Tag Archives: target

By Michael Gorton, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Principal Solar Despite the sluggish economy, the US solar industry has seen massive growth in the past two years, creating jobs across the country, driving innovation and attracting investors. In fact, solar installations reached 742MW in the second quarter, up 45 percent over the prior quarter, and a 116-percent increase over …

Buildings represent a large percentage of all the energy consumed in the United States. That’s why increasing the energy efficiency of buildings – especially existing ones – has become a major priority for many cities throughout the country. In addition to enhancing overall quality of life, transforming commercial and industrial properties combats climate change and fosters innovation that ultimately strengthens …

Although they seem to be growing in popularity, hybrid cars haven’t taken over the vehicle market just yet. However, it is more than likely that this won’t be the case for long. Hybrids as a whole have been around for a while, one of the first true hybrid vehicles as a Lexus Hybrid released in 2004. 8 years on, and …

Listen to Podcast Download Transcript Today’s study could solidify the trend toward construction of gigantic windmills. In a report in ACS’ journal Environmental Science & Technology, scientists have concluded that the larger the wind turbine, the greener the electricity it produces. “Wind power is an increasingly popular source of electricity. It provides almost 2 percent of global electricity worldwide, a …

Nuclear energy has been around for a long time. All the back to Einstein’s formula E = mc^2, the potential in harnessing the energy by a small change in mass has been known. Apart from being the foundation of nuclear bombs, as well as massive environmental disasters such as Chernobyl and the Fukushima Daiichi in Japan last year, nuclear power …

Studies are showing that the interest and push for using new and clean renewable energy sources is growing fast among not just the public sector but also within the corporate world. Investment in technology for cleaner energy has surpassed that of traditional fossil fuel sources. Last week, businesses still on the fence about exploring their options in renewable energy were …

U.S. ENERGY POLICY IS “ALL WET” WHEN IT COMES TO HIDDEN COSTS 100,000 Gallons of Water to Produce a Single Megawatt Hour of Electricity? In a Time of Drought and Growing Water Shortages, “Business As Usual” Energy Approach Ignore Huge Water and Other Hidden Costs. Huge demands on increasingly scarce water are a major hidden cost of a “business as …

Electric Vehicles are popping up all over the automotive landscape as many car manufacturers are getting on board with producing hybrid or all EV cars to meet the growing demand of consumers who want to avoid the gas pump as much as they can or altogether in the case of plug in vehicles. This week in San Francisco EV Week …

With pricing for photovoltaic (PV) polysilicon declining at an accelerated rate in August, there are no signs that the glut plaguing the industry has abated, behooving Tier 1 suppliers to consider reducing production in order to stabilize market conditions. PV polysilicon prices last month fell at a faster rate than they did in July, continuing a losing streak that started …

It may not be easy being green, but it is getting better. With more and more companies climbing aboard the green parade, making your home more environmentally friendly is becoming simpler and financially more rewarding in terms of energy savings. While there are the big things you can do to your home like adding insulation and replacing your old doors …

Mobile Robots Turn Solar Panels to Follow the Sun IEEE Spectrum Startup QBotix says robots can boost efficiency of solar energy. China Price War Draining Jobs in Germany’s Solar Valley Renewable Energy World When Thomas Behling returned to his home state of Saxony-Anhalt in 2006, he was drawn by a job in the solar industry and the chance to participate …

Push on for ‘green power’ auctions Straight Furrow AS DEBATE rages over the future of a renewable energy target that mainly promotes wind power, a Melbourne think tank is calling for it to be scrapped and replaced with a new scheme to help transform the electricity industry. China Wind Power Provides Default Status Update Marketwire China Wind Power International Corp. …

Natural gas is an efficient, safe, and reliable fuel source. It costs less than heating oil, and is one of the cleanest-burning fuels available. If you are not currently using natural gas in your building, converting to natural gas is a wise choice for property owners who want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the air quality in your …

It’s a vision that would make the University of Iowa one of the top solar energy using universities in the country. “All over campus, on top of the dorms, even small little car charging points where students can plug their electric bikes into,” said Tim Dwight, who formed the Iowa Solar and Small Wind Energy Trade Association. Dwight is now …

California’s big solar farms have surpassed a new milestone amid the late summer heat, reaching one gigawatt of electrical generation capacity, the state’s main grid operator said Tuesday. The state’s large-scale solar fields hit a new peak in production on Friday at nearly 1.1 gigawatts, or 1.1 billion watts, according to the California Independent System Operator. That peak output, which …

SolEnergy owner Ken Olson has seen remote villages in Central America with no light. He knows the impact a small, two-watt solar panel can make. “What does strike me is the great gap between these two worlds,” he said, of his recent travels to El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. “On one hand, we provide two-watt systems, basically the panel is …

Global climate models may be overstating the warming properties of black carbon particles, according to new research led by the University of California, Davis. The study will be published online Aug. 31 in the journal Science. “Our results don’t change the fact that things are going to warm — just to what degree, literally,” said Christopher Cappa, a UC Davis …

Solar gardens to bloom on Colorado rooftop, farm field and parking lot Denver Post Where do you plant a solar garden? In Colorado they’ll be found on the roof of an old airplane hangar, on pillars hovering over a vegetable field and a school parking lot. Those are a few of the place that the first solar gardens – photovoltaic …

Building-Integrated Wind Power System The largest building-integrated wind power system in the U.S. is now spinning on the roof of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), thanks to a collaboration between Venger Wind and SWG Energy. Venger Wind installed a series of 18 vertical axis wind turbines (their own V2 model) as a part of OMRF’s sustainability strategy of producing …

According to EnergyTrend, the green energy research division of TrendForce, the demand in PV market remained sluggish. Outlook for September appears bleak, and the expected demand rebound may not occur. On the other hand, shrinking end-market subsidies has affected the return on investment (ROI) of solar systems. Manufacturers and makers have become less flexible when it comes to cost control …