The solar thermal market has been showing steady growth, but I predict the U.S. industry is on the path for record growth on par with the solar photovoltaic industry. Let me explain why.

Based on the 2010 solar markets trends report, the solar thermal market is not showing fast growth. It (more…)

As we all learned in kindergarten, every snowflake is unique.  Now, studies have shown that is not entirely true (see here if you are marginally interested in the science of snowflakes), but close enough.

Uniqueness may be good for snowflakes, but lousy for financial transactions. At least part of the problem (more…)

The use of on-campus solar power has increased 450% in the last three years. American colleges now have 137 MW of installed solar energy, said the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), which has created a database of hundreds of campus solar PV (more…)

Fortunately for the rest of us, some people missed the message, the one that says we’re in an economic slide so slippery there is no climbing back up.

I had a chance to speak to several of these optimists recently. No, they are not members of the Pollyanna Club; they are green energy entrepreneurs, those (more…)

Already languishing in the current deficit/debt landscape and facing mounting criticism in the wake of the Solyndra bankruptcy, the much-maligned DOE Section 1705 loan guarantee program came to a close last week with a flurry of activity. Despite frustration with the program in the biofuels industry, centering on delays (more…)

Since the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced it wouldn’t be backing PACE loans for residential projects a year ago, the buzz around PACE financing has died down. However, many don’t realize that this development only slowed commercial PACE financing by a small measure. In (more…)

I’ve been researching going off the grid and looking into home solar systems. I’d love to get one for free, like this lucky Richmond mom. But somehow, my lucky stars aren’t aligned on this one.

The two main questions you are going to need to answer are: 1) does my home receive enough sun? (more…)

Considering switching to solar power in your house? Great, we like the sound of that. In order to make your transition to solar power a happier experience, we asked the folks at Batteries in a Flash for a few tips.

1 – Get Professional Help
This will help you in many ways. First, solar (more…)

The renewable energy business has done a remarkable job at positioning itself in the public psyche as the ‘it girl’ of our era. Just about everyone – politicians, celebrities, major industries – likes to be seen as pro-renewable.

But if renewable energy is the girl that everyone wants to be photographed near, (more…)

Energy efficiency is a tortoise in the green energy race. Not glamorous like solar, wind or smart grid, it tends to plod along in the back of the pack, attracting little media attention. But being last can be a good thing; you learn from the frontrunners.

Such is the case when it comes to financing. EE is beginning to borrow from strategies (more…)