NREL opens data to help planners and regulators understand implications of higher wind and solar generation August 31, 2016 – A new study from the United States Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) used high-performance computing capabilities and innovative visualization tools to model, in unprecedented detail, how the power grid of the eastern United States could operationally …

  Installations by Sullivan Solar Power with Kyocera solar panels projected to save over $65,000 annually   San Diego, Calif. (July 11, 2016) – The North County Fire Protection District (NCFPD or District) has powered up five separate fire stations and one maintenance facility in northern San Diego County to run entirely on solar electricity, with the six facilities now supplying …

San Diego is California’s first territory to reach major solar milestone SAN DIEGO – June 29, 2016 – Today, San Diego beat larger metro areas including San Francisco and Los Angeles to become the first city in California to reach the solar cap in their utility’s region. Solar in San Diego has become a $1 billion a year industry and …

The practice of harnessing clean, renewable energy from the sun to power homes and businesses is gaining popularity as improved technology and business models are reaching consumers. Solar energy is harnessed using photovoltaic (PV) panel systems that convert sunlight directly into electrical energy that can be used to power your home’s heating, cooling, lighting and appliances. PV panels are easily …

Clean Cities Coalitions Across the U.S. Host Record-Setting Propane Autogas Conversion Vehicle Converted F-150 and Mower on a 5500 mile “Alliance AutoGas Coast-to-Coast Clean Air Ride” Fresh from setting a record for the Fastest Recorded Alternative Fuel Conversion to propane autogas in 1:32:25, the Alliance AutoGas converted F-150 is now set to embark on a 5500 mile 12-city “Alliance AutoGas Coast-to-Coast Clean …

California Public Utilities Commission approves San Diego Gas & Electric’s innovative “Vehicle-Grid Integration” program San Francisco — Yesterday, the California Public Utilities Commission voted to approve San Diego Gas & Electric’s innovative “Vehicle-Grid Integration” program. Under the program, SDG&E will deploy 3,500 charging stations in the San Diego area, and, through special “dynamic pricing,” encourage charging during off-peak hours or …

Owens Corning and Constellation Celebrate Completion of 2.4-MeGAWATT Solar Project Parking canopy solar installation at Owens Corning headquarters supports company’s new 50 percent target for greenhouse gas reduction Owens Corning (NYSE: OC) and Constellation, a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation, today celebrated the completion of a 2.4-megawatt (DC) solar generation project at Owens Corning’s headquarters in Toledo. Located above 935 parking …

Britain’s First Low-Cost Energy Positive Home is an “I was there moment” The question of how we will power our homes in a carbon-free future is, in many ways, the defining challenge of the 21st century. While climate scientists are in unanimous agreement that fossil fuels must be left in the ground if we are to avert dangerous levels of …

Innovative partnership is celebrated on Earth Day for turning waste to watts, saving tax dollars GRESHAM, Ore. – The City of Gresham today celebrated the ingenuity and collaborative spirit that made possible an environmental achievement – engineering the Pacific Northwest’s first energy net zero wastewater treatment plant. Achieving net zero status means that the plant makes about the same amount of electricity as …

Iowa Biodiesel Board says on-farm use has room to grow ANKENY, Iowa – St. Patrick’s Day isn’t the only date for celebration this week – at least not for biodiesel supporters. National Biodiesel Day is March 18, and the Iowa Biodiesel Board is taking the opportunity to remind farmers to ask for and use biodiesel as they head into spring …

By Robert Sanders, Media Relations | February 9, 2015 BERKELEY —Generating electricity from biomass, such as urban waste and sustainably-sourced forest and crop residues, is one strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, because it is carbon-neutral: it produces as much carbon as the plants suck out of the atmosphere. A carbon dioxide injection well in Australia. (Photo courtesy of CO2CRC) …

SHALE-RELATED CONSTRUCTION BOOM IN 2014 MEANS GREENHOUSE GAS EQUIVALENT OF 12 NEW #143744271 / gettyimages.com Because of cheaper fuel prices driven by the shale drilling boom, U.S. companies in 2014 received draft or final permits to build at least 46 new or expanded petrochemical facilities across the U.S. that will produce 55 million tons of greenhouse gases a year, according …

When policymakers tally clean energy’s real worth, they consider jobs and environment. But other work achieved by clean energy goes forgotten. Two new papers shed light on some of this work – from saving the lives of US troops to influencing broad economic health. First, the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) argues that the U.S. military needs to assign …

A funny thing happened to Urban Green Energy (UGE) on the way to becoming a small wind turbine manufacturer. The New York company discovered that demand was limited for its product on a stand-alone basis. But combine small wind turbines with solar, storage and some intelligence – into a remote microgrid – and the market is vast. This is especially true …

  Considering that America has some of the biggest natural gas reserves in the world, and gasoline has become extremely expensive in the past few years, it makes a lot of sense to start using it as vehicle fuel on a larger scale. But, while the benefits of using natural gas as an alternative to gasoline are multi-fold, as it …

By Travis Hoium A decade ago, the solar industry was almost nonexistent in the U.S. There was a large solar thermal power plant in the Mojave Desert that was completed in 1984; but between then and around 2008, there was almost no solar activity in the U.S. That all changed as costs quickly dropped for solar energy, and solar panel prices …

Energy efficiency advocates have argued for years that energy efficiency should be a first fuel – considered before others in portfolio planning.  Today, they appear victorious with the release of the US’ first-ever carbon dioxide restrictions for existing power plants. The draft rule places energy efficiency in good position to be a top choice as states set strateagies to meet …

Nearly 70 years after Ball State University installed its four coal-fired boilers, school employees have stopped shoveling and the old system has gone cold as the university embraces renewable energy with world’s largest district closed geothermal energy system. Jim Lowe, director of engineering, construction and operations, watched the historic event. He’s overseen the $80 million geothermal project — consisting of …

This chart shows the production tax credit at its most recent level (dashed lines). The credit is currently worth 2.3 cents per kWh for ten years, or about 1.6 cents per kWh when levelized over the 20-year life of a typical wind contract.    The costs of using wind energy and natural gas for electricity are virtually equal when accounting for …

Gasoline-like fuels can be made from cellulosic materials such as farm and forestry waste using a new process invented by chemists at the University of California, Davis. The process could open up new markets for plant-based fuels, beyond existing diesel substitutes. “What’s exciting is that there are lots of processes to make linear hydrocarbons, but until now nobody has been …