Renewable Energy News

Few outside of the solar industry realize how much of an impact local governments can have on the price tag of PV. But with solar module prices having dropped fast and far over the past few years, ‘soft’ costs like local permitting represent the most significant opportunity to keep rooftop solar prices trending down.

New policies subsidizing purchases of electric vehicles in China are expected to come out in the first half of this year, encouraging many automakers to boost research and development.

Australia’s wind development is driven by clean energy mandates, but the Gillard government's carbon tax has rendered building new coal plants non-competitive. Export policies for fossil fuels is beginning to fast-track liquefied natural gas out of the country to supply a very lucrative market in Asia.

Palo Alto has taken another step towards making it easier than ever for residents of the California city to go solar. In addition to launching a feed-in tariff last year to support expansion of rooftop solar in the city, Palo Alto has now streamlined the permitting processes for residential and commercial solar photovoltaics (PVs).  Last week the c

A handful of Danish organizations are exploring how to apply wireless sensor technology made ubiquitous in the consumer electronics world onto wind turbine blades to better predict changes in wind and adjust the turbine's operation, optimizing energy yield and minimizing loads on the structure.

Since the announcement last week that Shuanghui International, the dominant pork and sausage processor in China, has made a deal to acquire Smithfield Foods for $4.7 billion, much of the press has been focused on what that acquisition might mean for food safety in the U.S.

Thatcher Energy reported last year that the news of more investment into the wave and tidal market would cause a rise in wave and tidal jobs in the UK, and sure enough it has. But with this rise in jobs there are worries that there may be a skills shortage as the job market continues to flourish. The industry has had a lot of support from the gover

After more than a year of antagonism, I’m happy to see that the voice of reason finally seems to be coming to the ongoing clash between China and the west in their prolonged dispute over Beijing’s state support for its solar panel sector. Germany seems to be the driving force behind this welcome change in tone, following German Chancellor Angela Me

Germany’s Conergy, a vertically integrated PV manufacturer and developer, is now installing PV systems in Spain that are producing electricity at grid-competitive rates without subsidies. The company said it’s now hit the 1 megawatt mark of such projects. Spain has joined a growing number of countries where solar is becoming as cheap as other elect

Although its forecast for 2013 involves a "much more significant drop" in the global wind market than last year's prediction, downgrading from its advanced to its moderate scenario, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) is ultimately bullish on wind, predicting that worldwide installed capacity will pass 500 GW by 2017.

What's the hottest solar end-market region on the planet? Japan is making a strong case for top billing in 2013, according to recent analysis.

I've supported wind energy from the outside for many years, as a promising source of clean energy for America and hope for our future. Now I'm excited to get the chance to lead the U.S. industry and its campaign to make good on that promise.

Utilities integrated nearly 2.4 GW (AC) of solar electric capacity in 2012, a 61 percent increase from the ~1.5 GW that was added in 2011 and more than triple the 781 MW added in 2010, according to the U.S. Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA). The group officially released today the full version of its sixth annual Utility Solar Rankings report, which analyzes the amount of new solar power interconnected by U.S. electric utilities.

China’s struggling solar panel makers must are slowly transforming into de facto state-owned enterprises as they take increasing loans from Beijing, with Canadian Solar (Nasdaq: CSIQ) becoming the latest to take a handout from the policy lender China Development Bank (CDB). If Beijing is trying to convince Europe and the U.S. that it’s not unfairly

"Efforts must be especially made in creating certainty for investors, reducing the administrative burden and increasing clarity in planning," said the European Commission in opening its consultation on a European climate and energy framework for 2030. We asked readers how such a framework should be structured to address their sector's current concerns, and which concerns are most important for promoting the sector's future development.

New Jersey’s Board of Public Utilities (BPU) on May 29 approved Public Service Electric and Gas Company’s (PSE&G’s) solar expansion proposals. Under the approval PSEG&G — the state’s largest utility — will allocate a significant amount of the $447 million it plans to spend on solar to support $193 million in distributed generation (smaller) project

Yesterday Google unveiled the winners of its Global Impact Challenge, in which four UK-based non-profits each received £500,000 (US$766,000) for their work in "using tech to tackle the world's toughest problems". Charity SolarAid was one of the four winners with its African pico-solar sales and distribution programme, SunnyMoney.

Solar industry colleagues may be interested to learn more about solar technical due diligence, especially in the wake of the recent New York Times’ story Solar Industry Anxious Over Defective Panels (May 29, 2013).  I was interviewed by the author of this article.  As the CEO of a solar technical due diligence firm, I am fortunate to have a unique

The European Commission has formally ruled to impose antidumping duties on Chinese solar panels, cells, and wafers, but is offering a short grace period of lower duties in the hopes of finding a resolution in broader trade relations.

Off-shore wind energy generation isn't new in places like Europe, but it presents a new frontier in the United States. The U.S. Department of Interior announced Tuesday that it will hold the first-ever competitive lease sale for renewable energy development on the outer continental shelf.