American Council on Renewable Energy

U.S. Forces Prepare To Withdraw From Iraq After 8-Year Presence

The Department of Defense yesterday announced the award of a $2.5 billion combined firm-fixed-price contract to Johnson Controls, Evergreen Fire Alarms and Federal Inc. for “procurement and installation of utility monitoring and control and similar systems.” The winning bid was selected from 14 internet-submitted solicitations and the estimated completion date is Aug. 21, 2019. The… Keep reading →

Invincible Spirit Exercise In East Sea

The U.S. military has said time and again that moving away from a reliance on fossil fuels is in its best interest, for energy security reasons and as a matter of keeping troops safe. Despite this, such efforts – particularly on the biofuels front – have caught flak from Republicans in Congress. But President Obama isn’t backing off, or so it… Keep reading →


The American Petroleum Institute recently renewed its attack on the US government’s Renewable Fuels Standard after the Environmental Protection Agency said it would not waive the requirement that uses some 40 percent of the US corn crop to make ethanol.

The main oil and gas trade association said the RFS, which is designed to blend increasing amounts of ethanol with gasoline, is “increasingly unrealistic and unworkable” because it has been adopted without regard for its compatibility with some vehicles, and if fully implemented would exceed what API says is the maximum safe limit of 10 percent in gasoline. Keep reading →


Despite three recent bankruptcies, the US solar manufacturing industry is doing just fine, according to Mark Riedy, founder and general counsel to American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) and a partner at the Mintz Levin law firm.

“I’m not worried about it and I’ve been in the renewables space since 1975, year in and year out,” Riedy said. Keep reading →


A spate of bankruptcies in US solar manufacturers is not a sign of imminent industry collapse, but the inevitable result of competition in a new and evolving market, according to industry representatives.

Solar manufacturer Solyndra announced its intention to file for bankruptcy on the final day of August, following bankruptcy filings by Evergreen Solar on August 15 and SpectraWatt on August 19. The three firms’ failures prompted a flurry of commentary about the challenges facing US solar manufacturing, and prospects for the sector’s survival. Keep reading →