Renewable Energy News

Despite all the evident progress in China in fostering renewable energy, energy conservation and other sustainability initiatives, there still is a 60-70% chance that the smart phones or tablets we use were manufactured in China using electricity generated from a coal-fired power plant.

As the drop in the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) from 30 to 10 percent in 2016 approaches, solar financiers, solar installers, and other solar partners are wondering if the industry can overcome its current dependence on federal tax credits by entering wholesale markets. Solar PV-generated electricity from utility-scale projects could be sold

The Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center, or NNMREC, which is based at Oregon State University, has chosen Newport, Ore., as the future site of the first utility-scale, grid-connected wave energy test site in the United States – the Pacific Marine Energy Center.

An opportunity to visit one of Europe's highest wind parks and do your bit for a great charity awaits in the run-up to the European Wind Energy Association's EWEA 2013 show, taking place in Vienna, Austria, from 4-7 February.

The Chinese end-market dominated shipments of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels during the final quarter of 2012 with 33% of global end-market demand, according to new research released in the NPD Solarbuzz Quarterly report.

A story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune highlights the increasingly common use of 100-meter wind turbines for new wind power projects, up from the previous 80-meter standard.  The technological change grabs more wind energy, with consistently higher wind speeds at higher altitudes, meaning states can get even more power from a similar number of tur

In a wide-ranging inaugural address that touched on themes from income inequality to gay marriage to Medicare, President Obama devoted a substantial segment to reaffirming his commitment to combating climate change and investing in the development of what he termed "sustainable" sources of energy.

Japan will cut its tariff for purchases of solar power by as much as 12 percent as costs to install systems to generate energy from the sun decline, according to an estimate by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Stealing electricity costs not only utilities but also the consumers who help to pay for the costs of producing and transporting power. A startup called Awesense is using sensors and data analytics to help utilities detect energy theft and improve the efficiency of the grid.

Information coming out of China about its renewable energy plans, and prospects for both domestic and international suppliers hoping to continue riding one of the world's most optimistic growth markets, have commanded headlines in the early weeks of 2013.

Over the last couple of years, investors who were hoping to do well by doing good have gotten bad sunburns. Since the start of 2011, the two ETFs which track the solar sector, Guggenheim Solar (NYSE:TAN) and Market Vectors Solar Energy (KWT) are down 74% and 75%, respectively, even after the large jumps up in the first week of the year.

As the U.S. progresses inch-by-inch to get a single offshore wind turbine constructed, Belgium announced that it plans to construct an island for the sole purpose of storing its vast amounts wind energy. According to reports, this is part of Belgium's plan to wean itself off of nuclear energy by 2025, which as of 2011 accounts for more than half of its energy production.

U.S. wind power accounted for 6 percent of the nation's total electricity generation capacity after developers rushed to finish projects before expiration of a subsidy, Bloomberg New Energy Finance said.

The body of evidence that demonstrates the benefits of solar net metering to retail electric customers continues to grow. From California and Texas to New York and now Vermont, there is a growing stack of reports that make the financial case for greater deployment of distributed solar generation and net metering. On the same day that a Vote Solar I

A consortium of European solar groups has updated its data looking at project development processes across Europe, offering a comparative analysis of which countries have the "smartest" processes for PV developers to get projects running and feeding into the grid.

My wife and I brought in the New Year, let's just say, in a pretty laid-back manner. We put the kids to bed, watched an episode of Downton Abbey on Amazon Prime, and (don't tell anyone) were both asleep before midnight. That calm belied the flurry of activity to come.

PV equipment spending (including c-Si ingot-to-module and thin-film fabs) is forecast to decline to an eight-year low in 2013, as the industry reacts to the dearth of new purchase orders and de-bookings of the past 12 months.

A more efficient interconnection process for small renewable generators is something we have been working hard to achieve, tediously, state by state. So yesterday’s proposed modifications by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to its Small Generator Interconnection Procedures is an exciting win. If finalized, it speeds up the approval p

I first wrote about Power REIT's (NYSE:PW) plans to invest in renewable energy real estate in May 2012. The intent was to buy the real estate underlying a solar, wind, or other renewable energy project, charging the project owners rent. This can be done profitably because REITs often have a lower cost of capital than other businesses, such as renewable energy power producers.

After more than a year of coming under constant assault, shares of solar panel makers have suddenly received an unexpected boost from investors who are suddenly showing renewed interest in the battered sector. Many are attributing the sudden surge in solar stocks to growing signs that China will soon embark on a massive building spree of new solar