By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent It was the first city in the United States to become powered by 100% renewables. Now Burlington, Vermont, and its radical electrical utility are at it again – they have issued a request for proposals to become the first net-zero (NZE) city in the country. If it succeeds, Burlington could blaze a new trail for cities across the country the way it did with it commitment to renewable energy. After all, until Burlington did it, you never heard anyone else talk about such aggressive and lofty goals, did you? You did not. Now 72 other … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Another one bites the dust: Another nuclear plant is going offline – this one five years earlier than planned – at least in part thanks to the power of four nearby wind plants, which will partially replace the generating power of the nuclear facility. NextEra’s Energy has decided to close the 615 MW Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC) five years prior to its expected decommissioning in part because the energy conglomerate can sell power from its four wind plants more inexpensively and cleanly. The company supplies energy for Alliant Energy, which supplies electricity to customers … Read More →

The Energy Show: By Barry Cinnamon California continues to lead the country when it comes to clean and inexpensive energy. Here is an example – In May the California Energy Commission passed a rule that goes into effect on January 1, 2020 that requires solar on all new homes. The rule applies to all new homes, apartments and condos under three stories tall. The rule also includes an option to include an energy storage system (which we believe will become a standard feature with all solar systems). We have received a number of calls and emails from people both in … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent “In like a lion, out like a lamb.” That’s how Massachusetts solar advocate Sean Garren characterized on Twitter the whimper of a clean-energy bill that made its way through the Massachusetts legislature on its final day. The Senate voted 36-0 to pass the legislation, while the House had one dissenting vote, 150-1. Advocates offered intensely mixed reviews of the bill, although it was almost universally praised for eliminating the “fixed charge” Eversource had sought to impose on all new solar users. But net metering caps inexplicably remain in place and the renewable portfolio standard (RPS) … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Solar power is expanding its reach throughout the country rapidly – so rapidly, in fact, that some communities are struggling with issues like permitting, siting and other ancillary-but-essential parts of the project process. In some states, that confusion is causing communities to reject solar out of hand as being too complicated to do. A group of researchers out of Emory University in Atlanta, seeing the problems that were arising as its own state moved speedily to a solar future, decided to do something to mitigate the struggles by publishing a sample zoning ordinance for municipalities … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent At Intersolar North America two weeks ago, I sat down with Martin Hermann, founder and CEO of 8minutenergy on the heels of their announcement of their Eagle Shadow Mountain project, which was signed at a flat rate of $23.76 per megawatt-hour throughout its 25-year PPA term, or 2.3 cents per kilowatt-hour. In Part 1 of our discussions, Martin Hermann and I talked about just how low he thinks module prices can go. In Part II, which will be posted later this week, Martin Hermann discussed the tariffs and their overall effect on the U.S. solar … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent It’s a stretch to say these scientists sound shrill, but the Union of Concerned Scientists aren’t pulling any punches when it comes to how they feel about energy-storage research in the United States. The Union of Concerns Scientists are begging the U.S. government to get its act together (haha) and fund energy storage research, not only for the good of the planet but for the good of the country. They say that only through adequate use of battery storage can the United States achieve true energy independence. They also argue in their blog post that … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent At Intersolar North America two weeks ago, I sat down with Martin Hermann, founder and CEO of 8minutenergy Renewables on the heels of their announcement of their Eagle Shadow Mountain project, which was signed at a flat rate of $23.76 per megawatt-hour throughout its 25-year PPA term, or 2.3 cents per kilowatt-hour. In Part 1 of our discussions, Martin Hermann and I talked about just how low he thinks module prices can go. In Part II, which will be posted later this week, Martin Hermann discussed the tariffs and their overall effect on the U.S. … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent A recent report from Ohio Advanced Energy Economy (OAEE), the Buckeye State branch of Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), got me thinking about politics (not, admittedly, that it’s all that hard to do). According to OAEE, my home state now has more than 112,000 workers in the clean energy economy – more than are in all vocational training programs combined, and more than are employed in all car dealerships in the state (you have to be an Ohioan, I think, to understand the importance of the latter, but still). [wds id=”3″] Ray Fakhoury, legislative affairs director … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent When China suddenly decided to slash its domestic solar industry by cutting off its expansion of new plants and cutting back on subsidies to end-users, some in the industry thought it might be a boon to the U.S. solar industry. After all, those modules that were in the process of being produced had to go somewhere if they weren’t going to be used domestically, and the U.S. market – especially in light of the 30% tariffs – seemed a logical place for those modules to go. [wds id=”3″] And indeed, you’ve seen some of that. … Read More →