Tootfinder

"Oxford United to Build UK’s First All-Electric Football Stadium"
#UK #UnitedKingdom #Football

Oxford United to Build UK’s First All-Electric Football Stadium | Happy Eco News
Oxford United will build the UK’s first all-electric football stadium, a 16,000-seat venue powered entirely by renewable energy. Featuring solar panels, heat pumps, and timber construction, the £150 million project will slash emissions by 80%. Alongside football, it will host events, a hotel, and community facilities—redefining sustainable stadium design.

#Agrivoltaics is the practice of purposefully shading agricultural crop lands with solar panels
in order to enjoy the dual benefits of solar electricity and increased food production.
A new study I
co-authored with my colleague, Uzair Jamil, found that
👍 partial shading to benefit crop production even works when the solar panels do not.
This has interesting policy ramific…

How shading crops with solar panels can improve farming, lower food costs and reduce emissions
Canada can meet its carbon emission reduction targets, make food cheap again and open up a gigantic trade surplus with the U.S. by shading farm crops with solar panels.

Solar breakthrough alert: Fraunhofer ISE just hit 30.6% efficiency with a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell.
What makes this special? They used an industry-standard TOPCon bottom cell—meaning this tech could actually scale to mass production, not just stay in the lab.
This could be a game-changer for making solar panels significantly more powerful.

Fraunhofer ISE achieves 30.6% efficiency for perovskite-silicon tandem based on industry-standard bottom TOPCon cell
Researchers at Fraunhofer ISE have developed a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell using a TOPCon bottom cell with standard textured front surfaces. Their results show that TOPCon bottom cells can perform comparably to heterojunction cells in tandem devices in terms of shunt resistivity, supporting scalable, cost-effective industrial production.

Solar install done! 41x 440W (peak) panels, commissioned a whopping nine hours before midnight when the tax credits expire lol. The installer definitely cut things close.
I wonder how much juice I'll get out of it this time of year. 100W total? Lol.
We won't find out how well it's really performing until the summer.

This Week: Football, Turkey, Solar Panels And Rain
A week filled with football frustration, unexpected solar panel repairs, and a Thanksgiving turkey smoked to perfection. Family crowded the house, memories piled up, and the holiday chaos somehow came together just right.
https://www.

This Week: Football, Turkey, Solar Panels And Rain – Bob Mueller
A look at rivalry-week football, solar panel troubles, and a Thanksgiving turkey that stole the show in a busy, family-filled holiday week.

"Solar farms can be havens for rare plants. Just ask the threecorner milkvetch."
#SolarPower #Energy #Renewables

Solar farms can be havens for rare plants. Just ask the threecorner milkvetch.
Just ask the threecorner milkvetch. The rare plant is thriving at a solar farm near Las Vegas, perhaps because the panels slow evaporation.

Acquiring solar panels at home can be an expensive hassle for people in the US.
But small, simple, plug-in solar panels for use on balconies are soon to become available for millions of Americans,
with advocates hoping the technology will quickly go mainstream.
Balcony solar panels are now widespread in countries such as Germany
– where more than 1m homes have them
– but have until now been stymied in the US by state regulations.
This is set to change, wit…

A case, as @… Carli observes, for passive homes that are grid connected but also energy independent… battery storage, solar, geothermal, wind, smart panels, dc generator, dc appliances & lighting. (Our house isn’t passive, but it is PV battery. So…)

Why Your Electric Bill is a Bank Bailout
THE WAR ON ILLUSION: EPISODE 4 - THE VAMPIRE GRID

I’m not a fan of New Years Eve shenanigans, but this year I saw something new: fireworks reflecting in solar panels.

