Fluke Clean Energy Newsletter: Nov. 2023

As Fluke’s Solar Application Specialist and a longtime solar professional and enthusiast, I’m proud to kick off this latest edition of our Fluke Clean Energy Newsletter!

First off, I’m excited to share my latest article in POWER Magazine: Developing the Solar Power Workforce for the Gigawatt Era, featuring photos from Solar Energy International (SEI). 

In a recent webinar with the Midwest Renewable Energy Association, Nick Matthes and I had a lively discussion about essential PV system tests and why understanding your tools' CAT ratings is a must.

At this year’s RE , I had a great time working with Geno Porter, answering customer questions about the SMFT-1000 Multifunction PV Tester Performance Analyzer with I-V Curve Trace (I assure you, my hand is a normal size in real life!)

Looking ahead, my 2024 calendar is filling up fast. I can't wait to soak up the sun at Intersolar North America and Energy Storage in San Diego this January. I'll also be speaking at the NABCEP conference in March and returning to RE in September, with a few other stops along the way. If you’re attending, say hi at the Fluke booth!

Now, let's dive into my roundup of the latest solar news and trends, followed by other developments in the world of clean energy!

Solar News

Multitasking solar projects are becoming more common, and may be the key to a clean energy future. 

• Agrivoltaic sites provide habitats for squash, blueberries, honeybees, sheep, and more. 

• These partnerships benefit solar companies by helping manage vegetation and cool solar panels, which helps them produce electricity more efficiently. 

• Meanwhile, farmers benefit from shade the solar panels provide for grazing livestock, improved soil health, reduced evaporation (and ensuing water costs), and extra income.

• Combining solar with agriculture can help ease community concerns. In one case, modifying a solar proposal to add irrigation for sheep grazing helped change county commissioners from opposing the project to supporting it.  

Meanwhile, the Gila River Indian Community has signed a historic agreement to begin work on the first solar-over-canal project of its kind in the United States.

• The 1-MW project is designed to generate clean, renewable energy while conserving tribal water by reducing evaporation from the canal.

• Read more about agrivoltaics and other technologies shaping the next frontier of solar. 

How to sell solar in coal country

• Local solar advocates are successfully growing support for utility-scale clean energy in historically coal-centered Appalachia by proving solar’s benefits and building a coalition. 

• They note that hiring community members to install and maintain solar projects is crucial to building support.  

• 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.

• Utility-scale solar is crucial to provide the vast amounts of renewable energy needed to decarbonize our grid – and so are tools designed for it. 

• With our recent acquisition of Solmetric, Fluke now offers Solmetric’s high-wattage solar panel I-V curve tracer tool, which can be safely used for utility-scale solar arrays.

This Number Helps Explain Why Rooftop Solar Is Becoming More Attractive in Many States

• As utilities raise electricity rates, when does it make financial sense to go solar? While much depends on state-level policies and sunshine levels, there seems to be one magic number: 15 cents per kilowatt-hour. 

• The national average crossed the 15-cent mark for the first time last year, along with New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana.

• In states with rates above that level, companies that sell rooftop solar can more easily demonstrate the potential for financial savings. 

Creating Treasure From Solar Trash

• Solar panels’ useful life doesn’t have to end, even after several decades of service. With the U.S. projected to produce over 10 million tons of solar waste by 2025, Solarcycle recycles up to 95% of a solar panel, including valuable components such as aluminum, silver, glass, and copper, to make new products – including new solar panels. 

Clean Energy News

Is EV charging the new Wi-Fi for hotels?

• According to a recent J.D. Power study, 19 percent of hotel guests say they want a charging station at their hotel – allowing them to charge for free overnight.

• Both Hilton and Marriott plan to install charging stations at thousands of locations.

As demand grows, charging stations are popping up almost everywhere:

• Utah will build 15 new fast electric vehicle charging stations by 2024, more than doubling its current number. 

• Electrify America opened its first station in North Dakota, an important step to expand the network along major routes coast-to-coast. 

• This Mercedes-Benz EV hub will charge your car in minutes…but you'll want to stay for longer

• Powered by the latest generation ChargePoint chargers, Mercedes’ pilot new charging station in Georgia is “shiny, covered in glittering LEDs, and aesthetically futuristic…a shimmering electric vehicle charging hub equipped with comfortable seating, as well as vending machines, soft drinks, and restrooms.”

• The chargers offer charging speeds of up to 400kW – with that figure set to increase to 500kW, which fully charges an EV in under 10 minutes. 

• Mercedes plans to build over 2,500 similar charging points at 400 stations across North America. I certainly wouldn’t mind visiting one! 

A reporter drove a Rivian to 126 EV fast-chargers in LA and found out-of-order signs on dozens of them

• EV only work as long as their chargers do… and Wall Street Journal reporter Joanna Stern found that’s not always the case. 

• She recently spent two days in a Rivian visiting fast-charging stations (not Tesla Superchargers) around Los Angeles and encountered problems at 27% of 126 stations, including:

• out-of-order signs

• dead screens

• "charger unavailable" or "out of service” messages

• power failures

• missing parts 

• payment rejection

• handshake failures between the charger and her EV

• Many of these common frustrations can be solved by proper charging station maintenance and training, which is essential to providing good EV charging service. 

One solution for range anxiety? These Electric Vehicle Chargers Will Come to You.

• Solutions like portable generators, robots on wheels, and mobile batteries, which offer scaled off-grid charging, can help drivers get through charging deserts — large stretches of road with no public charging infrastructure.

• The robot is designed to operate in parking lots and garages and can be reserved by a driver on an app.

• They can provide support during power outages. 

And just for fun: Students Create Tough Off-Road Solar-Powered Car, the first solar-powered car that can travel off-road for long distances without needing a recharging station.

• Including 97% effective solar panels!