As available land for solar projects in many U.S. markets is becoming increasingly scarce—and the price almost everywhere is escalating—solar photovoltaics floating on water could be a welcome alternative, according to...
“Parity” is a term followers of renewable-energy technology have used for years to describe that moment when the cost for electricity generated from wind, solar and other alternative energy sources falls to the level of power...
A new federal report released on Black Friday warns U.S. energy infrastructure is ill-prepared for the anticipated environmental and economic implications of climate change. According to the National Climate Assessment (NCA)...
On November 13, a total of 216 mayors representing cities in all 50 states signed an updated letter calling for continued deployment of solar power. "Cities and towns are natural centers of electricity demand, have the...
Not all shared renewable energy programs are created equal. Indeed, states like Minnesota and New York have commendable programs, while California and Connecticut get low grades, according to the Interstate Renewable Energy...
While optimism over the role of renewable energy in the United States is high, the challenge of overtaking fossil fuels en route to a larger share of the mix remains large. Despite the enormity of the task, renewable energy...
Fueled by dropping prices and better storage capacity, the rate of solar installations is either holding steady or growing in multiple sectors across the United States. In the first quarter of 2018, the U.S. market installed...
As the nation’s energy mix goes through profound changes, the grid that delivers that power has to keep up. This month, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a major funding opportunity for research projects that will...
A new 1-megawatt (MW) solar power plant opened just 330 feet from the site of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, confirming rumors that the site of the nuclear meltdown will have a second life with green energy. The project opened...
The buzzword “intermittency” is used to minimize the potential of wind farms to become even larger contributors to a secure, reliable U.S. energy system, but a new report highlights how this argument is becoming less relevant...
When President Trump enacted trade tariffs against imported photovoltaic (PV) cells and panels in January, he was angling to give U.S. manufacturers a leg up against low-priced Chinese imports. Now, a move by China’s chief...
Increasing numbers of small town governments and businesses are choosing to power themselves with renewable energy, and many of these projects are aided by government-guaranteed loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture...
As part of its journey to toward total carbon neutrality, the City of St. Paul, Minn., has set a goal to make all public buildings carbon-neutral by 2030 and all private buildings carbon-neutral by 2050. Other efforts on its...
In the past few years, there has been an explosion of customer-owned and -sited renewable energy generation (called distributed energy resources, or DER), such as residential rooftop solar, larger solar installations (on...
Minnesota homeowners are joining co-ops to create bulk purchasing power opportunities for solar power systems. Installations can cost $15,000 and higher, but these co-ops help consumers save 10–30 percent of the upfront cost,...
Sports and sustainability have teamed up. Not only are professional sports venues, campus athletic buildings and community recreation centers built with cost savings in mind and achieved through clean energy, energy...
While solar power becomes more common and less complicated to install, some contractors have found a niche in specialty installations that require more expertise and adaptability. These projects offer opportunity for skilled...
Last week, at the International Mayors Climate Summit in Boston, Mayor Martin Walsh of Boston announced his plans to issue a request for information (RFI) for competitive pricing of large-scale renewable energy projects and...
It is certainly no secret that wind-farm development is a booming industry in the United States today. According to the American Wind Energy Association, the addition of more than 7 gigawatts (GW) of wind capacity last year...
The latest energy flow charts from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) show the United States is increasingly using solar and wind power. The charts also show energy consumption in the residential and commercial...