Blacker than black? Of course!
After very dark surface covering, there is now a new dark fabric available, that is the darkest documented black fabric.
The fabric based on black bird plumage absorbs 799/800 of the light falling into it, making it deep dark. Fascinating!
https://

🌞 Dual use of land for solar energy production and cultivation found feasible in Finland
... few people realize what a win agrivoltaics are for farmers and the environment!
https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-dual-solar-energy-production-cultivation.ht…

Dual use of land for solar energy production and cultivation found feasible in Finland
Open farmlands are ideal locations for installing solar panels, but the most common method, which involves covering a large area with south-facing panels, prevents the field from being used for simultaneous farming. The panels can also be installed vertically, allowing crops to be grown in the same field. However, this solution is still rare in Finland.

Smoked turkey, football heartbreak, and a surprise solar panel fiasco made for a memorable Thanksgiving week. Family packed the house, the grill ran hot, and the stories will last a while. Hope your holiday was just as full!
https://www.bobmuellerwriter.com/this-week

This Week: Football, Turkey, Solar Panels And Rain – Bob Mueller
A look at rivalry-week football, solar panel troubles, and a Thanksgiving turkey that stole the show in a busy, family-filled holiday week.

"The woman, who did not want her name published for safety reasons, added: 'This is not about us. We were beaten for 15 minutes. Palestinians here endure this violence every day, every hour, a thousand-fold.' ...
Activists say that violent incidents have become an almost daily occurrence. Attacks have included settler mobs breaking into homes and beating villagers, stealing 200 sheep, two cars and destroying solar panels"

I love a good news story about agrivoltaics (farming under solar panels) - let's hope it does take off! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2en1yyp4d9o

Will farming under solar panels take off?
Farming under solar panels is still in the early stages in India, but will it catch on?

Solar panels and crops growing together? It's called agrivoltaics, and it just got a major boost.
DC-based Okovate acquired startup Fundusol to integrate Stanford & Carnegie Mellon tech that optimizes solar arrays for different crops using genetic algorithms. The goal: make solar farming economically viable for rural communities across the US.

Agrivoltaic Company Okovate Acquires Stanford University & Carnegie Mellon Tech Startup - CleanTechnica
Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe. Agrivoltaics have been the name of the game in the past few years in the solar power industry. On the surface, it seems simple — find farmland that could benefit from co-location with solar power plants, and then plop some ... [continued]

RE: https://newsie.social/@philmeyer/115982248907186139
🇺🇸 Imagine if the US had an administration who hired a bunch of *nice people* to go around and install vehicle charging stations, heat pumps and solar panels, insulate houses and businesses, and repla…

TIL about pasture pigs.
I've known for some time that sheep and solar panels are a great pairing, but America doesn't love wool, mutton, or lamb. America loves pigs.
I've always associated pigs with mud and North Carolina sewage ponds.
There are so many videos. #pasturepigs

Alec of Technology Connections explains why renewable energy, and solar panels in particular, will replace fossil fuels.
And then in the last third, he devastates the Trumpists, complaining all the way that he never wanted to do political videos.
#TechnologyConnections

Minnesota is making energy history at the Sherco Energy Hub. Xcel Energy is retiring all remaining coal plants and replacing them with massive solar arrays and battery storage systems—proving renewables can handle the heavy lifting once done by fossil fuels.
Construction starts in 2026. Plus, nearly 2,000 sheep are maintaining the solar panels through grazing.

Massive Solar Plus Storage Facility To Replace Coal And Gas, Too
Sheep graze among the panels at the Sherco Solar power plant in Minnesota, which is slated for a major solar plus storage expansion.

A 400 MW virtual power plant of decentralised energy sources, including rooftop solar panels, home batteries, EV chargers and heat pumps, for Germany. It's not quite the GWs envisaged earlier, but it's still an impressive achievement.
https://www.pv-magazine.de/…

Enpal erreicht 400 Megawatt Leistung mit virtuellem Kraftwerk
40.000 Kundinnen und Kunden mit insgesamt 100.000 Photovoltaik-Anlagen, Batteriespeichern, Wallboxen und anderen Einheiten sind Enpal zufolge inzwischen beim Ende 2024 gestarteten „Enpal.One+“ vernetzt. Vom angekündigten Ziel, der Bündelung von mehreren Gigawatt Leistung, ist man aber noch ein gutes Stück entfernt.

