Category / Industry News
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Tips for utilities making the transition to renewables
By Allen Austin, ABB Renewable energy has arrived, and it makes up the majority of new generating capacity being added in the United States. The US Energy Information Administration projects renewables’ share of the national generation mix will rise from 21 percent in 2020 to 42 percent in 2050, even as the federal tax credits…
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New energy storage deployment topped record 3,500 MWh in 2020, ESA report shows
Energy storage installation grew nearly 200 percent and totaled an all-time operational record in fourth quarter 2020, according to a new report. The report released by analytics and research firm Wood MacKenzie and the U.S. Energy Storage Association’s latest U.S. Monitor report indicated that about 2,156 MWh of new energy storage was brought online in the last…
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Red Rocket’s 4-MW Kruisavallei hydropower plant now operating
The 4-MW Kruisvallei hydropower plant reached commercial operations in late February 2021, according to project developer Red Rocket. Construction of this small hydro plant, on the Ash River between Clarens and Bethlehem in the Free State Province of South Africa, began in March 2019. Kruisvallei Hydro is the third hydropower project procured under South Africa’s Renewable…
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The oil industry says it might support a carbon tax – here’s why that could be good for producers and the public alike
by Richard Schmalensee, Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management and Davide Schoenbrod, Professor, New York Law School The oil industry’s lobbying arm, the American Petroleum Institute, suggested in a new draft statement that it might support Congress putting a price on carbon emissions to combat climate change, even though oil and gas are major sources of those…
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Rooftop solar skyrockets if an alternative to monopoly utility models is employed
Originally published on ILSR.org Since rooftop solar became possible, electric utilities have struggled to incorporate it into their outdated business model. In recent years, this lag in utility recognition has become increasingly problematic, risking the health, environmental, and financial impacts of over-investment in large fossil fuel power plants. In over 30 states, monopoly utilities submit…
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Solar Energy for Kids
[updated March 2021] Solar experts and installers have found that when a family decides to install rooftop solar panels on their home, their children understandably become interested in solar energy and solar power systems. We want to help parents explain solar power and the benefits of solar energy systems to their kids. However, the complexities…
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The 800-MW Vineyard Wind 1 moves closer to starting construction
The Department of the Interior today announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has completed the environmental analysis of the proposed Vineyard Wind I offshore wind project. This is the final analysis that BOEM needs to either approve the project or request additional modifications. Vineyard Wind is proposing what is expected to be…
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Jigar Shah to head up U.S. DOE loan programs office
Longtime renewable energy expert and founder of Generate Capital, Jigar Shah, has been appointed to head up the Loan Programs Office (LPO) of the US Department of Energy (DOE). According to the website, LPO manages a portfolio comprising more than $30 billion of loans, loan guarantees, and conditional commitments covering more than 30 projects.…
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A deeper dive into BP and Chevron’s backing of a Canada-based geothermal startup
by Jane Marsh, Blogger Renewable energy businesses can be promising investments for larger companies looking to improve their carbon footprints. Sometimes, what some might assume to be the least likely investors will pour funds into renewables. That’s the case with Eavor Technologies’ most recent round of fundraising. Oil giants BP and Chevron were among the…
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Meet the UK’s female innovators who are disrupting business
Visionary British female entrepreneurs are receiving government backing to drive forward their novel innovations and business ideas. Announced today by Science Minister Amanda Solloway to mark International Women’s Day, 40 of the country’s top female innovators will be awarded a cash injection of £50,000 ($69,000) each, as well as bespoke mentoring, to scale up and…
