The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians and OATI are partnering to develop two microgrids for the tribal community in Northern California, bringing renewable energy onto tribal lands for energy independence and cost reduction. The project includes a 4.5 MWac solar power array and 21 MWh battery energy storage system, with funding from the California Energy Commission and FEMA. The microgrid will power on-reservation facilities and sell excess electricity to the grid, providing resiliency and substantial energy cost savings for the Paskenta community. This initiative will allow Paskenta to self-generate a significant amount of electricity, leading to significant cost savings and a more sustainable energy future.
Category: Buildings & Electricity
Cut Emissions:
– Enhance Efficiency
– Shift Energy Sources
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Global Solar Council Launches AgriPV Taskforce to Unlock the Next Frontier of Solar Growth
The Global Solar Council's AgriPV Task Force aims to accelerate the growth of agrivoltaics, unlocking nearly 33 TW of additional solar capacity worldwide by utilizing just 1% of agricultural land. This initiative supports rural communities, strengthens agricultural productivity, and improves climate resilience by bringing together industry leaders to advance policies and build a scalable global AgriPV market. The Task Force focuses on promoting understanding, sharing best practices, supporting policy development, and fostering collaboration between solar and agricultural sectors to position agrivoltaics as a critical pillar for the next phase of solar growth, delivering benefits for energy systems, farmers, food security, and climate resilience.
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Penumbra-aware irradiance modeling for agrivoltaic orchards
Researchers at Delft University of Technology have developed a Python framework to improve light-simulation workflows for agrivoltaics, focusing on realistic representations of atmospheric conditions and crop geometry. This advancement enhances predictions for crop yield and solar energy production in shared land-use systems, reducing design uncertainty and supporting sustainable food-energy integration. The framework includes site-specific sun and sky spectra across the entire solar spectrum, rendering soft shadows efficiently for crops under semi-transparent PV modules. A new model for agrivoltaic orchards was also developed to optimize sunlight penetration for both crops and solar panels, resulting in a 16% increase in energy production compared to traditional setups. This research, published in the journal Applied Energy, highlights the importance of accurate canopy representation for optimizing light levels and mitigating suboptimal conditions in agrivoltaic systems.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/06/23/penumbra-aware-irradiance-modeling-for-agrivoltaic-orchards/
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Climate crisis: UN chief lays out solutions blueprint for clean energy transition
The UN Secretary-General emphasized the interconnectedness of protecting nature, shifting to renewable energy, and addressing climate change for the well-being of both humanity and the environment. He called for managing the transition to a sustainable future to avoid chaos and inequality, highlighting the need for fair finance to support developing countries in phasing out fossil fuels and transitioning to green energy. Additionally, the Secretary-General urged support for science, truth, and early warning systems to combat climate misinformation and delay tactics, while also emphasizing the importance of investing in nature-based solutions to address the climate crisis and protect those most at risk from climate change.
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Powering resilience: How Indonesia is building a more secure energy future
In Indonesia, United Nations agencies are collaborating with the Government to modernize the electricity grid, improve energy efficiency, and reduce energy-intensive industries. Efforts include identifying solar energy potential, conducting energy audits, and supporting eco-industrial parks. The UN is also assisting Indonesia in unlocking finance for renewable energy projects and supporting workers through the energy transition. Additionally, UNDP is bringing cleaner energy technologies to coastal communities to reduce fuel consumption and support livelihoods, while UN Women and UNEP are empowering women entrepreneurs to access green finance and adopt climate-smart technologies. These initiatives aim to empower women, expand economic opportunities, and ensure that the benefits of the energy transition reach more people in Indonesia.
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Chinese scientists unveil cable-supported mounting system for large-scale PV on complex terrain
Researchers have developed a cable-supported photovoltaic structure (CSPS) for solar projects on challenging terrain, overcoming limitations of traditional ground-mounted PV structures. Inspired by bridge aerodynamics, the system splits a single cable truss into two parallel trusses to enhance torsional load-resisting mechanism. Key design parameters include cable sags, truss height, and cable pretensions, influencing structural behavior and stiffness. The system configuration improves torsional mode frequency and critical flutter wind speed, with added components like purlins and braces enhancing stiffness and vibration control. The study validated the proposed two-parallel cable truss system as a structurally efficient and aerodynamically robust solution for large-span CSPS designs in high-wind environments, providing a practical design framework for future large-scale solar infrastructure in challenging terrain environments.
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JinkoSolar achieves 34.82% efficiency for perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell
Chinese PV module manufacturer JinkoSolar recently achieved a power conversion efficiency of 34.82% for a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell, certified by China's Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology. This breakthrough, credited to innovations in core technologies, marks progress in the industrialization of next-generation perovskite tandem technology. Longi currently holds the world record for perovskite-tandem solar cell efficiency at 34.85%, achieved in partnership with Soochow University. These advancements in efficiency are crucial for the development of more effective and sustainable solar energy solutions.
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Historic Graph: Solar Electricity Surpasses Coal Electricity In USA
In May 2026, solar power in the US surpassed coal power in electricity generation for the first time ever, with solar providing 12.8% of the total compared to coal's 12.2%. This marks a significant milestone in the transition towards renewable energy sources, with coal generation declining by 11% year over year. Solar power has been steadily rising and setting new records, becoming the third-largest source of electricity in the US behind gas and nuclear. The shift towards renewable energy sources is evident in the significant growth of solar power over the past five years, highlighting the progress towards a cleaner and more sustainable energy system. Solar power is becoming increasingly popular in the US, with markets from Texas to California investing in solar to meet growing power needs, and in ERCOT, electricity generation from solar is projected to exceed coal for the first time in 2026. This shift towards solar energy is a significant development in the transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy sources.
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Huawei’s FusionSolar9.0 solution aims to redefine optimal LCOE for utility-scale solar projects
Huawei's FusionSolar 9.0 solution addresses key challenges facing utility-scale solar PV projects by improving LCOE through minimizing BOS costs, increasing power density, boosting energy yield, and enhancing reliability with features like self-cleaning and anti-icing technologies. The solution also includes grid forming capabilities that enable the generation of reactive power within 10 ms to cope with transient voltage instability. Smart Virtual Inertia technology can further enhance frequency stability and increase the short-circuit-ratio of PV plants, improving renewable energy transmission capability. Grid-forming inverters not only automatically recover reactive power at night but also provide off-grid power supply during the commissioning phase of a solar farm, using self-generated PV power for equipment testing. These advancements are cost-saving, environmentally friendly, and enable faster grid-connection compared to diesel generators.
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Korean scientists build shingled solar module for thermoelectric generators
Researchers from the Korea Institute of Energy Research have developed a shingled photovoltaic module that can be combined with thermoelectric generators (TEGs) for efficient waste-heat energy recovery. The shingled cell technology increases light absorption and module reliability by eliminating soldered ribbons and reducing thermal stresses, improving efficiency and long-term reliability compared to standard interconnection approaches. The module architecture benefits TEG integration by increasing operating voltage, reducing output current, and minimizing resistive losses, ultimately enabling more efficient power extraction in PV-TEG hybrid systems. A custom experimental platform was developed to accurately characterize PV, TEG, and combined PV-TEG devices under controlled thermal and optical loading, revealing that optimal designs with low current and high voltage operation can significantly reduce power loss, with the new solar module concept showing promising results for field-scale thermoelectric coupling.