As the Trump administration sets to work gutting environmental regulations, the best weapon for battling climate change in the U.S. may be jobs. Many Republicans, including the president, have been unmoved by environmental or scientific arguments that federal policies should support clean energy as a way to combat global warming.
Category: Solar Energy
The Latest: New Mexico adds disclosures for solar contracts
The New Mexico House of Representatives has approved new disclosure requirements for providers of rooftop solar energy systems and related financing agreements. The House voted 56-6 on Tuesday on the bill from Democrat Rep. Debbie Rodella of Espanola.
Warming Up to First Solar as a Value Play
For the past several years, I’ve been enamored with the idea of slapping solar panels on our roof, drawing our power and heating our water from the ultimate renewable energy source, the sun. Don’t get me wrong.
Big Batteries Coming of Age Prompt Bankers to Place Their Bets
The idea that giant batteries may someday revolutionize electrical grids has long enthralled clean-power advocates and environmentalists. Now it’s attracting bankers with the money to make it happen.
Solar Energy Production Hit a Record High in 2016, So What’s Wrong With Solar Stocks?
GTM Research recently reported that its upcoming U.S. Solar Market Insight Report done with the Solar Energy Industries Association will reveal a 95% jump in installations last year to 14.6 GW. To put that number into perspective, that’s enough solar to power 2.4 million homes in the U.S. On top of the huge installation numbers, solar accounted for 39% of all new electricity installed in 2016, a record for the industry.
3 Stocks We Like More Than Kinder Morgan Inc.
Travis Hoium : Kinder Morgan is supposed to be a cash-flow machine for investors, acting as a toll collector on thousands of miles of oil and gas pipelines. At the end of the day, the company should be judged by its cash flow and dividend — which is no longer a great value at a 2.2% dividend yield.
Why Wind and Solar May Have to Fill In for America’s Crumbling Hydro Infrastructure
When politicians talk about “crumbling infrastructure,” it’s often hard to ascertain exactly what they’re talking about. Is it bridges falling down , an excessive number of potholes, or maybe aging airports? It could mean any number of things depending on who’s talking and who’s listening.
The U.A.E. Sets Its Sights on Biggest Solar Farm Ever
The U.S. solar market has moved away from massive solar farms in recent years, favoring smaller developments that plug into the grid a little more easily. But international markets aren’t shying away from giant solar projects, particularly in desert locations.
Apple Agrees to Buy Solar Power From Buffett’s Nevada Utility
Apple Inc. agreed to buy the output from a proposed 200-megawatt solar farm in Nevada to help power a data center in Reno. NV Energy Inc., a Las Vegas-based utility owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co., plans to seek approval for the power-purchase agreement from the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, according to a statement Wednesday.
The Global Solar Boom: How Solar Is Finally Moving Beyond Boom and Bust
The past decade of solar energy has been all about a series of boom and bust cycles. Germany’s generous solar tariffs drove the industry for most of the 2000s before the country cut subsidies to the bone.
India as Solar Bright Spot Helps Fill Japan, China Slowdown
India may be a bright spot for global solar markets this year as it adds capacity at a record pace, becoming one of the top regions for panel producers struggling with rock-bottom prices. India is expected to add nearly twice as much new solar as last year, outpacing once-booming Japan, according to forecasts by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
For Cheapest Power on Earth, Look Skyward as Coal Falls to Solar
Solar power is now cheaper than coal in some parts of the world. In less than a decade, it’s likely to be the lowest-cost option almost everywhere.
This Week in Solar
As the year comes to a close, it’s fitting that the week in solar was dominated by the kind of large, macro trends that seem to move and shake the solar industry every few months. But unlike 2015, when we had Nevada upend net metering in the final hours of the year, most of the news from the solar industry is positive at the end of 2016.
100% Renewable: Las Vegas Is Now a Beacon Of Sustainability
Las Vegas may not be the first city you think of when you think of sustainability, but maybe it should be. When SunPower recently turned on the Boulder 1 solar project, the City of Las Vegas’ government became the first in the country to be entirely powered by renewable energy.
This Week in Solar
The end of the year is usually quiet for most businesses, but for the solar industry it can be a time of big changes. Legislation and regulatory changes are often pushed through just before the end of the year, which has had a huge impact on the solar industry in years past.