The Swedish car manufacturer today announced (July 5) that as of 2019 all its new models will have electric motors. The company has increased its portfolio of electric and hybrid offerings over recent years, but this marks the first time a major auto manufacturer has made an announcement to transition to electric motors in all its vehicles and eventually phase internal combustion engines (ICEs) out of its vehicle lines, making electric vehicles the core of its business going forward. 

Researchers have been investigating creating invisible or nearly invisible solar cells that could absorb light while still remaining transparent. Now a group of Princeton University engineers have developed a system that could generate electricity while varying the tint-level of glass with controllable glazing, allowing a window to provide more heating and cooling properties for a home. 

Solar power has long been used to power electronics on board of spacecraft, in fact many of the first photovoltaic cells were used to provide satellites with energy in the 1960s. But now, more aerospace companies are looking at ways of propelling spacecraft with the sun as Aerojet Rocketdyne is doing.  

The state of Massachusetts knows that building a better, more reliable electric grid with more renewable energy will require energy storage to help reduce consumers’ electric bills. As such, the state will add 200 megawatt hours of energy storage by 2020 and invest up to $10 million, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s (R) office announced.

A new Dutch startup, Lightyear, introduced its plans yesterday (June 29) to launch Lightyear 1, a four-wheel drive, solar-powered car it said will have a range of able to drive for months without charging and a battery range of 800 kilometers, roughly 500 miles. It’s a car that could challenge Tesla’s dominance in the high-end electric vehicle space.

Oregon’s Public Utility Commission has approved community solar rules, allowing 150 megawatts of community solar projects to serve Oregonians, with at least 10 percent of that reserved for low-income residents. Industry advocates hailed the new rules but cautioned that more still needs to be done before people can enjoy the benefits of community solar and not just rooftop solar. 

Solar power and energy storage will increasingly go hand-in-hand as the cost of both technologies continue to come down and energy storage is used to reduce energy costs even more. So it’s fitting that the Energy Storage Association (ESA) is getting its first CEO in Kelly Speakes-Backman, to help spur growth and policy in the industry and the technologies it represents.  

New York’s Lewis County has made it easier for residents and businesses to go solar by adopting the New York State Unified Solar Permit and completed an energy code enforcement training for its code compliance and other municipal officers. The actions allowed the county to be the first in the state’s northern region to earn a distinction as a Clean Energy Community in recognition of its efforts to go green.

As the world now knows air pollution is bad. It’s bad to breathe, it’s bad for the environment and it’s bad for climate change. Turns out it's bad for solar power, too. A new study from Duke University found airborne particles and their accumulation on solar cells can reduce the ability of a solar cell to produce energy by 25 percent in certain parts of the world.