Tootfinder

Solar Panels in My Garden - Find out why I have solar panels on my garden wall as well as on my roof! #podcast #solar #garden

Solar Panels in My Garden
Find out why I have solar panels on my garden wall as well as on my roof! #podcast #solar #garden #microgen

Solar Panels in My Garden - Find out why I have solar panels on my garden wall as well as on my roof! #podcast #solar #garden

Solar Panels in My Garden
Find out why I have solar panels on my garden wall as well as on my roof! #podcast #solar #garden #microgen

♻️ Why recycling solar panels is harder than you might think − an electrical engineer explains
https://theconversation.com/why-recycling-solar-panels-is-harder-than-you-might-think-an-electrical-engineer-explains-25…

Why recycling solar panels is harder than you might think − an electrical engineer explains
Recycling solar panels seems like a smart idea, but it’s complicated. Built to withstand years of wind and weather, solar panels are designed for strength, not easy breakdown.

"Why recycling solar panels is harder than you might think"
#Recycling #SolarPower
https://

Why recycling solar panels is harder than you might think
It's hard work soaking up sunlight to generate clean electricity. After about 25 to 30 years, solar panels wear out. Over the years, heating and cooling cycles stress the materials. Small cracks develop, precipitation corrodes the frame and layers of materials can start to peel apart.

Homeowner sees negative energy bill after leasing solar panels - a glimpse into the future of sustainable energy. #climatechange #climatesolutions #climate

Homeowner reveals massive negative energy bill after leasing solar panels: '[The] panels are producing way more than ... estimated'
One homeowner proved that you can get a negative energy bill with solar panels.

The US commerce department has launched two national security probes that could lead to tariffs on drones and a raw material used for chips and solar panels.
In notices published on Monday evening, the commerce department said it would examine imports of unmanned aircraft systems and their parts and components,
and would separately carry out a study of polysilicon supply chains.
US officials would study the impact of foreign subsidies, “predatory trade practices”
a…

US probes imports of drones and critical material in chips and solar panels
Investigations could lead to tariffs on unmanned aircraft systems and polysilicon

Solar cells on cattle holding pens seems like a great idea! Probably tons of buildings and farms that would be fine with solar cells on top.
I'm no (food) scientist but I am a lot more confident that it doesn't pose a risk to the food source. But I'm less confident of growing crops under solar cells or solar cells floating on aquatic farms. Likely need significant maintenance over the years to prevent leaching and it's always hard for politicians to fix old instead of …

Sometimes it’s the best choice to build it in house.
Sometimes it’s the best choice to code a little closer to the metal.
Sometimes it’s a good idea to learn to forage and install your own solar panels.
None of these mean that you don’t live in a society.

"Analysis: China’s clean-energy exports in 2024 alone will cut overseas CO2 by 1%"
#China #Emissions #Energy

Analysis: China’s clean-energy exports in 2024 alone will cut overseas CO2 by 1% - Carbon Brief
China’s clean-energy technologies such as solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles are helping to cut emissions in other countries.

Balkonkraftwerk is the German success story of plug-in solar energy (one or two solar panels, inverter with 🔌), which can be self-installed by apartment dwellers and has democratised solar energy. There are now officially over one million of these installations in Germany.
(cartoon ©️ Til Mette)
https://www.…

join the DSA SF social housing reading group!!
next Tuesday 7/22 7pm in person
#sfPol

Social Housing Reading Group
What could social housing look like in San Francisco, and how do we get there? Join DSASF for a reading of the Budget and Legislative Analyst's report on how the city can build its own publicly owned, deeply affordable housing. We will also read the SF Berniecrats report, Housing for the 99%, which lays out a vision for social housing for all in San Francisco.

