With the flip of a switch, PermaCity Solar and American fashion retailer Forever 21, powered-up a massive 5.1-megawatt (DC) high efficiency SunPower solar power system, crowning the construction project that employed many local workers. The system at Forever 21’s headquarters in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles is now the largest single-rooftop solar power system in Los Angeles County …
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Energy Price Volatility
The “new normal”: Energy price volatility and climate framework uncertainty top concerns of global energy leaders World Energy Council report highlights the critical global and regional energy issues Energy leaders see energy price volatility and the future of a climate framework as their top critical uncertainties, according to the latest research by the World Energy Council. The 7th annual edition …
Read More »Fallout from Shale Boom, Fracking
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 …
Read More »Solar Power and Energy Storage
SolarCity Installing Projects at Walmart Facilities Over the Next Four Years SolarCity today announced it has entered into contract with Walmart for the installation of new solar projects at facilities in up to 36 states over the next four years. SolarCity has completed more than 200 solar projects at Walmart locations since 2010. SolarCity has also installed and tested energy storage …
Read More »SCIENTISTS GET TO THE HEART OF FOOL’S GOLD AS A SOLAR MATERIAL
As the installation of photovoltaic solar cells continues to accelerate, scientists are looking for inexpensive materials beyond the traditional silicon that can efficiently convert sunlight into electricity. Theoretically, iron pyrite — a cheap compound that makes a common mineral known as fool’s gold — could do the job, but when it works at all, the conversion efficiency remains frustratingly low. …
Read More »Residential Solar Energy Storage Market to Grow by Factor of 10 from 2014 to 2018
The global market for grid-connected residential photovoltaic (PV) solar installations coupled with energy storage is predicted to grow tenfold to reach more than 900 megawatts (MW) in 2018, up from just 90 MW in 2014, according to new analysis from IHS Technology (NYSE: IHS). This expanding opportunity for PV companies and battery manufacturers largely will be driven by the …
Read More »ALTERNATIVE FUEL STATION TO OPEN AT CHICAGO O’HARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Station on O’Hare property will offer compressed natural gas (CNG), biodiesel and fast-charge charging stations for electric vehicles. CHICAGO – As part of the ongoing sustainability efforts at Chicago’s airports, the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) announced it has contracted with a private company to develop a 4,000-square-foot fueling station and travel center featuring a range of alternative fuels and …
Read More »Solar Energy and Baseball Training
The Seattle Mariners Swing for the Fences with Solar at the Team’s Arizona Training Facility, Provided by Healthy Planet Partners, KYOCERA and Sky Engineering Healthy Planet Partners, LLC (HPP), a Clean Energy Solutions Fund that finances, implements and maintains distributed energy and energy efficiency projects that optimize performance in commercial buildings, and Kyocera Solar, Inc. announced today the completion of …
Read More »U.S. Reports Significant Rise in Electricity Costs
Retail residential electricity prices across the U.S. rose in the first half of this year, averaging 12.3 per kilowatt hour, a 3.2 percent price hike from the same period last year. This is the largest six-month rise since 2009, the U.S Energy Information Administration has reported. Factors that affect your electricity bill There are two main components that contribute to …
Read More »Geothermal Industry Asserts Technology as Beneficial and Affordable
Nearly 300 industry leaders gathered in Reno last week for the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) National Geothermal Summit. The leading forum for Western State policy discussions, the National Geothermal Summit brought together the industry for a dialogue with state and federal policy makers. The industry met to discuss such issues as moving geothermal forward in Nevada; utility perspective on renewable …
Read More »Some Retiring Power Plants May Not Need to be Replaced
Distributed Generation and New Technologies Are Improving Energy Efficiency, Reducing Need to Replace Generation Capacity Black & Veatch‘s 8th annual Strategic Directions: U.S. Electric Industry report shows that many retiring nuclear and coal power plants may not need to be replaced on a megawatt-to-megawatt basis. New technologies and distributed generation (DG), coupled with soft energy demand growth, enable utilities to replace …
Read More »New System Enables Commercial Vehicles to Convert to Hybrid Fuel Technology
It’s no secret electric and hybrid cars are popular with consumers. But what if small business owners could turn their current vehicle — even a commercial van or truck — into a hybrid? Researchers at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey have developed a new kind of plug-in hybrid system for commercial vehicles. “This system is the first of …
Read More »Can Clean Energy Be Made From CO2?
What if we could take all that carbon dioxide that we have too much of and turn it into a clean energy source? Sound far-fetched? Well, it isn’t really. After all, plants do it every day. That is much of the rationale behind biofuels. Let the plants store the solar energy as sugars, starches, etc., which we then convert into …
Read More »Will Natural Gas Powered Vehicles Ever Become Mainstream?
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 …
Read More »Solar Energy Just Powered a Race Across the Country
By Travis Hoium It may not have gotten a lot of media attention, but a recent eight-day race across the country may be laying the groundwork for vehicles of the future. The American Solar Challenge pits universities against each other in a challenge to make the fastest and most efficient vehicle powered only by the sun. The course weaved from Austin, …
Read More »Martifer Solar Prevails with 8 MW PV Plant in Ukraine
? Martifer Solar has implemented a total of 29 MW in the country since August 2012 and this project represents its sixth success story with off-taker, Rengy Development ? Despite severe political and economic turmoil in Ukraine, the company was able to deliver the project on time and within budget Martifer Solar, a subsidiary of Martifer SGPS, has built a …
Read More »Solar Powered Microgrid on Alcatraz Island
The Alcatraz Microgrid: Life on ‘The Rock’ Not Easy, Even for a Microgrid The Alcatraz microgrid stands as a model for installing modern energy technology under difficult terms. Historical structures had to be kept intact, equipment protected from the elements, and no new buildings erected. Here’s how developer Princeton Power Systems accomplished the task. The 22-acre island in San Francisco Bay is …
Read More »Geothermal Can Play a Significant Role in State Carbon Reduction Plans
The Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) urges states to take advantage of the carbon emission reduction available through expanding geothermal power portfolios. Doing so makes sense in light of the US EPA’s proposed regulations for existing power plants that require states to substantially reduce carbon emissions. The regulations proposed June 2, 2014, would give states significant leeway in designing plans to reduce …
Read More »What the New Federal Carbon Dioxide Rule Means for Energy Efficiency
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 …
Read More »Solar Energy Primed to Help U.S. Meet Future Energy Need
For many states struggling to reduce their carbon emissions, solar can be a real game-changer. With the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set to announce new air quality standards for coal and natural gas-fired power plants on Monday, June 2, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) today released a comprehensive report, “Cutting Carbon Emissions Under §111(d): The case for expanding solar …
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