Environmental Advocate Shares Affordable Gadgets that Shrink Your Footprint – and Your Bills   Just as intended, the 44th annual celebration of Earth Day on April 22 will be surrounded by talk of our environment, our impact on it and what we can do to better live in harmony with it. “We’re seeing more and more people who realize that, …

Hydropower – Powerspout Generator How would you like to create power for your home or work space with the energy of that water flowing on or near your property already? We found this Australian built power generator and thought our readers would like to know more about this sort of option. If you live off the grid or would just …

USDA Grant Aims to Convert Beetle-Killed Trees into Biofuel The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it has awarded nearly $10 million to an academic, industry, and government consortium led by Colorado State University to study the major challenges limiting the use of insect-killed trees in the Rockies as a sustainable feedstock for bioenergy. The award was made …

Unique Program Reduces Costs for Customers by About $7500 Each, Making Solar Power More Affordable and Attractive To Homeowners The Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA) and SmartPower released today a report that reveals a proven model for dramatically reducing the cost barrier that has stood in the way of wide-scale adoption of residential solar power in the United …

The Geothermal Energy Association today released a new report showing continued strong growth signals in the international market for geothermal power. The report, 2013 Geothermal Power: International Market Overview, identifies 70 countries moving forward with nearly 700 geothermal power projects. “The number of geothermal projects continues to grow as more and more countries recognize the potential economic and environmental benefits that geothermal …

A new assessment commissioned by the Clean Energy Ministerial’s Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) initiative finds that deploying super-efficient air conditioners could significantly reduce energy use by 2020 in selected countries, avoiding the need for more than 100 medium-sized (500-megawatt) power plants. Conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Navigant Consulting, the Cooling the Planet: Opportunities for Deployment …

Xcel, MidAmerican among leaders as more utilities sign up for consumer savings U.S. electric utilities are locking in fixed-price contracts for wind power, now more cost-competitive than ever, illustrating the success of a key federal tax policy in holding down rates for consumers. A total of 66 U.S. utilities bought or owned wind power by the start of this year …

The U.S. wind energy industry had its strongest year ever in 2012, says the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), installing a record 13,124 megawatts (MW) of electric generating capacity, leveraging $25 billion in private investment, and achieving over 60,000 MW of cumulative wind capacity. The milestone of 60,000 MW (60 gigawatts) was reached just five months after AWEA announced last …

Caltech Researchers Create Highly Absorbing, Flexible  Cells with Silicon Wire Arrays Using arrays of long, thin silicon wires embedded in a polymer substrate, a team of scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has created a new type of flexible solar cell that enhances the absorption of sunlight and efficiently converts its photons into electrons. The solar cell does …

By Elisa Wood Advanced lighting has brought us not only energy savings, but also a slew of new screw-in-a-light bulb jokes. For LEDs, it usually goes something like this: How many people does it take to screw in a LED light? One. And a roomful of deep wallets to pay for it. To be fair, the cost of LEDs (light-emitting …

It may not be easy being green, but it is getting better. With more and more companies climbing aboard the green parade, making your home more environmentally friendly is becoming simpler and financially more rewarding in terms of energy savings. While there are the big things you can do to your home like adding insulation and replacing your old doors …

Students from Porterville High School’s AERO — Alternative Energy Resource Occupations — Academy spent Tuesday and Wednesday installing solar panels and hanging an inverter on a local affordable-housing project. Working with GRID Alternatives, the students climbed the roof of the home, measured, mounted, racked gear and placed the solar modules and panels on what is GRID’s 100th home installation in …

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 47 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions are from existing buildings. From a global perspective, reducing energy consumption in buildings is imperative for a sustainable future. So when property owners and managers transform an existing facility into one that’s a high-performance building, what does that mean? Essentially, it means doing more with less. …

Wind power bringing innovation, manufacturing back to American industry Stable policy leads to jobs and affordable electricity; Uncertain future impedes progress The U.S. wind industry’s 2011 Annual Market Report shows that American wind power is at the heart of an American success story ending another strong year of double-digit growth. The market report illustrates how wind power has created a …

Valley of the Sun YMCA to Activate 1.6 Megawatt (MW) Multi-Facility Solar Program Across 16 Arizona Y-Locations ~Local Officials Join Valley of the Sun YMCA, Scout Solar, and Centrosolar America for Ribbon Cutting Dedication in Scottsdale, Arizona~ Today, the Valley of the Sun YMCA, Scout Solar, LLC, Centrosolar America, and the City of Scottsdale celebrated the deployment of 66.55 kilowatts …

Despite difficult times economically over the last few years in the US, the solar market has been taking off, dramatically increasing the percentage of energy coming from clean, renewable sources. This growth has largely been thanks to a combination of factors. Consumer demand has dramatically increased due to mounting awareness of solar panels as an easy-to-install home improvement – they …

SolarCity and Shea Homes® Introduce the “No Electric Bill” Home Project, expected to be among the largest of its kind, will make solar-powered, net-zero homes available in five states SolarCity®, a national leader in clean energy services, and Shea Homes, one of the country’s largest privately-held home builders, have partnered to make a “no electric bill” home available to homebuyers …

Energy costs are rising. That’s a indisputable. With decreasing access of natural energy resources like oil, coal and natural gas, the price of the electric power continuously ticks up. For lots of us the skyrocketing price of electric power is placing an intolerable strain on our pocketbooks. Solar panels provide an excellent alternative option to traditional energy sources. Additionally, getting …

Many states and localities are pushing to institute deregulation of energy companies and this move is designed to reduce electricity rates. Proponents of deregulation claim that putting the power of choice into the hands of the consumer will allow them to benefit from cheap electricity. Many consumer groups are calling for deregulation and the cheap electricity they say will come …

Pepco Buys UMD’s Solar Decathlon-Winner for Public Education COLLEGE PARK, Md. – WaterShed, the international-prize-winning solar house built by University of Maryland students, faculty and professional partners, has found a buyer and a permanent site: Electric service provider Pepco is purchasing the high-tech building, and plans to locate it at one of its facilities in Montgomery County, Maryland. The purchase …