An op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal is calling Republicans to get rid of “green pork” — a grant program that covers nearly a third of the cost of installing renewable energy generation projects. Read more »
It’s official: A beloved federal grant program for renewable energy generation projects gets to live for another year. President Obama signed a tax package on Friday that extended the grant program. Champagne, please. Read more »
California wants 33 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, but hitting that goal might be difficult. State regulators approved a 1 gigawatt program Thursday that they believe will help. Read more »
The average cost of solar electric systems to homeowners in the United States fell to a historic low in 2009 and reverse a trend seen in previous years, according to a report released by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Read more »
A couple of years ago, startup Sungevity set out to provide hassle-free services for homeowners who want to install solar electric systems. Looks like its strategy has paid off: On Wednesday, the company announced it has raised another $15 million. Read more »
It’s been a sport for analysts and competitors to speculate when solar panel maker First Solar might no longer be the industry’s low-cost leader. First Solar executives issued their sales forecast and promised the company’s reign won’t end next year. Read more »
Abound Solar is ending the year with glad tidings and good cheer — that is, $110 million in equity and a $400 million federal loan guarantee, almost all of which will fund an ambitious plan to build 775 megawatts of new manufacturing capacity. Read more »
For those who see the grid as a web off rough and narrow highways that can’t handle a big surge in renewable electricity, there is hope. Big transmission projects across the nation have broken ground or won key approvals this month. Read more »
As promised, First Solar will see its solar panels installed in India next year. The company announced Thursday a deal to ship 15 megawatts of its cadmium-telluride panels to ACME Tele Power by March. Read more »
The U.S. could attract $342 billion in clean power project investments over the next decade if it adopts aggressive energy policies, said a report from the Pew Charitable Trusts. Meanwhile, solar and wind advocates are fighting to keep a popular federal grant program. Read more »
Utilities are typically the financiers – not the source of – tech innovations. But San Diego Gas & Electric is breaking that mold by proposing to license a mobile charging device for plug-in electric cars to Juice Technologies. Read more »
As countries gather in Cancun, Mexico to figure out a coherent plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, you can bet that natural gas will get plenty of attention. A study says 40 percent of the U.S.’s electricity could come from natural gas by 2035. Read more »
Many solar energy advocates are enamored with the concept of a feed-in tariff for the U.S. market, but increasingly, the idea just doesn’t seem a good fit. The latest evidence of that comes from the Canadian province of Ontario. Read more »
Hundreds of solar panel manufacturers are peddling their offerings today – how can project developers and consumers make the right choices? A new program is underway to provide independent product reviews, and the results of the first batch of tests will be published early next year. Read more »
In the past two years, a large electricity generator has emerged to be key booster of solar energy in the United States. NRG Energy is continuing its acquisition spree with an announcement Tuesday that it plans to buy a 250-megawatt project by SunPower. Read more »
Here’s the key message from Energy Secretary Steve Chu when he spoke at the National Press Club Monday: We’re screwed if we don’t boost our R&D investments in science and technology. The message isn’t new, but there’s a new sense of urgency. Read more »
God and global warming: A coalition of religious groups is lobbying against a federal bill that would delay an Environmental Protection Agency program to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. What would Jesus do? Read more »
Did California regulators move too hastily to approve a series of solar power projects to put massive glass, steel and concrete on thousands of acres of desert land? That question hangs over one such project now that the California Energy Commission has withdrawn its approval. Read more »
Remember AltaRock Energy? The geothermal startup, which suffered a setback last year when it canceled a demonstration project in California, is back with a project in Oregon that will be crucial for showing that its novel approach to engineering a geothermal field can work. Read more »
It’s no secret that some energy retrofits can save consumers significant money, but how to conduct those retrofits and how much should they cost are two big questions. The government’s answer: standardize the process of getting home energy audits and loans. Read more »
The U.S. market isn’t just attractive to solar energy equipment makers from China, it also is drawing project developers from the country. GCL Solar Energy, owned by a Chinese silicon wafer maker, has lined up over $100 million from Wells Fargo. Read more »
