Renewable energy is often presented as hopelessly contentious in the United States, but there’s a new survey – or maybe we should say, there’s another survey – that shows Americans overwhelmingly believe in the stuff, have a sense it could save them money, and want government to support it. Even Republicans. Solar and wind finished… Keep reading →
Actually, California Got 7.4 Percent of Its Electricity from Solar in 2014 Federal energy number-crunchers reported on Tuesday that in 2014, California became the first state to generate 5 percent of its electricity from utility-scale solar power. A decade ago, in 2005, solar’s contribution in California was just 0.26 percent of generation, so ramping… Keep reading →
US renewable energy sources continued to grow in 2014, as reported by Breaking Energy, with data from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission showing that “15,384 megawatts of new generation went into service in 2014, and 49.9 percent of [all that capacity] came from wind, solar and other renewables.” According to the International Renewable Energy Agency… Keep reading →
The way we power our homes is changing. Previously, we relied heavily on non-renewable sources for electricity and heating in our homes. While these fuels still play an important role, we’re continuing to look for greener alternatives. One popular option is solar panels. In the past, solar panels were expensive to buy and install, which… Keep reading →
If you aren’t going solar in Connecticut, you might want to rethink that. New research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory puts Connecticut a lofty and surprising third – behind only Hawaii and California – among the 50 states in a measure of the unsubsidized economic potential of a residential solar system. The state of Washington,… Keep reading →
A recent report from the advocacy group Environment America said U.S. solar power capacity would need to grow at an annual rate of 22 percent in order for solar to provide 10 percent of the nation’s electricity in 2030, from less than 1 percent now. So far, so good. Fresh industry data shows 1,354 megawatts of… Keep reading →
Solar is one of the fastest growing industries in the US, which now employs more people than the coal and natural gas industries combined, but women have largely been left behind. In our series on careers in energy, we take a look at the women, organizations and companies pushing for a more gender diverse workplace.… Keep reading →
Climate hawks threw a punch at Walmart early Thursday afternoon – and before the day was over, the global retail behemoth had jabbed back. Sort of. Or so it might have appeared. The Institute for Local Self Reliance, with enviro heavyweights like 350.org founder Bill McKibben and Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune at its… Keep reading →
The knock-on economic opportunities associated with developing, transporting and consuming energy are widespread and have drawn eye-popping amounts of private equity investment in the past few years. “That opportunity has the private equity industry salivating. PE funds have raised $157 billion since 2009 to invest in energy, according to data from intelligence firm Preqin. And… Keep reading →
SolarWorld has withstood the slings and arrows of a big portion of the U.S. solar industry, but the panel maker’s successful pursuit of a “level playing field”– or is it wanton protectionism? – appears to be paying off. On Thursday, the company called in the media to announce it would add a production line at… Keep reading →
