Ken Oatman ☀️

Scientific frontiers of agrivoltaic cropping systems - Nature Reviews Clean Technology Agrivoltaic systems co-locate crop production and energy conversion alongside each other, helping to reduce land-use conflicts that can arise from conventional large-scale photovoltaic deployment on agricultural land. This Review explores how system layout and components, farming practices and policies can all influence visual impact and social acceptance, and agricultural, energy and environmental performance.

New Online! Scientific frontiers of agrivoltaic cropping systems

What 11.2 mg/w of silver at $50/oz costs as part of various sized solar panels:

Wattage MG/silver $/module
400 W - 4,480 $7.901
500 W - 5,600 $9.877
600 W - 6,720 $11.852
700 W - 7,840 $13.827
800 W - 8,960 $15.803

Roughly, $0.01975/W - 25% of a 8 cent solar panel's costs.

The Admin is canceling funding Congress has already appropriated, and they are cancelling these projects based on if they happen in places perceived to be political enemies, and even then they don't realize that often the projects happen in places aligned with them politically. Whole thing is bad.

If fossils are so cheap why do fossil powered grids keep going up in price?

Another day, another story about another African nation either deploying or preparing to deploy large amounts of #solar.

The boom is already starting.

IEA-PVPS warns soiling costs solar industry billions per year The International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA-PVPS) says dust, pollution, and debris on solar panels reduce output by 4% to 7% worldwide, costing the industry billions of euros annually and making tailored mitigation increasingly urgent.

IEA-PVPS warns soiling costs solar industry billions per year #energysky -- via pv magazine usa:

AI-Driven Demand for Gas Turbines Risks a New Energy Crunch Orders for turbines to power natural gas plants are vastly outpacing supply, threatening the world’s ability to keep pace with rising electricity demand.

Here we have the CEO of the largest solar and wind developer in the United States NextEra, calling renewables the bridge to natural gas.
www.bloomberg.com/features/202...

Self-Generation Incentive Program The Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) helps qualified LADWP residential customers install solar and battery storage systems by providing financial incentives. This program supports clean energy...

This is amazing: @ladwp.com, the Los Angeles utility, has launched a program that will install solar+battery systems on qualifying low-to-moderate-income households, *for free*.

Yes: free.

If you know someone eligible, tell them to apply!

New hail test will find solar panel's 'breaking point' Solar testing organizations are getting more serious about testing solar panels' resilience against hail damage. VDE Americas and RETC, part of the VDE

New hail test will find solar panel’s ‘breaking point’ #energysky -- via Solar Power World:

Graphic which reads 'What? When? Why? How? Everything you need to know about how to join Sun day. September 21, 2025'

🌅 Here is everything you need to know about joining us for Sun Day this September 21 🧵 sunday.earth

‘Diversity and inclusion are not nice-to-haves, but essential ingredients for progress’ This week, Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Laura Riedl, Digital Marketing Manager at Solis. She says that the energy transition is inherently complex and multidimensional, which makes the divers...

" ... the energy transition is inherently complex and multidimensional, which makes the diversity of perspective invaluable" www.pv-magazine.com/2025/08/29/d...

Eight cooling towers disappear in “matter of seconds” in stunning coal plant demolition Watch as eight giant coal plant cooling towers are demolished “in a matter of seconds using half a tonne of explosives,” setting a Guinness World Record.

Watch as eight giant coal plant cooling towers are demolished “in a matter of seconds using half a tonne of explosives,” setting a Guinness World Record.

Sunrun Shatters California Grid Record: 360MW Battery Fleet Powers Equivalent of Half San Francisco Largest-ever residential battery dispatch delivers 360MW to California's grid, verified by Brattle Group. Sunrun leads multi-provider 535MW deployment. See impact analysis.

Sunrun, California's largest distributed power plant operator, achieved a record-breaking energy dispatch of 360 megawatts to the state's grid during a scheduled test event. 🔌💡 www.stocktitan.net/news/RUN/sun...

