Posted on: June 2, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

Hail No! National Labs’ Solar Panels Survive Severe Storm

On May 8, the Denver area was hit with a hailstorm of unusual severity. It left behind a trail that included shattered car windows, golf-ball-sized dents on roofs, and shattered glass on cars. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory staff set out to assess damage after the storm. The main campus of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, has more than 2,5 megawatts worth of photovoltaic power. Most of these panels (more…

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Posted on: June 2, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

Total Eclipse of the Sun: How will it impact the grid?

The last time anyone in the U.S. experienced something like this was nearly a century ago: On August 21, the moon will pass directly between the Earth and the Sun, blocking most or all of the sunlight reaching the Earth across a wide swath of the United States. This is the first total eclipse to span the entire continent in over 99 years. It begins above Salem, Oregon, and ends…

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Posted on: June 2, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

The U.S. Electric Grid Could Benefit from Solar Power Concentration by Providing Flexibility and Reliability

Grid operators must make quick daily decisions to balance the grid because our energy needs are constantly changing. It can be on hot summer days when people turn on their air conditioners or during the winter when they heat up. Grid operators will have to find a solution for rapid increases in energy demand. Most concentrating solar thermal (CSP) systems now have energy storage. This acts as a battery in…

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Posted on: June 2, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

Solar as a Solution: Three Ways Solar Can Step up its Grid Services Game

There is a lot of work involved in getting power. It goes beyond just generating and transmitting electricity to the customer. The U.S. electrical grid must be constantly monitored and controlled to ensure that customers can access power reliably. Grid operators are responsible for managing electricity supply and demand in the electric Grid by performing various “grid service” activities. These services help maintain system balance and better manage electricity transmission.…

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Posted on: June 2, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

New Solar Design Competition Announced: Solar District Cup

Real-life projects. Real-world solutions. You can help build the solar energy workforce of tomorrow by guiding your students to participate in the U.S. You can make the solar energy workforce of tomorrow by teaching your students in the U.S. Universities and community colleges have a unique opportunity to participate in the inaugural DOE Solar District Cup. This competition challenges student teams to reimagine how solar energy is produced, managed, and…

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Posted on: June 2, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

Boosting Domestic Manufacturing

Our technology offices are committed to supporting manufacturing innovation across all sectors. In the last year, for example, U.S. solar PV module manufacturing tripled to reach 7,7 gigawatts per year. As EERE assistant secretary, I was eager to witness this progress. In November 2019, I visited First Solar’s highly automated production facility in Ohio. First Solar produces CdTe thin-film modules. This is the second most common PV technology after silicon.…

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Posted on: May 10, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

Remove the red tape to go solar.

More than solar panels on your roof is needed to go solar. The project must be approved, installed, inspected, and connected to the grid after you have selected an installer. Most of these steps depend on the local government and utility companies. This means that the process will vary depending on where you live. Interconnection times can vary greatly, taking up to several months to complete, with more than 3,000…

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Posted on: May 10, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

Solar Energy Storage: Making Progress

The SunShot Initiative has funded various energy storage research that integrates with concentrating solar power. The SunShot Initiative financed a study on energy storage combined with concentrated solar power. In January 2016, SunShot began tackling photovoltaics storage with its sustainable and holistic integration of energy storage and solar PV funding program. Six SHINES projects aim to develop cost-effective, scalable, secure, and reliable integrated photovoltaic and energy storage systems. These projects have made significant…

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Posted on: May 10, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

The new solar collector technology could lower costs for concentrated solar power.

New solar collectors are setting a new trend in concentrating solar power technology (CSP). “Ganned heliostats,” for the first time, could be an option in new CSP systems. Skysun is a Bay Village, Ohio-based startup that developed a new design to help reduce the cost of CSP systems by over 30%. GANGED HELIOSTAT SCIENCE CSP technology uses mirrors to focus and reflect sunlight onto receivers which collect solar energy and transform…

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Posted on: May 10, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

The Duck Curve and Solar Energy Overproduction

The California Independent System Operator (CISO) published a chart in 2013 that has become a standard tool for discussions about the large-scale deployments of solar photovoltaic power. The duck curve, named for its resemblance with a duck, shows the difference between electricity demand and solar energy available throughout the day. Solar energy floods the market when the sun shines but falls off in the evening as electricity demand increases. The…

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