Asian Power - Jul 24
China and the United States signed four agreements during the recent 3rd China-US Energy Efficiency Forum involving energy efficiency cooperation and reducing carbon emissions despite ongoing trade disputes over RE products.
eSolar Energy News - Jul 26
The Greater Phoenix Economic Council announced today that it is filing a formal letter of protest to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission against the tariffs on Chinese-manufactured photovoltaic cells and modules.
Sustainable Business General News - Jul 20
Venture capital invested in cleantech companies dropped a substantial 25% in the second quarter (Q2) from Q2 2011, and declined 14% from the first quarter of 2012, according to Cleantech Group. $1.6 billion less poured into companies worldwide than in Q1, in just 155 deals, compared to 197 in Q1. 92 of the 155 deals in Q2 went to companies that previously received backing, as venture capitalists continued to avoid risky startups and bolster existing portfolio companies.
North American Wind Power - Jul 25
The California Independent System Operator (ISO) says it has released an online tool that makes it easier to understand the basics of connecting to the ISO grid. Before power plant projects can enter the permitting process at the state or local level, developers must enter the ISO interconnection process where they are studied by engineers to determine the cost and timing of any system upgrades that may be needed.
PV-Magazine - Jul 20
According to industry analyst, Jefferies, China is mulling the possibility of again raising its 2015 photovoltaic target to over 25 GW. Meanwhile, it says feed-in tariff troubles have arisen, which may affect internal rates of return, and that a state owned enterprise merger could be on the cards for LDK Solar.
Renewable Energy Focus News - Jul 20
TetraSun has announced the successful completion of its SunShot Initiative PV Incubator grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE). All deliverables under the contract, which included a full area cell efficiency of a minimum of 20% and reliability tests according to IEC 61215, were submitted ahead of schedule and certified by the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Solar Thermal Magazine - Jul 24
UCLA researchers have developed a new transparent solar cell that is an advance toward giving windows in homes and other buildings the ability to generate electricity while still allowing people to see outside. Their study appears in the journal ACS Nano. The UCLA team describes a new kind of polymer solar cell that produces energy by absorbing mainly infrared light, not visible light, making the cells nearly 70% transparent to the human eye.
Solar Energy - Jul 20
Imagine Homes will offer Dow’s Solar Shingles on all of its new homes as a standard option. However, people buying homes in Imagine’s Willis Ranch community will have a PV roof automatically. Dow has been rolling out the Solar Shingles to new markets slowly, starting in Colorado last year.
Solar Thermal Magazine - Jul 26
IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, today officially plugged-in the solar energy system installed at its Salt Lake-area store in Draper, Utah – the state’s largest private commercial solar project. The 180,500-square-foot PV array consists of a 1,015-kW system, built with 4,228 panels. IKEA Draper’s program will produce approximately 1,487,080 kWh of clean electricity annually, the equivalent of reducing 1,025 tons of carbon dioxide, eliminating the emissions of 201 cars or powering 128 homes yearly.
Solar Thermal Magazine - Jul 23
At an employee recognition and commissioning event near the town of Adelanto in California’s Mojave Desert, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power dedicated the Adelanto Solar Power Plant, an 11.4-megawatt DC solar installation designed and supplied by SolarWorld, the largest U.S. solar manufacturer for more than 35 years.
National Wind Watch - Jul 26
With several projects on the horizon, all is not lost for Wyoming’s wind energy industry. But you couldn’t tell it from the number of developer requests for state wind farm permits. Of the nearly 1,500 wind farm turbines approved by state officials, slightly more than half have been built and the rest are canceled or in limbo. That would be a troubling enough for Wyoming’s wind energy development.
The Billings Gazette Wyoming News - Jul 26
Wyoming officials have started a campaign to sell Wyoming wind to California and are preparing a similar sales pitch to Colorado. Both states want electric utilities to provide a percentage of their power from renewable sources, such as wind.
Houston Channel 2 News - Jul 26
Bids are being sought to run a wind farm meant to help power the Pantex nuclear weapons plant in the Texas Panhandle. The Amarillo Globe-News reported Wednesday that the site will include five turbines on 1,500 acres of government land.
Engadget - Jul 25
Solar may be the green energy source that's been hogging the headlines lately, but there are other fossil-fuel free ways that can help meet society's electrical needs. One of these is tidal power, and the US is set to start harnessing the ocean's electricity-generating potential this summer with the TidGen Cobscook Bay project -- the first such commercial project in the States.
Honolulu Civil Beat - Jul 25
Scientists are set to begin testing for geothermal energy potential on Oahu and other Hawaiian islands. And what they find could change the direction of Hawaii’s energy policy. Tests conducted several decades ago, show that the thermal energy lying below the Big Island’s volcanic rifts is enough to power the state’s electricity needs seven times over, according to a report by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Herald Net - Jul 22
If geothermal power eventually flows into homes in Snohomish County, it likely won't be coming from the nearby Cascade Mountains. The Snohomish County Public Utility District's drilling effort in the mountains near Index hit bedrock and had to be scrapped, officials said.