Heh, guess when I got my #solar panels installed?
One advantage of living in a very sunny place, recouping the investment is happening very quickly! #SouthAfrica
(R1000 is about $50)

Limn Issue 12: Climate's Interiors is out now online and in print.
Read anywhere with the link below.
https://limn.press/issue/climates-interiors/

Climate's Interiors - Limn
We tend to think about climate solutions from the exterior. Mitigating emissions, climate-proofing crops, erecting solar panels and windmills. But what happens when we shift our perspective? What if we think of climate change from inside cells, bodies, buildings, and systems? This issue of Limn takes the interior as a counterintuitive starting point for thinking about planetary change. Our proposition: Thinking from the interior fundamentally shifts how we understand our warming world and, cruc…

Solar Panels in My Garden - Find out why I have solar panels on my garden wall as well as on my roof! #podcast #solar #garden

Solar Panels in My Garden
Find out why I have solar panels on my garden wall as well as on my roof! #podcast #solar #garden #microgen

The discovery of a massive amount of lithium under the Salton Sea could make the U.S. lithium independent.
The metal is key for batteries in electric vehicles and solar panels.
But the area is also a delicate ecosystem.
We go to southern California to hear what hangs in the balance of the ballooning lithium industry,
and also how we extract other crucial substances  
– such as sand, copper and iron
– and turn them into semiconductors, circuitry and other …

Lower your electricity bills by going solar! EnergySage explains how pairing solar panels with battery storage and selling excess energy can lead to significant savings. #climatechange #climatesolutions #climate

Energy expert breaks down how to dramatically lower Americans' electricity bills: 'We already have the answer'
The long-term benefits of using solar energy are significant — for both the environment and homeowners' wallets.

Goodbye rooftop solar panels - the future of clean energy could be in lakes and reservoirs thanks to this Indian innovation - United States
https://www.europesays.com/us/60728/

A Hybrid Ensemble Learning Framework for Image-Based Solar Panel Classification
Vivek Tetarwal, Sandeep Kumar
https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.01778 https://

A Hybrid Ensemble Learning Framework for Image-Based Solar Panel Classification
The installation of solar energy systems is on the rise, and therefore, appropriate maintenance techniques are required to be used in order to maintain maximum performance levels. One of the major challenges is the automated discrimination between clean and dirty solar panels. This paper presents a novel Dual Ensemble Neural Network (DENN) to classify solar panels using image-based features. The suggested approach utilizes the advantages offered by various ensemble models by integrating them in…

Solarpower has won, not because it is alternative or woke, but because of economy. And it will keep winning with still improving panels, becoming thinner and easy to use everywhere, battery technology is also still improving.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of…

4.6 Billion Years On, the Sun Is Having a Moment
In the past two years, without much notice, solar power has begun to truly transform the world’s energy system, Bill McKibben writes.

It is time to make use of solar panels. My office faces south so lots of sun. I hooked up the solar panels in the window. The bonus to charging the batteries is that I don't have to pay hydro for that!

£13.2bn fund to fix draughty homes and install heat pumps and solar panels.
Nothing else that I can see on reduction of energy demand.
And here is the money being wasted:
'£30bn in investment in nuclear power, about half on the Sizewell C reactor'
Small tidal schemes in the Mersey, Severn and other estuaries would give a better, and safer, approach to "always on" energy supply.

🌱 Should farm fields be used for crops or solar? Research suggests both
#energy

Should farm fields be used for crops or solar? Research suggests both
As farmers debate whether fields should be used for agriculture or solar panels, new research from Michigan State University says the answer could be both.

Do solar panels lower the transformation of light into heat? If so now many km² would we need to offset the rising temperature?

"Solar farms and sheep grazing show how farming and clean energy can share land"
#SolarPower #Energy #Renewables

Solar farms and sheep grazing show how farming and clean energy can share land
Solar panels now double as shade for sheep and a tool for rural energy production in Georgia, where some farmers are balancing land conservation with renewable energy development.Emily Jones reports for Grist.In short:A solar farm in Lee County, Georgia, uses sheep for vegetation control, allowing t...

