What's New?

Aug. 26, 2010 -  Renewable energy is receiving a big push from the Obama Administration and from governments around the globe. Stimulus packages and government incentives for green technology have created jobs and established new industry, which in turn has sparked a brighter outlook on the world's economy. Going into 2011 and beyond, SBI Energy has identified six clean energies that will not only gain double-digit growth in the next five years, but will also alter the lifestyle we know today. <<Read more>>

CPUC Pilot Program Opens New Market Opportunity for Mid-Sized PV Development
August 26, 2010 -- On Tuesday the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a proposed decision to launch a new renewable incentive program designed to drive mid-sized renewable energy development. This next-generation feed-in tariff program will require investor-owned California utilities to purchase electricity from renewable energy systems between 1 and 20 MW in size. <<Read more>>

Aug. 26, 2010 -- Wind power investor and manufacturer GE has warned that the days of building major new wind projects are numbered, unless Congress can pass new clean energy legislation. The warning came from the company’s investment division, GE Energy Financial Services, as it celebrated the construction of its $500 million wind project in Idaho on Tuesday. <<More>>

Aug. 25, 2010 -- The licensing of (ACORE Member) NextEra Energy Resources'  250-megawatt Beacon Solar Energy Project after a two-and-a-half-year environmental review comes as several other big solar farms are set to receive approval from the California Energy Commission in the next month. <<Read more>>

Aug. 25, 2010 — NextEra Energy has one of the industry's smallest carbon footprints due to a steady shift to low-carbon sources since the 1990s. The company has reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by 31 percent since 1990, the company said in its 2009 Sustainability Report. It has also taken a large bite out of its nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide emissions by 88 percent and 87 percent, respectively. <<Full story>>

Aug. 25, 2010 -- The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) has expressed its support for Tucson Electric Power's plan to purchase the output of 10 new renewable power projects that together will generate nearly 150 megawatts (MW), enough energy to power more than 30,000 Tucson homes. <<Read more>>

Aug. 25, 2010 -- NV Energy, Inc., and Great Basin Transmission, LLC, an affiliate of LS Power, have announced the signing of a definitive agreement to jointly construct and own a 500 kilovolt transmission line in Nevada... The transmission line will provide access to isolated renewable energy resources in parts of northern and eastern Nevada. Additionally, it will connect NV Energy's northern service area with its service area in southern Nevada, which will enhance overall energy-sharing efficiencies and renewable energy utilization. <<Full story>>

Aug. 24, 2010 -- Analysts at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore Labs have run the numbers on the US energy use in 2009, and come up with similar results to those obtained when examining the country's carbon emissions: energy use is dropping at a pace that is faster than would be expected based on the slowing economy alone. Even better, the growth in renewable energy, coupled with increased use of natural gas, is displacing significant amounts of coal. <<Read more>>

DOE announced on August 24 the creation of the Energy-Efficient Building Systems Design Energy Innovation Hub to develop technologies that make buildings more energy efficient. The hub team, led by (ACORE Member) Pennsylvania State University, will receive up to $122 million over the next five years to develop models that are applicable to both retrofits and new construction.

Aug. 24, 2010  -- Transforming arid farmland into land yielding clean power and jobs, Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter joined executives of GE and its partners today to celebrate the start of construction of the state's largest wind power project, 8 miles from the Oregon Trail where American pioneers pushed westward across the continent. <<Read more>>

Aug. 24, 2010 -- The report, entitled Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan, "outlines a technically feasible and economically attractive way for Australia to transition to 100 percent renewable energy within ten years." The plan specifies that the 100 percent renewable grid be "based on proven technologies that are already commercially available and that have already been demonstrated in large industries." <<Read more>>

Clipper Windpower has found an invaluable training pool for renewable energy technicians and engineers: the military.
Aug. 24, 2010 -- The demand for wind power is at an all-time high. Just about every year, the wind sets a new record, recently putting close to 10 GW a year online. Yet it isn't enough. States continue to set higher and higher renewable portfolio standards (RPS). The problem is that there is already a shortage of qualified wind technicians, managers and general staff. <<Read more>>

Aug. 24, 2010 -- Vice President Joe Biden today unveiled a new report, "The Recovery Act: Transforming the American Economy through Innovation," which finds that the Recovery Act’s $100 billion investment in innovation is not only transforming the economy and creating new jobs, but helping accelerate significant advances in science and technology that cut costs for consumers, save lives and help keep America competitive in the 21st century economy. <<Read full story>>

Aug. 23, 2010 -- AT&T and SunEdison activated a new 296-kilowatt roof top solar power installation in San Diego yesterday. In addition to the installation in San Diego, AT&T has contracts with SunEdison to deploy five other solar power installations in California by the second quarter of 2011, equating to approximately 2 megawatts (MW) of total solar capacity for all six sites, to help offset its energy use.  <<Read more>>

"Climate policy is gridlocked, and there’s virtually no chance of a breakthrough. Many factors have conspired to produce this situation. Human beings are notoriously poor at responding to problems that develop incrementally. And most of us aren’t eager to change our lifestyles by sharply reducing our energy consumption." <<Read the full post>>