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 …
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Study Predicts Rapid Growth in Solar Energy Market Will Lead to Opportunities for Copper
Sustainable energy expert reports on market study at SOLAR 2014 Conference With the growth rate of the solar energy market expected to increase by double-digits over the next decade, so too will the demand for copper which is needed to power and ground cabling for these installations, said Zolaikha Strong, director of sustainable energy for the Copper Development Association (CDA), …
Read More »Solar Energy Primed to Help U.S. Meet Future Energy Need
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 …
Read More »Committing to a Clean Energy Future
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 …
Read More »Obama Bypasses Congress and Turns to Big Business to Make Energy Efficiency Happen
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 …
Read More »TAPPING LA’S VAST ROOFTOP SOLAR POTENTIAL COULD REAP HUGE BENEFITS FOR CITY’S MOST DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES
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 …
Read More »Is There A Dark Side To Microgrids?
Marc Lopata says his job is to uncover the dark side of microgrids. And that’s just what the president and principal engineer for Microgrid Solar is doing in a project that combines energy storage and solar energy at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T). The project is located at the “Solar Village,” which consists of multiple houses built by …
Read More »RGS Energy and GRID Alternatives to Install 10 Solar Electric Systems for Low-Income Families Nationwide
RGS Energy, a nationwide leader of turnkey solar energy solutions for residential, commercial, and utility customers, and GRID Alternatives, the nation’s largest non-profit solar installer, have launched a new partnership to help bring solar power to low-income communities across the country. RGS Energy employees will volunteer throughout 2014 to install solar for 10 low-income families in California, Colorado, New Jersey and New York, while …
Read More »5 Things Every Commercial Property Owner Needs to Know Before Investing in Rooftop Solar
The age of solar being used to generate energy on the roof tops of commercial buildings now seems to be coming into its own. No longer just the domain of rooftop household solar or large solar power stations, commercial building owners can now see the benefits of using solar on their large commercial roof space. This report give the …
Read More »Local Solar Panels Dispute
It seems hard to believe that we have come so far in the adoption and acceptance of solar energy in our country both on the commercial power development side and on the home solar power side that a dispute like the one brewing the St Louis area could still be happening. CLARKSON VALLEY • The fuss over the solar panels remains …
Read More »SEIA Applauds White House Efforts to Boost Use of Renewable Energy
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 …
Read More »Solar Market Predictions for 2014
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. …
Read More »Solar Schools Initiative
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 …
Read More »1st auction of solar rights on public lands in Colorado draws no bids
By Mark Jaffe Workers with Bella Energy install solar in Boulder in 2011. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post) The plan to auction rights to federal land across the West for solar power plants got off to a rocky start Thursday when no bidders showed up for the first auction in Colorado. Uncertainties about the solar market and federal rules …
Read More »American Solar Shines at Home Builders Show
Solar energy leader showcases innovation. American Solar Showcases Innovation at Southwest Builders Show “Working with American Solar, we can give consumers the best money-saving options in the business.” Roger Cregg, AV Homes American Solar, Arizona’s leader in residential solar installation and innovation, delighted home builders and business dignitaries during this week’s Southwest Builders Show at the Phoenix Convention Center. Showcasing …
Read More »Low Cost Solar Investing Now Possible
Investors to earn returns from solar panels on a major U.S military base Mosaic, America’s first online marketplace to offer solar investments to the public, presents the first major US military solar project to be funded by the public. This is a historic opportunity for Americans to invest in the nation’s energy independence and troop preparedness. Online today, investors large and small …
Read More »Mosaic offers new way to invest in American energy independence – with as little as $25
Investors to earn returns from solar panels on a major U.S military base Mosaic, America’s first online marketplace to offer solar investments to the public, presents the first major US military solar project to be funded by the public. This is a historic opportunity for Americans to invest in the nation’s energy independence and troop preparedness. Online today, investors large and small …
Read More »Japan’s Zero Nuclear Power Issue Triples PV Market Demand in 2013
Regular inspections have been conducted on the No.4 reactor at the Oi nuclear power plant. However, delay on the inspections has once again led to Japan’s “zero nuclear power” status. Since nuclear power is still the major source of base-load electricity while other units are still applying for re-activation, it’s estimated that it will take at least half a year …
Read More »Solar Power Breakthrough? New Method for Harvesting Energy from Light
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated a new mechanism for extracting energy from light, a finding that could improve technologies for generating electricity from solar energy and lead to more efficient optoelectronic devices used in communications. Dawn Bonnell, Penn’s vice provost for research and Trustee Professor of Materials Science and Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied …
Read More »Solar Energy could supply one-third of power in U.S. West
Low-cost solar power could supply more than a third of all energy needs in the Western U.S., if the nation can hit its targets for reducing the cost of solar energy, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. The UC Berkeley scientists used a detailed computer model they developed of the West’s electric …
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