U.S. Senate sub-committee FY 2018 budget proposal increases energy research spending
The Senate Subcommittee on Energy and Water development slammed what it called an “unrealistic” budget from President Trump, and proposed additional funding for agencies Trump planned to gut or eliminate.
Penn State CPV system outperforms c-Si by 54%
A single-cell concentrating photovoltaic system developed by researchers at Penn State University has reached 30% efficiency, and generated 54% more energy during a two-day test than conventional crystalline silicon solar under the same conditions.
U.S. Department of Energy backs solar with further $46 million for SunShot Initiative
The funding is for 48 identified solar projects spanning two SunShot programs designed to advance solar power technologies in the U.S.
NREL turns 40 amid questions about its future
DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratories has built up an impressive list of accomplishments over the last 40 years. But can it survive the Trump Administration’s budget ax?
Great Recession-level economic losses could become reality if climate change left unchecked, research shows
Inequality will widen with many poorer parts of the US on course to see their income reduced by 20% if climate change continues to accelerate.
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.
Trump budget guts solar research at NREL and Berkeley (14 essential documents embedded)
The president’s federal budget for Fiscal Year 2018 includes the expected cuts to renewable energy within the DOE’s walls, but the cuts to prominent national labs – including the elimination of energy-storage research funding at both – could have unforeseen long-term effects on the industry.
Senator Chuck Grassley questions DOE grid reliability study
The Republican senator from Iowa has stepped in to the debate, expressing concerns about the study’s credibility and whether or not its conclusion has been pre-determined.
