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Solar system
Trends
- 1Distributed renewables help Ukraine withstand Russian attacks▼In Ukraine, distributed renewables foil Russia’s assaults
Ukraine's shift toward distributed renewable energy is helping the country keep power flowing despite Russian strikes on its centralized grid. Small-scale solar, wind and other local installations are harder to disable than large power plants, making the energy system more resilient. Commentators highlight this as both a wartime survival strategy and an argument for decentralizing energy systems more broadly.
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New research suggests magnetism played a role in the formation of the solar system, potentially influencing how the early cloud of gas and dust collapsed into the sun and planets. The finding adds to debate over what physical forces shaped our cosmic beginnings, and scientists say magnetic fields could help explain the solar system's original structure.
- 3PGE billing error leaves hundreds of solar customers short on credits●Damascus man finds missing solar credits on bill; PGE says issue affects hundreds of customers
A man in Damascus, Oregon found that solar energy credits missing from his Portland General Electric bill had been restored after he raised the issue. PGE acknowledged a billing problem affecting hundreds of customers with solar panels, who were not receiving credits they were owed for power their systems fed back to the grid. The utility says it is working to correct the accounts.
- 4University of Iowa researcher wins funding to detect solar wind plasma waves●UI researcher earns funding to improve detection of plasma waves in the solar wind
A University of Iowa researcher has received new funding to improve the detection of plasma waves in the solar wind, the stream of charged particles flowing from the Sun. Better detection of these waves could sharpen understanding of space weather and how solar activity affects satellites and communications systems on Earth.