinese supply chains. Its 2023 economic report stated that it supported 16,245 U.S. jobs across multiple sectors, representing nearly $1.6 billion in labor income.
US electricity prices outpace annual inflation
In January, EIA said it expected 2025 residential prices to average 16.11 cents/kWh in 2025. For this year, the government forecaster expects prices to average 15.87 cents/kWh. Transmission costs and volatile fuel prices are the primary drivers of higher power bills, according to Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen’s Energy Program.
7 Tips to Avoid Getting Ripped Off When Buying Solar Panels
Before going solar, be sure you understand how your utility compensates you for the electricity you produce. These rates aren’t necessarily set in stone. In California, regulators recently changed net metering in the state. Typically, there will be a hard deadline for any big change to net metering, and if you have your system installed before that date, you’ll receive the older (and often richer) terms.
If you see ads that claim you can put solar panels on your house for free, make sure you understand what “free” means. Likely, it means the product advertised is either a power purchase agreement (PPA) or a solar lease.
Though this means you don’t pay a large up-front cost for the panels, you will pay monthly to the company that owns them. Here’s a quick list, from Solar United Neighbors, the US Department of Energy and others, of additional red flags and questionable claims that should prompt you to do some research.
EU cannot close borders to solar imports, energy chief says
Factory closures among Europe’s few solar panel makers have prompted the industry to seek emergency support from Brussels – potentially including trade restrictions on cheap Chinese imports that European companies have struggled to compete with.
EU countries installed record levels of solar capacity last year, 40% more than in 2022. Most of those panels and parts came from China – in some cases, 95%, International Energy Agency data show.
“We have to support our industry, but we need all the products to meet our very ambitious targets.”
EU energy policy chief Kadri Simson
The suggestions, which Simson and EU industry commissioner Thierry Breton detailed in a letter to the ministers, include using more national state aid to support solar manufacturers, and organising solar auctions and support schemes that support solar panels with high environmental and labour standards – criteria that could give EU manufacturers an edge.
2.6-MW solar project completed for Texas automotive supplier Vitesco
A major solar project developed at global automotive supplier Vitesco Technologies in Seguin, Texas, has been completed and commissioned.
Through a power purchase agreement, Big Sun Solar built, owns and operates the solar project, and Vitesco Technologies purchases from electric cooperative GVEC the electricity generated to offset its energy consumption.
The 2.6-MWDC tracking solar project will account for about 13% of Vitesco Technologies’ annual energy consumption at the Seguin facility.
Australia nuclear facility installs massive rooftop solar system to save $2 million
The facility is now host to a 1.59 MW rooftop solar system, one of the largest in the state, with 3,000 panels installed by RACV Solar. It is expected to save two million kilowatt hours a year, and $2 million over the first five years of operation.
April’s eclipse will mean interruptions in solar power generation, which could strain electrical grids
On the day of the 2017 total solar eclipse, solar power generation in the U.S. dropped 25% below average. Lower temperatures lead to slower wind speeds and less wind power generation.
During a solar eclipse, the Moon partially or completely blocks the view of the Sun. Since the Moon is nearly 400 times smaller than the Sun and nearly 400 times closer, the Moon’s shadow, visible from Earth, tapers to a width of 70 to 100 miles (112 to 161 kilometers).
VIDEO: Flyover North America for the Total Solar Eclipse of April 8, 2024:
During the August 2017 eclipse, the loss of renewable power generation was equivalent to the energy usage of 4.5 million homes. This increase in nonrenewable energy use led to approximately 10 million pounds of extra carbon dioxide emissions, or the annual carbon dioxide emissions of 1,000 cars.
Erie prepares for crush of solar eclipse enthusiasts
One might wonder why the path of totality is such a draw, especially when a fair portion of western Pennsylvania will be able to see the moon covering more than 90% of the sun.
How China Came to Dominate the World in Solar Energy
China installed more solar panels last year than the United States has in its history. It cut the wholesale price of panels it sells by nearly half. And its exports of fully assembled solar panels climbed 38 percent while its exports of key components almost doubled.
The emphasis on solar power is the latest installment in a two-decade program to make China less dependent on energy imports. A research unit of the European Commission calculated in a January report that Chinese companies could make solar panels for 16 to 18.9 cents per watt of generating capacity. By contrast, it cost European companies 24.3 to 30 cents per watt, and American companies about 28 cents.
US installs more solar in 2023 than ever before
The United States installed 32.4 GW of solar energy in 2023, a 51% increase from 2022. This is according to the “U.S. Solar Market Insight 2023 Year-in-Review” report released by SEIA and Wood Mackenize. Solar accounted for 53% of all new electric generating capacity added to the grid last year, the first time a renewable energy source has accounted for over 50% of annual capacity additions.
Solar panel manufacturer announces ambitious plans for panel recycling: ‘A very important step’
Cedartown, Georgia, will be home to the factory, which will come at a cost of $344 million. It’s just another example of recycling plants for sustainable technologies being built in a southern United States state.
VIDEO: Revolutionizing Solar: How SOLARCYCLE Transforms Old Solar Panels into New Opportunities
SOLARCYCLE, which has also signed a deal with QCells to provide the recovered material for use in new panels, will manufacture new solar glass from old panels at the site, making it one of the first companies in the U.S. to do so. The company says the process is 95% efficient in terms of value extraction, noting the industry standard is below 50%.
