While renewable energy has the power to address many social issues beyond just the consumption of greenhouse gas-emitting fuels, the real-world application of solar and wind too often falls short of addressing these goals. In...
Federal support of solar power has been an unpredictable ally over the years, as politics have more than once cast a long shadow over the renewal of tax credits. This year, members of Congress have taken steps to remove that...
According to data released each month by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), there is good news for electrical contractors involved in utility-scale renewables projects, especially wind and solar. According to...
For electrical contractors involved in solar roof installations who think that the same Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety requirements apply to their workers that apply to roofers, a recent court...
According to the just-released ninth annual " Deloitte Resources 2019 Study ,” the knowledge gap between business customers and residential customers related to the benefits of clean energy is continuing to widen. While...
Renewables have faced many challenges in their quest to penetrate mainstream energy markets. High costs and the whims of nature have always been the foremost among them. As renewable energy grows, add oversupply to the list....
New tech giants, like Google, Tesla and Microsoft, have all made big splashes in the renewable energy space. Now, social media pioneer Facebook may have charted a new course with its investment in a Texas solar development....
In Madison, Wis., wealth is no longer a prerequisite for adding solar panels on your roof. The city’s new Backyard Solar grant program helps low-income residents and neighborhood organizations participate in the solar energy...
In an attempt to jump-start its residential solar business, Tesla has lowered the prices of its solar panels and solar equipment so much that they cost 16 percent less than the national average, according to an article in The...
The solar energy market has hit a remarkable milestone, hitting 2 million solar photovoltaic (PV) installations (residential, commercial and utility-scale solar), representing 70 gigawatts (GW) across the United States this...
Electrical contractors are becoming more involved in the design, installation and servicing of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for residential, commercial and industrial facilities. While this may be a sideline business for...
There are many ways to measure solar power's growth in the United States. According to a recent study, much of it is happening in major metropolitan areas. In April, Environment America Research and Policy Center teamed up...
Turning seemingly far flung ideas into new energy resources with great mainstream potential has been a hallmark of the renewable revolution. In the spirit of that tradition, as offshore wind gains its own foothold in the...
Does the National Electrical Code (NEC) stand in the way of implementing new technology? In the words of Michael Johnston, chair of the NEC Correlating Committee, “The NEC’s purpose is to ensure the safe but sound...
Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL) last month announced plans to build the 409-megawatt FPL Manatee Energy Storage Center, expected to be operational by late 2021. The center will cover a 40-acre parcel of land and will be able...
Farmers across the United States are eyeing a new crop. Unlike corn or wheat, this commodity requires no fertilizer and little irrigation (though some weeding is required). And, while trade tariffs are slowing some efforts to...
U.S. energy generation is increasingly nearing a “cost crossover,” in which traditional energy sources will become more expensive than wind and solar. The crossover is even closer when the two variables sources are combined...
In December 2017, the Thomas Fire killed two people and burned 300,000 acres in the hillsides surrounding Santa Barbara, Calif. One month later, during a winter rain storm, the burnt slopes gave way to mudslides, which killed...
It might sound like newfangled science-fiction tech, but China has plans to build the world’s first space-based solar power station by 2050, according to an article in Forbes . The solar power station, owned by the state’s...
Pennsylvania State University and Lightsource BP are partnering to develop a 70-megawatt (MW) project, which will provide 25 percent of the university’s electricity needs for 25 years, according to a university press release...
