It used to be — way back in history, like 2008 — that the biggest barrier to growing solar markets was the cost of the modules. Since then, module costs have come down around 80% — to the point that hardware costs are no longer the largest part of the overall cost of a solar system. (more…)

Frequent commenter and alternative fuels expert Ben Thorp responds to my piece on electric transportation the other day, noting:

Energy efficiency … may be the largest issue if saving fossil fuel or the global environment is a major concern. The US utility energy efficiency has been (more…)

No company has done greater damage to the image of the American solar industry than Solyndra. It was therefore a source of great delight to me last week as I drove along Interstate 880 through Fremont, CA for what I didn’t see. The signs on the old factory were gone. Those persistent thorns in the side of American solar, had finally vanished, closing (more…)

IKEA has expanded its solar power portfolio with the installation of a new system at its has South Florida store in the city of Sunrise. The installation also marks the 35th completed solar project for the company in the U.S., with four installations at four more locations now in progress. (more…)

The continuing expansion of renewable energy technologies, advances in energy efficiency, and the rapid shift from coal to natural gas for generating electricity combined to bring down U.S. carbon dioxide emissions last year to their lowest levels since 1994, according to a report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. (more…)

The San Francisco 49ers just announced plans for a 400 kW solar array at their new stadium. Going solar and going to the Super Bowl – coincidence? At Vote Solar we think not.

In addition to beer, brats and overpriced memorabilia, stadiums across the US are delivering fans clean (more…)

A new crowdfunding project on Indiegogo wants to bring solar power to the site of a former trash dump on the Galápagos Islands, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located 550 miles west of the Ecuadorean mainland. The islands were visited by Charles Darwin during his South American expedition and the species he observed there helped him formulate his theory of (more…)

For years, we’ve been making the case that in addition to the environmental benefits, solar also adds value to the grid.

How much value? Today, we released a report that we commissioned to look at both the costs and benefits of net metering in California. The study was done by Tom Beach of Crossborder Energy, who used actual data from 10,000 solar systems (more…)

A lot of people have been waiting to get behind the wheel of an electric vehicle since the 1980s. But what was once promised to consumers as an extremely economical way to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and help conserve the environment turned into another green movement pipe dream. While the talk about electric vehicles was full of hope, (more…)

We’re thrilled to see that the LA Department of Water and Power (LADWP) adopted a Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program last week.

We’d like to congratulate all the folks who, after three years of hard work testifying and developing the research and policy, made this victory possible (looking at you, LABC, Environment California, Sierra Club, Global Green, and many many more). (more…)