Fluke Clean Energy Newsletter: Jan. 2023
As Fluke’s Solar Application specialist and a lifelong solar professional and enthusiast, I’m proud to kick off this latest edition of our Fluke Clean Energy Newsletter!
I had a great time at Intersolar North America and Energy Storage North America in San Diego last week – I got to show off our latest products, including I-V curve tracing tools from Solmetric Corporation, meet with many fellow solar enthusiasts, and guest judge a round of this year's Solar Games!
If I didn’t catch you there, I hope to see you at the NABCEP conference, Summit Asset Management North America, and RE later in 2024!
I also had a great time talking with Timothy Dale about one of the fastest-growing solar state markets - Texas. Check out his in-depth guide to going solar in Texas, including my advice on how to choose installers, assess the economics of going solar, and decide when batteries are worth it for you.
Now, let's dive into the latest solar developments and #cleanenergy news:
Solar News
2024 is already seeing innovative #solartechnologies provide environmental benefits beyond clean energy:
Floating solar positively affects aquatic environments according to a survey by Ecoocean, which revealed a considerable increase in the presence of ocean life under a floating #PV array.
Solar bike paths go online in the Netherlands - now biking is extra-environmentally friendly there.
This agrivoltaic PV system will be vertically installed, which helps preserve valuable farmland for carrots, beetroot, and saffron between the panel rows.
On a large scale, the multifaceted benefits of agrivoltaic solar may be key to transforming water, energy, and food crises into a nexus opportunity.
Cleanliness is a must for solar production, and rain isn’t always enough to wash pollen from solar panels.
NREL researchers measured performance increases from 5% to 11% following mechanical wet brush cleaning in the Southeast U.S.
In pollen-heavy places, washing your #solarpanels will help boost PV performance and revenue
With unprecedented solar and storage growth on the horizon and record installations and investments in the U.S., solar news is looking bright across the states:
Georgia’s new rooftop solar program “levels the playing field” for low-income households, increasing Georgia’s growing residential #solarmarket.
Wisconsin's 'largest' solar PV plant came online this month at an impressive 300 MW.
Fluke now offers Solmetric’s high-wattage solar panel I-V curve tracer tool, which can be safely used for utility-scale solar arrays.
The growing renewables industry is a pathway to many stable, meaningful jobs and careers – as long as job seekers receive the right training and education to thrive. One place to start is Fluke’s library of training videos and our NABCEP-approved solar training.
EV News
2024 begins with good funding news for EV charger professionals: the White House announced $623 Million in Grants to Continue Building Out EV Charging Network.
In addition, the EPA gave nearly 1 billion in awards for clean school buses
The Dept. of Energy gave 16 projects across nine states and D.C. a combined $32.5 million to promote EV charging technology.
As EV charger infrastructure grows, so do job opportunities for charger installation and maintenance: the EV charging infrastructure market is set to grow by 80.46 billion by 2028
Proper charging station maintenance and training is essential to providing reliable EV charging service.
With increased focus on domestic EV manufacturing, EV tax credits just changed again.
Here's where you can still get discounts for a new EV.
One way of combatting range anxiety: making EV components that weigh less and use less energy, such as 60% lighter audio systems, so they go farther on a single charge.
And a final reminder: although gasoline is relatively cheap right now, charging an EV is still cheaper!