NCCETC and the Smart Electric Power Alliance have just launched the Database of Emerging Large-Load Tariffs (DELTa) - a public, user-friendly database of utility rates and contracts designed for large electric loads. 📊

Explore the database at sepapower.org/large-load-t... 👉

#energysky #utilities

Poster of a woman with a power driver (a modern day Rosie the Riveter), assembling a heat pump. The slogan reads: Send Putin away… Get a heat pump today! #pumpsforPeace Rewiring America

This is such an incredible poster.

Tesla Energy has quietly become the company’s most profitable division #energysky -- via pv magazine usa: pv-magazine-usa.com/...

What if distributed energy resources (DERs) were the missing piece of the energy puzzle? When utilities take the lead, DERs can be deployed with speed, scale, and precision—right where the grid needs them. 🔋⚡Learn more: hubs.la/Q03dFYqX0

1/ So why is @gavinnewsom.bsky.social working so hard to block rooftop solar, even on schools? @hencarnell.bsky.social dives in: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

(pairs with the @billmckibben.bsky.social piece on issue writ large below)

The problem for fossil fuel lovers is that you have to lie to demonize clean energy, since solar and wind are cheaper and cleaner than the competition.

Many people think solar and wind won't be able to keep the grid stable because they lack "inertia".

I think solar, wind and batteries will do a BETTER job and I think you can explain it thus:
- the old grid is a record player
- the new grid a digital player
🧵

Solar's ascendancy: how crystalline silicon will dominate global energy by 2050 Crystalline silicon PV is poised to play a central role in the world's growing energy demands, supplying 80% of the global energy mix by 2050.

Solar’s ascendancy: how crystalline silicon will dominate global energy by 2050 #energysky -- via pv-tech: www.pv-tech.org/sola...

Chart: Trump is killing the country’s clean-energy manufacturing… In the first three months of this year, firms canceled nearly $8 billion worth of U.S. clean energy projects, mostly factories, in a dramatic turn from…

Chart: Trump is killing the country’s clean-energy manufacturing momentum #energysky -- via Canary Media: www.canarymedia.com/...

A thread of #agrivoltaics

Is Trump just a bump in the road for U.S. solar? The second Donald Trump administration has put up roadblocks to clean energy investment but renewable energy analysts say superior technology and its economic benefits will ultimately prevail.

Is Trump just a bump in the road for U.S. solar? #energysky -- via pv magazine usa: pv-magazine-usa.com/...

Span’s new smart electrical panel can plug right into utility meters Adding EVs and heat pumps can be costly for households and utilities. This Bay Area startup says a smaller version of its smart electrical panel could…

Utilities need tech to help customers install EV chargers and electrify their homes without costly panel and grid upgrades. Smart digital electrical panel startup Span says its Span Edge device, which plugs right into utility meters, can do the trick: www.canarymedia.com/articles/ele...
#energysky

Understanding Solar Energy The biggest energy story of the last fifteen years is the rise of solar photovoltaics, also known as solar PV or simply solar panels.

Understanding Solar Energy
www.construction-physics.com/p/understand...

A .gif with a map showing the U.S. solar and wind capacity nearly tripling between 2017 and 2024. Headline reads: "Here's What the Rise of Clean Energy Looks Like From Space." Summary reads: "Countries aroundt he world are rapidly adding solar and wind capacity, which are now cheaper and more reliable than ever."

Countries around the world are rapidly adding solar and wind capacity, now cheaper and more reliable than ever, a new analysis shared with The New York Times shows.

Here's a country-by-country snapshot of existing clean-energy capacity on land, and where there’s room to grow. nyti.ms/4bIgfeH

First electric seaglider finally hits the water with real passengers Rhode Island-based startup Regent Craft has successfully completed the first test of its full-size electric seaglider with passengers on board, validating the company's idea for a new kind of ocean-fa...

Inspired by the way sea birds conserve energy by flying close to the water’s surface, this all electric plane can carry 12 passengers 180 miles in just one hour.

New tests needed to explain high breakage rates in thin PV module glass – report A high breakage rate in thin PV module glass is a vulnerability that is not yet widely understood due to inadequate testing regimes.

New tests needed to explain high breakage rates in thin PV module glass – report #energysky -- via pv-tech: www.pv-tech.org/new-...