Renewable Energy

11 Governors Ask Congress to Extend Wind PTC

11 Governors Ask Congress to Extend Wind PTC

Photo credit: Fresh Energy A bipartisan group of governors is pushing for a multi-year extension of the soon-to-expire production tax credit (PTC) to provide more certainty to the wind industry. The governors of Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Washington each signed a letter and sent it to […]

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    Offshore Wind Installations on Track For Seventh Consecutive Record Year

    Offshore Wind Installations on Track For Seventh Consecutive Record Year

    By J. Matthew Roney Offshore wind power installations are on track to hit a seventh consecutive annual record in 2013. Developers added 1,080 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity in the first half of the year, expanding the world total by 20 percent in just six months. Fifteen countries host some 6,500 MW of offshore wind capacity. Before […]

    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 […]

    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 […]

    Norway Investments in Renewable Energy ‘Could Change the World’

    Norway Investments in Renewable Energy ‘Could Change the World’

    With more than $750 billion of holdings in its sovereign wealth fund, Norway is on the brink of potentially making renewable energy investments around the world. Erna Solberg, who will be named Norway’s second female prime minister, has already heard proposals from her government to use sovereign wealth fund money to invest in sustainable companies […]

    Solar Heating and Cooling Could Save $61B, Create 50,250 Jobs By 2050

    Solar Heating and Cooling Could Save $61B, Create 50,250 Jobs By 2050

    Brandon Baker The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) believes the nation could save $61 billion in energy costs by 2050, creating 50,250 jobs along the way. The Solar Energy Industries Association released a comprehensive new report this month outlining ways to create 50,250 new American jobs and save more than $61 billion in future energy […]

    The Future of Offshore Wind in the U.S.

    The Future of Offshore Wind in the U.S.

    Yale Environment 360 By Dave Levitan In June, after years of offshore wind power projects being thwarted in the U.S., the first offshore wind turbine began spinning off the U.S. coast. The turbine was not a multi-megawatt, 400-foot behemoth off of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, or Texas—all places where projects had long been proposed. […]

    Greentown Labs: Helping Entrepreneurs Solve Big Energy Problems

    Greentown Labs: Helping Entrepreneurs Solve Big Energy Problems

    Stefanie Spear I had the opportunity earlier this month to meet the people behind Greentown Labs and many of the entrepreneurs growing their business ideas at this Boston, MA-based cleantech incubator. Greentown Labs enables entrepreneurs to create game-changing energy technologies that will transform the way people live, work and play. With a focus on creating […]

    Solar Crowdfunding a Solution to Energy Poverty

    Solar Crowdfunding a Solution to Energy Poverty

    Sierra Club By Justin Guay We have two broken systems—energy and finance—which conspire to support a coal fired centralized grid that never reaches the poor while driving dangerous climate change. That means 1.3 billion people around the world won’t escape the dark, and we’ll fry the climate, unless we disrupt these systems and deploy distributed […]