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by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer A new study from UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz has found that establishing “solar canals” using California’s 4,000-mile freshwater canal system could provide half of the power capacity needed to meet the state’s decarbonization goals. By laying solar panels over the canal system, the state could produce 13 gigawatts of power, prevent evaporation of […]
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By Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer In Pete Buttigieg’s confirmation hearing for Secretary of Transportation yesterday, he called out the “generational opportunity” at this moment to align our national infrastructure with climate goals. The American public is behind him. According to a recent survey by Yale’s Climate Change Communications Center, 68% of registered voters support […]
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by Amy Lupica, ODP Contributing Writer There is a new obstacle in the push for clean energy: there’s just not enough glass. The world’s largest solar power company, Longi Green Energy Technology Co., says that a glass shortage is stymieing China’s renewable energy goals. The price of the glass that coats photovoltaic panels has increased […]
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A new study by the Department of Energy provides an interesting new concept for blending solar and hydropower. The study found that by placing solar panels on reservoirs and feeding the solar power generated into the same substation, both the hydropower and solar power generated could be more inexpensive, more efficient, and more reliable.
Why This Matters: It may be obvious, but we will need innovations like these to make the transformations needed to have a sustainable and feasible renewable power system.
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Scientific American reported yesterday on the potential of the solar industry to experience a “global growth spurt, due to a combination of new technology and expanding reach to consumers.”
Why This Matters: Last year, the World Bank reported that the global potential for floating solar panels could be as high as 400 gigawatts, which is roughly the same as the total capacity of existing solar panels installed on land.
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The U.S., Russia and Saudi Arabia may have dominated the 20th-century energy market, but according to an in-depth article in yesterday’s Houston Chronicle, China is now determined to dominate the 21st-century market in which energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions have become paramount for nations contending with climate change.
Why This Matters: The United States, thanks to President Trump and his desire to prop up the dying coal, gas, and oil industries, is falling behind in this competition for the future energy market.
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