Business

What Is Your State’s Renewable Energy Grade?

What Is Your State’s Renewable Energy Grade?

Vote Solar and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) recently published report cards grading each state on policies related to net metering and interconnection—two measures that are critical in utilities allowing people to generate their own power. California, Massachusetts, Oregon and Utah each received “A” grades in both categories of the seventh annual Freeing the Grid report. Only […]

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    Offshore Wind Farms Coming to U.S., But When?

    Offshore Wind Farms Coming to U.S., But When?

    Offshore wind farms are coming to the U.S., the Department of Energy (DOE) announced this month, but nobody is sure just when. Eleven offshore wind projects have reached “an advanced stage of development,” according to the 2013 U.S. Offshore Wind Market and Economic Analysis, published earlier this month by Navigant Consulting. The farms would collectively generate 3,824 megawatts […]

    8 Governors Pledge 3.3M Zero-Emission Vehicles by 2025

    8 Governors Pledge 3.3M Zero-Emission Vehicles by 2025

    A group of like-minded governors on both sides of the nation pledged this morning to get millions of zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) on the country’s roads by 2025. Governors from eight states—California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont—said they would do their part to encourage drivers to buy ZEVs to total 3.3 […]

    U.S. Department of Energy Awards $60M to Solar Research and Development

    U.S. Department of Energy Awards $60M to Solar Research and Development

    Wanting to build on an already growing industry, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) invested $60 million this week in solar energy research and development. The awards were announced at the ongoing, three-day Solar Power International 2013 event in Chicago as a small portion of President Obama’s plan to reduce carbon pollution while supporting clean energy innovation. The […]

    7 Easy Ways to Make Buildings Energy Efficient

    7 Easy Ways to Make Buildings Energy Efficient

    If commercial and government buildings are empty for most of the year, why do they consume so much energy? A report from Greensense, an Australian sustainability software developer, estimates that buildings in its country are vacant for about 72 percent of a year, between off hours and holidays. Still, those buildings consume about 55 percent […]

    College Entrepreneurs Develop Shower Meter to Reduce Water Consumption

    College Entrepreneurs Develop Shower Meter to Reduce Water Consumption

    Of the hundreds of people the team at Sprav Water LLC asked, the majority had no clue how much water they used during showers. “More than you probably want to know,” one person responded in a company video. The average U.S. household uses 300 gallons of water per day, and only laundry washing and toilet […]

    IKEA Continues to Lead in Solar Energy Installations

    IKEA Continues to Lead in Solar Energy Installations

    IKEA has commenced work on a new solar panel array that will double the amount of generation at a store just outside, Boston, MA. The retailer, which installed solar projects on 39 of its 44 U.S. locations last year, recently began work on a 58,575-square-foot addition to its Stoughton, MA location. The addition will make space […]

    Apple’s Lisa Jackson Discusses Company’s Quest for 100 Percent Renewable Energy

    Apple’s Lisa Jackson Discusses Company’s Quest for 100 Percent Renewable Energy

    Though Apple says its data centers and corporate offices are mostly powered by renewable energy, the tech titan looks to become even more sustainable with the hire of Lisa Jackson as its vice president of environmental initiatives. Jackson spent 25 years in the public sector, most recently as the administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection […]