en-us How strange that the development of many solar array fields has largely become an exercise in massive excavation, grading and stormwater management. This is ironic when we consider that such projects carry the “sustainable” tag. Yet there is a better way. Such terrains can be developed with minimal disturbance to the site footprint, within an existing regulatory framework and with less impact to sensitive environmental features.]]> Officially launched in January after years of development, a new CLEAN (feed-in tariff) program from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (the city’s municipal electric utility) promises 100 MW of new local renewable energy by 2016.  In absolute size, the program will be among the largest CLEAN programs in the U.S., but compared to the siz]]> Massachusetts officials are preparing to take a number of steps to shore up one of the state’s key solar power subsidies, including spending millions of dollars to buy up the credits developers use to help finance their projects.]]> Women in power — it’s not just a play on words. With all the talk about ‘leaning in’ it’s time to recognize all the women that leaned in, reached back, pulled forward, marched and continued marching for themselves, their families, their industries and their peers. Women in high profile positions are honored (though the fickle limelight that can shine or glare), and the scrutiny that comes with this honor can be uncomfortable. Brave women march through this fickle limelight because it is important to them to make a difference.]]> Myanmar is blessed with an abundance of natural resources and a youthful workforce, but with many of its people living in extreme poverty, the newly opening economy is attracting the interest of investors and aid workers alike. In the middle of the fastest growing region in the world, East Asia, Myanmar holds great promise as the next big market. Growth rates have exceeded 5 percent since 2010 when the country released human rights icon Aung San Suu Kyi and held elections, and 8 percent growth rates are within reach. McKinsey analysts estimate that Myanmar could quadruple its GDP by 2030 to US$200 billion.]]> SolarWorld AG (SWV), Germany’s biggest maker of solar panels, rose the most in four months after newspapers reported that Qatar Solar Technologies will help finance a restructuring by acquiring a 30 percent stake.]]>   The lack of access to comprehensive, accurate and reliable information on the renewable energy regulatory landscape in Kenya has been a significant barrier to private sector participation. Types and number of licenses/clearances, application procedures, associated costs, contacts of related government agencies, expected turn-around time and the s]]> International Finance Corporation has released a new report called “Success of Geothermal Wells: A global study” with data taken from both public and private sources.]]> Siemens AG will close its solar power unit after struggling to find a buyer following losses of at least 784 million euros ($1 billion) euros since 2011 amid Chief Executive Officer Peter Loescher’s failed push into that business to expand renewable energy offerings.]]> Godawari Power & Ispat Ltd. started Asia’s biggest CSP plant as India limps toward clean energy targets with prices almost half the global average.]]> The summer solar selling season may be upon us, and as your sales heat up, I hope you’ll take some time to contribute to the organizations that have supported our industry and our businesses. While there are many worthy solar charities, I’d like to focus on four that have been of great value to me, and probably to you too. The American Solar Energy]]> By 2020, swapping aging wind turbines with more powerful modern units will have raised annual electricity generation at refurbished sites from 1524 GWh to 8221 GWh. A 2 MW wind turbine coming off the production line with a rotor diameter of 80 metres can generate four to six times as much electricity as the 1 GWh annual yield of a 500 kW wind turbine with a 40 metre rotor built in 1995. This is the fundamental thinking behind wind repowering.]]> As SunPower prepares to install its 10,000th residential system, the company says that it anticipates that solar will be on 20 percent of all new homes built in California this year. That’s based on recent trends, like the doubling of solar on new homes between 2011 and 2012, renewed efforts through the California Solar Initiative (CSI) under the N]]> Thanks to solar’s resiliency, falling prices and ability to help out in disasters, New York is anticipating more solar installed in 2013 than ever before in the Empire state and in New York City. That’s based on experts who discussed the “Tipping Point for Solar in New York” at the City University of New York (CUNY), which held the seventh annual N]]> A new kind of tracking system, in combination with system-wide savings, could substantially reduce balance of system costs, claims one company.]]> The sun is still only rising for the commercial and residential deployment of photovoltaics (PV) and, as barriers to development are identified, innovative approaches to solar financing continue to sprout.]]> Investment in renewable energy is changing, with those who were once the backbone of the market pulling out and new entrants increasingly taking up the slack.]]