systems

It almost sounds too good to be true—clean, renewable energy stimulating economic activity in underserved communities across the United States. In addition, the solar panels built by CHERP Solar Works are some of the most technologically advanced on the market and will — wait for it — provide free solar power to the lowest-income households in US communities.

So wait, what’s the catch?

There is no catch. This non-profit organization wants to change the traditional relationship between energy providers and energy users. They want to put ownership back into the hands of society. To do this, they enlisted the help of Seneca Solar, which recently worked with local communities in the United States to help them own their energy assets.

“We see a continued shift of wealth from the lowest income households to the top 1 percent. We see that our environment continues to deteriorate at an unprecedented rate,” explains CHERP President and CEO Devon Hartman.

CHERP’s dream is becoming a reality. It recently opened the world’s first non-commercial solar module assembly plant in Pomona, California.

What is CHERP and what does the nonprofit do?

CHERP (Community Home Energy Revolution Project) began with the goal of creating collaborative partnerships with cities, counties, community organizations and contractors to promote sustainable building practices and reduce fossil fuel use in buildings in California and beyond. Now CHERP Solar Works builds solar panel factories around the US

“We build micro solar factories for nonprofits in underserved communities across the country,” says Hartman.

In an age of globalized energy production, CHERP wants to take it back to basics and work locally. By connecting with communities, employing local workers, generating energy in the community and providing energy to local households, CHERP wants its activities to benefit local communities as much as possible.

Hartman says the plan is to “keep the entire value chain within the local community so that the profit circulates within the local economic unit as many times as possible.”

One of CHERP’s plans is to provide free energy to 6,000 low-income families near its new assembly plant in Pomona, California. Studies show that low-income households in the area spend $90 a month on energy. This will create a monthly expense deduction

An additional $6.5 million in annual community income.

Advanced solar technology

CHERP also claims to make “the safest panels on the market.”

Its patented technology will eliminate the hot spots problem that plagues almost all solar panels manufactured today. Solar panels capture sunlight, but sometimes that sunlight is concentrated in one or two spots on the panel. Those “hot spots” heat up faster than the rest of the panel, reducing energy efficiency and creating a safety hazard and fire risk.

“Hotspots can not only heat up, but they can create arcs of plasma that melt any material on Earth, and we can actually set buildings on fire,” Hartman explains.

“Our panels will never create a reverse bias or hot spot situation and will be the safest panels on the market. If they don’t sense an inverter, they’ll automatically shut down within a millisecond, so they won’t generate power and kill firefighters who have to go into the building,” Hartman continues.

The whole operation at CHERP is a bit of an energy revolution. The organization also wants to see solar panel manufacturing return to the United States

American made solar panels

Solar panel technology was invented as early as 1954 by three scientists at Bell Laboratories in the United States. Since then, solar panel manufacturing has slowly moved away from the United States

“Right now, 94 percent of all solar panels distributed in this country come from overseas,” says Hartman. The big market leader in the production of solar panels is China. China owns more than 80 percent of the world share in the production of solar panels.

China is also far ahead in installed solar power capacity. China is expected to add 90 gigawatts (GW) of installed solar power in 2022, bringing the country’s total installed capacity to about 400 GW.

By comparison, the US added 3.9 GW of solar capacity in the first quarter of 2022, bringing its total capacity to 126 GW.

CHERP wants to increase America’s solar technology production, increase economic participation of underserved communities, and advance solar technology. If his ideas come to fruition, the nonprofit hopes to build factories in the United States to benefit local communities.

Image credit via CHERP

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) released a roadmap of near- and long-term steps to dramatically expand America’s solar manufacturing sector as the Solar Manufacturing for America Act (SEMA) is enacted as part of the Inflationary Initiative. Reduction Act (IRA).

A new document, Catalyzing American Solar Manufacturing, describes how the solar and storage industries can take advantage of this policy support and build a manufacturing base that is competitive, meets sufficient demand, and supports a strong, diverse workforce. It also provides a snapshot of the current market landscape, as well as an analysis of how SEMA and other provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act can help scale domestic manufacturing.

