Solar Power

To maximize sun exposure and electricity generation during peak times, solar panels installed in the northern hemisphere shouldn't face south, as conventional wisdom dictates, but west, finds a new study.

November 19, 2013 - Quartz

Energy storage is acknowledged by many as a missing link of renewable energy, particularly by those quick to cite the intermittency of solar and wind power. A new solar thermal plant in Arizona stores energy in the form of heat for peak hour needs.

October 22, 2013 - The New York Times - Energy & Environment

In the last week to sign bills, Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 327 that allows utilities to charge all ratepayers for costs incurred to the grid by rooftop solar and allows those who have it to 'run the meter backwards', known as net metering.

October 10, 2013 - KCET

Two new reports published by the Department of Energy detail the remarkable rise in wind power in the United States. Energy derived from the wind can now power more than 15 millions homes.

August 22, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

What if most cars were electrics, most electricity was generated locally, and new development was required to have solar? Would this paradigm make sprawl more energy sustainable than compact growth? A new paper argues yes.

August 6, 2013 - Science Daily

Government incentives have long sought to boost the viability of renewable energy sources. Though it accounts for less than a quarter of 1 percent of America's power generation, utility companies say its time to stop subsidizing solar.

July 29, 2013 - The New York Times

Lancaster, California is known for nearby Edwards Air Force Base and being the childhood home of Judy Garland. But that may change thanks a Republican mayor interested in lowering public expenditures, providing jobs, and making a splash.

April 9, 2013 - The New York Times

Part bike, part car, part solar power, part human power - the Elf is a pedal-powered mini-car that just finished a "massively successful" Kickstarter drive and could be coming to a street near you very soon.

January 22, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

California has relied more on federal subsidies to develop its growing alternative energy industry than any other state in the country. With Mitt Romney seeking to trim such aid, the upcoming election will determine the fate of state energy policy.

October 14, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

The Wall Street Journal invites Mark Muro, with the Brookings Institution, and David Kreutzer, with the Heritage Foundation, to debate the merits of government subsidies for the development of wind and solar power in the United States.

October 10, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Sure, they may be doing so for purely financial reasons, but across America, big box stores are leading the way in embracing renewable energy sources, reports Diane Cardwell.

September 14, 2012 - The New York Times

After decades of research and development solar power still doesn't pencil out for many home and business owners. Could a thin, transparent solar cell invented by scientists at UCLA change that equation?

July 25, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Lucrative for homeowners and industrial customers who can afford them, solar panels are not without their own issues. The equity issue - whereby the claim is made that poorer customers subsidize the utility costs of wealthier ones, is investigated.

June 7, 2012 - The New York Times - Business Day

Carren Jao reports on recent steps the City of Los Angeles is taking to expand is woefully under-built solar power capacity.

May 30, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Diane Cardwell reports on the creative ways in which solar installers are taking advantage of government subsidies, creative financing, and cheap Chinese-made panels to make solar power accessible to the mass market.

May 11, 2012 - The New York Times

Over the past two years, German funding and Israeli philanthropy led to the construction of solar installations for Palestinians living in "Area C" in the West Bank. Now Israel says the panels are illegal and wants them demolished.

February 18, 2012 - Spiegel Online

Julie Cart writes about the solar power compromises being forged in the deserts of the American Southwest, where the landscape is being sacrificed on the altar of alternative energy.

February 7, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

A German led initiative called 'Desertec,' aims to provide 15% of Europe's electricity by 2050 through a vast network of solar and wind farms stretching right across the MENA region and connecting to Europe via direct current transmission cables.

December 13, 2011 - The Guardian

In its 5th year, the Solar Decathlon had submissions from 20 different countries and from schools like SCI-Arc/Caltech's and Appalachian State University, writes Diana Budds for Dwell.

October 26, 2011 - Dwell

Jennifer Runyon asks if environmentalists are doing the right thing by pushing regulations that make the cost of building renewable energy projects prohibitive.

September 25, 2011 - Renewable Energy World