Google Inc. says it is abandoning its ambitious program to drive down the cost of renewable energy, one of seven major initiatives canceled by the Internet giant this week as it looks to focus on its core projects.

Launched four years ago through Google.org, the (more…)

While solar thermal plant costs are expected to “decline steadily as plants get bigger”, pinpointing how costs can otherwise be reduced remains a challenge, due to the presence of many variables.

CSP Today’s latest report, ‘CSP Parabolic Trough Report – Cost & Performance’, provides (more…)

Italy is looking to get a solar energy boost from Enel Green Power, which just announced plans to construct two large concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. But Italy’s still got a ways to go to catch up with the CSP world leaders.

Solar thermal power plants have their supporters and (more…)

Last week was a good one if you happen to own a natural gas well. Two reports on the outlook for natural gas, both in the U.S. and worldwide, gave a glowing assessment of the fuel’s future prospects. The International Energy Agency (IEA) cheekily titled its report, “Are We Entering a Golden Age of Gas?” The (more…)

I just had a very interesting conversation on one of my favorite topics: solar thermal, or concentrated solar power (CSP). I came across Ahura Energy of Campbell, CA on the fantastic online resource OnGreen.com, and spoke with Dr. Fareed Sfard, the company’s CEO, who boasts over 20 years experience in the Solar industry. (more…)

The Calico Solar project, abandoned like a sinking ship by original planners Stirling Energy and Tessera Solar, has acquired a new owner.

The Calico project came up against a smallish band of Native Americans and lost (sounds like Custer’s battle all over again). The turning point was not an environmental (more…)

How large can a Photo Voltaic (PV) solar farm be? It, of course, depends, on the available land space and the efficiency of the solar cells involved. Sarnia Solar Facility, deemed the world’s largest Photo Voltaic solar power station, has just opened in Canada. (more…)

A market analysis of the U.S. solar industry predicts that nearly 1 gigawatt of added capacity will be installed in 2010, a 114 percent increase from last year. About 314 megawatts were added during the first six months of the year, according to the report by the Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade organization. And with a major concentrated solar power project and (more…)

After nearly a decade of delays, the largest wind farm in the U.S. is finally moving forward in one of California’s remaining premium wind resource regions, a spot where the Tehachapi Mountains touch the Mojave Desert in southern California.

Developed by New York-based Terra-Gen Power, the project is expected to grow to 3 (more…)

Even outsiders know that the solar energy industry has experienced huge growth during the past few years. This is particularly true of 2009, where solar energy prospered in spite of a worldwide recession. In the U.S., this prosperity is largely due to the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

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