“For the first time in the United States, we have industrial policies that will usher in a new era of clean energy production,” said SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “This roadmap is a plan to strategically grow America’s clean energy supply chain and support companies that have committed to US manufacturing after the reconciliation package becomes law. If we follow the recommendations in the article, we can grow the U.S. solar manufacturing workforce and put the solar and storage industries on a safe, sustainable and equitable path of growth for decades to come.

Global instability and supply chain challenges in the past few years have underscored the importance of local manufacturing and SEIA’s need to achieve 50 gigawatts of US solar capacity by 2030. The U.S. solar and storage industries help protect against global supply disruptions and ensure the safety and reliability of the electric grid.

Once SEMA is implemented, the roadmap advises manufacturers to consider demand and timing for their products and focus primarily on low-end production. This primarily involves expanding local module production so that once these products are available, there is an existing demand for local cells, ingots and wafers. The paper notes that domestic production may grow in the near term as IRA dramatically increases demand for solar and storage products, but these opportunities must be expanded over several years.

Thoughtful industrial policy and a long-term strategy for domestic manufacturing are key to strengthening America’s energy security and creating hundreds of thousands of high-quality manufacturing jobs.

This roadmap is the first report in a series of papers that will focus on emerging opportunities and challenges for the solar energy and storage industry. The next report will focus on building a strong US manufacturing base for energy storage equipment.

Read the roadmap and learn more about SEIA’s vision for the Solar+ Decade.

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About SEIA®:

The Solar Energy Industries Association® (SEIA) is leading the transition to a clean energy economy, creating a framework for 30% of US electricity generation to come from solar by 2030. SEIA works with 1,000 member companies and other strategic partners to fight for policies. that create fair market rules that create jobs in every community and encourage competition and the growth of reliable, affordable solar energy. Founded in 1974, SEIA is the national trade association for the solar and solar + storage industries, building a comprehensive vision for the Solar+ Decade through research, education and advocacy. Visit SEIA online at www.seia.org and follow @SEIA on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Media contact:

Jen Bristol, SEIA’s Senior Director of Communications, [email protected] (202) 556-2886

According to a report by Interesting Engineering, the eight-story 550 Spencer building is being built in Melbourne, Australia, with 1,182 solar panels to create a North facade that resembles conventional glass panels.

(Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)
BERLIN – APRIL 01: Photovoltaic cells cover an area of ​​426 square meters on the 70 m high south facade of a residential building on April 01, 2010 in Berlin, Germany.

It will be more powerful than conventional solar panels installed on your homes, like the solar roof from Tesla. A standard rooftop solar panel system produces between 3-6 kW, this building is expected to produce up to 142 kW at its peak.

Not only does it produce more energy that can benefit its users, but it will also help the climate by preventing 78.4 tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere each year. It can also save space as conventional solar panels are placed on the roof of the building. Due to its location, the rooftop can now be used as a garden for a greener effect.

The construction of the building is expected to be completed in 2024.

Also Read: Solar Powering Rocket Lab Will Power US Space Force’s New Missile Warning Satellites

How It Began

Studio founder and Australian firm Kennon planned this new project in Melbourne because he realized that solar panels made of glass would be a good facade for a building that could help with his electricity.

He researched various parts of Europe to find material for this project and went to Germany because no one from Australia was making this product. That’s why executives from Avancis, the company that will make the panels, flew to Australia to help Kenon make it possible.

“After we found out it wasn’t available in Australia, we started discussions with a number of manufacturers. We designed the facade of the building with the product and I presented the concept to the client.” Kenon explained in a report for New Atlas.

Although the use of glass panels was rejected by a building appeals board in Australia, the entire studio collaborated with Red Fire Engineers, a local construction fire safety company, to test whether the panels would work and were safe to use. To get a closer look and observe these panels, a copy of the facade was burned and documented the entire process to see how it would react if this happened. Due to this determination, the project is still ongoing.

