Alternative Energy HQ solar power for homes, wind energy, and bio fuel issues

Project management, financing, installation and other services enable independent solar dealers to concentrate on growth, squeeze out soft costs Soligent, a leader in systems and technologies for making solar dealers more competitive, today unveiled Solar Engine, a modular suite of integrated services that allow independent solar dealers to drive out costs, reduce paperwork and grow their businesses.   With Solar …

Green energy from renewable sources continues to be the subject of a great deal of debate.  The idea that our power requirements as a nation could be provided by cheap, clean natural sources such as solar, wave and wind power would seem to be a notion that nobody could really have much objection to. However, the whole area of renewable energy generation …

Hybrid water heater proves its value as energy efficient upgrade, provides one-third gain in energy efficiency An energy-efficient hot water system proved its value in a commercial restaurant application during a special project overseen by the Food Service Technology Center and Fast Water Heater Company. The two companies worked together to design a tankless natural gas-powered water heating system for …

Latest on a list of sports facilities around the world utilizing Kyocera solar modules to generate clean energy The Kyocera Group announced that it is supplying 725 kilowatts of solar modules for the KYOCERA Stadium in The Hague, Netherlands. On January 22, the signing of a letter of intent in The Hague signaled the start of another major Kyocera solar project …

Commercial building owners have been lamenting the loss of a popular energy efficiency tax break that ended with the New Year. But it turns out they still may be able to use it. Section 179D of the Energy Policy Act, (EPACT) offers up to $1.80 per square foot for energy efficiency improvements to building envelope and lighting, along with heating, ventilation …

Battery storage is gaining more and more traction in the distributed energy resources community. Last fall, California passed the first statewide energy storage directive in the United States. Issued by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the mandate requires all investor-owned utilities in the state including Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric, to …

Reacting to today’s presidential memorandum requiring the federal government to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, SEIA President and CEO Rhone Resch released the following statement: “This is a landmark moment in our nation’s history. Today, climate change is a real and growing threat to America and the rest of the world. It’s indisputable. Sea …

If public enthusiasm were money, the energy efficiency industry would be loaded with capital. From world leaders to celebrities to the common folk, everybody champions saving energy these days. Unfortunately, public enthusiasm isn’t what attracts money; investor confidence does. And despite all of the public support for energy efficiency, investors remain wary. It’s easy to understand their skepticism when you …

FERC’s LATEST DATA UNDERMINES EIA’s PROJECTIONS OF SLOW RENEWABLE ENERGY GROWTH TO 2040 According to the latest “Energy Infrastructure Update” report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Office of Energy Projects, solar, biomass, wind, geothermal, and hydropower “units” provided 394 MW – or 100% – of all new electrical generation placed in-service in November 2013. There was no new capacity during the …

This is an IHS News Flash covering the top predictions for the global photovoltaic (PV) market in 2014, from a new white paper issued by the IHS Solar service at information and analytics provider IHS (NYSE: IHS). “After two years of a punishing downturn, the global solar industry is on the rebound,” said Ash Sharma, senior research director for solar at IHS. …

Trucks Episode – Making Biodiesel Trucks episode using the FuelMeister creating biodiesel. RTM Productions.

Two Billion Kilowatt Hours of Environmentally Friendly and Efficient Fuel Cell Power Generation Major Operating Milestone Reached From Growing Installed Base of Ultra-Clean, Efficient and Reliable Fuel Cell Power Plants FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq:FCEL), a global leader in the design, manufacture, operation and service of ultra-clean, efficient and reliable fuel cell power plants, today announced a significant operating milestone with the …

Set to Boom in the Coming Years After years of slow progress, the global market for concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) systems is entering a phase of explosive growth, with worldwide installations set to boom by 750 percent from 2013 to the end of 2020. CPV installations are projected to rise to 1,362 megawatts in 2020, up from 160 megawatts in 2013, …

     New report forecasts global module prices by country and provides detailed market outlook for suppliers This year, the solar PV supply chain began to stabilize due to robust demand growth, capacity retirements and mothballing by uncompetitive firms, trade conflicts, and a general focus by suppliers on margins over sales growth. According to a new report by GTM Research, PV Pricing Outlook 2014: Value …

The Worldwatch Institute suggests moving toward collective direct action to successfully tackle key environmental issues Many environmentalists today miss the broader political picture by advocating for small day-to-day “green living” acts that in reality are far more symbolic than they are effective. The truth is that most people are proponents of a cleaner environment, safer products and labor conditions, and …

HALFWAY TO CROWDFUNDING SUCCESS FOR NRDC SOLAR SCHOOLS INITITAVE: LOS ANGELES, PHILADELPHIA AND CHARLOTTE LEAD VOTING FOR PILOT PROGRAM Just 8 Days Left to Show Support: NRDC Campaign Aims to Pave the Way for Solar Power for Every School in the U.S. That Wants It The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) campaign to bring solar power to more of America’s …

Icebreaker’ Foundation adapts well-proven monopile design to address Lake Erie’s soil conditions and harsh winters The Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) announced today that it has completed a thorough analysis of four different conceptual offshore wind foundation designs and has selected the “monopile” concept to further develop for the Cleveland-based non-profit’s offshore wind project on Lake Erie. “We picked …

USDA Grant Aims to Convert Beetle-Killed Trees into Biofuel The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it has awarded nearly $10 million to an academic, industry, and government consortium led by Colorado State University to study the major challenges limiting the use of insect-killed trees in the Rockies as a sustainable feedstock for bioenergy. The award was made …

Even in Disaster, Lumos LSX Solar Modules Shine at Western Disposal HQ Colorado’s Largest Solar Awning Supports Clean-Up following Floods Completed before the epic Colorado floods, Western Disposal’s 198kW PV solar awning is a solar milestone as Colorado’s largest solar awning. The awning stands over 30 ft tall and has been built to shade Western’s large natural gas fueling station. The durability …

Sometimes we’re spot-on when we predict the future. Other times we blow it horribly. Take smart homes, the forerunner of today’s smart grid. Back in the 1980s, prognosticators thought we’d have millions of smart homes by now and that they would achieve remarkable feats. For example, a United Press International article from 1986 said that a child would be able to stick …