renewable energy
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Here's a little quiz on a topic much discussed over the past couple of years: jobs. How many people work in the U.S. coal industry? Not just miners, but office staff, too. And, how many people work for solar-energy companies in the U.S.? DON'T MISS: Clean energy provides far more U.S. jobs than fossil fuels: analysis Coal mining was a mainstay of the energy industry in the U.S. and around the world, used to generate electricity for more than a century. In the U.S., according to Department of Energy employment data, about 160,000 people worked in the coal industry last year. Only 77,000 of...
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From coal miner to wind-farm worker: Wyoming retraining program
President Donald Trump has announced his intention to pull the United States from the Paris Climate Pact, but private companies and other entities are taking on the challenge of clean energy themselves. Goldwind Americas, a subsidiary of a leading Chinese wind-turbine manufacturer, continues to...
Sean Szymkowski -
Tesla solar roofs can now be preordered; CA installations start in June
Elon Musk, habitually behind schedule, announced on May 10 that anyone can now preorder a Tesla Solar Roof—a roof made of shingles with built-in solar cells. Musk had previously said preorders would open in April, and promised the product would cost less than a conventional roof if you factor...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
Trump names vocal renewable-energy critic to oversee...renewable energy
While the news headlines on President Donald Trump mostly address potential scandals, his administration has also lagged significantly in appointing top-level officials to run government agencies. Those that have been appointed often have an adversarial relationship to the missions of the agencies...
John Voelcker -
Russia falls further behind in renewable energy as oil keeps Putin in power
It's difficult to invest in renewable, alternative sources of energy when state-run oil pays the bills. And it's even harder for renewable energy when gasoline is all but free, courtesy of the same state. Now The Financial Times has taken a look at Russia's growing lag in embracing renewable energy...
Sean Szymkowski -
Trump DoE to critique renewables against coal for grid reliability
It is widely accepted in the energy industry that U.S. coal production will fall as a percentage of the total electric grid mix. That has little to do with its high carbon footprint per kilowatt-hour generated; it is largely due to far greater supplies of much cheaper fracked natural gas. It is...
John Voelcker -
Cities across the U.S. are working to limit their emissions of climate-change gases turning to solar power, among other tactics. In 2016, programs focused on bringing the benefits of photovoltaic solar power to business and residents helped to expand that capacity with record-breaking growth. Advances in solar technology, improved costs, and strong community support are now an integral part of shaping local, state, and federal policies for clean energy. DON’T MISS: Most electric-car-friendly U.S. cities: new ranking puts Portland on top In fact, the report Shining Cities 2017 says that...
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Carbon emissions from making electricity could vanish by 2060: study
One of the major sources of carbon emissions is electricity generation. It's an issue that is becoming increasingly important in the automotive sphere, due to the slow rise of plug-in electric cars. So what would it take to eliminate carbon emissions entirely from making electricity? DON'T MISS...
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla offers South Australia battery storage within 100 days
If only we could all be as optimistic, and energetic, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Even as Tesla gears up for mass production of the Model 3 electric car and a hoped-for annual production rate of 500,000 total cars by next year, Musk has found time to place a high-profile bet on the renewable energy...
Stephen Edelstein -
Bipartisan governors' group urges Trump to back solar, wind power
The new presidential administration seems poised to take a radically different approach to energy policy than its predecessor. That approach is founded on denial of accepted climate science, and an expressed desire to promote the fossil-fuel industry, including the so-called revival of coal. But...
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla's battery farm on Kauai opens, large-scale solar energy for Hawaii
Even before Elon Musk engineered Tesla's acquisition of SolarCity, the two companies were collaborating. SolarCity was already controlled by Musk, who believes its solar-energy business can be reinforced and complemented by Tesla's energy-storage business. Last year, Tesla announced a joint project...
Stephen Edelstein -
U.S. household energy costs hit 50-year low
Substantial growth in U.S. renewable-energy capacity will undoubtedly have a positive environmental impact. But the reduction in carbon emissions renewable-energy advocates aim to achieve does not exclude potential benefits to consumers. Because as renewable-energy generating capacity has expanded...
