exclusively for: www.alternativeenergy.com   The latest round of government attacks on the renewable energy sector has effectively reduced the earning potential of solar panels by approximately £8,000. What does this mean for homeowners and the industry?   What was the FIT?   The Feed-in Tariff (FIT) is a government subsidy paid to homeowners and some businesses that generated their own …

Airlight Energy, a Swiss-based supplier of solar electricity technology has partnered with IBM Research to bring affordable solar technology to the market by 2017. The system can concentrate the sun’s radiation 2,000 times and convert 80 percent of it into useful energy to generate 12 kilowatts of electrical power and 20 kilowatts of heat on a sunny day—enough to power several average …

Kyocera, Gaia Power, Kyudenko and Century Tokyo Leasing Announce Construction of 92MW Solar Power Plant in Japan One of Japan’s largest solar installations to provide equivalent power for roughly 30,500 households Kyocera Corporation (President: Goro Yamaguchi, herein “Kyocera”), K.K. GAIA POWER (President: Koji Fujisaki, herein “Gaia Power”), Kyudenko Corporation (President: Matsuji Nishimura, herein “Kyudenko”), and Century Tokyo Leasing Corporation (President: …

Here is a novel idea. In some areas of the USA homeowners, renters, and business owners might have a choice of who they buy their electricity from and there could be savings in the mix. While many parts of the country remain locked in with communities and homeowners having no choice as to where they get their utilities from, some …

  World’s Largest HOA Management Firm Enters into First Nationwide Partnership with Leading Home Solar Company    Sunrun, the largest dedicated residential solar company in the United States, today announced a partnership with Associa, the world’s largest community association management firm, which serves more than two million households. This is Associa’s first relationship with a solar provider as it seeks …

Researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have used a combination of metabolic engineering and directed evolution to develop a new, mutant yeast strain that could lead to a more efficient biofuel production process that would make biofuels more economically competitive with conventional fuels. Their findings were published online in the journal Metabolic …

  Microgrids are among 15 opportunities that can fix some big, world problems. That’s the word from DNV GL in a new report that looks at five global threats and the doors they open for innovators. One of the threats is our reliance on fossil fuels, says Global Opportunity Report 2015. Microgrids or “energy autonomy” offers an alternative path. “This …

Though the first official assessment that climate change was caused by human activity came in 1988, with NASA scientist James Hansen’s famous testimony to the U.S. Congress, the “carbon neutral” concept, which refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions, is a relatively new one. The non-profit Climate Neutral Network, which developed the Climate Neutral Certification, was incorporated in 1999; the …

  The age of solar being used to generate energy on the roof tops of commercial buildings now seems to be coming into its own. No longer just the domain of rooftop household solar or large solar power stations, commercial building owners can now see the benefits of using solar on their large commercial roof space. This report give the …

World’s Largest Fuel Cell Park Completed in South Korea FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq:FCEL), a global leader in the design, manufacture, operation and service of ultra-clean, efficient and reliable fuel cell power plants, today announced a series of updates about the Asian market including completion of the world’s largest fuel cell park in South Korea, the sale of 3.7 megawatts of …

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces that it has installed a Smart Mobility Park electric mobility charging station at Toyota Ecoful Town, its low-carbon society model district located in Toyota City. While functioning as a hub for electric mobility sharing, the Smart Mobility Park can also generate and store electrical power, making it possible to reduce the burden on the electricity …

It’s National Biodiesel Day, and Iowans have reason to celebrate March 18 puts focus on biodiesel’s contributions to state economy, environment and energy security ANKENY, Iowa  –  March 18 is National Biodiesel Day, a day for Iowans to reflect on the contribution they are making to the nation as the number one producer of biodiesel. “With biodiesel, Iowans are leading …

Sierra Club, Earthjustice File Legal Challenge to Protect Solar Tax Credit in Hawai‘i State tax proposal would slam the brakes on solar energy, Hawai‘i jobs Today, the Sierra Club, represented by Earthjustice, filed a legal challenge in state circuit court to the Hawai‘i Department of Taxation’s recent decision to cut back on tax credits for residents and businesses that install …

How to grow a solar energy garden By Elisa Wood Getting energy from the sun is a great idea. However, installing solar panels house-by-house is slow, costly and cumbersome, and downright inefficient if the goal is to bring solar to the masses. This problem troubled Paul Spencer after he built his own uber-efficient, custom solar home near Aspen, Colorado in …

One of the most pervasive myths of modern society is that making green choices as a consumer is expensive. The idea that reducing the amount of waste will lead to further costs is an absurd but persistent one. Some green living choices using new technologies will cost a lot on the front end, including the installation of renewable energy sources, …

New Report Finds U.S. Solar Energy Installations Soared by 109% in 2011 to 1,855 Megawatts Today, GTM Research and SEIA® release U.S. Solar Market Insight: Year-­in-­Review 2011, analyzing the industry’s record growth and what lies ahead in 2012 and beyond. The U.S. solar energy industry installed a record 1,855 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic (PV) capacity in 2011, more than doubling …

By Elisa Wood March 8, 2012 US Congresswoman Michele Bachmann often asks why government should tell us which kind of light bulb to choose. Turns out it’s a question with a trillion dollar answer. We will save $1.1 trillion through 2035 because of existing energy efficiency mandates for light bulbs and appliances, according to a report issued this week by …

So you want to go green. But where do you start? Unless your sibling or significant other happens to be a green energy specialist or sustainable living expert, the path to true eco-friendliness and energy efficiency is difficult to take. Often times homeowners will simply spend money on perceived fixes because some TV talking head said so, while failing to …

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 …

Because of cutting down trees, we lose as many as six billion trees annually. This has to do with the demand for items that are made from trees. Writing paper and household tissues are an illustration of this, as well as the timber used to construct homes. Regrettably, we need the things that the trees produce but we can do …