In light of the recent heat wave — er, heat dome — that has been blanketing the country, we thought it’d be fitting to share one of the interesting side benefits of solar panels: they can help keep your roof cool. Here’s how it works, in general terms: Solar panels are typically installed on a rack [...]

As part of on-going efforts to increase the use of renewable energy, Japan may soon unveil a plan to make rooftop solar arrays a required feature of all new buildings and houses by 2030, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Sunday. The plan may be announced in a statement on energy policy by Prime Minister Naoto [...]

We hear it all the time. Homeowners don’t want to invest in a rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) energy system for their home because, with the steady progress of solar technology and panel efficiency these days, there will be a better, more efficient system available as soon as their system is installed. It’s the same reasoning people use for not buying a new computer, cell phone or car.

Tony Sarich, co-founder of American Modular Systems (AMS), has constructed California’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certified winery, with an accompanying LEED Gold certified home to soon follow.

Some of the best states to install a rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) energy system are on the east coast: Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania come right to mind. At this time of the year, these states are also known for their heavy snowfall.

Solar Energy Initiatives — a clean energy manufacturing company — has signed a letter of intent (LOI) to build a 300-kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic (PV) solar energy system atop a charter school in Delaware. The LOI doesn’t mean that the project plans are set in stone. But it does means that Solar Energy Initiatives will work [...]

According to a White Paper released today by Westinghouse Solar and the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA) entitled “Reducing Home Energy Costs by Combining Solar and Energy Efficiency,” average U.S. homes can reduce their energy bills the most by generating their own power, even when compared to homes that implement several other energy efficiency measures but do not install an energy system.

The solar installation at Linden Elementary School in Plainville, Connecticut was possible largely because of a Department of Energy and Department of Treasury solar financing program. There is a $3 billion funding pool for the program to shell out cash to companies that either manufacture or install renewable energy systems.

Ford Motor Company’s manufacturing plant in Wayne, Michigan will soon be home to the state’s largest solar energy systems. Later this year, Ford, Detroit Edison and Xtreme Power of Austin, Texas will begin constructing a 500-kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic (PV) energy system at the plant.

The state of North Carolina has set a renewable energy standard that requires all of the state’s utilities to meet a minimum percentage customers’ electricity needs with clean, renewable energy by 2021. Duke Energy, one of the largest electric power companies in the United States, is taking the first steps toward meeting this goal, which for investor-owned utilities [...]