All articles tagged with #solar
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton announced she will veto the Urban County Council’s solar zoning amendments, saying the plan would industrialize farmland despite support for solar projects; the 8-7 approval on Sept. 10 capped large-scale solar and required dual-use on agricultural land, with the council able to override the veto with nine of 15 votes in a timely window—her second veto as mayor.
Rising tariffs and export controls on solar, EVs, batteries and grid components are tightening global supply chains and could slow the energy transition, increasing costs for grid upgrades and consumer electricity bills as governments push domestic manufacturing and guard against reliance on China.
In Bartow County, Georgia, Republicans have warmed to solar after Hanwha Qcells’ $2.3 billion Cartersville plant began producing all major solar components and created nearly 2,000 local jobs, reshaping local politics around energy policy even as national debates over subsidies and long‑term viability continue.
US solar capacity surpassed a milestone in Q2 2026, enough to generate the electricity used by about 50 million homes (over a third of households). The quarter added 11.4 GWdc of new capacity, up 45% year-over-year and 43% from Q1, with utility-scale projects accounting for 9.6 GWdc (up 61%). Solar plus storage comprised 70% of all new US power capacity in the first half of 2026. Red-state states led installations, and Wood Mackenzie forecasts about 44 GWdc of solar additions annually through 2031, though permitting and post-ITC transitions pose headwinds; residential solar is expected to rebound in 2027 after the expiration of the 30% ITC for new systems.”,
In Oberursel, Germany, the TaunaBad public pool added two solar systems: 64 upright bifacial panels on the fence by the parking lot (about 38,000 kWh/year) and three pergolas with 180 panels over the kids’ lawn (about 69,500 kWh/year). Combined forecast is roughly 107,000 kWh/year, most of which is used on-site to run pumps and equipment, avoiding about 30 metric tons of CO2 annually. The fence panels harvest reflected light from the lot, while the pergolas shade the lawn and supply power, with Hessen’s climate program funding a portion; the outdoor pool season drew about 95,000 visitors.
China has surpassed coal in installed electricity capacity, with solar at 1,288 GW edging out coal at 1,285 GW and solar accounting for about 31.5% of total capacity; however, solar generation remains lower than coal on a per‑unit basis due to capacity factors. In H1 2026, wind and solar combined produced 24.6% of electricity while coal generated 49.7%, marking the first time coal’s share fell below half. Solar installations continue to grow despite tariff changes, supporting China’s booming EV market and climate goals, though long‑term coal use persists due to contracts and storage challenges, even as emissions dipped about 1% in Q2 thanks to reduced oil use in transport.
Garmin unveils the Fenix 9 family in five configurations (standard, Pro titanium, Pro Solar, and inReach variants) with 64GB storage, brighter AMOLED or transflective MIP displays, and optional LTE/satellite connectivity, plus new software features like Epic for bundling multi-day trips and expanded mapping enhancements.
A Czech retailer leak suggests Garmin Fenix 9 will come in 18 configurations across 43, 47, and 51 mm, with separate AMOLED and Solar options and widespread inReach connectivity. The 43 mm line appears AMOLED-only with inReach, while 47/51 mm models pair AMOLED and AMOLED‑inReach as well as Solar variants. Pricing hints show modest increases vs Fenix 8, especially for Solar inReach models. No MicroLED yet. Garmin’s Play Harder event on Aug 25 is anticipated and the listings were briefly pulled (now returning 404) but remain visible in search results.
Davis County Schools are using their Mustang Mobile Microgrid—a solar-powered, eight-hour mobile generator—to run a mobile hospital trailer that will vaccinate up to 280 people against measles, aiding southern Iowa’s outbreak response; funded largely by an Iowa Rural Development grant via the Iowa Energy Office, the system is designed for emergency use and can serve other districts in need.
Oregon approved the Diamond Solar Project: 406,000 panels on 1,560 forest acres split into two blocks with a 600-foot vegetated wildlife corridor (about 700 feet including 50-foot fire breaks) to keep deer and elk connected to water. The width is a negotiated, untested design and no field study has begun yet since construction hasn’t started. The project, built by Invenergy on land owned by the Shanda Group, includes a 1,900-acre offset parcel and benefits from a new fast-track permitting pathway that could set a template for future solar farms; the online date is projected around 2029 after about two years of construction.
A renewables-backed Invest in Tomorrow Coalition PAC spent about $2 million to help Charlie Hatcher defeat Rep. Andy Ogles in Tennessee, using ads that highlighted voting records rather than energy issues. The move signals the solar industry’s growing willingness to wage targeted political battles to punish lawmakers who oppose renewables and to build a broader, more aggressive influence operation for future races.
U.S. solar stocks rose after President Trump announced a 15% tariff on products made from polysilicon and set minimum import prices under Section 232 to shield domestic solar supply chains. First Solar jumped about 6%, SolarEdge rose roughly 1%, and the Invesco Solar ETF gained more than 2%, amid ongoing U.S.-China tensions in chips, energy and AI.
Trump announced tariffs on polysilicon and related products to curb China’s choke points in the solar panel and semiconductor supply chains, aiming to boost domestic production and set a price floor against dumping.
Scientists released the Sun’s most detailed surface image yet, captured by the National Solar Observatory and provided by the NSF. The ultra-high-resolution image highlights fine solar features and showcases advances in solar imaging, offering researchers a closer look at the Sun’s dynamic surface.
Switzerland’s Muttsee dam hosts 4,872 solar modules on its south face, delivering a surprisingly strong winter share of annual output (43% of energy in the cold half) thanks to altitude and a steep tilt, but a five‑foot gap to the concrete is left so inspectors can map cracks—limiting the rear-face (bifacial) gain to about 1.5%. The project, funded by Axpo/IWB under the Solar Express regime, shows that site conditions and the regulatory framework largely determine alpine solar viability, with many such projects stalled or canceled despite measured performance that exceeds a valley reference plant.