“Recycling solar panels can contribute to a domestic supply of materials essential to the production of new solar panels, including glass, silicon, and valuable metals such as silver, copper, and aluminum.”
SOLARCYCLE website
Contractor splits four projects into seven to meet community solar rules in Maryland
Summit Ridge Energy (SRE), a commercial solar contractor from Arlington, Virginia, will soon complete construction of a 17-MW community solar portfolio of seven projects — at least, they’re considered that by interconnection standards — built across four different rooftops in Maryland.
All four sites are commercial buildings owned by industrial real estate operator LBA Logistics. Working with Black Bear Energy, an agency that represents institutional property owners wishing to build on-site renewables, LBA started the process of adding solar PV to its buildings in 2019.
Bradley University transitioning to solar energy in 20-year rebate agreement
Bradley University will soon use solar energy to power many of its main campus and residential buildings. Bradley entered a 20-year subscription on four Nexamp solar farms. President Stephen Standifird said the university could save $125,000 a year with no out-of-pocket expense by using solar energy. Standifird said the process of switching over to solar could start later this year.
NASA’s Hopes for Space Solar Power Are Looking Dim
The sun may be setting on NASA’s plans to build a space-based solar power (SBSP) satellite system to alleviate our energy needs on Earth. In January, the agency released a report that, citing launch costs specifically, concludes that generating power from orbit is simply too expensive.
Space-Based Solar Power (108-page PDF)
That’s surprising because NASA has been interested in satellite solar power for half a century. Generating power in space for Earth-based needs, in some ways, makes sense:
- The sun shines continuously, 24 hours a day
- There’s no air in space to attenuate sunlight
- No weather to deal with
- No clouds to block it.
All you have to do is build a huge array of solar panels in orbit around Earth, convert the power they generate into microwaves, and then beam that to antennas on the planet’s surface, which convert it into electricity to send where it’s needed.
The intricacies of mounting solar carports atop parking decks
The common mounting foundation for these types of projects is an anchor bolt that is drilled and possibly epoxied into a base plate attached to a surface on the parking deck, be it the floor, stem wall or structural columns.
Contractors core into the mounting surface with a concrete drill and clear the pilot hole of dust and debris before filling it with epoxy and driving in the anchor bolt through the base plate, which will hold the carport’s beam foundations.
9 facts you probably didn’t know about solar energy
Switching to clean energy sources like solar power can help combat climate change and, when built in the right places, ensure that our lands and natural resources persist for generations to come.
Renewable energy serves as a crucial avenue for meeting energy needs while safeguarding public lands, by presenting viable alternatives to oil and gas drilling, and coal mining.
Unlike fossil fuels—which, in addition to being toxic, will eventually run out and are already becoming less and less economical—renewables continue to be replenished, providing a sustainable path forward for our energy needs.
Midsummer, Soprasolar partner on solar cell-integrated roof material solution
Soprasolar has revealed plans to integrate Midsummer’s thin-film solar panels into its roof membranes, offering solar panels to customers whose rooftops cannot withstand the weight of silicon panels.
Midsummer CEO Eric Jaremalm said the collaboration could “open up a previously unexploited market for solar cells on low load-bearing roofs … It can create a new European industry and at the same time potentially increase the share of solar energy in the European electricity mix.
The market is huge for solar cell-integrated roof material solutions that can be installed even on weaker roofs, which is the case in most of the world’s countries with roofs that do not have to withstand the weight of snow.”
Solar hits a renewable energy milestone not seen since WWII
Solar accounted for most of the capacity the nation added to its electric grids last year. That feat marks the first time since World War II, when hydropower was booming, that a renewable power source has comprised more than half of the nation’s energy additions. Texas and California led a solar surge driven mostly by utility-scale installations, which jumped 77 percent year-over-year to 22.5 gigawatts.
Texas Top State for Solar Energy, Houston Secures New Projects
Boasting a vast portfolio of energy companies, robust infrastructure, abundance of land and business-friendly incentives, Texas is a hub for solar energy, attracting investors, developers and companies to the state. In 2023, Texas installed more than 6,500 megawatts of solar generation, leading the nation and surpassing California for the second year in a row.
Farmers Increasingly Using Solar Power
U.S. farmers are increasingly turning to solar power as a means of stabilizing their incomes amid fluctuating crop prices and growing expenses. With cash receipts for crops like corn, soybeans and other commodities expected to plummet by double-digit percentages this year, many farmers are seeking alternative revenue streams.
This shift toward solar energy is a significant component of the renewable energy movement in the U.S., with a substantial portion of future solar development projected to occur on agricultural land.
With new solar panels, Mississippi State is taking strides towards carbon neutral goal
Mississippi State University, home to the largest undergraduate student body in the state, made strides earlier this month towards its goal of being carbon neutral by 2042.
“We think renewable energy is one of our primary methods of reducing our footprint. We’re doing all we can to be good stewards.”
Saunders Ramsey, executive director of MSU’s Campus Services
The school announced on Feb. 6 that it was installing on its campus 3,420 solar panels — which it expects to start generating power by this summer — claiming it as the largest such project among Southeastern Conference colleges. The project also includes upgrading 54,000 lighting fixtures with LED bulbs.
The Energy Age 