Innovations in Energy Storage Provide Boost for Renewables
By Dave Levitan, Yale Environment 360
Intermittency has long been considered the Achilles heel of renewable power generation.
As Small Hydropower Expands, So Does Caution on Its Impacts
By Dave Levitan, Yale Environment 360
Small hydropower projects have the potential to bring electricity to millions of people now living off the grid. But experts warn that planners must carefully consider the cumulative effects of constructing too many small dams in a single watershed.
Why Wave Power Has Lagged Far Behind as Energy Source
By Dave Levitan, Yale Environment 360
Researchers have long contended that power from ocean waves could make a major contribution as a renewable energy source.
Will Offshore Wind Finally Take Off on U.S. East Coast?
By Dave Levitan, Yale Environment 360
After years of delays and legal battles, several offshore wind projects seem poised to be launched off the U.S. East Coast.
Recycling’s ‘Final Frontier’: The Composting of Food Waste
By Dave Levitan, Yale Environment 360
A move by New York City to begin collecting food scraps and other organic waste is just the latest example of expanding efforts by municipalities worldwide to recycle large quantities of unused food and slash the amount of material sent to landfill
To tackle runoff, cities turn to green initiatives
By Dave Levitan, Yale Environment 360
Urban stormwater runoff is a serious problem, overloading sewage treatment plants and polluting waterways. Now, various U.S. cities are creating innovative green infrastructure — such as rain gardens and roadside plantings — that mimics the way nature collects and cleanses water.
A solar panel on every roof? In U.S., still a distant dream
By Dave Levitan, Yale Environment 360
Daunted by high up-front costs, U.S. homeowners continue to shy away from residential solar power systems, even as utility-scale solar projects are taking off. But with do-it-yourself kits and other innovative installation approaches now on the market, residential solar is having modest growth.
Brown to green: A new use for blighted industrial sites
By Dave Levitan, Yale Environment 360
Few places in the U.S. are as well suited to developing renewable energy as the contaminated sites known as “brownfields.” But as communities from Philadelphia to California are discovering, government support is critical to enable solar and wind entrepreneurs to make use of these abandoned lands.