> The countdown to Global Wind Day marks more than just a wait for a fun-filled day spent outside discovering wind energy. It is also a chance for the public, politicians, and industry officials to discuss wind energy and its benefits, sharing ideas, exchanging opinions, and deepening their knowledge and understanding along the way. Across Europe, wi]]> At industry trade body RenewableUK’s offshore wind event in Manchester, UK energy minister Michael Fallon has announced that the government will launch a new Offshore Wind Investment Organisation (OWIO) this summer, with the aim of increasing investment in the nation’s offshore wind sector.]]> Semiconductors grown on graphene at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) may be the most important research breakthrough of 2012 in Norway. At the centre of the research efforts are Professor Helge Weman, Professor Bjørn-Ove Fimland and post-doctoral fellow Dong-Chul Kim. The team is now working on translating the results of their basic research into an initial prototype.]]> Brown kelp macroalgae — the strange, foul-smelling seaweed so often found washed up on the Pacific Northwest’s volcanic sand beaches — could ultimately offer an almost unlimited global supply of commercial-quality ethanol or biomethane.]]> In late spring, the Connecticut Light & Power Company (CL&P) and the United Illuminating Company (UI) announced the joint issuance for the second year of the Low and Zero Emissions Renewable Energy Credit (LREC and ZREC) Program. The utilities issued the program in the form of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for bids for 15 year contracts with LREC an]]> There was an extra level of excitement and anticipation at the Renewable Energy World Europe and Power-Gen Europe Conference and Exhibition in Vienna last week. Not just because more than 13,000 of the world’s renewable energy and power industry had gathered to hear the latest developments and to see top power leaders debate Europe’s energy future,]]> Energy companies may invest as much as $3 billion on power-storage systems in California to facilitate wider use of renewable energy. Utilities owned by PG&E Corp., Sempra Energy and Edison International would be required to procure 1,325 megawatts of storage capacity by 2020 under a June 10 proposal from the California Public Utilities Commission.]]> Sometimes known as non-recourse finance, project finance emerged as a popular technique in the 1980s primarily as a means of supporting new energy projects. The concept consists of financing specific projects with recourse only to a ring-fenced project company (for example, a public utility that financially separates itself from a parent company that engages in non-regulatory business to protect consumers from losses), supported by a strong contractual framework including a fixed-price power-purchase agreement (PPA).]]> For years, the cumulative amount of distributed generation (DG) on the grid was akin to a drop of water in a glass.  That is, a tiny drop in a big glass.  But look how far we’ve come in the past few years. Last year the U.S. installed more than 90,000 photovoltaic installations, with a total capacity of 3.3 GW. This represents an 80 percent increas]]> It sounds obvious: put solar panels on a movable mount to follow the sun and catch as much sunlight as possible. But applying solar trackers to a project is not clear cut. Developers not only have to consider cost and location but the type of tracker that best suits the project. Yet as innovations in technology continue, trackers are starting to play a larger role in the industry.]]> Renewable energy investments are shifting to developing nations as countries from Morocco to Chile pursue power sources that wean them off fossil fuel imports, two studies promoted by the United Nations said.]]> About 1.2 billion people still lack access to electricity, and 2.8 billion have to rely on wood or other biomass to cook and heat their homes, said a recent report produced by a multi-agency team led by the World Bank.]]> Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is a recipe of highly engineered materials and components, sandwiched with specific functions and working together to harness sunlight and convert it into electricity. One of those layers is the encapsulation film which protects the solar cell and ensures its performance and reliability; its role is to provide optical and electrical transmissivity and keep out moisture.]]> On June 7, 2013, the IRS released the public version of the private letter ruling (PLR) that it issued to Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc. prior to that company’s IPO in April. Contrary to some industry observer's expectations, the ruling doesn't break new ground. It certainly doesn't reflect IRS agreement that solar and wind farms are good REIT assets.]]> Almost one decade ago, Japanese PV makers dominated global PV production – Sharp, Kyocera, Sanyo (now part of Panasonic) and Mitsubishi Electric represented about 50 percent of global production in 2005. When German and other European markets expanded quickly, a great number of companies in Europe and Asia, specifically China, jumped into the “potentially” profitable PV industry. They rapidly ramped up their production and brought down costs, leaving Japanese companies behind.]]