Testing electric cars at Consumer Reports test track

consumerreports asked: Are electric cars really the vehicles of the future? Consumer Reports tests the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf to see if they’re ready to go mainstream. Learn more about electric cars and alternative-fuel vehicles on our website: www.consumerreports.org

Read More »

Arizona Community Center Goes Solar

The Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus in Scottsdale, Arizona Now 90% Powered by Solar ~ Centrosolar America and Green Choice Solar Join Forces to Complete 1.3 Megawatt Photovoltaic Solar Power Array~ Today, Centrosolar America, the U.S. subsidiary of CENTROSOLAR Group AG, in Munich, and Green Choice Solar, LLC, Arizona’s leading commercial solar integrator, announce the completion of a 1.3 Megawatt …

Read More »

How schools can use less energy & spend less money, without the sacrifice

Making schools energy efficient need not be an exercise in sacrifice. Schools can get the same or better services, as well as increase the health and comfort of students and staff, all while using less energy. The first step is to get an energy assessment that can help identify and prioritize opportunities for substantial energy and operational savings. Once these …

Read More »

Electric Cars Rule Ga. Town

AssociatedPress asked: When gas prices go up, residents of Peachtree City, Ga. get around by driving golf carts. There are a few other golf cart communities in the US but most are retirement communities. In Peachtree City, just about everyone rides the golf carts. (July 25)

Read More »

Europe Unlikely to Follow US Lead in Imposing Duties on China PV Imports

Following similar action from the U.S. government, the European Union may undertake an antidumping investigation of photovoltaic (PV) solar cells imported from China. However, compared to the United States, the EU inquiry is less likely to result in the imposition of countervailing duties, according to the most recent IHS iSuppli Photovoltaics Market Tracker report at information and analytics provider IHS …

Read More »

Selling Coal Short – Taxpayers Lose Big

IEEFA: U.S. TAXPAYERS LOSE MORE THAN $1 BILLION WITH BLM OK OF PEABODY’S LOW-BALL BID FOR POWDER RIVER BASIN COAL Competitive” Bid Process With Only One Company Underscores Deep Flaws in BLM “Giveaway” Process; Approved Price for U.S.-Owned Coal Well Under Half of Fair Market Value. U.S. taxpayers will lose an estimated $1.2 billion now that the federal Bureau of …

Read More »

Energy efficiency without trying (and with)

By Elisa Wood John Lennon wrote that life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. Apparently, the same is true of energy efficiency. Energy savings happen when we’re busy doing other things – Internet-based things specifically. We use email, bank online and download music not to save energy, but to make life easier and more interesting. …

Read More »

Paint On Battery?

Rice researchers develop paintable battery Technique could turn any surface into a lithium-ion battery; may be combined with solar cells Researchers at Rice University have developed a lithium-ion battery that can be painted on virtually any surface. The rechargeable battery created in the lab of Rice materials scientist Pulickel Ajayan consists of spray-painted layers, each representing the components in a …

Read More »

Solar Flight Promotes New Morrocan Solar Development

Solar plane flies to Sahara sun in Ouarzazate, Morocco Highlights World Bank-financed Morocco solar project linking Europe, N Africa to power of Sahara sun After completing its historic 2,500-kilometer intercontinental flight to Morocco earlier this month, the Swiss solar-powered plane, Solar Impulse, lifted off from Morocco’s capital Rabat morning of June 21 on the second attempt at its most challenging …

Read More »

Citizen Struggle To Save Clean Energy

TAKING BACK AMERICA’S ENERGY FUTURE FROM THE LOBBYISTS: 1 MILLION AMERICANS TO FIGHT INDUSTRY EFFORTS TO KILL CLEAN ENERGY AGENDA Three Dozen Citizen Organizations From Across Nation Take on Undue Influence of Energy Company “Goliath”; Push Reflects Views of 83 Percent of Americans That a “New-Grassroots Driven” Effort is Needed. Fed up with the undue influence of the energy companies, …

Read More »

Electric Cars Cause More Pollution

NewsyScience asked: BY LOGAN TITTLE Tired of the hype electric cars are getting for being efficient? Well—you’re in luck. TIME reports a recent study by the University of Tennessee says eco-friendly drivers are actually meaner in most cases. The study found that—in terms of air pollution—electric cars aren’t completely in the clear when you look at how the electricity is …

Read More »

3 Ways to Make Solar Energy Affordable

With more and more consumers wanting to reduce their carbon footprints, the use of home solar power has arisen as an extremely viable and eco-friendly option. The only reason it has not become more widespread is the cost, which for many people has simply been too high. However, the cost of manufacturing is slowly coming down, due to increased innovation, …

Read More »

Why Wait Till Gas Hits $10 a Gallon?

There’s a lot of moaning and hand-wringing whenever gasoline prices approach $4 a gallon. But all it would take for them to hit $10 a gallon overnight would be hurricanes wiping out a couple of refineries or saboteurs disabling a couple of pipelines, says Dr. R. Paul Williamson, founder and CEO of the non-profit Sustainable Systems of Colorado. “The United …

Read More »

Community Owned Solar Garden

How to grow a solar energy garden By Elisa Wood Getting energy from the sun is a great idea. However, installing solar panels house-by-house is slow, costly and cumbersome, and downright inefficient if the goal is to bring solar to the masses. This problem troubled Paul Spencer after he built his own uber-efficient, custom solar home near Aspen, Colorado in …

Read More »

Hawaii Church Installs Solar To Battle High Energy Costs

Hawaiian Energy Systems & Centrosolar America Team Up on Oahu Solar Installation Hawaiian Energy Systems, Inc. and Centrosolar America have announced the completion of a 51kw solar power system at the Makakilo Baptist Church in Kapolei, HI. The rooftop installation will offset 90% of the Church’s electrical energy needs and provide electricity for the Church itself and the adjacent office …

Read More »

Solar Wafer and Cell Prices Remain on Slight Uptrend, Q3 Shipments Dependent on Market

According to EnergyTrend, a research division of TrendForce, affected by economic instability in the eurozone, some European power plant investments have not progressed on schedule. Furthermore, Q3 order expectations were initially high, but prospects have changed after the conclusion of the Intersolar Europe exhibition. Although there have not been significant alterations to orders with Taiwanese manufacturers, and suppliers indicate all …

Read More »

Solar-Powered Appliances Reduce Energy Waste

Solar power is one of the most eco-friendly forms of energy available to consumers. Solar technology draws energy from sunlight, which is converted to electricity by exterior-mounted solar panels. One of the disadvantages of solar panels is that a large field of these panels is required to provide the power necessary to fuel a single home, let alone a neighborhood …

Read More »

Submerging Solar: New Frontiers for Renewable Energy

By Ysabel Yates It sounds like a child’s question: can you generate solar power underwater? The answer, according to Phillip Jenkins and his team at the US Naval Research Laboratory, is yes. The researchers recently demonstrated a method for harvesting solar power underwater at depths of 30 feet. Currently, the only option for underwater energy is batteries, which shortens the …

Read More »

Coal Satire Released – Check It Out

The Renewable Energy Accountability Project (REAP) has released its latest satirical video, “The Most Ignorant Man in the World.” The soft release on YouTube and Funny or Die has already garnered hundreds of views and been shared with thousands across Facebook and Twitter. “You say burning coal for electricity causes extreme weather disasters…that’s like saying cigarettes cause cancer,” is one …

Read More »