The California Public Utilities Commission approved a batch of solar contracts yesterday — up to 544 MW worth, of which 294 MW are coming in at prices below that of building a new natural gas combined cycle gas turbine. That’s a lot of solar, at a great price.

SDG&E is buying 96-150 MW, a project developed (more…)

If someone told me they could improve the efficiency of my computer so that it operates quicker, at no extra cost to me, I can’t imagine I’d turn them away. Yet, the energy efficiency industry offers a similar option for homes and businesses and at least so far, consumers aren’t flocking to the programs. (more…)

The Chinese government has increased its solar energy target for 2015 by 50 percent, setting a new goal of 15 gigawatts annually, state media reports.

The new target, which was reported by China National Radio, follows a rapid surge in Chinese solar power installation in recent months after the (more…)

If you want to stimulate solar manufacturing, you have to actually do something. Andrew Liveris, Chairman and CEO of the Dow Chemical Company, wrote a book with an entire book–”Make it in America“–on reinventing the American economy through manufacturing, especially of new energy (more…)

A U.S. government-funded report has concluded that small, modular nuclear reactors may be the best option for continuing to develop the U.S. nuclear power industry in the wake of the disaster at Fukushima, Japan.

The report, prepared by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, said that smaller reactors (more…)

Universities house the future, no one will deny that. Universities house the next generation of thinkers and doers, the ones that will work to make the planet better for the following generations to come. One of the primary universities that is taking clean technology to heart, understanding that its development is key for (more…)

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), what Pike Research defines as a “remote microgrid” is not a microgrid. The DOE defines a microgrid as a distribution system connected to a larger utility grid, with its defining characteristic being the ability to disconnect (seamlessly) and then operate in islanding mode. (more…)

This is the kind of story that illustrates perfectly the beauty of solar power and alternative energy in general. The Red Cross is testing solar power for its pop-up hospitals in emergency areas where there is not enough diesel fuel to keep generators working around the clock. (more…)

I’ve  met with researchers, entrepreneurs and students across the country and I can say without hesitation that the United States is the world’s most innovative country. At those same meetings, I’ve also learned firsthand about obstacles that clean energy entrepreneurs face. (more…)

Specialized Technology Resources (STR) is a Connecticut-based company that makes plastic sheeting material for encapsulating solar cells.

In the 1990′s, STR engaged in about five years of intensive R&D to develop a proprietary method to produce a “low-shrink” (more…)