Tag Archives: California

By Robert Sanders, Media Relations | February 9, 2015 BERKELEY —Generating electricity from biomass, such as urban waste and sustainably-sourced forest and crop residues, is one strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, because it is carbon-neutral: it produces as much carbon as the plants suck out of the atmosphere. A carbon dioxide injection well in Australia. (Photo courtesy of CO2CRC) …

With the flip of a switch, PermaCity Solar and American fashion retailer Forever 21, powered-up a massive 5.1-megawatt (DC) high efficiency SunPower solar power system, crowning the construction project that employed many local workers. The system at Forever 21’s headquarters in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles is now the largest single-rooftop solar power system in Los Angeles County …

SolarCity Installing Projects at Walmart Facilities Over the Next Four Years SolarCity  today announced it has entered into contract with Walmart for the installation of new solar projects at facilities in up to 36 states over the next four years. SolarCity has completed more than 200 solar projects at Walmart locations since 2010. SolarCity has also installed and tested energy storage …

SUNRUN UNVEILS THE SUNRUN BRIGHTPATH STATIONÔ FOR CONSUMERS TO RECEIVE AN INSTANT HOME SOLAR QUOTE   Interactive Kiosk Enables Consumers to Learn About Home Solar at Select Retail Locations    Sunrun, the largest dedicated residential solar company in the United States, today unveiled the Sunrun BrightPath StationÔ, an interactive, multi-touch kiosk that enables consumers to pinpoint their home on a …

When policymakers tally clean energy’s real worth, they consider jobs and environment. But other work achieved by clean energy goes forgotten. Two new papers shed light on some of this work – from saving the lives of US troops to influencing broad economic health. First, the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) argues that the U.S. military needs to assign …

Solar is experiencing over-the-top popularity among US homeowners; energy efficiency not so much. But what if state programs made solar a subset of energy efficiency? That’s the recommendation of an intriguing paper released August 19 by the Center for Sustainable Energy. The California non-profit tried to tease out what it takes to motivate solar customers to pursue energy efficiency.  Homeowners run the …

Public Voting Opens to Select Three Most Innovative Energy Storage Projects in North America Energy Storage North America (ESNA), the most influential gathering of policy, technology and market leaders in energy storage, today announced finalists for its 2014 annual Innovation Award, recognizing excellence in energy storage project development. The nine Innovation Award finalists represent excellence in installed energy storage projects …

Nearly 300 industry leaders gathered in Reno last week for the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) National Geothermal Summit. The leading forum for Western State policy discussions, the National Geothermal Summit brought together the industry for a dialogue with state and federal policy makers. The industry met to discuss such issues as moving geothermal forward in Nevada; utility perspective on renewable …

  Considering that America has some of the biggest natural gas reserves in the world, and gasoline has become extremely expensive in the past few years, it makes a lot of sense to start using it as vehicle fuel on a larger scale. But, while the benefits of using natural gas as an alternative to gasoline are multi-fold, as it …

The Alcatraz Microgrid: Life on ‘The Rock’ Not Easy, Even for a Microgrid The Alcatraz microgrid stands as a model for installing modern energy technology under difficult terms. Historical structures had to be kept intact, equipment protected from the elements, and no new buildings erected. Here’s how developer Princeton Power  Systems accomplished the task. The 22-acre island in San Francisco Bay is …

The Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) urges states to take advantage of the carbon emission reduction available through expanding geothermal power portfolios.  Doing so makes sense in light of the US EPA’s proposed regulations for existing power plants that require states to substantially reduce carbon emissions.  The regulations proposed June 2, 2014, would give states significant leeway in designing plans to reduce …

For many states struggling to reduce their carbon emissions, solar can be a real game-changer. With the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set to announce new air quality standards for coal and natural gas-fired power plants on Monday, June 2, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) today released a comprehensive report, “Cutting Carbon Emissions Under §111(d): The case for expanding solar …

Initial fueling infrastructure built at 50 locations in collaboration with Propane Education & Research Council ATLANTA, March 5, 2014 – UPS® (NYSE: UPS) today announced plans to purchase 1,000 propane package delivery trucks and install an initial 50 fueling stations at UPS locations. The investment in propane vehicles and infrastructure is approximately $70 million. The propane fleet will replace gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles used largely …

HOPE FOR THE PLANET: CALTECH‘S RESONATE AWARD HONORS INNOVATORS IN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND SUSTAINABILITY   Five Big Ideas in an Often Overlooked Field Get a Moment in the Sun   PASADENA, CA – May 19, 2014 – To promote innovative and potentially game-changing solutions to some of the hardest problems in alternative energy and the environment, Caltech’s Resnick Sustainability Institute …

In his State of the Union address, President Obama pledged to make 2014 a year of action. And today, we announced new ways we’re taking action to advance clean energy and create opportunity for hardworking Americans. The Obama Administration has made historic investments in the research, development, and deployment of clean energy. And these investments are paying off; solar power …

It’s never a bad thing to have the leader of the free world in your corner. And President Barrack Obama made clear again last week that he’s with energy efficiency. At a Walmart in Silicon Valley, Obama laid out his next round of green energy expansion plans. Sexy solar got much of the play in the media coverage. But staid …

-On Geothermal Day, GEA calls for GEA Honors 2014 entries- Washington, D.C. (May 2, 2014) – On Monday, May 5, the geothermal industry will recognize Geothermal Awareness Day in California (#GeothermalDay2014) with a slate of activities in Sacramento and beyond, including a call for entries for GEA Honors, the Geothermal Energy Association’s annual awards program. “There is a growing need …

 Industry needs early funding, risk mitigation to thrive Last week, the Geothermal Energy Association hosted the GEA International Geothermal Showcase, bringing together 250 participants from 36 countries and representing more than half of all geothermal projects worldwide. Together, these projects could mean over 10,000 MW of new geothermal power and would represent around $45 billion in new investment.   “The …

Report commissioned by LABC Institute encourages incentives to share benefits of emerging commercial solar market with low-income areas throughout Los Angeles; many local programs already benefiting from the LADWP feed-in tariff   A significantly expanded commercial rooftop solar program in Los Angeles would create thousands of new jobs and spur hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment, with particular …

More than a decade ago, Ruihong Zhang, a professor of biological and agricultural engineering at the University of California, Davis, started working on a problem: How to turn as much organic waste as possible into as much renewable energy as possible. Today, on Earth Day, the university and Sacramento-based technology partner CleanWorld are officially unveiling the UC Davis Renewable Energy …