With the year nearly half done, here’s the solar scoreboard–updates from things we’ve been working on, and a selection of other notable solar victories.

New state solar programs

New York is our biggest market-building campaign in the East. Last month the Senate unanimously Continue reading… » 

We fret about turning off the lights to save pennies on energy. Meanwhile, electricity worth billions of dollars gets lost or stolen on the world’s power grids every year.

In industry jargon, the problem is known as ‘line loss.’ A certain amount of electricity generated by a power plant never makes it to the consumer – or at least Continue reading… » 

A team of scientists is enlisting public support to help produce a more comprehensive inventory of carbon dioxide emissions from power plants globally, urging citizens to identify power plants in their communities with a new digital app.

While data from some of the world’s industrialized Continue reading… » 

How often do we hear warnings for people with respiratory conditions to stay inside to avoid high levels of poor or toxic air in their communities? There are good reasons for those warnings. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sees how damaging these sky-high air pollutant levels can be and, as a result, are focusing more closely on urban air quality Continue reading… » 

A previous post discussed advanced battery maker Electrovaya’s lithium ion polymer technology, which the company says provides faster, more efficient transport of lithium, and therefore greater energy density.

Several years ago, Electrovaya partnered with Tata Continue reading… » 

The Obama Administration last week introduced an online tool to improve research into the link between climate change and human health and promote innovative responses to future threats.

As climate change triggers more extreme weather events and temperature shifts, it is becoming Continue reading… » 

The Hummer. It is unmistakable on the roadway, and it is probably the closest a civilian will ever get to driving a tank. That’s not surprising, since the Hummer is essentially a military vehicle that was re-purposed for civilian use. It looks a lot like the army’s Humvee because it essentially has the same chassis. The Hummer is heavy, can cross extremely rough terrain, Continue reading… » 

A large U.S. pipeline developer has dropped plans to build a $200-million coal export facility in northern Oregon, the third major terminal proposal to be shelved or canceled in the Pacific Northwest. Officials at Houston-based Kinder Morgan say the Columbia River site could not optimally accommodate the 30 million tons of coal that were expected to run through Continue reading… » 

As prices for solar energy continue to drop and reach grid parity in some regions, the ongoing battle over domestic sourcing of materials continues to grow. Ahead of the next round of auctions in India under the Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy recently announced that approximately 300 megawatts of the Continue reading… » 

Depending on where you live in the United States, you’ll see that your electricity and energy rates will fluctuate. Electricity providers calculate your energy usage and electricity prices by kilowatt usage, meaning that how much you pay is dependent on how many cents it costs per kilowatt for whatever provider you use. Continue reading… »