Power company finally did their inspection and commissioning test on my solar panels so they're back on and grid tied.
Just in time for the sunny spell to be over lol.

Neighbors with solar panels can now trade energy directly with each other, thanks to a breakthrough cloud-based system from Washington State University.
The platform lets communities share power locally, cutting energy costs by up to 12% in testing. It's a glimpse of how neighborhoods could become mini power grids, keeping solar energy local instead of sending it back to utilities.

Community-based energy trading system for home solar-plus-storage
A research team led by Washington State University has developed a cloud-based system for trading and sharing energy from solar panels and batteries within a neighbourhood. The concept displayed potential energy cost savings of around 12% over a five-day test period.

The #roundhouse, now, at last, with electric lights (from its own solar panels).

From Bill McKibben
The tsunami of tech spilling from China’s factories has changed the country’s energy landscape—and its physical one, too. For decades China’s development was synonymous with coal, which produced choking air pollution and massive carbon emissions, still greater than those of all other developed nations combined. Now, solar panels carpet deserts and the high, sunstruck plateau of Tibet, and wind turbines up to 300m tall guard coastlines and hilltops

The Crucial Years | Bill McKibben | Substack
Working on Winning the Climate Fight. Click to read The Crucial Years, by Bill McKibben, a Substack publication with hundreds of thousands of subscribers.

"Philippines commissions 6.5 MW solar project for social housing"
#Philippines #SolarPower #Energy #Renewables

Philippines commissions 6.5 MW solar project for social housing
The 6.55 MW project, hailed as the world’s first grid-connected, solar rooftop project within a social housing community, equipped almost 2,000 houses with solar panels.

Nigeria is advancing its renewable energy goals by investing in local solar panel production, aiming to generate 30% of its electricity from renewables by 2030.
https://cleantechnica.com/2025/11/17/african-nations-promote-locally-produced-solar-pan…

African Nations Promote Locally Produced Solar Panels - CleanTechnica
Solar manufacturing is beginning to take place in many parts of Africa as local companies leverage the transfer of technology.

Longi just hit a major breakthrough in flexible solar tech: 33.35% efficiency for a perovskite-silicon tandem cell.
That's certified by NREL and represents a huge leap forward. The cell uses a clever dual-buffer layer design for better durability—it kept over 97% efficiency after bending and heat stress tests.
This could unlock solar panels that bend and flex for new applications.

Longi achieves 33.35% efficiency for flexible perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell
The Chinese manufacturer said the tandem device was developed through a dual-buffer layer strategy that improves interfacial adhesion while preserving efficient charge extraction. The efficiency result was certified by the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

"Australia to fund national solar panel recycling pilot"
#Australia #SolarPower #Recycling #Energy

Australia to fund national solar panel recycling pilot
Australia’s federal government will invest AUD 24.7 million ($16.9 million) over three years in a national pilot to recycle end-of-life solar panels, aiming to reduce landfill disposal and recover valuable materials from the country’s growing rooftop solar fleet.

Jackery is making solar power actually beautiful. At CES, they unveiled solar roof tiles, a home battery system, and even a Solar Gazebo with 2 kW of panels that generates 10 kWh daily.
The gazebo runs $12-15K and pairs with battery storage for backup power. It's not utility-scale, but it's the kind of creative design that could make clean energy irresistible to everyday consumers.

Jackery Brings Creativity & Design To Solar & Energy Storage - CleanTechnica
While walking the floor at CES, Jackery attracted my attention. Jackery started as a portable battery power company 14 years ago. There are many competitors in that space now offering high-quality products. Increasingly, they blur the line between portable battery storage and home storage, with solar-integrated scalable home batteries that can be taken with you when you need them. Jackery’s new HomePower 3600 Plus is a great example.

