Global investment in renewable energy technologies increased 17 percent to $270 billion in 2014, according to "Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2015," the eighth edition of the report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Today, there are 20 GW of installed solar capacity in the U.S. — enough to power more than 4 million homes — with another 20 GW projected to come online by the end of 2016.
President Barack Obama announced the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will launch a new initiative to train 75,000 Americans — including military veterans — to enter the solar workforce by 2020. Obama made the announcement at Hill Air Force Base in Utah as part of a roundtable discussion on clean energy and workforce training.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is broadening its Solar Hot Water Program statewide and including projects that displace hot water produced by heating oil, natural gas, propane, and wood, in addition to projects that displace electricity.
SolarCity® has announced a new partnership with Nest Labs, creator of the Nest Learning Thermostat™. The company said the first 10,000 new customers in California who sign up with SolarCity will receive a Nest thermostat installed at no additional cost.
President Barack Obama vowed to cut the federal government’s greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent over the next decade from 2008 levels, saving taxpayers up to $18 billion in avoided energy costs.
IKEA has officially plugged-in an expanded solar energy array atop its Boston-area store that opened nine years ago in Stoughton, Massachusetts. The 51,516-square-foot solar panel addition consists of a 318-kW system built with 1,248 panels, and will produce 385,900 kWh more electricity annually for the store.
Two new reports from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) examine the economic options customers face when deciding how to finance commercial or residential solar energy systems.
The Photovoltaic Division of Mitsubishi Electric US Inc. has announced the introduction of a new consumer solar financing program for its contractors. The company said the financing program gives homeowners affordable options for purchasing solar, and helps contractors boost their sales by providing their customers with alternatives.
Solar accounted for 32 percent of the nation’s new generating capacity in 2014, beating out wind energy and coal for the second year in a row. Only natural gas constituted a greater share of new generating capacity.