Renewable Energy News

Just one year after Greenpeace called out Apple for its use of fossil fuels in its "How Green Is Your Cloud" report – which graded Apple no higher than a "D" in four categories consisting of energy transparency, infrastructure siting, energy efficiency, and renewables and advocacy – Apple announced that its data centers are now powered by 100 percent renewable energy. In fact, renewables contribute to 75 percent of its entire corporate operations energy needs, according to its website.

Caribbean nations face an uncertain energy future. With an energy infrastructure designed in the era of low-priced and abundant oil, many of these nations depend almost entirely on petroleum to supply their electricity demands. With oil prices hovering between $90 and $110 a barrel and projected to rise, island nations reliant on heavy fuel oil for their electrical generation are being hard hit.

The inverter market for renewable energy systems in Europe earned more than €3.58 billion ($4.63 billion) in 2012 and this figure could rise to €5.24 billion ($6.77 billion) in 2018, according to new research.

Vestas Wind Systems A/S Chairman Bert Nordberg and Chief Executive Officer Ditlev Engel said the worst may be over for the wind turbine maker, which has lost 91 percent of its value since 2008.

Although end-market demand in 2012 did not achieve the levels many had hoped for, it still set a new record in terms of annual installed capacity.

Getting a free solar quote is probably the best way to open the door to a residential sale. People can finally see the numbers and get past their fear of solar being too expensive. The problem is that it can take a lot of time and marketing dollars to get people to get that quote. Wouldn’t it be great if people were actually enthusiastic about gett

One of the final steps for the Cape Wind offshore wind project in Massachusetts is being made with the signing of Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (BTMU) to arrange debt financing. BTMU itself is pitching in "a significant amount of debt capital" that will go toward development and construction costs. (Barclays will continue to advise Cape Wind, while the group and BTMU nail down the rest of the needed financing.)

Following a recent pledge made by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to wean the city off of coal-fired generation within 12 years, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has unveiled its ambitious plans to abandon the use of coal-fueled generation for its service area by 2025.

The inevitable has finally happened at tanking former solar star Suntech (NYSE: STP), which has been forced into bankruptcy ending a months-long battle between the company's founder Shi Zhengrong and just about all the company's other stakeholders. In the meantime, I would be remiss not to mention another solar news tidbit that has panel maker Ying

UK Energy Secretary Ed Davey has said that Scotland's renewable energy industry would be damaged if it were to become independent from the rest of Britain.

Three years ago, the prospects for Americans to own their energy future seemed relatively bleak.   There were almost no replicable models for doing community-based energy projects or investment, despite falling costs and technology — solar and wind — that lend themselves to local development. But thanks to recent opportunities in community solar an

Until some years ago, the electricity in German grids flowed in only one direction – from a large-scale power station to transformer stations and from there to nearby consumers.

Short of putting a windmill on top of a car - a parody vehicle that became a source of political jesting during the 2012 U.S. presidential election - electric vehicle (EV) owners have little control over the ultimate emissions profile of their cars. An EV is only as clean and green as the last charging station it visited. And in most cases, that charging station is only as green as the electric grid that feeds it.

In the latest twist in the solar industry's consolidation saga, eight Chinese banks have petitioned the local courts to initiate insolvency and restructuring for Suntech Power Holdings' main manufacturing subsidiary Wuxi Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd.. The company says it will not object the filing, which the court could accept within the next few days.

Globally, average module prices (ASPs) decreased by 42 percent in 2012 from a global ASP of $1.37/Wp in 2011 to $0.79/Wp in 2012. In early 2013, ASPs have already decreased by 18 percent to $0.65/Wp with inventory averages ~$-.58/Wp. Many will proclaim this as progress. Some will say that the ends justify the means. A few will devote a brief paragraph to the losses and failures of manufacturers before going on to write of the hugely successful 2013 to come. Some manufacturers may join the chorus lest they be drowned out by drumbeats broadcasting success.

2012 proved to be an unsettling and difficult year for clean energy. High-profile bankruptcies and layoffs plagued many clean-tech companies, overall venture investments retreated in the face of increasingly elusive returns, and the industry was begrudgingly transformed into a partisan wedge issue during the U.S. presidential campaign. But as we highlight in our just-released Clean Energy Trends 2013 report, the fundamental global market drivers for clean technology remain largely intact.

Most of the projections we've seen for 2013's biggest solar markets (Solarbuzz, IHS iSuppli, Deutsche Bank) put Japan as #4 behind China, the US, and Germany, and ahead of a number of countries led by Italy. Maxim Group and Lux Research have Japan squeaking into third place. But now, one analyst sees Japan's solar market surging in 2013 to an eye-popping 5 GW -- raising questions whether the nation, like others before it (think Spain) is overheating.

Making energy from the sun seems a no-brainer for the Sunshine State, but cost has proven to be a hurdle. Broward County has taken a big step to cut costs for solar-panel systems on rooftops and homeowners, businesses and other counties are taking notice, a Go Solar conference showed Friday.

Over the past several years Arizona has become one of the fastest growing solar markets in the United States due in large part to a strong policy framework coupled with excellent market fundamentals. However, as of February 2013 Arizona's solar incentive program was severely curtailed and uncertainty now surrounds the future prospects of the state's solar industry, leaving many wondering what the impact of these cuts will be.

As gigawatts of commercial- and utility-scale PV power plants spring up around the world on a monthly basis, one critical industry sector that's growing in tandem is operations and maintenance, usually referred to simply as O&M. Whether the service is provided by the engineering, procurement, and construction firm or (sub)contracted to an outside vendor, the upkeep, performance, and ultimate profitability of a large solar installation depends in no small way on the competence and experience of the O&M team.