Solar panel advances will see millions go off-grid, scientists predict
More than 30 million homes in Europe could meet all their energy needs using rooftop solar panels alone, according to a new study. Researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany found that more than 50 per cent of Europe’s 41 million freestanding homes could have been self-sufficient in 2020 using just solar and batteries, with…
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Arizona approves charge for rooftop solar customers
The ACC has approved a request from Arizona Public Service (APS), a major utility, to raise electricity rates for all customers, assess fixed charges, and to single out those who have invested in rooftop solar with the highest of such charges. ACC Chair Jim O’Connor said he and three Republican ACC members approved the rate plan…
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Call me a nimby if you like – I still don’t want super-sized solar farms in my backyard
Most super-sized solar farms are in desert wastelands. Why? Well, the clue is surely in the name: “desert”. AKA… unused, uninhabited expanses with almost relentless sunshine – that’s where you put a super-sized solar farm. Obvious, surely? Not so, however, for residents living in the shadow of the proposed 11-mile long, three-mile wide “Botley West Solar Farm” in West…
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