USA Solar Installs

This is a trend we love to see!

"With 5 million roofs replaced each year in the United States, “the opportunity to upsell someone from a regular roof to a solar roof represents not only a good business opportunity, but a tremendous opportunity to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels,” Martin DeBono, president of GAF Energy, told Yahoo Finance (video above).

DeBono added that “with all the attention that solar energy and renewable fuels are getting as a result of the discussions for this bill, it's just raising awareness. And so, people who were not thinking about going solar in the past are now thinking about it.”

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/skeptical-consumers-solar-panels-gaf-energy-132835747.html

Previously skeptical consumers 'are now thinking about' installing solar panels': GAF Energy president Proposed expanded tax credits for solar panels could help convince homeowners to upgrade their roof.

The first U.S. university to go 100% solar! I think we'll see more colleges following this example.

"As the title points out, Stanford won’t just be getting 100% of its electricity needs from renewables; it’ll be getting 100% from solar. That said, at this point, it’s more of a case of generating as much electricity from solar overall as the university uses, not entirely at the time it is needed. So, it’s net 100% solar. Though, there are also talks about adding battery energy storage capacity to improve on that."

https://cleantechnica.com/2021/08/22/stanford-going-to-100-renewable-electricity-100-solar-1st-major-university-to-do-so/

Stanford Going To 100% Renewable Electricity (100% Solar) — 1st Major University In USA To Do So Universities are suppose to be the homes of our best and brightest. (Don’t look here.) They are supposed to be about the long-term view. They are supposed to be about science, of course. So, I have to admit that I’m surprised and disappointed to find out that no research institute in the US is g...

Solar is booming!

"The amount of solar installed in the US in 2020 was 4000% higher than was installed in 2010, with 8,894MW of utility-scale solar projects being added, as corporate demand becomes almost on par with utilities.

This was the finding of the first Clean Power Annual report by the American Clean Power Association (ACPA), which showed record US renewables growth and investment."

https://www.pv-tech.org/us-solar-4000-up-on-2010-as-industry-booms-and-utilities-no-longer-dominating-new-contracts/

US solar 4000% up on 2010 as industry booms and utilities no longer dominating new contracts The amount of solar installed in the US in 2020 was 4000% higher than was installed in 2010, with 8,894MW of utility-scale solar projects being added, as corporate demand becomes almost on par with utilities

What a cool solar initiative!

"Luxembourg-based startup Maana Electric aims to send small warehouse container-like boxes, that are capable of building solar panels using only electricity and sand, to Earth's deserts in order to help fight climate change.

If that goes according to plan, the company then hopes to breach the final frontier by sending their boxes to the Moon, Mars, and beyond in order to aid future space colonies with their energy requirements, a report from Inverse explains."

https://interestingengineering.com/new-terraboxes-turn-electricity-and-sand-into-solar-panels

New 'Terraboxes' Turn Electricity and Sand Into Solar Panels New container-like boxes generate solar energy from electricity and sand to help fight climate change, and if all goes to plan, they could head to space.

Supporters of the 30 Million Solar Homes Initiative say the country will see $69 billion in electric-bill savings!

"A report outlines how federal efforts to bring solar energy to one in four American households could bring clean energy to communities of all colors, incomes and backgrounds.

Supporters of the 30 Million Solar Homes Initiative said boosting participation in the Rural Energy Savings Program and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program could help more residents, farmers, and small businesses finance solar panels."

https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2021-07-26/energy-policy/report-more-solar-homes-would-benefit-rural-economies/a75128-1

Report: More Solar Homes Would Benefit Rural Economies CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A report outlines how federal efforts to bring solar energy to one in four American households could bring clean energy to communities of all colors, incomes and backgrounds. Supporters of the 30 Million Solar Homes Initiative said boosting participation in the Rural Energy Savi...

Great news for solar in the U.S!

"The Solar Automated Permit Processing (SolarAPP+) platform, developed by DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, will be a standard portal for local governments to process permit applications automatically. Approvals typically take a week or more currently, and permit-related costs can account for about a third of installers' overall costs, DOE said.

The portal performs an automatic review of permit applications, approving eligible systems instantly. Complex or ineligible systems would be re-routed for additional review."

https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/us-seeks-speed-rooftop-solar-growth-with-instant-permits-2021-07-15/

U.S. seeks to speed rooftop solar growth with instant permits The Biden administration on Thursday will roll out a tool that enables instant permitting of rooftop solar installations, addressing a major source of industry delays and possibly lowering costs for homeowners, the Energy Department said.

A huge solar initiative looking to help California prevent energy shortfalls!

