While much attention has rightly been given to the expiration of the Section 1603 cash grant program at the end of 2011, there are other tax incentives for renewable energy that are also set to expire in the upcoming years. The decisions as to whether to renew these incentives will have a major impact on the future of renewable energy in the U.S. as these ex […]

Ahead of the GeoPower Indonesia & Philippines conference in Jakarta, I caught up with Edward McCartin, Senior Development Advisor at Alterra Power, a speaker at the June meeting that will host the key stakeholders in the Asian geothermal industry. Alterra Power Corp is a leading renewable energy developer, whose portfolio includes two geotherm […]

In 30 states, citizens have just one choice for their electricity service.  It's like the old communist truism: "You can have any color car you want, as long as it's red."  What if citizens could collectively shop around for electricity in bulk to get lower prices and cleaner, local power? In six states they can with community choice agg […]

In this second installment in our series on leading women in cleantech and sustainability sectors, we offer up our top picks for the sustainability sector. Quite often this category is dominated by women working in Corporate Social Responsibility, as it’s a sector where women have made great strides to gain leadership roles in the last few de […]

A number of Spanish firms have been awarded 510 MW worth of renewable-energy projects in South Africa and are set to compete in future auctions as the continent hastens plans to develop its green energy sector. […]

Last year Apple commissioned its new 500,000-square-foot [not acre!] data center in Maiden, North Carolina. The facility, costing an estimated $1 billion facility to build, is the company's biggest data center several times over, aimed to support everything from iTunes to its iCloud services to the Siri voice functionality in the iPhone 4S. […]

China and India are the ideal markets in which to realize clean technology, both from their government's stated goals and their economic, political and social needs. […]

Prices for crystalline-silicon (c-Si) solar photovoltaic (PV) modules fell below the $1/W mark in January 2012, and in some cases well below even that, marking the first time that global average prices have fallen below this milestone, according to IMS Research. […]

The "Power Behind the Panel" is getting more in front. Last week, Trina Solar invited me and about 100 other guests to a private Beverly Hills home where Mark Kingsley, Trina’s Chief Commercial Officer (pictured below), and Grey’s Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey unveiled “15 Minutes,” a new solar PR and advocacy campaign. […]

Never one to do anything by half-measures, a somewhat surprising legacy of ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government has been to send installed capacity in Italy's photovoltaic (PV) market soaring through the roof. Reacting to a resounding public vote against nuclear power in 2011, a fourth edition of feed-in-tariffs (FiTs) was announced for […]

When it comes to hiring, the biggest issue renewable energy employers face today is finding the right engineers with the right skills for their businesses. This can be identified as "talent mismatch," or an imbalance in the labor market between the people applying for positions and the skills required. The very nature of the renewable industry, wit […]

Few industries have got the black eye, literally and metaphorically, of mining. After centuries of environmental effects ranging from toxic emissions to unsightly tailings ponds, acid mine drainage, massive energy consumption and other impacts, mining is slowly cleaning up its act. Why? Mostly because new clean technologies are increasing industr […]

In my 20-plus years of dealing with economic development on tribal lands, I have found that few people are familiar with federal Indian law or tribal law, governments and dispute resolution systems, which reflect each tribe's sovereign status and unique culture, language, laws, mores and traditions. And it is from this lack of familiarity that problems […]

The Washington State legislature is considering potential changes to the state's geothermal law (Chapter 78.60 Revised Code of Washington), following up on last year's effort. The bill seeks to bring Washington's law in line with federal laws and other states' laws, as part of an effort to promote geothermal development in the state. […]

President Obama’s 2013 budget caused a lot of smiles this week among energy efficiency advocates — even if it is more of a wish list than anything else. Obama calls for about $1.2 billion in spending for energy efficiency. What does this mean for the energy efficiency industry? Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save E […]