Renewable Energy Bill Approved by California Senate

Renewable Energy Bill Approved by California Senate

California’s Senate has just passed some important new renewable energy legislation that will, if approved in the Assembly and signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown, require utilities operating in the state to obtain one third of their electricity from renewable sources of energy such as wind, solar or geothermal. This is a big increase from the current 20% targets set by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in a 2009 executive order.

How to Build Consumer Demand for Renewables

How to Build Consumer Demand for Renewables

Nathan Schock summarizes a preentation on clean energy communications made that the recent American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) Phase II of Renewable Energy in America National Policy Forum, in which the presenter, Professor Edward Maibach, explains that renewable energy communicators are not doing a very good job because they are not engaging the public, and not creating messages that resonate broadly.

DOE SunShot Initiative Aims for Cost Competitive Solar Energy by 2020

DOE SunShot Initiative Aims for Cost Competitive Solar Energy by 2020

The DOE’s “SunShot” initiative which is modeled after the highly successful Apollo moon shot program aims to spur innovations and rationalizations that will together slash the total system cost of solar photovoltaic systems by three quarters within this decade. If it manages to achieve these goals then solar PV would become cost competitive with other […]

“Green Leasing” Improves Building Efficiency

“Green Leasing” Improves Building Efficiency

Green leasing plays an important role in the sustainability of the building stock; building operations themselves must be “greened” as well. Green leasing introduces sustainable goals and commitments into building operations and into the lease itself.

Making The Case for Cleantech Clusters: The Essential Re-Education of the Smartest People on Earth

Making The Case for Cleantech Clusters: The Essential Re-Education of the Smartest People on Earth

This article makes the case for creating cleantech clusters in order to do for cleantech what the silicon valley for example did for IT. Clusters such as Silicon Valley, Boston or Tel Aviv not only enable the technology professionals who live and work in them to “cross-pollinate” their ideas, but they can also pick the […]

Solar Price Parity Achievable by Streamlining Cost of Permitting

Solar Price Parity Achievable by Streamlining Cost of Permitting

Streamlining the building code process for solar installation could help rooftop solar reach price parity with the average price for electric power on the grid. This key price point is also known as grid parity. Permitting costs will add $1 billion to the price structure of solar over the next five years. This article poses the following question: With widely adopted standardization of best practices in solar system construction/installation in place and the 10-20 years of performance certification on actual operating systems in the field, why then is the permitting process stuck in time and why is solar treated as if it were still an experimental niche rarity that needed to prove itself before the building code bureaucrats can give it their thumbs up.

U.S. Utility Solar Market Takes Off

U.S. Utility Solar Market Takes Off

After lagging behind the utility scale segment of the solar power renewable energy sector is really starting to take off in the US; it is is now on par with the commercial and residential segments in terms of market size and growing at a higher rate. This post summarizes AltaTerra Research’s newest report, “Utility Solar: U.S. Market Takes Off”.

Cleantech Boosts Jobs in Specific Regions and Segments

Cleantech Boosts Jobs in Specific Regions and Segments

As the nation seemingly and slowly pulls out from deep recession there is indication that cleantech sector employment is helping to lift some areas of the country and is starting to provide some jobs in what has been a painfully jobless “recovery” for far too many. This post, by John Addison focuses on some areas of his home state of California that are helping to drive the California economy and boosting jobs growth.

Wind Solar Water Alone Could Power the World by 2030 New Study Claims

Wind Solar Water Alone Could Power the World by 2030 New Study Claims

A new study that is sure to create some controversy proposes that the world can provide for all of its energy needs, including electric, transportation, heating/cooling energy needs using only wind, water, and solar power by 2030.

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