The presence of artificial street lights can alter the behavior of ground-dwelling invertebrates and insects and ultimately change the structure and function of some ecosystems, according to a new study.

In a series of tests in Cornwall in western England, researchers from the University of Exeter used 28 (more…)

BELECTRIC, a German solar power company, has helped the solar industry achieve a historic milestone with the installation of more than 1 GW of photovoltaic solar power. The amount corresponds to the system output of a large conventional power plant.

“This is an outstanding event for BELECTRIC and the (more…)

At the Camp David meeting last week, G8 leaders agreed to act on climate change and air pollution by focusing on methane, black carbon (soot), and hydroflurocarbons (HFCs).

This is the logical follow up of a move in the same direction by the United States, China and other countries back to February. However, like the (more…)

The traffic lights are still blinking in Odaka town, north-western Japan, but few cars pass through these deserted intersections. Frozen in time after being hit by the triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami and meltdowns in the nearby Fukushima Dai’ichi nuclear plant, tables are still laid in partially-collapsed restaurants and (more…)

Palo Alto-based One Million Lights’ mission is to deliver solar power to those people in rural communities who still depend on dirty kerosene for lighting. By giving them solar lights, students can study more at night and improve their prospects. Now the organization has teamed up with SunPower Foundation on a project called One Million Students. The aim of the project is to educate (more…)

At a solar jobs fair yesterday at Malloy College’s Suffolk campus on Long Island, we joined up with leaders from the business community, environmental advocates and the local labor movement to call on elected officials in Albany to pass the Solar Jobs Act – and soon! (more…)

An increasing number of people use tablet computers these days, adding to the high demand on energy caused by our digital tools. But one company has come up with a solar powered solution to reduce energy consumption from the grid and tap it from the sun instead. (more…)

Perhaps the greatest single threat facing mankind today is our failure to apply reason to effect solutions. In fact, we appear to openly defy and ridicule the findings of our scientific community, writing them off as so many lairs and frauds. At least here in the United States, a significant segment of our population has bought into the idea that science has conspired to fabricate the (more…)

Introduction: Vote Solar’s Annie Carmichael recently sat down with Stan Greschner, Director of the Single-family Affordable Solar Homes Program (SASH) at GRID Alternatives. We learned some surprising facts about who’s going solar in California.

Annie Carmichael, VS: Can you tell us about GRID Alternatives and California’s SASH Program? (more…)

According to a recent study carried out by Euroheat & Power (EHP), the international association of district heating and cooling, the value of energy wasted each year in the European Union amounts to a whopping 1.000 euros per citizen. This amounts to up to 500 billion euros per year, or 638 billion USD. (more…)