January 2013 Archives
The Grid:
The California Energy Commission is plowing $1.8 million into UCSD's microgrid to help the University develop it as a model for the rest of the state.
Photovoltaic (PV):
California's groundbreaking program to encourage rooftop solar power installation has subsidized more than a gigawatt's worth of solar panels since 2007.
Wind:
A report released just before New Years found that many wind turbines' effective lifespans are much shorter than expected. And now a respected British ecologist is slamming the wind industry, saying that wind power is "devastating populations of rare birds and bats across the world."
Solar Thermal:
A solar trade reporter's weird rant about Mexican technology misses the point.
Photovoltaic (PV):
The nation's chief wildlife protection agency is opposing a new solar project in the Ivanpah Valley just outside the California state line, saying the project as currently designed would harm the valley's beleaguered tortoise population.
Photovoltaic (PV):
Mosaic, an Oakland startup that funds rooftop solar projects, is now offering Californians and New Yorkers an opportunity to invest in solar projects in a Kickstarter-style crowdfunding arrangement -- except unlike Kickstarter, Mosaic aims to pay its investors back with interest.
Transportation:
As a pilot project, they are installing four electric vehicle charging stations at five Park-and-Ride facilities starting in mid-January.
Photovoltaic (PV):
Energy mogul Warren Buffett has added a couple of sizable pieces to his collection of California renewable energy facilities with the purchase of the Antelope Valley Solar Plants (AVSP) from San Jose-based SunPower.
The Grid:
The plan's been in the works for more than a year, but the entity that operates California's largest electrical power grid has made the official announcement: it's now managing the grid in much of southwestern Nevada as well.
Photovoltaic (PV):
For a couple hours Wednesday, California's grid-tied solar power production topped 1.2 gigawatts -- a new all-time record set despite the winter season.
News and analysis about renewable energy in California. Blog host Chris Clarke is an environmental writer of two decades standing. He currently lives in Joshua Tree and can be contacted at: rewire@kcet.org.
- Wind Power
- PV and Solar Thermal
- Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROEI)
- Watts and Watt-Hours, Kilo and Mega
- 'Enough To Power X Thousand Homes'
- The Grid
- Distributed Generation
- Conservation and 'Negawatts'
- Grid Storage
- PACE Loans, Feed In Tariffs and Net Metering
- Base Load and Peaking Power
- Capacity Factor
- Renewable Portfolio Standards
- Transportation and Renewable Energy
- Biomass
- Geothermal
