German capital Berlin is one of Europe’s great cities and if BürgerEnergie Berlin (Citizens Energy Berlin) could have its way, it will be even greater.

Greenbang writes that the government coalition that leads Berlin has decided to regain control of electricity (more…)

In reference to my post on the lifecycle analysis (LCA) of wind turbines, a reader writes:

The LCA of fossil fuel (or nuclear) powered electricity production presumably shows a good return in terms of direct power out vs. power consumed. Until, that is, you start to quantify the externalities – pollution, climate impact, resource (more…)

We hear a lot about the upcoming democratization of energy.  But with the average consumer thinking about energy only six minutes per year, it’s fair to wonder if anyone will show up to ‘vote.’

But this week an alliance that includes the intriguing combination of Opower and Facebook offers promise that this futuristic concept may not be so far (more…)

A new product launched by a Turkish solar company called Solimpeks offers an ingenious solution to homeowners who would like to benefit from own solar power. The company’s Volther is a hybrid photovoltaic-solar thermal collector, which produces electricity and hot water simultaneously. (more…)

During the first half of 2011, Germany for the first time generated more than 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, a new report says.

While the country’s total electricity demand remained stable during the first six months of 2011, the share generated by renewable sources increased from (more…)

Coal is a combustible sedimentary rock that has become the world’s most used energy source. Because it is so abundant and therefore cheap, much research has been done to see what other kinds of uses it can have other than direct burning for electricity production. The liquefaction of coal (more…)

Earlier this week, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In her testimony the Administrator highlighted the agency's ongoing efforts to develop sensible standards that update the Clean Air Act, while ensuring that the landmark law continues to provide Americans (more…)

HelioFocus Ltd., an Israel-based solar thermal systems start-up, has raised more than $10 million from China’s Zhejiang Sanhua Co. and existing investor IC Green Energy.

HelioFocus announced the investment last week at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, where HelioFocus is developing its solar thermal technology to boost electricity production of existing power plants.

HelioFocus CEO Ory Zik said Sanhua, the Chinese maker of appliance components whose stock is traded on the Shenzhen stock exchange, would be not just a financial investor in the company, but will also produce some solar thermal components.

(more…)