> A solar installation built adjacent to a natural gas-fired power plant in Florida; a hydroelectric plant needed to meet an expected 6 percent annual growth in Chile; a coal-fired power plant that also burns biomass in Virginia; and a solar power plant built on a former lignite mining strip in Germany. These projects and more are some of the past wi]]> Californians Against Utilities Stopping Solar Energy (CAUSE) is increasing its efforts to support clean, locally produced energy. The recently minted advocacy organization, which formed this past April, is comprised of solar companies, advocates and doctors. Now they have joined with the American Lung Association to petition the California Energy C]]> The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center along with the Army Energy Initiatives Task force (ETIF) announced its first Multiple Award Task Order Contracts (MATOC) to support renewable energy projects on Defense Department Installations under the Renewable and Alternative Energy Power Production for DOD Installations. These first contracts focus on geothermal projects, but additional contracts will be awarded by technology in solar, wind and biomass throughout the remainder of 2013.]]> Europe’s concentrated solar power (CSP) plants have a total installed capacity of 1957.7 MWe as of the end 2012, finds the latest edition of EurObserv’ER’s annual Solar Thermal and Concentrated Solar Power Barometer, while 3.4 million m2 of solar thermal collectors were installed in the EU over the year, for an installed base of 29.6 GWth.]]> Big growth in residential solar demand, bucking broader market volatility and seasonal trends, set the pace for yet another record quarterly performance for U.S. solar installations during the first three months of 2013, according to just-released analysis from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GTM Research.]]> Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have confirmed the particle-by-particle mechanism by which lithium ions move in and out of electrodes made of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4, or LFP), findings that could lead to better performance in lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, medical equipment and aircraft.]]> Last year, I brought Chinese off-road vehicle and electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Kandi Technologies (NASD:KNDI) to readers’ attention. I like Kandi because the company was already profitable and trades for a tiny fraction of what a US-based EV maker would.]]> Solar cells are unusual in that they were cost-competitive from the get-go. From the Apollo space program to highway signs to lighting for buoys, solar could replace highly expensive power from batteries or other sources and eliminate the need for the construction of electric distribution lines.  When the Institute for Local Self-Reliance was found]]> Nacelle access solutions such as ladders and climb-assist technologies have been in place since there have been wind turbines, but as turbines get taller, service lifts (SLs) are becoming the solution of choice for new-built towers.]]> We all know that wind energy can light homes and businesses, but how about powering "entrepreneurial spirit'" through education and information access?]]> A survey by Energy Now this year revealed two startling statistics: 1. 95 percent of farmers and landowners believe renewable energy will be vital to the future of farming in the UK, and 2. 42 percent of farmers and landowners are confused about renewable energy options.]]> The International Energy Agency has today urged governments to put in place four energy policies that it claims will “keep climate goals alive without harming economic growth”.]]> More than 4 GW of geothermal power capacity are expected to come online worldwide between now and 2018, according to a new report.]]> Veterans who've spent long days under the sweltering sun to protect our freedom can now learn to harness the sun's rays for their benefit — at no cost. Servicemen and servicewomen of the U.S. military who are interested in solar energy can receive 100 percent tuition assistance for renewable energy career training from Solar Energy International (S]]> The European Union's decarbonization strategy has all the right intentions but it is taking the wrong path to that destination. That was the view of Fabian Roques, senior director at consultancy IHS CERA, who was speaking at the Plenary session of POWER-GEN Europe and Renewable Energy World Europe.]]> During the opening keynote session at the Energy Ocean International Conference in Providence, Rhode Island, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse identified a core problem to developing ocean energy technologies in the U.S.: process.]]> Plans for a £25 billion (US$38 billion) tidal barrage across the longest river in Britain have been slammed by members of the UK Parliament’s Energy and Climate Change Committee as economically, environmentally and publicly unacceptable.]]> More than 4 GW of geothermal power capacity are expected to come online worldwide between now and 2018, according to a new report.]]>