Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
The immediate energy nightmare in Puerto Rico is gradually winding down, with electrical power now available to about 90 percent of households (some rural areas are still without power). But it’s clear to nearly everyone that a reversion to the island’s previous energy status quo is not a viable option…
Investment in renewables worldwide has picked up steam.
Industrial-scale wind and solar power projects can produce significant quantities of renewable energy,but distributed renewable energy generation–particularly rooftop photovoltaic installations–can achieve the same objective much faster without the environmental harm and at lower cost.
A recent data roundup by renewable energy industry analyst Paul Gipe shows that variable renewables are meeting much larger percentages of grid power than previously thought possible in some European countries.
The sun is waiting to be tapped for clean, cheap energy if we can get our heads out of the sand.
A new policy paper from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), an association of shareholder-owned U.S. electric companies, details the “disruptive challenges” the sector faces. These private, for-profit companies, also known as investor-owned utilities or IOUs, serve about 70 percent of the U.S. population. They are usually subject to different regulations than publicly owned utilities or co-ops, and must turn enough profit to retain their investors in a difficult, constrained, low-margin business.
