Power Technology lists ten most popular tweets on solar power in November 2019.

The list is based on data procured from GlobalData’s Influencer Platform, which filters top tweets from industry-specific influencers based on pre-defined parameters. The influencers are picked following an in-depth analysis of their relevance, network strength, engagement and participation in latest emerging trends.

Top tweets in solar power in October 2019

1. Mike Hudema’s tweet on bike lane covered by solar panels

Mike Hudema, a Canadian climate activist, tweeted a video of a dedicated bike lane developed in South Korea. The bike lane is covered by solar panels sheltering the bike riders from sunlight, as well as supporting clean energy generation.

The dedicated lane extends over a length of 20 miles (32.2km) from Daejon and Sejong. Cyclists can access the lane through underground tunnels.

Username: Mike Hudema

Twitter handle: @MikeHudema

Retweets: 925

Likes: 1,887

2. Mike Hudema’s tweet on India’s investments in solar power

Another video from the World Economic Forum shared by Mike Hudema also generated high interest among Twitter readers. The video notes that India, the third-largest producer of greenhouse gases globally, has witnessed steep surge in investments in the renewable sector. Although the country generates three-quarters of electricity through coal, its renewable energy capacity is growing at an accelerated rate.

India has also built one of the largest solar plants in the world and is on-track to fulfil its obligations under the Paris climate agreement.

Username: Mike Hudema

Twitter handle: @MikeHudema

Retweets: 454

Likes: 1,000

3. Assaad Razzouk’s tweet on Vietnam’s growing renewable energy capacity

Assaad Razzouk, CEO of Sindicatum Renewable Energy, tweeted about the increase in Vietnam’s renewable energy capacity over the years. Vietnam’s installed solar and wind energy capacity increased from 165MW in 2016 to 343MW in 2018 and then shot up by 16 times to 5,500MW in 2019.

Razzouk noted that favourable policy measures and decline in the costs of solar and wind contributed to the jump. He opined that the capacity increase would have been higher if a $600m investment in annual fossil-fuel consumption subsidies was not made.

Username: Assaad Razzouk

Twitter handle: @AssaadRazzouk

Retweets: 114

Likes: 205

4. Mark Z. Jacobson’s tweet on solar power and big batteries

Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor at Stanford University, shared an article on how solar power and big batteries threaten natural gas’s future. The article highlights that with decreasing usage of coal in electricity generation, natural gas plants and solar energy and batteries remain to be the major competitors.

A minimum of 1GW of solar power is expected to be added annually over the next five years in Texas alone, according to the article. Many of these solar facilities will include battery storage systems, which can be used during peak demand.

Username: Mark Z. Jacobson

Twitter handle: @mzjacobson

Retweets: 228

Likes: 410

5. Dr Thomas Hillig’s tweet on a floating solar farm in China

Dr Thomas Hillig, the founder of energy consultant firm THEnergy, tweeted a video of floating solar farm in the Huainan City of China. The 40MW floating farm features 165,000 solar panels.

It rests over a lake formed through accumulated rain water in a coal mine subsidence area. The presence of water underneath the panel cools them, thereby increasing the efficiency. The solar farm is capable of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 49,000 tonnes.

Username: Dr Thomas Hillig

Twitter handle: @THEnergyNet

Retweets: 175

Likes: 338

6. Simon Evans’ tweet on IEA World Energy Outlook

Simon Evans, the deputy editor of UK-based website Carbon Brief, tweeted an article on the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2019, which highlighted the revised outlook shared by the IEA that showed an increase in global solar capacity.

The IEA attributes the improvement to better policy conditions. Solar power capacity is projected to grow by 23% and wind power capacity by 11% by 2040, according to IEA.

Username: Simon Evans

Twitter handle: @DrSimEvans

Retweets: 52

Likes: 85

7. Assaad Razzouk on Heliogen’s concentrated solar power technology

Assaad Razzouk tweeted a news report detailing a solar technology developed by California-based start-up, Heliogen. The news report stated that the company has developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered technology that generates concentrated solar thermal energy of up to 1,000°C, significantly breaching the previous 300°C mark.

The technology will enable the usage of concentrated solar power technology in rigorous industrial processes that traditionally use coal as an energy source, according to the article. It can be used in steel, cement and other industries and benefit the environment by cutting carbon emissions.

Username: Assaad Razzouk

Twitter handle: @AssaadRazzouk

Retweets: 84

Likes: 115

8. Arik Ring on eco-friendly solar lighting

Arik Ring, a consultant and clean energy enthusiast, shared a video on eco-friendly lighting called Solatube powered by solar energy. The solution features a rooftop dome, which procures sunlight and transmits it to interior spaces of a building through tubes made of reflective material.

The system leverages specially designed fixture lens and optical technologies to disperse natural light, thereby reducing energy consumption. Further, Solatube uses solar cells to store energy, which can be utilised at night.

Username: Arik Ring

Twitter handle: @arikring

Retweets: 38

Likes: 50

9. Bill McKibben’s tweet on Bangladesh’s push on coal energy despite the country’s solar potential

Author and environmentalist, Bill McKibben, shared a report, criticising Bangladesh’s plan to move forward with coal power expansion. The move is funded by foreign investors, the report noted. If all planned coal-based projects under the plan are built, the country’s existing coal capacity will increase by 63 times to 33.2GW and place the country among the worst polluters globally.

The report noted that the plans were conceived despite protests from local environmentalists. It also argues that the South Asian nation has significant solar power potentiality and can generate up to 53GW of solar power as a eco-friendly and low-cost alternative to coal energy.

Username: Bill McKibben

Twitter handle: @billmckibben

Retweets: 85

Likes: 143

10. Mark Z. Jacobson on the upcoming largest solar plant in the US

Mark Z. Jacobson tweeted an article about an upcoming 400MW solar power plant in the US. Construction of the plant was approved by the city of Los Angeles and is being developed on 2,650 acres of land in Kern County.

The solar power plant will supply electricity to more than 280,000 homes across Los Angeles and store up to 1,200MWh of energy.

Username: Mark Z. Jacobson

Twitter handle: @mzjacobson

Retweets: 46

Likes: 72