rooftop solar

solar energy inspiration?

The German program was an inspiration to the crafters of Vermont’s May, 2009 feed-in tariff law, the energy-generation lynchpin of the state’s plan to use 90% renewables by 2050.[read more]

Hawai'i solar energy

Hawaii is one of the American states cracking ahead to make a switch to clean, solar power. As usual, government incentives play a key part in promoting a switch to renewable energy.[read more]

shared renewables/shutterstock

California’s clean energy economy is already America’s largest, but two bills making their way through the state legislature could open access to renewables for millions of utility customers – without any subsidies.[read more]

new PV materials

Historically photovoltaic production has required the use of rare earth metals. However scientists have just broken the global record for solar energy conversion with “earth-abundant” materials.[read more]

rooftop solar/shutterstock

In a grid dominated by unsequestered coal and gas, and treating PV as a non-essential add-on to an electricity meter, PV provides a legitimate source of emission abatement with high, but declining costs.[read more]

utility company/shutterstock

Some believe that solar panels are becoming so common that they may eventually put utilities out of business. Can this really happen?[read more]

solar energy in Chicago

The program is part of a push by VGI to bring more sustainability and energy independence, as well as more efficient appliances, infrastructure and plumbing, to residents of Chicago’s low-income urban areas.[read more]

Solar power continues along its firmly established downward cost curve and edges ever closer to achieving the historic milestone of grid parity. Today it just got a huge boost that will help it scale out in this country and will go a long way towards tipping the long term balance in favor of solar. In fact as the industry achieves scale...[read more]

The final part of this case study on Canada’s largest solar rooftop focuses on the Ontario Feed-In Tariff program application. We look at how LoyaltyOne got their FIT program approval to become the first system to feed the Ontario power grid. The Feed-In Tariff application for LoyaltyOne’s pioneering renewable energy system was...[read more]

By Alexis C. Jolly In addition to the federal investment tax credit, in which 30% of your solar investment can be written off against your taxes no matter where you live, states like New Jersey have begun to offer tremendous local incentives for residents to adopt solar lifestyles.  One of those incentives is known as a Solar...[read more]

In yet another Earth Day unveiling, FedEx raised the curtain on its new 12,400-panel-strong solar array on the rooftop of its facility in Woodbridge, New Jersey. The system is to date the largest rooftop solar electric system in the country, and is helping New Jersey retain its second-place spot behind California in solar energy...[read more]

USA Today has an article on the trend towards covering warehouse roofs with solar panels - Edison blankets warehouse roofs with solar panels. The view from a warehouse roof here is consistent. In every direction, there are blocks and blocks of warehouse roofs baking in the Southern California sun. Rather than letting them sit bare, a...[read more]

With an ambitious goal of being 100-percent renewable-powered, Wal-Mart wants to be a green company — but apparently on its own terms. The company has been fighting for more than two years against a pair of lawsuits that demanded that two planned stores get greener. The Center for Biological Diversity and a handful of other groups...[read more]

Homeowners and businesses in California have added 250 megawatts of solar power to the grid in the time it takes to get approval for the same size power plants. The growth in solar power has been fast among homeowners, and even faster among commercial building owners. The faster adoption of commercial solar is due to the lower prices...[read more]

Click for ruling Solar-proponents today hailed as a “major victory” a decision by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that on-site solar generating projects (rooftop panels for example) owned by a third party are not subject to regulatory oversight by FERC. Rhone Resch, CEO of the industry trade group, Solar Energy...[read more]