Renewable Energy News

Solar modules — and to a lesser degree solar inverters —are what people usually think about when considering a rooftop solar power system. But for many installers, it's what's under the panels that they worry about the most...especially after it rains. Solar racking or mounting systems are essentially the "glue" that holds the modules to the roof for 25+ years. And this "glue" has to be pretty strong to withstand the substantial wind loads that may systems experience, as well as periodic heat waves and freezing conditions. So it's no surprise that for many installers, racking and mounting systems are where they spend the majority of their engineering, procurement and installation time.

Solar permitting is but one small, easily overlooked piece of the solar installation process. However, because we have upwards of 25,000 local jurisdictions in the country, there are staggering possibilities for variations of local permitting procedures.  This means that permitting costs and filing requirements often vary widely from one jurisdicti

UK energy Minister Greg Barker officially opened a new extension to the 172 MW Gunfleet Sands offshore wind farm this week. The new site is located next to the existing wind farm, 8.5 km off the coast of Clacton-on-Sea in Essex.

Back in November 2012, the NREL finance team convened its first assembly of the Solar Access to Public Capital (SAPC) working group. The purpose was to bring together leaders from the solar, financial, legal, regulatory, and analysis professions to conceive of ways to accelerate the solar industry's access to capital markets through securitized instruments. The group's efforts are currently threefold: (1) the standardization of power purchase and lease contracts used by solar developers, installers, and integrators at the commercial and residential level; (2) the collection of performance and credit data to facilitate investor and ratings agency evaluation of solar assets; and (3) the submission of a solar securitization "mock filing" to several ratings agencies in order to illuminate how they will assess the risks of the solar asset class and thus drive solar-backed security issuers and originators to take appropriate mitigation measures.

A consortium between French industrial boiler supplier Leroux & Lotz Technologies and technology firm Areva has been chosen to develop a new biomass-fired power plant in Commentry, France.

Lawmakers in the California state legislature granted their final approval to a package of energy legislation. The bill, AB 327, will now head to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk. It passed the state Senate September 9 with a vote of 33-5 after passing the Assembly in May by wide margins.

In a report released this week, the Pembina Institute and Greenpeace Canada questions Ontario’s commitment to new and refurbished nuclear plants. The groups say that a mix of conservation and renewables would be cheaper than the cost of the Canadian province’s commitment to maintaining nuclear’s current 50 percent share of electricity generation.

It’s that time of year again. We’ve narrowed down the solar, wind, geothermal, hydro and bioenergy finalists for the 2013 Project of the Year awards, and it’s your turn to vote for Readers’ Choice. Like last year, renewable projects from around the globe are up against coal, oil and gas — so every vote counts. Let’s make sure a renewable project wi

Fiercely competitive, the famed crucible of motorsport is to be the high-tech proving ground for an advanced generation of electric vehicle technologies through the new Formula E race series, using exclusively electric drivetrains. Backed by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) – the governing body behind Formula 1 – the open champio

The Dominican Republic will soon have its first large-scale solar park, the project developer has announced.

Solar panels are the next granite countertops: an amenity for new homes that’s becoming a standard option for buyers in U.S. markets.

At a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East – coupled with rising gasoline prices across the United States – there is finally some good news on the energy front.  America’s solar energy industry is currently on pace to achieve a record-shattering year. A new market analysis by SEIA and GTM Research shows the U.S. market installed 832 megawa

North America's biggest 100-percent biomass plant is a former coal plant under conversion about a two-hour drive west from Thunder Bay, Ontario. The facility burned its last load of coal and powered down one year ago, but it's all abuzz with activity now. I got an up-close look at the upgrades in-progress as part of a tour of renewable energy companies, groups, and facilities sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment (MEDTE).

The global geothermal market is expected to reach 12,000 megawatts (MW) of capacity by the end of 2013, showing signs of steady expansion. Growth is led by progress in developing areas such as Africa and Latin America and is highlighted in the recently released report entitled: 2013 Geothermal Power: International Market Overview by the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA).

In a hotly contested vote today, Europe’s Parliament voted to cap the amount of conventional or “first-generation” biofuels (those derived from food crops) that can be used in the EU’s transport sector.

Solar thermal water heating is a temperamental thing. Water weighs a lot, it expands when it freezes, and it can cause scaling damage to pipes when it boils. Solar thermal systems are wonderfully efficient, and some systems work just fine for decades, but even these need regular inspection. When a solar thermal system fails, however, it sets about destroying itself, and it has been clear for some time that solar thermal water heating is not the way of the future except for very low-end heat usage, like swimming pools.

Two great opportunities to learn more about solar are about to occur: The National Solar Tour and The Solar Decathlon. The former is an annual event across the U.S. and the latter is a biennial event. Both allow people across the U.S. to get an in-person view of solar and how it works.  The National Solar Tour is, as it name implies, a national eve

A US$600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will allow the University of Minnesota's St. Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL) to launch a new collaborative project to advance research, innovation and training in marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) technology.

Chile has become one of the planet's most promising solar markets, leading a wave of regions that will begin achieving grid parity, where solar is at equal cost or cheaper than traditional energy sources, in the near future. High electricity prices ($0.15-0.25/kWh), high irradiation, and rising energy demand all play in Chile's favor, but connection and policy hurdles remain if the country wants to really start tapping into that resource.

The symbiotic match between the solar and energy storage sectors shows significant market promise and could see the sector yielding a US $2.8 billion market over the next five years,