Easy Breezy, Lemon Squeezy

Good morning and happy Friday,

Great news for the renewable energy industry - the energy sector workforce is up 3.8% from 2022 , with nearly 300,000 new hires as projects continue to push forward across the US, shooting for net-zero emissions economy by 2050.

Meanwhile, a new technological development allows solar panels to bend , using micro-cracks in the silicon wafers to support building-integrated and car-integrated photovoltaics. And the Northeast power grid also gets a big boost in sustainability with a giant wind project that will plant 62 turbines 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.

Read on for more.?

Beat the Heat

Both sides of the aisle have heavily debated what’s been causing an unreliable electrical grid in Texas, leaving power outages in its wake during extreme temperatures like a surprising freeze in the winter of 2021. With the state battling an extreme heat wave caused by a heat dome, the grid faces new challenges as temperatures in some areas along the border reach a stifling 118 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Solar provides close to 20% of Texas's power. It’s generated enough to compensate for recent outages reported at nuclear and coal facilities and saved the state from emergency conditions and blackouts .
• After two weeks of record-breaking heat and no end in sight, battery storage helped to immediately provide backup power to the grid when two major power plants failed. Experts expect the trend of 100F days to doubly by 2036, meaning more urgent action is needed to compensate for unreliable power sources.
• Solar generation has increased from 2,600 megawatts produced in May of 2019 to 16,800 megawatts produced in May of 2023. As the second-highest solar producer in the US, Texas is now reaping the benefits of its renewables by avoiding power outages due to heat-induced plant failures.

?? The Takeaway

Shining a light on the truth. Regardless of political stance, the benefits of solar are as clear as a very sunny Texas day. Solar made a clear case for how it’s able to support the Texas electrical grid by bringing much-needed power when it was needed most, opening up the path for an even greater proportion of solar farms in the future.

Easy Breezy, Lemon Squeezy

The Great Lakes region is looking toward capturing offshore wind energy to generate more clean, renewable power. Estimates show that fixed-bottom wind turbines could generate up to 160 gigawatts while floating wind energy systems could generate 415 gigawatts of power. That’s enough to sustain five of the eight states bordering the Great Lakes.

• Proponents of offshore wind technology see higher-paying jobs, a cleaner environment, and more economic growth as bordering states hit their renewable energy targets. This report details the challenges and opportunities for utilizing wind energy in the Great Lakes region.
• However, the project faces two unique major challenges . Freshwater ice is stronger and more prevalent than sea ice, and turbines are untested in these conditions. Additionally, getting the turbines to their location is tricky due to the narrow locks which connect the Great Lakes to the Atlantic, which are too narrow to support the giant installation vessels which transport and install turbines.
• Floating wind turbines that are located near the center of the lakes offer a number of intriguing advantages. The center of the lakes do not freeze over, meaning less ice to battle. There are also fewer environmental concerns about possible interactions with local birds and bats, and the turbines themselves would not be visible from shore. They can also be built on the lakes, making it possible to transport components more easily.?

?? The Takeaway

Blowing away the competition. There’s a huge opportunity for harnessing more offshore wind energy across the great lakes. More research is underway to see which issues need to be addressed before they can pursue a commercial pathway for increased wind energy, with an aggressive goal of getting it in place by 2035.

• Skip the Line: California grid plan could offer shorter queues across the Southwest
• Shop Local: JV to invest ~$1.5 billion to scale vertically integrated American-made solar
• From Coal to Hydrogen?: West VA bets on hydrogen in gamble to save coal plant

• Duke Energy Indiana to offtake up to 199 MW of solar power
• Revolve obtains state land lease to build 200MW U.S. solar plant
• Opponents of a 205 MW wind project were recently revived thanks to a new state law in Shasta County, CA
• Minnesota power cuts ribbon on largest regional solar project

Spin Doctors

At the cost of almost $1 billion US dollars, China recently installed the largest wind turbine in the world . While still undergoing commissioning and testing before it’s hooked up to the grid, the project appears to be a huge success so far.

As part of a wind farm off the coast of the Liuao Peninsula, which is in China’s Fujian Province, the project aims to produce 1.6 TWh of clean, renewable energy per year. It’s estimated to conserve 500,000 tons of coal and reduce emissions by about 1.3 million tons per year.

At an impressive hub height of 479 feet (about the size of a 10-story building) and with a rotor diameter of 827 feet, this is the largest operating turbine to date. This single structure is projected to produce around 34.2 kWh of green energy per year.

A collaboration between China Three Gorges Corporation’s (CTG) and Goldwind, this is part of the second phase of installations for the Zhangpu Liuao wind farm. It will bring a massive increase in sustainable energy for the region, as well as a drastic reduction in emissions while perhaps setting a new standard for what’s possible in wind power throughout the rest of the world.