On a damp winter day in Portland, Ore., a pale mint house from the turn of the century blinks awake in an instant. A black glass orb affixed to the wall perfects the air temperature as a another sleek black … Continue reading →
When Christine Fisk toured a foreclosed home in Phoenix that had been renovated to be more energy-efficient, she wasn’t sold on its environmental benefits. But the two-bedroom bungalow was just minutes from her office and in good shape, so the … Continue reading →
Climate: Now or Never Here’s why something as basic as a battery both thrills and terrifies the U.S. utility industry. At a sagebrush-strewn industrial park outside of Reno, Nevada, bulldozers are clearing dirt for Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA)’s battery factory, … Continue reading →
Reinventing Fire: Electricity – YouTube.
Continue reading →Solar power generates electricity with no global warming pollution, no fuel costs, and no risks of fuel price spikes, and has the potential to help move the country toward cleaner, reliable, and affordable sources of electricity. Small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) … Continue reading →
Assessing the benefits and costs of distributed solar PV Earlier this month, the decision of APS—Arizona’s largest electric utility—to propose two major changes to its net metering program, one which would do away with the program entirely, has become the … Continue reading →
Renewables scored a major victory recently in the natural gas heartland that is Texas. In a resolution adopted by the Austin City Council on August 28, the city declared solar energy its default generation resource, in part noting “that solar … Continue reading →
Solar Continues Trumping Fossil Fuel Pricing, With More Innovations To Come Solar power has come a long way in a short period of time. Just five years ago, the bulk of the energy community viewed it as being unreliable, expensive … Continue reading →
Five real estate executives weigh in on what it will take to unlock $1.4 trillion in net energy savings through commercial building efficiency. RMI’s Reinventing Fire analysis shows how to tap into $1.9 trillion in saved energy costs in U.S. … Continue reading →
Distributed electricity generation, especially solar PV, is rapidly spreading and getting much cheaper. Distributed electricity storage is doing the same, thanks largely to mass production of batteries for electric vehicles. Solar power is already starting to erode some utilities’ sales … Continue reading →
Although the price of solar has dropped over the years, the up-front cost of installing a residential solar PV system — on average $7,000 to $10,000 after the federal tax credit and CPS Energy rebate — can still be prohibitive. … Continue reading →
When Wes Kennedy started engineering solar systems in the mid-1990s, he pretty much had one integration option: batteries. At that time, Kennedy designed and installed systems for Jade Mountain, a Colorado-based distributed energy retailer that eventually merged with Real Goods … Continue reading →
Like many consumers, David Polstein had already done much to reduce energy use in his large Victorian home in Newton, Mass. He replaced his appliances with energy-efficient models, installed better heating and put in new insulation. But he was unable … Continue reading →
CPS Energy has dropped its proposed fees for solar customers — either for the time being or altogether. The utility detailed the proposal for the City Council last week, with council members raising concerns about whether the fees would discourage … Continue reading →
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “India is to be found not in its few cities, but in its 700,000 villages.” Though that may at one time have been true, it is no longer the case. With about 30 country dwellers moving … Continue reading →
SAN ANTONIO — City Council members told a CPS Energy official Wednesday that the utility's hoped-for timeline to charge fees for future solar customers is too abrupt, saying they need more information before making a decision. In a council briefing, … Continue reading →
First, Randy Ross bought a Chevrolet Volt. Faced with the need to charge his car and eager to cut his utility bill, he installed solar panels on the roof of his Pleasanton, Calif., home. Now Ross, 61, has taken the … Continue reading →
Now is your chance to tell City Council to reject CPS Energy’s proposed fees on solar. The utility will make the proposal at City Council’s B-Session at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 11. The proposal, approved by the utility’s Board … Continue reading →
Will efficiency projects get sliced and diced like mortgages, car loans and rental units? Only if the industry gets serious about standards. For proof of how securitization can grow a market really quickly, consider the single-family home rental market. After … Continue reading →
CAMBRIDGE, MA—Stating that they just want to make sure it’s something everyone keeps in mind going forward, an international consortium of scientists gently reminded the world Wednesday that clean energy technologies are pretty much ready to go anytime. “We’ve got … Continue reading →