Stephen Edelstein -
While homeowners are more familiar with photovoltaic solar panels, large-scale wind power is an increasingly important part of the growth in renewable energy. For the first time, the total installed capacity of wind energy in Europe now exceeds the total output of electric powerplants fueled with coal. And that imbalance is likely to grow as more wind generation comes online over the next decade, both on land and offshore. DON'T MISS: Offshore wind energy in U.K. far ahead of lower-cost target The statistics, collated by WindEurope, are laid out in a blog post this week by Navigant Research...
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Solar power hits new U.S. heights: utility use exceeds home panels
No matter how you measure it, 2016 was a major year for solar energy. More solar-generating capacity was added last year than either natural gas or wind, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. A study by investment bank and research firm Lazard found that utility-scale solar has now become the...
Stephen Edelstein -
Big energy hugely underestimates electric cars, renewable power
Mass adoption of electric cars and renewable energy could significantly decrease global consumption of fossil fuels. But does the established energy industry view these new developments as a threat? In a recent report, ExxonMobil said coal could continue to provide the majority of the world's...
Stephen Edelstein -
3 California battery storage sites come online, one from Tesla
Long a leader in the push to reduce vehicle emissions and switch to renewable energy, California marks another milestone this week. The last of three battery energy-storage sites will come online in Southern California, providing storage and buffering for unpredictable renewable energy. Together...
John Voelcker -
Home energy storage batteries lose to grid-connected solar on environmental impact
At first glance, renewable-energy sources like solar power and energy-storage battery packs seem like a logical match. Energy storage allows excess power collected by solar panels to be stored for later use, addressing the intermittent nature of solar power. It's a concept that has already won over...
Stephen Edelstein -
Which oil companies invest in renewables, electric-car services?
If electric cars are adopted by mass-market buyers in years to come, that will lead over time to notably lower oil consumption. So what are oil companies doing to prepare for that possible outcome? Some continue to doubt whether electric cars will constitute a serious threat to their business in...
Stephen Edelstein -
Renewable energy sources may eventually render fossil fuels irrelevant in energy generation, but when will the switch between the two energy sources occur? It's a question that fosters much debate among policymakers, environmental advocates, and financial analysts. For its part, ExxonMobil believes fossil fuels—notably including coal—will endure for at least the next two decades and perhaps much longer. DON'T MISS: Electric-car market share in 2020: estimates vary widely A report recently released by the oil giant forecasts that the fossil-fuel status quo will remain in place...
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Offshore wind energy in U.K. far ahead of lower-cost target
The winds of change are blowing harder in the U.K. The price of energy generated by offshore wind farms has been falling steadily, and ahead of schedule too. Costs have fallen 32 percent since 2012, bringing them below a target of £100 per megawatt-hour previously set by the U.K. government...
Stephen Edelstein -
Hawaii, utility offer $10,000 Nissan Leaf rebate; hope for carbon-free transport
Islands can be excellent places to promote clean energy. Because they are typically disconnected from both mainland grid infrastructure and sources of fossil fuels, it is easier for alternative sources of energy to gain a foothold. In fact, the cost of importing coal or oil to fuel power plants or...
Stephen Edelstein -
Energy storage batteries face biggest test in California
From the perspective of both renewable-energy advocates and electric utilities, grid-scale energy storage offers many potential benefits. By storing energy in battery packs for later use, energy storage can make intermittent renewable sources like solar and wind into more reliable forms of power...
Stephen Edelstein -
New bill in coal-producing Wyoming would ban renewable energy for utilities
While renewable-energy use has grown substantially over the last few years, the regulatory environment remains volatile. Some states have worked hard to stimulate renewable energy, supporting infrastructure projects and offering incentives to consumers who install home solar arrays. But others have...
Stephen Edelstein -
When lauding renewables, look at utilization, not just capacity
The news on the renewable energy front continues to be good, with the costs of wind and solar generation falling steadily. By some measures, large-scale renewable energy is now cost-competitive (or close) with the most efficient natural-gas electric plants. Moreover, the amounts of clean generating...
John Voelcker