Regulators at the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) put their stamp of approval late last week on a new surcharge unfairly penalizing customers that go solar. The state’s utilities charge customers a monthly fee to help pay for solar-panel rebates and to purchase clean energy to meet the state’s 15% by 2025 renewable energy standard. Until now, those (more…)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers recently released a study examining the future of the U.S. electric grid.  MIT concluded that developing a modern grid through the anticipation of needed improvements can facilitate the integration of renewable energy resources, accommodate a growing number of electric vehicles, (more…)

By December the city of Austin in Texas will have a 30-megawatt solar project feeding into its grid.

Built in Webberville, about 20 miles east of downtown Austin, this Austin Energy project has already seen 7,000 out of 140,000 solar modules installed over the last few weeks. (more…)

Despite sometimes being in competition, the relationship between natural gas and the power grid is destined to become more intertwined. As an ally, natural gas is cleaner than coal, is an abundant domestic resource for generating energy, and its profile in providing steady output to offset the (more…)

A recent debate on EU energy policy for post-2020 concluded that a 45% renewable energy target for 2030 would create the future policy-stability that is necessary for the alternative energy sector.

According to a post on European Wind Energy Association’s blog, these new energy policies must (more…)

A surge in hydroelectric power caused by a heavy spring flow in the Columbia River in the U.S. Northwest has forced authorities to shut down nearby wind energy operations for several hours a day to ease the stress on regional electric grid, triggering conflict between the two renewable energy sectors. (more…)

Scientists at the Madagascar Biodiversity Center have a new tool to help them study species that are being threatened by deforestation – reliable clean power. Volunteers have installed solar panels that prevent the loss of valuable research time during occasional power outages while simultaneously reducing the center’s carbon footprint. (more…)

While electric vehicles are only being delivered by the hundreds today, plans for clusters of fast DC charging stations around major cities and along highways are fully underway. During the next 18 months it may be more of a challenge to find enough cars to warrant the chargers’ existence than it will be for EV drivers to find a fast charge station. (more…)

As a Boulder resident, I am loosely participating in the SmartGridCity project run by our local electric utility, Xcel Energy. I say “loosely” because the extent of my participation has been the few times I logged into my online account to see a more granular view of my energy consumption. On this website, I could see into my daily energy usage in as small as 15 minute (more…)

What if we, as individuals, could contribute to renewable energy simply by working out? Imagine hitting the gym, getting into your zone, achieving optimal heart rate and… putting electricity back onto the grid.

Not only is it a pretty cool concept, it’s becoming a reality.

All those Stairmasters, elliptical trainers, (more…)