"The project’s developer, Los Angeles-based real estate firm CIM Group, has permits to build 670 megawatts, which would be nearly 100 megawatts larger than the biggest U.S. solar farm operating today. The developer ultimately plans to install at least 2,700 megawatts by the end of the decade, across more than 20,000 acres — an area two-thirds the size of San Francisco."

https://www.latimes.com/environment/newsletter/2021-07-08/solar-panels-on-farmland-california-water-power-crises-boiling-point

How solar panels on farmland could help California fix its water and power crises More than 400 construction workers are building one of the world's large clean energy projects in the San Joaquin Valley.

USA Solar Installs updated their website address.

An optimistic view on solar!

"The solar industry has spent decades slashing the cost of generating electricity direct from the sun. Now it’s focusing on making panels even more powerful.

With savings in equipment manufacturing hitting a plateau and more recently pressured by rising prices of raw materials, producers are stepping up work on advances in technology — building better components and employing increasingly sophisticated designs to generate more electricity from the same-sized solar farms."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-05/solar-power-is-dirt-cheap-and-about-to-get-even-more-powerful

Solar Is Dirt-Cheap and About to Get Even More Powerful After focusing for decades on cutting costs, the solar industry is shifting attention to making new advances in technology.

Solar improving communities! We're happy to see it.

"A community-led nonprofit in metro Detroit has begun installing solar-powered streetlights a decade after a utility repossessed over a thousand of the area’s light poles."

https://energynews.us/2021/06/29/detroit-solar-streetlight-program-tests-community-ownership/

Detroit solar streetlight program tests community ownership Soulardarity is installing solar-powered streetlights in Highland Park a decade after DTE Energy removed all but 500 lights there.

Seems pretty obvious to us.....

USA Solar Installs updated their phone number.

Not just solar on the roofs, but also solar on the ground!

"More commonly associated with rooftop energy creation, solar solutions are increasingly becoming part of the built environment. In the Catalan capital of Barcelona, the city council has installed Spain’s first photovoltaic (PV) pavement in an effort to increase energy capacity close to where it is needed most.

Just 20m2 of the solar pavement is equal to the yearly average electric energy need of a household. The new installation, in a park in the Glòries area, will generate 7,560kWh of energy a year, enough for three households. The project forms part of the city’s drive to become carbon neutral by 2050."

https://www.power-technology.com/features/paving-the-way-are-solar-sidewalks-a-viable-way-to-decarbonise-our-cities/

Paving the way: are solar sidewalks a viable way to decarbonise our cities? Platio Solar is trialling the first of Spain’s photovoltaic sidewalks in Barcelona as part of the city’s carbon neutral initiatives.

Solar can play a vital role in the progression of other industries. One of these is the food industry, looking for healthier and more sustainable ways of producing for in the future.

"For several years, researchers around the world have been looking into the idea of growing "food from air," combining a renewable fuel resource with carbon from the air to create food for a type of bacteria that create edible protein.

They compared the efficiency of the system with a 10-square-kilometer soybean field. Their analysis showed that growing food from air was 10 times as efficient as growing soybeans in the ground."

https://phys.org/news/2021-06-food-air-solar-power-efficient.html

Growing food with air and solar power: More efficient than planting crops A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, the University of Naples Federico II, the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences has found that making food from air would be far more efficient than growing crops. I...

The solar future is looking bright! Are you optimistic too?

"In the first quarter, solar installations soared 46% to more than 5 gigawatts, according to a report by energy research firm Wood Mackenzie and the industry trade group Solar Energy Industries Association. The United States is on track to install 24.4 GW this year, an increase of nearly 24% over last year."

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/15/us-solar-installations-soared-by-46percent-in-the-first-quarter.html

U.S. solar installations soared by 46% in the first quarter U.S. solar installations are on track for record-breaking growth over the next three years, but face challenges from soaring project costs.

Virginia is leading the way!

"Virginia’s solar industry is on a roll, and its momentum is only expected to gain speed and gigawatts as the state’s 2020 Clean Economy Act kicks in.

Nationwide, Virginia ranked fifth with 236 megawatts of new solar capacity installed in the first quarter of this year, according to a report released Tuesday by the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie. That’s more than the state added annually in 2018, 2019 and any year before 2017."

https://energynews.us/2021/06/15/as-policy-impacts-kick-in-virginia-climbs-into-top-five-states-for-solar/

Virginia climbs into top five states for solar | Energy News Network The latest quarterly ranking shows Virginia and the Carolinas leading the way on solar thanks in large part to recent policy victories.

Solar energy and agriculture going hand-in-hand!

"The first solar panels installed over working cranberry bogs are set to come online in Massachusetts this year, putting to the test supporters’ belief that these installations can help struggling farmers while offering new ground for renewable energy to grow."

https://energynews.us/2021/05/28/cranberry-farmers-look-to-sweeten-income-by-pairing-crop-with-solar-panels/

Cranberry farmers look to sweeten income with solar | Energy News Network Projects would incorporate pole-mounted panels over active cranberry bogs as a way to boost revenue for farmers and create more space for solar.