Both Google and the government have taught us one important lesson: data rules. On Friday, U.S. officials said they will develop what they called the “first-ever, comprehensive and up-to-date database” of satellite images that will show land-use changes around the world. Read more »
Facebook has been called out by Greenpeace for not doing enough to promote renewable energy, so what is the company going to do with this public relations dilemma? Launching its own Facebook page and joining groups to demonstrate its green cred, of course. Read more »
This year just hasn’t panned out for Solyndra. The company will close its first factory, delay expanding its gleaming new factory and lay off dozens of employees in order to cut costs and compete with low-cost solar panel makers, mostly from China. Read more »
A project that could’ve helped to advance wave energy development is now under the water. At least for now. The Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has suspended a 5-megawatt project off Northern California coast primarily because it’d cost too much. Read more »
Today marks the first day of a 45-day period for the public to comment on a program to force polluters to cap their carbon emissions starting in 2012, and the proposed rules will give away lots of free permits rather than auctioning them. Read more »
New flash: Consumers aren’t so quick to embrace electric cars. After creating a flurry of news reports and test drive videos to get the word out, the carmakers, media and the government haven’t convinced the masses that alternative-fuel cars are the more environmental-friendly choice. Read more »
Here are three strategies by First Solar for 2011: keeping its solar panel prices low to encourage its customers to open new markets, use its project development business to offset any drop in solar panel sales, and build new factories like mad. Read more »
It’ll be a long road for algae biofuel producers to make any significant dent in the world’s overall fuel supply. How long? Consider this: By 2020, the algae biofuel industry is likely to produce only 61 million gallons per year globally, Pike Research said Wednesday. Read more »
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has become a favorite in the solar business lately, approving six solar farms in this month alone, including a 1,000MW project (the world’s largest) in California. If it seems like he’s racing against the clock to OK these projects, well, he is. Read more »
Solar energy accounts for less than 1 percent of the U.S. electricity sources, but $100 billion of private investment and continual government subsidies could push that to 4.3 percent by 2020, according to a new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Read more »
Space tourism might sound like a vacation that’s well, out of this world, but making trips to the great beyond (in hopes, perhaps, of nabbing that Foursquare badge from astronaut Douglas Wheelock) will come at a heavy price for the climate. Read more »
Two weeks from now, voters will decide which federal and state politicians to keep and which to send packing. Here is a list of hot issues and challenges facing cleantech advocates as they lobby for their favorite causes in the coming year. Read more »
The government has always played a big role by subsidizing our transportation fuels it make them cheap. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday said it’ll continue the tradition by helping out farmers and landowners to grow and ship energy crops. Read more »
Silicon wafer production has been in existence for decades, yet there is stil room for improving the process. That’s the thinking behind a new venture undertaken by 1366 Technologies, which has raised $20 million to take its new technology out of the lab and into the factory. Read more »
How’s this for a fund-raising pitch: We’re developing a cheaper, more sustainable way to produce a material that already finds its way into just about everything you touch? That’s the pitch Siluria Technologies used to attract $13.3 million in venture capital. Read more »
Morgan Solar has settled on a production plan and is ready to offer its first system that use concentrated sunlight and solar cells to produce electricity in 2011. Now Morgan Solar is counting on its new CEO to deliver a new round of funding. Read more »
American solar companies say China doesn’t play fair, and that makes it difficult to compete at home and abroad. Here is our 4-step attack plan for what companies can do to get ready for their own fight. Read more »
This week in Los Angeles the solar industry filled a convention center with the latest in next-generation solar panels, concentrators, and various gear. Called SPI, the show offers the first look at some of the really bleeding edge solar tech. Read more »
Where can solar startups find opportunities when their playground is increasingly dominated by giants from other industries? That’s a question that some Silicon Valley solar company executives and investors have pondered for some time now. The answers are software and services. Read more »
