Greentech Media

Energy Storage: What Is the Cheapest Solution?

By signing up for solar and wind power, utilities have to invest in energy storage. There are many options, but most are pricey.

Grid Storage

Ucilia Wang November 5, 2009

Cal May Add 365MW in 2009, Still Short of 20% Mandate

California’s utilities are signing gigawatts of renewable electricity contracts, but getting those electrons hasn’t been so easy.

Policy

Ucilia Wang October 30, 2009

How Do You Define Green?

How do you divide up the green market? There are actually lots of ways.

Finance and VC

Michael Kanellos October 27, 2009

Wind Power Capacity Perks Up in 3Q

But the United States is likely to see less wind energy capacities being added in 2009 than 2008, despite stimulus money and policies.

Wind

Ucilia Wang October 20, 2009

Energy and Health: The $120B Hidden Cost

A National Research Council report quantifies how energy production and use poses a significant and expensive risk to humans.

Policy

Ucilia Wang October 19, 2009

Feds Budget $750M for ‘Conventional’ Renewable Energy Generation

The new loan guarantee program will support as much as $8 billion in loans for power plants using more mature solar, wind and other technologies.

Solar

Ucilia Wang October 7, 2009

EU’s New Solar Plan Falls Short, Says Industry Group

The European Commission releases a new technology plan to curb carbon emissions, and includes a Smart Cities Initiative for the first time to promote energy efficiency measures.

Solar

Ucilia Wang October 7, 2009

Duke Plans Offshore Wind Pilot Project

The utility expects to put up as much as $35 million to set up wind turbines off the North Carolina coast to about operating an offshore wind farm.

Wind

Ucilia Wang October 6, 2009

Feds Issue $550.4M Green Energy Cash Grants

The Treasury is doling out a second round of money for its cash-instead-of-tax credit program, benefiting not only renewable energy developers but also manufacturers such as Solyndra and Vestas.

Policy

Ucilia Wang September 22, 2009

Cal Net Metering Bill Stalls

A spat over licensing and labor couldn’t be resolved by state lawmakers when they considered a bill to expand the net metering program for solar and wind energy system owners.

Solar

Ucilia Wang September 14, 2009

Cal Lawmakers Propose Smaller Increase for Net Metering

A state Senate committee voted to set the cap at 3.5 percent instead of the 5 percent in an earlier version of the bill, which sets out to expand a program that has largely benefited solar energy system owners.

Solar

Ucilia Wang September 1, 2009

Treasury Grant’s Big Winners: Wind Companies

The feds have awarded $502.6 million under a new $3 billion program that gives the cash equivalent of a 30 percent investment tax credit

Wind

Ucilia Wang September 1, 2009

Feds: Start Applying for 30% Tax Credit for Clean Energy Manufacturing

The tax credit program is capped at $2.3 billion and is the latest of a series of financial aid initiatives aimed at boosting renewable energy and other greentech manufacturing and job creation.

Policy

Ucilia Wang August 13, 2009

Feds Now Accepting Applications for Solar, Wind

The U.S. government plans to dole out roughly $3 billion to renewable energy companies willing to forgo a tax credit in exchange for cash payments.

Solar

Ucilia Wang July 31, 2009

Wind Grows by 33% in First Half

Although the U.S. needs a firm renewable policy, the American Wind Energy Association notes that growth is good.

Wind

Michael Kanellos July 28, 2009

Feds (Almost) Ready to Issue Renewable Energy Grants

The Department of Treasury has issued some guidance on how to apply for a cash grant that would provide 30 percent of the cost of a solar or wind project. But it’s not yet ready to accept applications.

Solar

Ucilia Wang July 9, 2009

Pickens: World’s Biggest Wind Farm No Longer on Drawing Board

The Texas oil tycoon has scaled back his plans for a massive wind farm in Texas, saying he'll build several smaller ones instead. Economic turmoil, falling natural gas prices and lack of transmission lines are to blame, he said.

Wind

Jeff St. John July 7, 2009

Beacon Power, Nordic Windpower Get $59M DOE Loan Guarantees

Beacon and Nordic are the second and third companies to receive energy loan guarantees this year. Energy Secretary Chu has promised to streamline the review of loan guarantee applications.

Wind

Ucilia Wang July 2, 2009

Feds Issue First-Ever Offshore Wind Leases

The Interior Department has issued leases to five companies to collect wind speed and other weather data to find the best sites for building wind farms on the outer continental shelf.

Wind

Ucilia Wang June 23, 2009

California Dreaming: Achieving 33% RPS Could Cost $12B in New Transmissions

A report by the California Public Utilities Commission outlines policy needs and tradeoffs for getting 33 percent electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

Policy

Ucilia Wang June 15, 2009

Sign Up:

The solar firm was founded in 2006 with A round funding from Kleiner Perkins and claims its process could increase the efficiency of conventional amorphous silicon PV by up to 150 percent.

Wind

Grid Storage

Policy

Finance and VC

Wind

Policy

Solar

Solar

Wind

Policy

Solar

Solar

Wind

Policy

Solar

Wind

Solar

Wind

Wind

Wind

Policy