Renewable Energy News

Mayor Bloomberg has signed legislation that will require the Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability to study geothermal energy resources and the feasibility of developing them in New York City. The bill was sponsored by Council Members Gennaro, Garodnick, Brewer, Fidler, Gentile, James, Koppell, Lander, Mark-Viverito, Palma, Williams, Arroyo, Levin, Dromm, Van Bramer, Barron, Eugene, Greenfield, Jackson, Richards, Halloran and Ulrich.

Another Southern Company utility now has wind energy in its portfolio.

What's not to like about Mosaic? The startup's lure lies in its melding of clean energy and crowdfunding, two concepts that easily trigger good vibes among the environmentally conscious and supporters of grassroots efforts. Barely three years old, the company has attracted over 1,200 investors to finance solar power generation projects, with contributions ranging from $25 to $10,000.

Ethiopia will receive funds from China for a transmission line valued at $1 billion that will bring electricity from a hydropower plant to the capital, Addis Ababa according to a government official.

Since solar photovoltaic panels were first invented they have been used for many purposes and will no doubt continue to do so over the coming years. It is always good to hear of them being installed for a worthwhile cause over and above the usual benefits that they provide to the environment. A Kenyan island is gradually having solar panels fitted

SunEdison, one of the companies that sparked the third-party ownership revolution with businesses — allowing them to install solar with little to no up-front costs — announced on April 23 that it partnered with Foxconn Technology to produce photovoltaics (PV) in Juarez, Mexico. Under the partnership, SunEdison’s sister subsidiary, MEMC Singapore (b

Check off a list in your head of the government organizations that play a role in the security of the United States. The Department of Defense (DoD) and Homeland Security probably come to mind, as well as the CIA or FBI. While the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) may not even make the list, in fact, the national laboratory is doing its part to help provide energy security and reduce energy costs for the military as an energy advisor to DoD and, in this case, the U.S. Navy.

LDK Solar Co., a Chinese solar panel maker burdened with at least $3 billion in debt, agreed to sell a second 15 percent stake to Fulai Investments Ltd. for $25.8 million following their first share sale deal in January.

Amonix has posted new record conversion efficiency numbers for its concentrated solar photovoltaic (CPV) module in outdoor testing, inching ever closer to a cost profile that would make CPV competitive with more mainstream solar technologies.

You own your home. You want to save on your electric bill and reduce your carbon footprint. You’ve paid for a roof that can support solar panels. The next step is to research solar installation companies that serve your area, right? Wrong, say some Homeowners Associations (HOAs). Across the U.S., homeowners who have installed solar panels without a

JinkoSolar Holding Co. and First Solar Inc. were among solar companies that surged after four U.S. senators introduced legislation that would let renewable- energy projects qualify for a tax-advantaged corporate structure currently used by oil, natural gas and pipeline projects.

The first round of the Vermont Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development (SPEED) program in its new competitive form will close on May 1st of this year. In March, the Vermont Public Service Board altered the structure of the standard offer program in Vermont, reducing the avoided-cost ceiling rate for solar projects and changing the mechanis

Every night, the rural areas of the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in India plunge into complete darkness. In the last week of January, David Ferris (cleantech journalist for New York Times and Forbes) and myself undertook a gruelling road trip across these two states. We saw only darkness in the districts we visited until we came to the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, brilliantly decked up in the lights of the tri-colour to celebrate the 64th Republic Day.

Currently IRENA estimates that small Pacific Island nations are expected to account for 17 percent of all new renewables built globally over the next 5 years. Renewable energy developers are flocking to these island nations with proposals.

Last year climate change became reality for the United States. New York City flooded, a historic drought blanketed the Midwest, and we saw one of the worst fire seasons ever recorded. By July, the U.S. had shattered over 40,000 daily heat records. The question now is whether last year’s events will lead to new momentum for climate solutions. Will w

After a tumultuous year of opposition and rebuttals from members of Congress, the U.S. biofuels industry was able to maintain support from the more-than-willing U.S. military. The Department of Energy (DOE) announced the next phase of development plans last week – it granted $18 million to four biorefineries to develop pilot-scale drop-in biofuels projects to meet military specifications for jet fuel and ship diesel.

South African metalworkers' pension funds will invest 1 billion rand ($109 million) in renewable- energy projects as a power-capacity shortage in the continent's largest economy threatens outages as early as this winter.

China's solar PV demand sunk 23 percent in 1Q13 to 6.2 gigawatts (GW), driven by seasonality and policy incentive deadlines. Chinese demand largely drove a burnoff in upstream inventory accumulated over several quarters, but repetitive swings in Chinese demand over the next year will emphasize the need for smart capacity utilization and inventory control, according to SolarBuzz analyst Michael Barker in a recent report.

As the enthusiasm for solar power grows, so does the generosity. Anonymous donors have been coming forward to fund solar projects at K-12 schools, universities and municipalities across the nation. Many donations are graciously accepted; others are viewed with skepticism. Earlier this week at Manchester Community Schools outside Ann Arbor, Michigan

As noted in our prior article, New Twist to the Renewable PTC Extension: Defining "Under Construction," published March 12, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 ("ATRA") extends the Production Tax Credit ("PTC") and Investment Tax Credit ("ITC") for certain renewable facilities if construction of the facility begins prior to January 1, 2014, but did not define the "begin construction" requirement.