Sometimes energy makes headlines, sometimes it doesn’t.  But it almost always has important implications for the global economy, the environment, and our day-to-day lives. Here are 10 energy statistics from 2012 that capture some of the most noteworthy trends of the year, and that will shape the energy world in the years to come. Natural gas, one of the three key fossil …

The Top 10 predictions for the global photovoltaic market in 2013, from the IHS Solar service at information and analytics provider IHS. “The photovoltaic industry is in the midst of wrenching change—buffeted by government incentive cuts and nose-diving prices that has hurt solar suppliers worldwide, rocked by trade disputes among its major players, and hamstrung by a sputtering global economy,” …

The STEM principles of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math are all demonstrated through the use of solar Motech Americas has announced the completion of a large solar PV project by Pacific Power Renewables that is now providing all the energy needs for the Aerospace Museum of California in McClellan, California just north of Sacramento. The museum is also playing a …

When the idea of the electric car was proposed to minimize greenhouse gases and pollution, the two basic platforms were the hybrid platform and a pure electric platform. When it comes to the latter, the main issue is the low range of operation. While the breakthrough in battery technology is unlikely to happen, students, scientists, hobbyists and of course companies …

The EPA reports that 36 percent of total energy use and 65 percent of electricity consumption comes from buildings. When these numbers approach 0, mankind will have taken a major step towards fossil fuel independence. Exciting new green energy technologies are leading us towards a promising future at a more rapid pace than many have imagined. Recent developments in solar …

Mobile Robots Turn Solar Panels to Follow the Sun IEEE Spectrum Startup QBotix says robots can boost efficiency of solar energy. China Price War Draining Jobs in Germany’s Solar Valley Renewable Energy World When Thomas Behling returned to his home state of Saxony-Anhalt in 2006, he was drawn by a job in the solar industry and the chance to participate …

Global climate models may be overstating the warming properties of black carbon particles, according to new research led by the University of California, Davis. The study will be published online Aug. 31 in the journal Science. “Our results don’t change the fact that things are going to warm — just to what degree, literally,” said Christopher Cappa, a UC Davis …

When power plants begin capturing their carbon emissions to reduce greenhouse gases – and to most in the electric power industry, it’s a question of when, not if – it will be an expensive undertaking. Current technologies would use about one-third of the energy generated by the plants – what’s called “parasitic energy” – and, as a result, substantially drive …

Thinking Neutral: Small Towns Look to Renewables to Reduce Reliance on the Grid By Dave Levitan The town of Fowler, Colo., (pop. 1,087) sits in a 150-mile corridor between Pueblo and the Kansas border that boasts about half a million head of cattle. A few years ago, Fowler, like much of the country, faced a difficult economy and rising energy …

Carbon Storage – and More A novel process developed by a University professor with help from an IREE grant aims to produce clean, renewable energy while reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. A University of Minnesota earth sciences professor and a postdoctoral fellow in his work group have imagined a new process for generating electricity with a two-for-one climate benefit. …

For most consumers, the art of purchasing solar panels to use at home is strictly for producing energy and reducing electricity costs. Though this is the number one selling point for any consumer, the use of solar panels and their benefits go well beyond just a cheaper electricity bill. Sustainable, Renewable Energy A lot of consumers interested in solar panels …

The premise behind the zero energy homes is that you have a house that not only generates its own energy through renewable energy sources but also has less of an initial carbon impact with the materials that are used to build the house. The theory is that you end up with a carbon neutral home. Zero energy homes and similar …

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel for diesel engines derived from vegetable oils or animal fats. It is made from renewable sources, burns with less emissions than regular diesel and is biodegradable. Because we no longer need to mine fossil fuels this source ticks all the right environmental boxes. Luckily for us, choosing biodiesel also ticks all the right financial boxes, …

Good article today on ZD Net about the next year in electric cars. 7 trends driving electric vehicles in 2012 As 2011 draws to a close, the environment for electric vehicle adoption remains positive — despite a dramatically altered political landscape, which could result in reduced federal financial support for pilots or individual purchases moving forward, and battery safety concerns …

Guest post today from our friend Dan Auld who is a San Diego writer whose stories about solar at Wal-Mart and Google and other alternative energy sources. This article points out some interesting stuff about the issues that the solar installation business needs to be aware of in order to survive these hard economic times. Not sure if Rush should …

What is solar photovoltaic suitable for? On this period of unsure career and economic difficulty, a lot of homeowners are looking at installing solar photovoltaic for electricity. Although start-up prices are bigger than other renewable technologies, photovoltaic solar cells have vital advantages and benefits which should be considered. You’ll know what is solar photovoltaic suitable for as you read more. …

I looked into solar for a couple years trying to figure out how I could afford to install solar on my home, but it was too expensive for most of that time. Then along came a great new option to the marketplace. Solar leases were introduced after the solar power companies secured funding sources that would allow them to install …

By Steven Pleging I believe that the loss of industry players Solyndra, Evergreen, and SpectraWatt opens the market for more innovative solar companies to succeed with smarter tactics and mainstream products that fit into existing manufacturing models. Remember when the dot.com bubble burst in 2000 and, seemingly overnight, some companies ceased making millions hand-over-fist? Flash forward to 2011, when nearly …

If you happen to be at all like us, it can be nerve-wracking when you need accurate details concerning Green Energy, and it seems nearly out of the question to find. You need to refine your searches to get the very best data, and then you have to sort through mountains of data. It is usually a frequent effect of …

As winter descends and cold weather takes hold, it seems that humans aren’t so different to other animals after all. It seems humans’ animal instinct takes over in the winter months, much like animals who are planning to hibernate for the winter, shopping trolleys are stacked to the roof with food and the refrigerator door requires a sharp kick to …