More than 40 million people worldwide have been displaced from their homes and left to find shelter in strange lands. Maybe they find a tarp, or a tent, but their quality of life almost always remains dismal. To close this … Continue reading →
AUSTIN, TX – A new report from The Solar Foundation (TSF), a national non-profit research organization, finds more than 4,100 Texans are now working in the solar power industry, marking a 28 per cent increase in solar jobs in one … Continue reading →
When Bill Sinkin first approached CPS Energy about promoting solar power, officials were amenable, said Joe Fulton, who was director of environmental planning and research at the time. A change in leadership delayed the agreement, but since it was inked … 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 →
Earthships are 100% sustainable homes that are both cheap to build and awesome to live in. They offer amenities like no other sustainable building style you have come across. For the reasons that follow, I believe Earthships can actually change … Continue reading →
When SolarCity and Tesla last month announced they were teaming up to offer battery backup for residential solar PV systems, they generated much excitement … and a disproportionate amount of press. From Greentech Media to the New York Times, stories … 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 →
Architecture 2030 challenges the global architecture and building community to implement strategies to reduce energy and water consumption and vehicle emissions by 50 percent by 2030. Becoming a 2030 District offers San Antonio an ideal model for monitoring emissions and … 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 →
Researchers from North Carolina State University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have found an easy way to modify the molecular structure of a polymer commonly used in solar cells. Their modification can increase solar cell efficiency by more than … Continue reading →
A team of Harvard scientists and engineers has demonstrated a new type of battery that could fundamentally transform the way electricity is stored on the grid, making power from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar far more economical … Continue reading →
Green design is no longer a niche market in building construction today. As energy and health costs have increased, demands for healthier, safer and environmentally friendly buildings have become the norm rather than the exception. “(Green architecture) is becoming much … 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 →
A new proposal from Arizona’s ratepayer advocate seeks to resolve the hostility between utilities and solar advocates over net energy metering. Regulators “will look to us because their main function is to make sure residential ratepayers get fair treatment, and … Continue reading →
What's in store for the future of energy? VERGE SF 2013 concluded with this 27 minute freewheeling discussion among sustainability heavyweights. The New York Times reporter Andy Revkin caught up with Amory Lovins, chairman of the Rocky Mountain Institute and … Continue reading →
In Texas' 21st century energy economy, San Antonio has it all. It enjoys abundant renewable resources, enabling CPS Energy to include solar-generated electricity in its generating portfolio. San Antonio also is the largest city in South Texas, home of the … Continue reading →
A new technique developed by University of Toronto Engineering Professor Ted Sargent and his research group could lead to significantly more efficient solar cells. In a paper published in the journal Nano Letters, the group describes a new technique to … Continue reading →
Scientists have announced yesterday that a collaboration consisting of ETH Zurich, IBM Research, the Interstate University of Applied Sciences Buchs and Airlight Energy is to develop an affordable photovoltaic system capable of concentrating solar radiation 2,000 times and converting 80 … Continue reading →
Hardware costs for solar have substantially dropped over the past years. Solar module prices have decreased by 70% from 2010 to 2012. The attention is now directed towards soft costs and financing. An NREL study published in September 2013 analyzed … Continue reading →