What happens when you pair solar panels with mini nuclear reactors? Chinese researchers just cracked the code.
Their new microgrid framework combines photovoltaics with small modular reactors, using AI to balance both in real time. The results are striking: 18.7% lower costs, 37.1% fewer emissions, and 98% reliability.
The secret? Smart coordination between battery storage and hydrogen production that adapts on the fly.

When solar meets next-gen nuclear
Scientists in China have proposed a novel scheduling framework for microgrids based on hybrid PV and a small modular nuclear reactors. The framework uses multi-objective distributionally robust optimization with a real-time reinforcement learning mechanism and is reportedly able to reduce operational costs by 18.7%.

A clever solution for buildings that can't handle traditional solar panels is coming to Australia.
Smart Commercial and Over Easy Solar are launching prefab vertical rooftop systems with bifacial panels that install easily on structures with weight limits or design constraints. The vertical setup shifts power generation to morning and afternoon hours, complementing standard rooftop arrays.

Smart Commercial to roll out prefab vertical rooftop PV system
Smart Commercial Energy has unveiled a new prefabricated vertical rooftop solar system for the Australian market as part of a collaboration with Norwegian clean energy company Over Easy Solar.

Here's a wild stat: We could power every car and truck as electric vehicles just by putting solar panels on land we currently use for biofuels.
Solar is vastly more efficient than biofuels for energy generation. The real question is how we use our land—solar for transport, biofuels for aviation, or letting some return to nature.

Putting solar panels on land used for biofuels would produce enough electricity for all cars and trucks to go electric
The world dedicates a Poland-sized area of land to liquid biofuels. Is there a more efficient way to generate energy?

Tata Power just flipped the switch on their biggest solar project ever—a massive 1.4 GW solar farm in Rajasthan that'll generate enough clean electricity annually to power millions of homes.
The power heads to three Indian states, using cutting-edge bifacial panels for maximum efficiency. A huge win for India's renewable energy push.

Tata Power Commissions 1.4-Gigawatt Solar Farm Just Before Year End - CleanTechnica
Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe. Tata Power commissioned a 1.4-gigawatt (GW) solar power plant in Rajasthan, India, just before the end of the year. The INR 54.9 billion ($611 million) project is actually the largest solar power plant Tata Power has ever built. Approximately 2.454 ... [continued]

"New process achieves 97% silver recovery from end-of-life solar panels"
#SolarPower #Enegy #Renewables #SolarPower

New process achieves 97% silver recovery from end-of-life solar panels
Australian researchers have developed a new separation technique that employs the same crushing and flotation principles used in mineral processing to recover more than 97% of silver from end-of-life solar panels.

Researchers just cracked a major clean energy challenge: producing hydrogen at scale without using precious land or freshwater.
The University of Exeter team simulated a floating solar system in Oman that desalinates seawater and generates 1,755 kg of hydrogen daily at $9.5/kg. It's a game-changer for hot-climate regions.

Off-grid floating PV-desalination system for hydrogen production
Scientists have simulated a solar-powered hydrogen production system comprising 32,050 photovoltaic panels, a pumping system, a seawater reverse-osmosis desalination unit, an electrolyzer, and a hydrogen storage tank. Operation of the system in Oman could potentially yield a levelized cost of electricity of $0.05/kWh and a levelized cost of hydrogen of $9.5/kg.

DMEGC just solved a major solar installation problem: roofs too fragile for heavy panels.
Their new lightweight module weighs under 7.5 kg/m2—using thinner glass while still delivering 460W of power. This opens up thousands of square meters of older buildings and fragile structures that couldn't support traditional solar before.

DMEGC launches framed solar module weighing 7.5 kg/m2
In response to the growing demand for solutions for low load-bearing roofs, Chinese manufacturer DMEGC is presenting an IEC-certified lightweight 460 W module at France's largest PV trade show - EnerGaïa.