More great news for solar and for the American economy!

"First Solar unveiled plans Wednesday to double its US manufacturing capability by building a new state-of-the-art factory in Ohio.

The $680 million investment by First Solar (FSLR), the only US-headquartered major manufacturer of solar panels, will be the company's third factory in the Toledo area."

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/09/business/solar-manufacturing-china-ohio/index.html

Ohio will soon be home to the largest solar factory complex outside of China China's dominance over the world's solar industry just took a hit.

From coal to solar, the Appalachians are undergoing a change!

"The plan to generate up to 75 megawatts of solar power across hundreds of acres of deforested minelands in Virginia and Tennessee may be “a breakout moment for the region,” the project’s developer said.

All along, the conservancy had targeted Cumberland Forest as a potential showcase to prove that investments in nature could yield financial returns and critical conservation results while returning value to local communities."
https://energynews.us/2021/05/12/conservancy-charts-a-solar-showcase-on-the-coalfields-of-central-appalachia/

Conservancy charts a solar showcase on the coalfields of Central Appalachia | Energy News Network The plan to generate up to 75 megawatts of solar power across hundreds of acres of deforested minelands in Virginia and Tennessee may be “a breakout moment for the region,” the project’s developer said.

This high-altitude, floating solar farm sure is an eye-catcher!

"The incredible structure sits at 1810 metres (~5900 feet) above sea level, floating on a man-made reservoir called Lac des Toules. It is made up of 2240 square metres (~24000 sqft) of solar panels, arranged in five rows of eight.

Its panels are able to produce 50% more energy than panels on low-lying land. The reason for this is that mountainous conditions make solar radiation stronger."

https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/06/04/the-high-altitude-solar-farm-floating-to-success

The high-altitude solar farm floating to success The world's first-ever high-altitude floating solar farm produces clean green energy in such an efficient way that its creators are looking to expand and use the technology in similar locations around the world.

How optimistic are you for 2021?

"Almost two thirds of people working in the solar industry expect to see double-digit sales growth this year.

That’s according to a recent survey published by trade association the Global Solar Council (GSC), which found that 64% of industry insiders, including solar businesses and national and regional solar associations, are expecting such growth in 2021, a marginal increase on the 60% who benefitted from double-digit expansion last year."

https://www.pv-tech.org/confidence-grows-over-double-digit-solar-industry-growth-in-2021/

Confidence grows over double-digit solar industry growth in 2021 - PV Tech Almost two thirds of people working in the solar industry expect to see double-digit sales growth this year, according to initial findings from a Global Solar Council survey.

Are AI, machine learning, and data analytics the ways to keep the solar industry growing? According to Kirk Edelman, chief commercial officer at New York City-headquartered solar development, construction, and asset management company Safari Energy, they are!

"Edelman explained to Electrek what tech he thinks the US solar industry needs, and why, in order to keep up with the growing demand for solar power."

https://electrek.co/2021/05/31/the-solar-industrys-low-tech-problem-and-how-to-fix-it/

The solar industry's low-tech problem and how to fix it - Electrek Here are three technologies that the solar industry needs to adopt in order to revolutionize their processes and technology infrastructure.

Could solar and crypto go hand in hand?

"A company looking to build a massive solar project in Butte, Montana claims it would provide 300MW of renewable power and cost $250 million, Gizmodo reported."

https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/27/22456993/butte-montana-solar-project-atlas-ethereum-cryptocurrency-mining-renewables

A company wants to build a massive solar project in Montana — of course it’s for crypto Butte, Montana could be a blueprint for future projects.

Need a little hand? These robots mow, clean, survey, and drill!

"From utility-scale maintenance to construction assistance, autonomous devices are lending a helping hand to solar crews."

https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2021/05/check-out-these-robots-made-specifically-for-the-solar-industry/

Check out these robots made specifically for the solar industry Robotics and automation have already been in the solar industry for years. Visit any solar module manufacturing facility (like SPW did when checking out

Good news for solar!

"Solar and wind accounted for 16.8% of total U.S. energy generation in March, the highest single-month output the two resources have ever accounted for."

https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2021/05/26/solar-and-wind-delivered-more-energy-generation-than-ever-before-in-march/

Solar and wind delivered more energy generation than ever before in March The two resources accounted for 16.8% of total U.S. energy generation in March, up 34.3% over March 2020.

2.2 Million homeowners 🏡 in the U.S went solar! Why? By investing in solar, you can fix your electricity rate and protect against unpredictable increases in electricity costs. If you're a business or homeowner with fluctuating cash flow, going solar also helps you better forecast and manage your expenses.