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Dominion proposes 1 GW of new Virginia solar + storage by 2023

The utility has proposed 15 new Dominion-owned and 32 new PPA projects, in pursuit of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2045. Dominion Energy Virginia, in its annual clean energy filing with state regulators, has proposed a 1 GW portfolio of new solar and energy storage projects in the state to make progress toward the goals…
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Here’s how states recovered from power outages caused by Hurricane Ida

Entergy estimated that Ida damaged 30,000 utility poles, nearly as many as the combined effects of Hurricanes Katrina in 2005 and Laura in 2020. Hurricane Ida knocked out power for up to 1.2 million electricity customers across eight states, according to reports from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency…
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Agrivoltaics to protect crops from heavy rainfall

BayWa r.e. and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have built a 258 kW agrivoltaic system that hosts apple cultivation under four different crop protection systems. The system utilizes agrivoltaic technology with permanent, light-permeable PV modules that block rain, and tracking PV module tech that blocks rain only if necessary. German renewable energy…
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Auto junk yard now a 2.1 MW solar site

The Vermont Public Power Supply Authority commissioned Encore Renewable Energy to build the project, which is part of a planned 10 MW deployment. Door panels, tire rims, headlights, and solar. Maybe not the typical find at your favorite junk yard. But Encore Renewable Energy and the Vermont Public Power Supply Authority (VPPSA) just commissioned a 2.1…
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Solar facade with frameless design

The frameless design of the 50 kW facade was made possible by a concealed suspension technology that, according to its creators, eliminates the need for additional edging at the edge of the module. The installation was built with 135 W CIGS solar modules. German research institute Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has commissioned a 50 kW solar facade…
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Solar-powered airplane to reach the stratosphere

The airplane is powered by 22 square meters of solar cells with an efficiency of up to 24% and 14 kWh of lithium-ion batteries. According to its creators, it can reach an altitude of 25,000m. Swiss start-up SolarXplorers is currently developing the world’s first PV-powered stratospheric plane, at the Payerne military airfield in Switzerland. Called…
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Here’s how you can help bring emergency solar to New Orleans

The Footprint Project is seeking hardware and monetary donations to construct solar power plus energy storage mobile microgrids in New Orleans. It also is the focus of a GoFundMe page. The Footprint Project is seeking hardware and monetary donations to construct solar power plus energy storage mobile microgrids to be deployed in New Orleans. The non-profit can…
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Wallbox to produce EV chargers in Texas

The facility will be the first in the United States for the company and could produce 290,000 units annually by 2027. Electric vehicle charging systems maker Wallbox said it will build a U.S. manufacturing facility in Arlington, Texas. The 130,000-square-foot plant will have enough capacity to support its North American expansion plans for the next…
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U.S. solar panel shipments rose 33% in 2020

Solar PV module shipments reached a record high in 2020, growing 33% year over year. U.S. solar PV module shipments (including imports, exports, and domestic production and sales) rose by one-third year-on-year from 2019 to 2020, said the Energy Information Administration (EIA). EIA reported a record high 21.8 million peak kW shipped in 2020, a 5.4 million…
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LG to supply RWE with 200 MW of storage

The capacity will be coming across two RWE solar + storage projects in the US, though the specific projects have not yet been announced. RWE Renewables has signed supply contracts with LG Energy Solution to provide an integrated battery energy storage system (BESS) for two of RWE’s upcoming solar + storage projects in the U.S.…
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