Spain’s recent history with solar power has been nothing if not tumultuous. Generous subsidies created a booming market in 2008, but the economic crisis brought a quick end to that. And now the country is pulling the rug out from under thousands of solar producers, many of them small, whose financing depended on the promise… Keep reading →
The 2014 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook was produced for The Business Council for Sustainable Energy by Bloomberg New Energy Finance and “found that renewable energy, natural gas and energy efficiency advancements are leading a transformation of America’s energy,” according to a BNEF statement. This infographic highlights findings from the research that include the increasing… Keep reading →
The launch of President Obama’s Power Africa campaign in mid-2013 pushed major generation projects back to the forefront of electricity planning in Africa, signalling for some a return to the era of the dramatic gesture, the big solution to a big problem. But, while this and other similar projects grab the headlines, CITAC argues that… Keep reading →
The changing utility business model in the face of distributed generation market acceptance is a major theme so far in 2014, and Google’s Nest acquisition is a clear signpost on this transitional landscape. It’s becoming increasingly clear that to lead the way in the new power generation and delivery space, utilities need to decide whether… Keep reading →
Last year, the trade association for the utility industry, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), published a whitepaper on the disruptive challenges facing the utility industry. In summary, EEI’s thesis was that the existing utility business model (centralized, fossil-fuel based generation) is under threat from on-site, distributed generation as more customers switch to cleaner, and often cheaper, solar power. The… Keep reading →
Not so long ago, DistribuTECH was a trade show focused on core Transmission & Distribution (T&D) engineering equipment. The shift in the last few years has been dramatic and the event now resembles a high tech, Silicon Valley conference. Our industry, like many others, has become a digital one. While it is one of the… Keep reading →
As we begin a new year, the outlook for 2014 looks bright. But as the Polar Vortex has descended upon the U.S. over the last few days, we have been reminded of the past, specifically the winter of 2011 when Texas’ electricity grid stuttered under the extreme cold. Monday, as a record-breaking cold snap whisked… Keep reading →
In the United States, electricity generation is still the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions—more than 2,039 million tons a year. Although Americans are increasingly educated and passionate about climate issues, many still lack basic information about renewable energy, which can prevent them from taking action. In fact, NREL reports that although 80 percent… Keep reading →
The internet of things (IoT) is changing the way we interact with nearly all facets of our world, including the electric grid. These days, you can already control your smart thermostat with your smart phone; it’s easy to imagine that smart solar panels and microgrids are not far behind. The term “smart grid” was coined… Keep reading →
A proposal to tighten up the U.S.’s mess of 42 different energy incentives – more than two dozen of them short-term measures that frequently roil the markets as they expire or near expiration – is drawing a split reaction from the nation’s two largest renewable energy sectors. The American Wind Energy Association commended Sen. Max… Keep reading →
