First Solar, the largest American solar panel maker, today announced that it will invest up to $1.2 billion to ramp up production of US-made solar panels. The announcement follows the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act two weeks ago, which incentivizes domestic clean energy manufacturing. First Solar’s new factory will be its fourth in…

The UK’s Hornsea 2, the world’s largest single offshore wind farm, is now fully operational. August 31 update: On August 17, Electrek reported that Hornsea 2 was expected to be fully commissioned before the end of August. Ørsted just slid into home plate today, the last day of the month: Hornsea 2 is now completely…

US shipments of solar panels – including imports, exports, and domestically produced and shipped panels – rose to a record electricity-generating capacity of 28.8 million peak kilowatts (kW) in 2021, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). That was up from 21.8 million peak kW in 2020. In 2021, about 80% of US…

UK-based solar tech developer Naked Energy’s rooftop solar vacuum tubes, which produce both electricity and heat, will soon be sold in the United States. Peoria, Illinois-headquartered ELM Companies, a US energy storage and microgrid specialist, is funding Naked Energy, along with banking giant Barclays and US venture capital firm Big Sky Partners. ELM…

Five of Asia’s biggest economies are expected to see exponential growth of solar, positioning the region to become a global hub of solar power, according to independent energy think tank Ember. Ember analyzed existing national power sector development plans across China, Japan, Indonesia, India, and the Philippines. It found that solar capacity is expected to…

London-based SolarBotanic Trees officially launched its “solar tree” prototype today, and the company wants to use it to power EV charging stations first. The SolarBotanic energy tree, which features what the company says is the “world’s first” 3-D leaf-shaped photovoltaic nanotechnology, utilizes thin-film solar cells and has a power generation capacity of 5 kilowatts.…

Hertz and BP signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop a national network of EV charging stations powered by BP pulse. The agreement also involves the management of Hertz’s charging infrastructure by BP pulse and the customization of its Omega software to ensure Hertz’s growing fleet of electric rental cars are recharged quickly and…

Campbell, California-based solar-powered EV charger company Paired Power has just debuted a modular, off-grid electric vehicle charger that is powered by a solar canopy. The company has called its new modular charger PairTree, and it’s a transportable solar canopy with built-in EV charging capabilities. It can be used off grid, but it can also…

The US Department of Energy (DOE) yesterday released a study stating that 80% of US coal power plant sites could be converted to nuclear power plant sites in order to help the US achieve net zero by 2050. Out of 157 retired coal plant sites and 237 operating coal plant sites that the study team identified,…

Equally important as adopting renewables is ensuring the buildings they power are also sustainable. Electrek spoke with Breana Wheeler, US director of operations at BREEAM, the world’s first green building certification program, about what the ideal decarbonized building looks like and how US real estate investors should see climate change as an opportunity. Electrek:…