Solar Power for Jets

Airplanes, defense aircraft and others were kerosene based, because it harmed the environment as it caused carbon emissions.

Experts from ETH Zurich, a Swiss public research university, have been able to develop the first Carbon Neutral Jet Fuel created by a Solar Energy Tower. It will be part of the European Union’s LIQUID FROM THE SUN, which the new solar-powered system could help as it aims to find legal alternatives to avoid using kerosene for aircraft.

Related Article: The first carbon neutral jet fuel generated by a solar powered tower! How it can help the Airline Industry

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Written by Inno Flores

ⓒ 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Colorado’s solar industry is expecting a boom in business as more than $300 billion is directed toward clean energy as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.

“This is transformative, there’s no doubt about it. It’s a 10-year signal that we’re ready to do something about clean energy in the United States,” said Annie Lappe, Pivot Energy’s Vice President of Policy and Impact.

“Currently, solar energy makes up three percent of the US energy supply. With the incentives in this bill that will lower the cost of solar energy again, we will see the demand for it increase rapidly. Let’s increase solar energy to 30 percent by 2030,” Lappe added.

The money and a long-term tax credit are expected to stabilize renewable energy markets that have been in flux for years with government support.

“The need is now and the need is going to grow. Any business will tell you the certainty of where the market will be in 10 years is amazing. Customers can plan for it; employers can plan for it and employees can plan for it,” said the president of the Colorado Solar and Storage Association. and CEO Mike Kruger.

The solar energy industry employs about 7,000 people in Colorado. This number is expected to double within ten years.

“Thanks to this bill and other factors, we plan to double the capacity next year. We will help train the workforce to meet the demand for this many megawatts of clean energy,” Lappe said.

“It’s not just your traditional boots on the roof or people in the field, we need marketing experts, communications experts, legal experts,” Kruger said.

And in turn, energy prices are expected to fall.

“Xcel Energy will require 4 gigawatts of new renewable energy, all of which would be 30 percent cheaper now than it would have been if this bill hadn’t happened. You should see savings on your electric bill because it adds very cheap solar to your local utility,” Kruger said.

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There’s a storm brewing over solar energy in the US. And Joe Biden is at the center of it. The US president has promised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Converting American homes and industries to solar power is a key part of the plan. The goal is very ambitious. Currently, only 3 percent of US electricity is generated from solar panels. The Biden administration wants that to rise to 40 percent by 2035.

Hundreds of millions, perhaps billions, of new solar panels will be needed. Where those panels will be built is at the center of a controversy that has overshadowed U.S. solar developments in recent months. The White House wants to fight climate change. But he also wants to promote an American-made green energy transition that brings solar manufacturing and jobs to the U.S. from places like China, which currently dominates the market.

Joe Biden launched the Defense Production Act in June to jump-start domestic manufacturing. It’s a Cold War-era law that gives the federal government additional powers to boost domestic production of certain products to bolster national security. The law, which was used to build tanks and weapons in wartime, is now being used to boost production of solar panels to combat climate change.

In addition, Biden waived 24 months of tariffs on solar panels produced in four Southeast Asian countries. The move was in response to a months-long Commerce Department investigation into whether Chinese manufacturers were evading US import tariffs by setting up shop in Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand. These countries accounted for more than 80 percent of US solar panel imports last year. And they are essential to many US solar projects.

American solar manufacturers argued that the investigation effectively froze solar imports because of the threat of high retroactive tariffs. Hundreds of solar energy projects across the country have been put on hold this year. And one forecaster said new installations could drop by about half in 2022 and 2023.

The White House’s approach has divided the US solar industry. Solar project developers welcomed the move. But U.S. solar panel makers argue it undermines the president’s efforts to build a green energy revolution at home by allowing China to continue flooding the market with cheap panels.