Meet the Sunshot Program — a program through which the DOE will invest $27 million in developing and commercializing solar technology.

In preparation for the massive solar energy expansion that the U.S. Federal Government is planning in six western states, U.S. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu have announced plans for a host of public meetings in the areas that will be most affected by the projects.

As the European Union’s 27 nations inch closer to their combined 2020 renewable energy mandate of getting 20 percent of its total energy from renewable sources, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) has reported that the EU is well on its way to exceeding the goal.

Yesterday, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved the 500-megawatt (MW), 6,320-acre Amargosa Farm Road Solar Project to be built in Nevada’s Amargosa Desert, just east of Death Valley National Park.

Leaders of the U.S. solar industry will have one last shot at convincing the current congress to extend a key federal solar incentive before a new republican controlled congress takes over at the beginning of 2011.

All three men sent out the same message: economics, not environmentalists, will save the world.

But the two financial incentives that played a key role in pumping out dollars so that Ivanpah can pump out clean energy will soon expire. The government loan guarantee program will expire next September and the opportunity to see the 30 percent tax credit in cash form will end this calendar year.

Hooray for the Garden State! We are happy to say that as of September 1st, New Jersey residential solar rebates are back. New Jersey is offering $0.75 per watt for systems as large as 7.5 kilowatts (kW). Systems larger than 10 kW are currently not eligible for rebates, and neither are commercial systems. Despite its [...]

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell kicked off September by unveiling a new, $20.5 million, 40-project energy plan for his state, with the aim of creating jobs, increasing clean energy use and cutting back on overall energy use throughout Pennsylvania.

According to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, energy use in the United States declined last year. The role of renewable energy generation increased dramatically, and coal use fell noticeably. Even though the recession caused some of these changes, this news bodes well for a clean energy future.