As some states attempt to weaken solar crediting policies, Minnesota looks to make them more effective and fair. Minnesota utility regulators on Wednesday approved the nation’s first statewide formula for calculating the value of customer-generated solar power. The Minnesota Public … Continue reading →
Oil refiners are going through a dark phase, one that has not only taken a toll on their profit margins, but that threatens to extend this harrowing narrative for the foreseeable future — a high crude oil price environment. A … Continue reading →
Iron Edison Battery Company has a cost-effective solution to reducing demand charges using Peak Load Shaving. Iron Edison Battery Company, http://www.ironedison.com, now offers a cost-effective solution to reducing demand charges using Peak Load Shaving. Utilizing the latest in inverter and … Continue reading →
The U.S. residential solar market is growing rapidly and undergoing a major transformation at the same time. A new acquisition, partnership, or project fund seems to be announced every week. But what is the underlying trend here? For a while, … Continue reading →
The White House announced a wide-ranging plan Friday aimed at cutting methane emissions from oil and gas drilling, landfills and other sources, part of President Barack Obama's strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. The White … Continue reading →
This is a story about natural gas leakage, and we’re not talking about what happens after your grandfather says, “Pull my finger!” Recent reports in journals such as Science and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences have carried … Continue reading →
Cheaper batteries will allow mainstream pricing of Tesla’s EVs in six years—and lots more. Tesla’s Giga factory aims to reduce the cost of lithium-ion batteries by 30 percent in three years and 50 percent by 2020. This big, bold move … Continue reading →
The American energy system risks being the thing that time forgot. Our aging fossil-fuel-based system is decaying. And in the absence of a plan, the energy system chokingly chugs along without direction or a full understanding of the challenges ahead. … Continue reading →
A breakthrough in battery technology could make large-scale energy storage practical. Researchers at Harvard University say their organic flow-battery would be affordable and efficient. Professor Michael Aziz tells host Steve Curwood how the technology works and why it could significantly … Continue reading →
The German experience shows that there are some real challenges associated with renewables integration. But they're not technical — they are mostly related to rate structures, the high cost of legacy renewable energy subsidies and overlapping energy markets between countries. … Continue reading →
On Wednesday, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission voted to become the first state in the nation to come up with a methodology for calculating the value of solar power generated by consumers — and not just how much that power … Continue reading →
Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson may be the world's biggest fracker Exxon is the biggest natural gas producer in the U.S. but he isn't stupid. He'll frack my backyard and tell me it's good for me and he'll frack your place … Continue reading →
The Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas is the site of one of the biggest energy booms in America, with oil and gas wells sprouting at an unprecedented rate. But local residents fear for their health – not from the … Continue reading →
An eight-month investigation into the public health consequences of unmitigated oil and gas industry sprawl in Texas Members of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team from InsideClimate News, together with the Center for Public Integrity and The Weather Channel, reveal that as … Continue reading →
Designers Kyuho Song and Boa Oh have developed a solution to having no electrical power source to plug into on the go. While our advancing technology provides countless benefits, it has also added to our modern day inconveniences. One such … Continue reading →
The Grid Edge: How Will Utilities, Vendors and Energy Service Providers Adapt? The intersection of grid modernization and the rise of a new end-to-end energy system is already upon us. The term “smart grid” is getting a bit long in … Continue reading →
Read This Retiring Utility Commissioner’s Candid Words About Energy Policy “I suspect that [utilities] would still dearly like to strangle rooftop solar if they could.” When public servants leave office, they sometimes offer up the most candid words of their … Continue reading →
Over the weekend, the New York Times noted that the solar power “craze” is partly responsible for Wall Street’s recent good times. The Times used the example of solar giant SolarCity, which has seen a sevenfold increase in its share … Continue reading →
Two reports published by the US Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory NREL show that soft costs — such as financing and other non-hardware costs — now make up the largest section of solar installation costs, coming in at 64% … Continue reading →
Research breakthroughs have been pretty great for Mother Earth lately: We’re on the cusp of treating polluted water with little more than apple and tomato peels, and now Professor Edward Cocking from the University of Nottingham has created a new … Continue reading →