Women pay more for the installation of solar panels https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988325003834 @…

More Belgian (Flemish?) households with solar panels, batteries or electric vehicles will be able to benefit from the flexibility they can offer the energy system as energy retailers Bolt and Trevion collaborate with VPP operator Powernaut.
https://powernaut.io/press/powernaut-a

Powernaut, Bolt, Trevion and Partners launch Belgium’s first energy contracts that pay consumers for grid support - Powernaut
Using Powernaut’s smart software, households with solar panels, home batteries, or EVs can now earn money by allowing their energy retailer to manage their devices intelligently. For example, devices may charge or reduce output during peak times to avoid grid overload. Retailers like Bolt and Trevion are offering these new contracts, allowing customers to benefit financially without sacrificing comfort. Partners such as Qbus and Innovoltus support the initiative, which is seen as a key step …

I think it's really underappreciated that solar panels are now about as cheap per unit area as mass-produced building materials like wood, siding, shingles/shakes, etc.
The Republican reconciliation bill aims to make solar expensive again in the US through tariffs and taxes.
https://bsky…

Enhancing Autonomous Manipulator Control with Human-in-loop for Uncertain Assembly Environments
Ashutosh Mishra, Shreya Santra, Hazal Gozbasi, Kentaro Uno, Kazuya Yoshida
https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.11006

Enhancing Autonomous Manipulator Control with Human-in-loop for Uncertain Assembly Environments
This study presents an advanced approach to enhance robotic manipulation in uncertain and challenging environments, with a focus on autonomous operations augmented by human-in-the-loop (HITL) control for lunar missions. By integrating human decision-making with autonomous robotic functions, the research improves task reliability and efficiency for space applications. The key task addressed is the autonomous deployment of flexible solar panels using an extendable ladder-like structure and a robo…

Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
The new Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite is crazy accurate. It can measure ocean altimetry to a mm, imaging internal waves and small sub eddies (rotating mixing zones). Tiny changes in height happen when water swirls (try it in a sink) with greater height at the edges due to centripetal force. These may be even more important for temperature &a…

Huh, UK is down to ~1.5GW of gas elec generation at the moment, I'm not sure if that's our lowest ever, but I bet it's damn close (and exporting over 2GW) - windy day and moderate solar (and I guess the rain washed all the solar panels...)

"Gila River Tribes Intend to Float Solar Panels on a Reservoir. Could the Technology Help the Colorado River?"
#US #USA #America

Gila River Tribes Intend to Float Solar Panels on a Reservoir. Could the Technology Help the Colorado River? - Inside Climate News
On its surface, floating solar appears to conserve water while generating carbon-free electricity. River managers are cautious, but some say the West can’t afford to wait.

Loser: U.S. factories
When Democrats in 2022 created and expanded a slew of federal tax breaks for electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines, batteries,
they designed them to encourage companies to use components made in the United States.
That spurred a manufacturing boom, including solar-panel glass recyclers in Georgia and electric-vehicle assembly lines in Kentucky.
The new law could derail many of those factories.
The old tax credit for solar power, for…

How the G.O.P. Bill Will Reshape America’s Energy Landscape
Here’s a rundown on the winners and losers in the legislation muscled through Congress.

"Composite material keeps solar panels cool, boosting longevity by more than 200%"
#Solar #SolarPower #Energy #Renewables

Composite material keeps solar panels cool, boosting longevity by more than 200%
A team of international researchers led by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia has developed a new composite material made of acrylate that enhances the performance of solar cells. Adhering the composite material to solar cells deployed in Saudi Arabia for weeks significantly raised the power output and longevity while reducing the electricity consumed by the cells. The study can be read in Materials Science and Engineering: R: Reports.

"Solar panels' shade helps boost Colorado grassland productivity in dry years"
#US #USA #America #Colorado

Solar panels' shade helps boost Colorado grassland productivity in dry years
Grasses growing in the shade of a solar array were only a little less productive than those growing nearby in open grassland during years of average and above-average rainfall—but in a dry year, the shaded plants grew much better than those growing in full sun. That's the result of a four-year study we conducted in a semi-arid grassland of northern Colorado.

"Britons could soon install balcony solar panels in flats and rental homes"
#UK #UnitedKingdom #SolarPower #Energy

"In Georgia, sheep on a solar farm is not a baaad idea"
#US #USA #America #Georgia

In Georgia, sheep on a solar farm is not a baaad idea
While often controversial, solar panels on farms in Georgia work out when you add a flock of sheep.

"A heat wave hit New England’s grid. Clean energy saved the day."
#US #USA #America #Renewables

A heat wave hit New England's grid. Clean energy saved the day.
On the hottest day this year, behind-the-meter solar panels and a growing network of batteries helped prevent blackouts and saved consumers millions of…