From a rooftop in sunny California, a Breaking Energy writer learns about the need for a national solar policy targeting low-income families. The sun was rising quickly as I drove down I-580 to a part of Oakland that has yet to attract a significant influx of Silicon Valley’s high-tech workers and the gentrification that follows. … Keep reading →
Long doubted in many quarters as a competitor with conventional sources – and even with wind power – U.S. government scientists say new research shows that solar is making up ground, both at utility scale and on rooftops. For example: “The price of electricity sold to utilities under long term contracts from large-scale solar power… Keep reading →
Big solar is winning. There are tens of millions of rooftops throughout the United States – on homes and businesses alike – where solar power could be saving electricity consumers money and reducing their carbon footprint, all the while avoiding the environmental conflicts that big solar increasingly finds itself enmeshed in. Yet projects over 1… Keep reading →
Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces and Iraq military personnel reportedly took control of a key dam in the northern part of the country. The dam that supplies water and 1 GW of electricity to local populations had been seized by Islamic State militants. There were still conflicting reports Monday morning about which side controlled the strategic… Keep reading →
Renewable energy companies in the United States might lose a friend in the coming months. Conservative Republicans are trying to kill the Export-Import Bank, the independent and self-sustaining federal agency founded during the Great Depression that helps finance the purchase of American-made goods and services by overseas buyers. The bank’s current authorization expires at the… Keep reading →
There’s an unlikely name among the usual suspects that populate a recently released list [PDF] of leading U.S. solar cities. There’s Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, San Jose, Honolulu, San Antonio and then … Indianapolis? Yep. And the city just got even more solar, with the official opening last week of a 9 megawatt array… Keep reading →
Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was elected Prime Minister of India in May with a strong platform of less government, more governance. Modi’s campaign stood on the pillars of development, growth, and good governance. Now, Prime Minister Modi and recently-appointed Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy, Piyush Goyal,… Keep reading →
Quick Take: We’ve talked a lot about the dangers utilities face if they ignore disruptive technologies such as solar + storage. Here’s another challenge. They could end up paying more for the cost of capital. Some analysts think utilities are blind to the coming realities and they are warning investors to stay away. – Jesse Berst Barclays… Keep reading →
The energy industry – oil & gas sector in particular – is bracing itself for a massive wave of retirements over the short to medium term, which has been dubbed “The Great Shift Change.” As the industry prepares for this turnover, companies are looking to the next generation of candidates with skills ranging from finance,… Keep reading →
This week in sunny Anaheim, California, more than 800 solar industry leaders gathered for the 2014 SunShot Grand Challenge Summit. The Summit, launched by the Energy Department’s SunShot Initiative, brings together the solar community to network, share ideas and develop strategies to make solar more affordable for American families and businesses. The focus of this year’s event is… Keep reading →
