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 →
Did you know these iconic structures around the world installed solar panels? The following graphic details some of the world’s most famous solar-adorned architecture. Infographic courtesy of Half Price Shutters.
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 →
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 →
To help you save money by saving energy, we launched #AskEnergySaver — an online series that gives you access to some of the Energy Department’s home energy efficiency experts. During 2014, experts from the Department and our National Labs will be answering your energy-saving questions and sharing their advice on ways to improve your home’s comfort. For… Keep reading →
Sunny skies have turned cloudy for utility-scale solar PV development in the United States thanks to a trade dispute that has spread from China to Taiwan, raising costs, squeezing margins and delaying and possibly threatening projects. From the moment German-owned SolarWorld’s U.S. arm initiated trade cases against Chinese companies nearly three years ago, accusing them… Keep reading →
Elon Musk’s decision last week to invite other car manufacturers to use Tesla Motors’ technology was bold. But the Tesla CEO, putting on his SolarCity chairman’s hat and working with company leadership partners Lyndon and Peter Rive, might have surpassed that move on Tuesday. The trio announced that SolarCity – heretofore a solar power financier/installer… Keep reading →
Trade sanctions on Chinese solar panels – established two years ago and broadened last week in a preliminary decision by the U.S. Department of Commerce – are a matter of fierce debate in the solar community. But given the results of a new study on the energy use efficiency and carbon footprint of Chinese solar,… Keep reading →
Louisiana’s coastline is getting washed out to sea and a lawsuit designed to make oil and gas companies pay for the damage now rages. Some believe a creative financing solution – that involves federal, state and private funding – is needed to foot the more than $50 billion dollar bill over 50 years. “Companies will… Keep reading →
The QBotix Robotic Tracking System is irresistibly retro-futuristic, like something out of a ’60s-era World Fair, with compact modules zipping around commercial and utility-scale solar installations on a monorail, stopping briefly to adjust the panels and keep them aimed at the sun. It draws crowds when demoed at trade shows, and has landed many an… Keep reading →
