Throughout America, even in this difficult economic environment, there are examples of innovation and entrepreneurship that inspire us with their creativity and success.  I came across one of these places recently at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in not surprisingly, Brooklyn New York, a former shipyard (more…)

Nevada lawmakers are considering significantly increasing the amount of rooftop solar energy systems on the state’s homes and businesses – a move that would empower energy consumers to go solar and provide local economic opportunity in one fell swoop.

Nevada already has a strong track record of (more…)

California’s energy-efficiency policies will create over 200,000 jobs by 2020, but the state could be creating more and better-quality jobs.

The Don Vial Center on Employment in the Green Economy, part of the University of California-Berkeley’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, released a (more…)

Europe has a challenge ahead, in terms of renewable energy targets. The UK government has signed up to a commitment which states that by 2020, 15% of energy production will come from renewable sources. Quite a target for any government to achieve, but in a climate where purse strings are being tightened, this challenge is ever more complex. However, the UK (more…)

The question often is “Where do cleantech ideas come from?” The answer, simply put, is from universities. Today, many universities offer different initiatives to assist those looking to get into the clean technologies field. A university has the resources necessary for research, development, and innovation. Many of the (more…)

With the aim of fomenting renewable energy within academia, the Fundación IBERDROLA, which is kept by renewable energy giant Iberdrola, has announced the first round of its program of scholarships for postgraduate studies in energy and the environment at academic centres in the United Kingdom and the United States. (more…)

A new report by the United Nations Environment Program says that moving towards a green economy is the most effective way to reduce worldwide poverty

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) released a report last week arguing the risks we face today are much different from what they were 50 years ago. The (more…)

To attract or to grow? That may not have been Hamlet’s question, but it is the question of the dozens of states trying to build clean tech clusters across America today. As Governor’s offices, Mayors, Chambers of Commerce, and other economic development organizations try to turn their regions into the economic engines of the green economy, they must (more…)

On Tuesday, I joined President Obama in Cleveland to meet with small business leaders and get their ideas on how we can support their work in clean energy. America’s small businesses are engines of innovation and job creation. In fact, they create two out of every three new jobs in this country. Their ingenuity is essential to (more…)

Solar energy is more prevalent today than ever before. Worldwide, investors put more than US$1.66 billion into the solar market in 2010, with the United States, France, Israel, and Canada leading the pack. Of late, Ontario has ranked particularly well in the photovoltaic (PV) market, encouraged by government incentives, such as the province’s feed-in tariff (FIT) program, which (more…)