The American Association for the Advancement of Science is trying to awaken more Americans to the dangers of climate change, with a report Tuesday that focuses on a clear and accessible explanation of the evidence. It's a commendable and necessary … 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 →
This is Aros, a Wi-Fi connected air conditioner aimed at energy-conscious consumers that Quirky and GE are launching today. It's by far the biggest and most complicated product that Quirky has ever built, and it aims to help solve truly … 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 →
By now, you have likely heard I am proposing a transition that will move San Antonio down a path toward becoming a litter-free community. Late last year, after multiple conversations with members of the Citizen’s Environmental Advisory Committee members are … 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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
According to Fox Business reporter Shibani Joshi, renewables are successful in Germany and not in the U.S. because Germany has “got a lot more sun than we do.” Sure, California might get sun now and then, Joshi conceded during her … 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 →
With all of the media attention paid of late to the rollout of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), it’d be easy to miss a related, if seemingly mundane, development: the recent release of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced … 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 →
The transition from coal to natural gas is expected to significantly decrease carbon emissions. However, gas production poses its own environmental concerns. One of those is the problem of so-called “produced water”—large volumes of underground water with a lot of … 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 →
When CPS Energy, San Antonio’s publicly-owned utility, mailed out letters to the owners of solar-sporting homes in early April announcing that it was considering a program that would cut payments for sun-derived energy nearly in half – from 9.7 cents … Continue reading →
