Jimmy Carter’s solar panel farm generates 1.3 MW of power, which is enough to power 50% of Plains, Georgia. (Image Credit: SolAmerica)
Solar power technology might be taking a big step forward now and in the future. Solutions involving renewable, clean energy have started to have a big impact recently. Solar-powered farms, a solar-powered plane, and even Jimmy Carter’s installation of over 3,000 solar panels have made a major contribution to the energy sector.
Jimmy Carter was one of the first to start using solar power by installing a 32-panel system on the White House, which was intended to heat water in the residence. However, it was short-lived because Ronald Reagan took down the solar panels a few years later when he became president.
Today, those panels are on display at The Smithsonian Institute, the Carter Library, and the Solar Science and Technology Museum in Dezhou, China. In 2017, Carter leased a ten-acre plot of land near his residence in Plains, Georgia, to be used as a solar farm for 3,852 panels. Currently, the solar farm generates 1.3 MW of power, which is enough to provide power for up to 50% of the small town.
This isn’t the only place where solar panels are being used. The Kominek family farm in Colorado has been planting and harvesting crops for half a century. However, the farm started to lose profit due to declining crops. Later on, in 2017, Byron Kominek started a search for more profitable alternatives, which involved installing solar panels and selling electricity to the utility.
They will be installing a solar array that allows plants to grow around, beneath, and between the rows of photovoltaic panels. Construction is set to begin this spring on a 1.2-megawatt solar array, with 3,300 solar panels set on 6-foot and 8-foot high stilts, which will shelter crops from the sun.
Xcel Energy has come to an agreement with the Kominek farm to pay for each kilowatt-hour delivered from the array to the grid. Other farms could also invest in the project. By doing so, they can receive credit on their monthly utility payments and can also help with farming construction costs.
In the US, less than 5 megawatts of power are dedicated to solar arrays with crops growing underneath, which is a tiny amount compared to the 71,300 megawatts of solar capacity. In Japan, there are hundreds of projects involving solar-powered farms, including a 35-megawatt solar array that hovers over fields of ginseng, coriander, and herbs.
This could lead to the development of widespread renewable energy without losing land for crops. Studies suggest that it could also pave the way for efficient energy solutions and crop production by developing a cooler, moister microclimate.
The project, known as Jack’s Solar Garden, will pave the way to study agrivoltaics. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will be tracking how plants and solar panels work together in the hot, dry climate.
The 35m wingspan of PHASA-35 is covered with solar panels, which could help it stay airborne for a full year. (Image Credit: Prismatic)
Additionally, a solar-powered aircraft, known as PHASA-35, could stay in the air for a full year. The unmanned vehicle completed its first trial flight and could potentially soar up into the stratosphere, 20km in the sky. Its 35m wingspan is covered in solar panels, allowing it to stay powered during the day with batteries storing excess energy to keep it in the air during the night-time.
During the trial flight, it soared at an altitude of 2km (7,000ft), which was a big achievement considering how recent the plane had been developed. It could also be used for 5G networks, even though the 40kg weight of the 5G multiple-input and multiple-output antennas exceed the plane’s payload, which is 15kg. However, the aircraft could still deliver 5G signals, but in a limited role via alternative mechanisms.
BAE Systems and Prismatic, the companies that developed PHASA-35, say there are more flight tests scheduled later this year, and once all the tests have been carried out, customers could start using the aerial vehicle within 12 months.
A new type of solar power generation and storage that combines flexible, lighter solar panels with energy storage is also being developed for the UK. The goal is to provide power for buildings or replenish electric vehicles. Solivus, the company that developed the new solar-powered system, plans to install it on large industrial buildings, including supermarket warehouses and distribution centers for delivery companies. Solivus also plans on manufacturing the solar units for home use. Their goal is to create renewable energy so that homeowners and businesses will benefit from using their own power supply, which could also help the UK reach its target goal of zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Have a story tip? Message me at: cabe(at)element14(dot)com
Top Comments