Great news from New York. No – it’s not that lawmakers have successfully delivered massive solar legislation to the Governor’s desk (YET!). But almost as great. In anticipation of an explosion of solar growth from Governor Cuomo’s NY-Sun Initiative, the New York Public Service Commission just approved a decision to triple the state’s net metering cap. More details and the decision
Solar power is a renewable source of energy but still can be expensive to use so any cost reduction is good. Solar engineers from UNSW have developed an innovative method to dramatically improve the quality of low-grade silicon, promising to significantly improve electrical efficiency and reduce the cost of solar panels. The UNSW team has discovered a
The solar PV growth curves illustrate the rapid expansion in the deployment of this form for distributed generation (DG). The only conclusion one can draw from looking at these graphs is that, after decades of customers’ putting their toes in the water, they’ve begun to take the plunge. Solar has arrived as a mainstream force, dramatically reshaping the way we
With the year nearly half done, here’s the solar scoreboard–updates from things we’ve been working on, and a selection of other notable solar victories.
New state solar programs
New York is our biggest market-building campaign in the East. Last month the Senate unanimously
LED lighting remains the hottest area of green patent litigation, with several complaints filed in the last several weeks. Green patent complaints were recently filed in the areas of advanced batteries and solar powered lighting as well.
The first solar projects from California’s Renewable Auction Mechanism (RAM) are now online. This is some of the world’s lowest-cost solar, now up and running.
For those that need a primer, the RAM is a 1.3 gigawatt program to procure renewable projects
Hawaii is one of the American states cracking ahead to make a switch to clean, solar power. We have reported several achievements Hawaiian Electric Co. reaching 20 megawatts of solar photovoltaic energy on the island of Oahu.
As usual, government incentives play a key part in
After spending $1 billion on renewable energy projects in the last few years, Google is no stranger to reducing their carbon footprint.
It’s common knowledge in the fuel industry that renewable energy sources are becoming more and more popular, thanks to their cost and energy efficiency. As more and more consumers choose to
With spring in full swing, things are looking mighty sunny in Sacramento! California lawmakers are considering a number of solar-friendly policies this year — first out of the gate is AB 217, a bill that will help more low-income Californians go solar. We’re working with our friends at Grid Alternatives to support the bill – we hope you will too!
The Heslin Rothenberg firm’s Clean Energy Patent Growth Index (CEPGI) 2012 Year in Review was published earlier this month. Always an interesting read, the CEPGI is a quarterly publication that tracks grants of U.S. patents directed to clean energy technologies.
The 2012 roundup reports that granted green patents hit an all time high of 3061 for last year, a
Portugal generated more than 70 percent of its electricity from renewable sources of energy during the first quarter of 2013, a record amount fueled largely by hydroelectric and wind energy sources, according to a report from the country’s grid operator.
Hydroelectric generation provided 37 percent of the
The Danish capital is moving rapidly toward a zero-carbon future, as it erects wind farms, transforms its citywide heating systems, promotes energy efficiency, and lures more people out of their cars and onto public transportation and bikes.
Among the first sights to greet visitors to Denmark on
Just a week after Governor Cuomo announced the first round of awards under the NY-Sun Competitive PV program, the Governor is back at it announcing that $13.5 million will be made available to help reduce the overall cost of installing solar, specifically non-module costs. The combination of these announcements represents a one-two punch for
U.S.-based BrightSource Energy has shelved its second major solar thermal project this year as the company and Pacific Gas and Electric terminated the utility’s contract to buy power generated by the plant in south-central California.
In an email, a BrightSource spokesman said the $2.9