"Savings becomes pretty significant especially if you're running a fleet of say five to ten of these trucks," said Cary Gniffke, E.V. Manager for HOLT Truck Centers, which is beginning to adopt electric heavy-duty trucks. "You don't have oil changes with this, you don't even have to do overhauls. You don't have to do some of the things you normally would on servicing because this is electric.”
CLEAN ENERGY
Must Be Equitable
Residential solar is rising in low-income households, but the income gap persists. Moderate-income households represented the highest share of new solar adopters last year, with one-third of U.S. households who installed solar energy systems reporting annual incomes between $50,000 and $100,000, according to a report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. While residential solar adopters are still wealthier than the average American, solar is becoming more accessible. The median income of a solar adopter has shrunk from $129,000 in 2010 to $110,000 in 2021, though the national median income is $63,000. (PV Tech)
CLEAN ENERGY
Has Many Benefits
EVs are helping keep the lights on after natural disasters. In the wake of natural disasters like this year’s hurricanes, some electric vehicle owners have turned to their cars as a disaster preparedness tool. Some new EV models have begun offering “vehicle-to-home” capabilities that allow the car’s battery to deliver power back to the owner’s home instead of only pulling electrons from it. After Hurricane Ian, Ford executives reported the company saw an uptick of owners taking advantage of the F-150 Lightning’s bidirectional charging capabilities to power their homes. Policymakers have also begun exploring how vehicle electrification can help support broader resiliency efforts, including shoring up electrical grids. (Bloomberg $)
LA looks to place solar panels over aqueducts. A Los Angeles City Council committee approved a proposal to help the city increase its renewable energy capacity while protecting its water resources. Experts say installing solar panels over the aqueducts can help prevent the loss of nearly one-tenth of the aqueduct’s water due to evaporation. The Los Angeles Aqueduct has historically provided nearly 40 percent of the city’s water. (Whittier Daily News)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is A Good Investment
The trucking industry is starting to go electric. With diesel prices high, some trucking companies are beginning to shift to electric trucks to save money on maintenance and fuel costs. CBS News DFW reports that as the market continues shifting towards cleaner goods shipments, more trucking companies are looking to shift to EVs for local and regional hauls to stay ahead of the curve. One place this is happening is Southwest Virginia, where several companies are beginning to test electric trucks for short-haul loops. Cardinal News reports that drivers have quickly become fond of the new electric models, which they say compete well with traditional diesel trucks. (CBS News DFW, Cardinal News)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is Replacing Fossil Fuels
Wind power hits a milestone of 10 percent of U.S. electricity. As of August, wind farms across the country have provided one-tenth of total U.S. electricity demand, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. With 6,000 megawatts of additional capacity set to come online in the second half of the year, analysts project that onshore wind is almost guaranteed to supply at least 10 percent of the country’s full power mix by the end of the year. The rise of wind power has been dramatic, since the sector provided just 0.8 percent of U.S. power in 2007. Overall, wind and utility-scale solar have accounted for nearly two-thirds of electricity capacity additions in the first half of 2022. (TheStreet)
Solar panels can last much longer than expected. Despite concerns that soon-to-be decommissioned solar panels will create a major waste and recycling challenge, a new paper argues that solar panels could last longer than earlier projections. The rise of 25-year warranties along with advances in efficiency and durability suggest that solar panels could last beyond the typical end-of-life expectations. Instead of arriving by 2030, the first major wave of solar panel waste could instead hit in 2040 — giving the recycling industry much-needed time to scale up to meet the challenge. (Inside Climate News)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is Challenging
Clean energy faces deployment delays and slowing growth rates. A number of macroeconomic headwinds are slowing down the growth of clean energy with expanding project backlogs. Clean energy developers have brought just 3.4 gigawatts online this year — the lowest in three years of major growth — as supply chain constraints, transmission interconnection challenges, and inflation have slowed development. More than half of delayed projects were for solar farms with overall clean energy installations down 18 percent compared to 2021. Analysts predict that the Inflation Reduction Act will spark rapid growth again, but warn that supply chain issues and inflation may persist. (Utility Dive)
MULTIMEDIA
Video: Batteries are dirty. Geothermal power can help.
