It’s inevitable. In comments to nearly every story about California’s drought, someone will rage that if Gov. Jerry Brown really wanted to do something to save water, he’d put an end to fracking in the state. This line of thinking was highlighted on social media recently when the Sierra Club tweeted a link to a… Keep reading →
Conventional hydropower fell from its perennial perch as the source of the majority of U.S. renewable energy in 2014, yet another sign of the rise of a new wave of renewables – wind and solar, especially – on the U.S. electrical grid. Data released Wednesday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed hydropower with net… 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 →
It’s easy to dismiss solar as a bit energy player. Look at the most recent Energy Information Administration data and you’ll see that utility-scale solar provided around 9.3 terawatt-hours of U.S. electricity in 2013, a mere 0.23 percent of total generation. But here’s the thing: Those numbers and other current data on solar are fast-fading… Keep reading →
The Obama stimulus planted the seeds, and now big solar is sprouting in the desert Southwest. The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday announced that the Agua Caliente solar project in Yuma, Arizona, was now fully online, producing up to 290 megawatts of power, making it the world’s largest photovoltaic plant. Agua Caliente was backed… Keep reading →
Connecticut’s Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority – the state’s Green Bank, and the first of its kind of the country – has established a new solar financing system in a bid to expand capacity in the state. CT Solar Lease II seeks to avoid some of the most frequently-cited criticisms of renewable energy finance,… Keep reading →
Renewables are making large gains globally, but if they are to continue grabbing market share from fossil fuels, they will require reliable policy backing, according to International Energy Agency Executive Director Maria Van Der Hoeven. The IEA’s 2013 Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report maintains a positive outlook for growth in renewables worldwide. “Despite a difficult economic… Keep reading →
Electric car manufacturer Tesla has announced plans to dramatically expand its electric vehicle charging network – the company claims that within six months, it will connect most major metropolitan areas in the US and southern Canada. [Forbes] In somewhat related but perhaps slightly less dramatic news, the US Navy has unveiled its first solar-powered EV… Keep reading →
