Texas Will Get Billions for Environmental Projects from $1.2T Infrastructure Bill, from Clean Water to EV Charging to Public Transit » Dallas Innovates

$550 billion in new infrastructure spending is coming to projects nationwide—and a big slice is bound for Texas. From new electric buses to rail projects to improved power infrastructure to lead water service line removal and more, Texas’ environment may … Continue reading

Jigar Shah’s big idea for getting rooftop solar and… | Canary Media

How the DOE could marshal its loan guarantees to decarbonize the grid and boost energy equity in one fell swoop. Can a government program created to back industrial-scale energy infrastructure help get efficient smart appliances and solar-battery systems into the … Continue reading

New Solar + Battery Price Crushes Fossil Fuels, Buries Nuclear

Los Angeles Power and Water officials have struck a deal on the largest and cheapest solar + battery-storage project in the world, at prices that leave fossil fuels in the dust and may relegate nuclear power to the dustbin. Later … Continue reading

Energy storage hits the fast track, doubling year-over-year installations

Fueled by increased interest in grid service applications like time-of-use (TOU) shifting, self-consumption and backup power, the U.S. market for energy storage doubled in 2018 and is expected to double again by the end of the year. Of the 777 … Continue reading

Where Batteries are Replacing Power Plants

A curious thing recently happened in Southern California. One of the largest utilities in the country scrapped a proposal to build a new peaker plant, opting instead to build a battery system that could store excess electricity from solar and … Continue reading

Just Add Water: New Salt Battery Could Help Spell the End of Fossil Fuels

This groundbreaking new project in Germany is testing the use of salt as an ingredient for a fossil fuel-free future.

The Reuter power plant in Berlin recently launched a new system of technology that is using calcium oxide, also known as quicklime, to store heat for long periods of time.

Germany already has the renewable energy capacity to power more than half of the country, but since many green energy sources are dependent on consistent weather conditions, the nation is forced to continue using fossil fuels as backup energy sources.

Quicklime, on the other hand, generates large amounts of heat when it is simply exposed to water.

Continue reading

The military is cutting its dangerous dependence on diesel – with solar power and microgrids

The US Army is not particularly shy about adopting the latest high-tech gadgets, and renewable energy is a case in point. Despite all the fossil friendly rhetoric emanating from the White House, the Army is still pursuing microgrids with renewable … Continue reading

An Open Letter To Be the Change and Lead the Change

Whale blubber and buggy whips were once fine industries, but progress moved us away. And today we know the days are over of a false choice between environmental protection and economic growth. Since when did the simple concept of leaving … Continue reading

Swiss startup Energy Vault is stacking concrete blocks to store energy — Quartz

Swiss-based Energy Vault provides an alternative to pumped-hydro energy storage by using concrete blocks and cranes instead of water and dams. The Energy Vault concept contends that because concrete is denser than water, lifting a block of concrete requires more … Continue reading

The Burden — American Resilience Project

The San Antonio chapters of the Citizens Climate Lobby, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance held a panel discussion on June 9, 2018 about how fossil fuel dependence affects national security — and how the military … Continue reading

MIT’s new flow battery breathes air to cut costs of renewable energy storage

Renewable energy might be clean, but it's not always reliable if the Sun ducks behind clouds or the wind slacks off. To counter that variability, the grid will need to combine a range of different sources, such as solar, wind, … Continue reading

Power Move: How On-Site Energy Solutions Can Help Save the Grid

Across the U.S., energy users of all sizes are taking control of their power supply and relieving stress from the grid. That’s the idea behind distributed energy. Atlantic Re:think and Siemens partnered to explore this burgeoning energy revolution in 360º … Continue reading

Almost every country in the world can power itself with renewable energy

The country’s energy mix is under scrutiny. A report commissioned by Energy Secretary Rick Perry acknowledges that low natural gas prices—not renewables—are behind the recent closure of coal energy plants, and that the grid has managed to withstand the increasing … Continue reading

Utility Helps Wean Vermonters From the Electric Grid

The program offers just one example of the continuing efforts at the local level to rethink a largely carbon-based power system. The initiatives are driven by financial advantages as well as environmental ones. Green Mountain’s chief executive, Mary Powell, sees … Continue reading

San Antonio Outshines Other Texas Cities In Solar Energy Capacity

San Antonio is the state's leader in solar energy capacity, according to a recent report assessing local "smart" policies across America. Within the last decade, growth in the solar energy industry has brought numerous businesses and new initiatives to San … Continue reading

The Electric-Car Boom Is So Real Even Oil Companies Say It’s Coming

Oil major Total SA says EVs will drive 30% of car sales Outlook is more bullish on EVs than most forecasters Electric cars are coming fast — and that’s not just the opinion of carmakers anymore. Total SA, one of … Continue reading

eLab Accelerator Projects Sustain Hope for Clean Energy Innovation

Starting yesterday, the 2017 eLab Accelerator teams has convened at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah to accelerate their initiatives with the support of nationally renowned expert faculty and eLab’s specially trained facilitators. At Accelerator and beyond, projects from across … Continue reading

‘Chasing Methane’ – Years of Living Dangerously

Should this be taken into account if we're going to spend money on infrastructure and current administration's energy policies? In 2016, the Obama Administration announced bold regulations to curb methane emissions. Now House Republicans are trying to undo those regulations. … Continue reading

UTSA researching battery that can store renewable energy | WOAI

SAN ANTONIO —  Right now professors and students at UTSA are conducting tests on a special battery that could help the nation when it comes to storing renewable energy. It's still early in the testing phase as a team of … Continue reading

SPI 2016 – KACO new energy, Inc. releases new revision of Ultraverter, lowers pricing | AltEnergyMag

San Antonio, TX: KACO new energy, one of the fastest growing solar companies in the North American utility-scale market, today announced that it is shipping an updated version of its residential MLPE solution, the blueplanet Ultraverter™ to an expanded distribution … Continue reading