American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)

A recent front-page story in the Cape Cod Times uncovered a situation where the American recovery and Reinvestment Act (the ARRA – remember that?) has been successful.  And since it involves sustainability and since the words “project manager” and “jobs” were featured heavily throughout the story, we thought we’d share much of it...[read more]

The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on the FY2013 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill (H.R. 5325) this afternoon, which includes the budget of critical clean energy innovation programs within the Department of Energy (DOE).  The bill, passed by the House Appropriations Committee on April 25, cuts clean energy innovation...[read more]

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Another year, another wringing of the hands over tax credits and incentives for clean technology. It’s time to end government handouts in clean technology, policymakers need to focus on setting mandates and standards and start ratcheting back subsidies and credits.[read more]

Despite robust growth and recent improvements in price and performance, a boom in US clean tech sectors could now falter as federal clean energy spending declines sharply, according to a new report published today.[read more]

With 2011 drawing to a close, now is a good time to take stock of energy efficiency accomplishments over the past year. On the plus side, many energy efficiency investments were made this year. While exact figures are not available yet, utility-sector spending on energy efficiency programs is likely to be more than $6 billion for the...[read more]

Controversy surrounding solar panel manufacturer Solyndra’s recent bankruptcy filing just won’t go away, and could imperil the White House. The company’s federal stimulus loans are at the center of a widening investigation into clean-energy technology funding by House Republicans, and may lead to subpoenas of White House records. U.S. Representative Cliff Stearns (R-FL), chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, recently told energyNOW! that he may expand the initial investigation into loan guarantees Solyndra received from the U.S. Department of Energy to cover other clean energy companies.[read more]

Before discussing the best way to green the economy, it’s important to note that the U.S. economy has been greening steadily over the past three years. Buoyed by the policies established and extended by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the largest federal investment in clean tech in American history, the clean energy industry has experienced precipitous growth, as documented by Mark Muro and colleagues at the Brookings Metro program in their recent "Sizing the Clean Economy" report.[read more]

As the week at DistribuTECH 2011 winds down, I find myself reflecting on the many impressive presentations and interesting projects that were discussed. One in particular, was the presentation given by Kansas City Power and Light (KCPL), which outlined a comprehensive project with societal benefits that will include many, if...[read more]

But with most of the Federal funding either expiring or running out, the incoming Congress will have important decisions to make about the near-term progress of EVs.[read more]

Yesterday, Vice President Joe Biden joined a growing number of voices in calling for Congress to extend the Treasury cash grant program.  This show of support from the Obama administration is timely and reflects the recognition that some stimulus programs should last into the future.  CAP’s Richard W. Caperton has the story....[read more]

In 2009, the Smart Grid industry was filled with hope for what the $4.5 billion in U.S. government stimulus dollars could mean for the acceleration of Smart Grid deployments.Hundreds of utilities applied for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding, $4.5 billion in awards were announced, and scarecrows danced on power lines...[read more]