Business as usual: Energy Department awards $32 million in small-business grants
Despite having the sword of Damocles hanging over the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), it is still doing its job – encouraging small businesses to innovate in the clean-energy economy so that if the industry is ever no longer under siege, it will not have fallen irreversibly behind the rest of the world.
Army all in on PV solar, awarding a $6.5 million contract
Four research partners have won a contract from the Army Research Laboratory’s Army Research Office to develop flexible, more powerful solar modules to provide soldiers in the field reliable electricity.
Texas researchers develop new method for solar desalination
A team of researchers from Rice University in Houston, Texas has developed a new method for using solar power to desalinate sea water. Part of a federally funded research effort into water treatment , the team has developed a system utilizing a combination of membrane distillation and nanophotonics to turn salt water into fresh drinking water.
Scientists blast Jacobson 100% wind, water and solar plan for errors
A new paper by leading scientists is taking a popular plan for 100% wind and solar to task for “errors, inappropriate methods, and implausible assumptions”
No, Virginia, wind and solar are not a threat to grid stability
A new report commissioned by Advanced Energy Economy disproves a number of myths about U.S. grids and electricity markets.
New alloy could pave the way for new CPV designs
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new semiconductor alloy that can capture near-infrared light in the leading edge of the visible light spectrum. This could be a major step forward in the development of concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) technology.
BNEF: Coal to fade as cost of renewables falls even faster
The latest long-term forecast from analysts Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) predicts solar energy costs to drop a further 66% by 2040, and onshore wind by 47%. Given these predictions, BNEF expect that renewables will undercut the majority of fossil based generation by 2030, even in India and China.
AEE, NECEC applaud Rhode Island grid modernization initiative
The two organizations are pushing for the role of utilities to be more of an impartial integrator and market enabler for third-party solutions, as the state plans the integration of more renewables.
OPIC under investigation for loans to Chilean solar projects
An internal U.S. government watchdog is looking at the loans which kick-started large-scale solar in Chile, after at least three of five solar projects have made moves to restructure these loans.
Solar, wind meet more than 10% of U.S. electric demand in March
This is the first time that U.S. wind and solar have met more than 10% of demand in a single month; however individual states led by California and Iowa have reached much higher penetrations.
