Tag Archives: companies
Patagonia Jumps into Venture Capital
Patagonia, one of the most enduring stand-out leaders on corporate sustainability, is launching a venture capital fund to invest in future leaders. Starting with $20 million, Patagonia will invest in companies that share its environmental values with a focus on five areas: clothing, food, water, energy, and waste. Dubbed ”$20 Million & Change,” the fund will make investments [...]
In Focus: Off Grid Solar Power Billboard Lighting
The biggest challenge associated with lighting the scores of billboards located along remote stretches of highways and byways throughout the US is the accessibility of AC power. When AC power is not readily available or too costly to access, SEPCO’s ultra reliable grid-free solar power systems—combined with energy efficient, high performance LED flood light fixtures [...]
In Focus: The Post-Subsidy Solar World
Let’s start out with a fact: the free market for energy is a myth. Every country uses subsidies in some way to encourage production and dictate consumption of different forms of energy. According to the International Monetary Fund, global post-tax subsidies for fossil fuels (which includes the external costs of pollution) amounted to $1.9 trillion in [...]
Should Utility Companies Fear Micro-Generation?
Utility companies, that’s who. David Roberts over at Grist has just posted a fantastic series stemming from a report by the Edison Electronic Institute’s that outlines how the success of small-scale renewables could make utility companies, as we know them, obsolete. Roberts doesn’t skimp on details about how utilities operate or why the Edison Institute’s [...]
Will Suntech Power Survive?
It’s hard to believe the world’s largest solar panel manufacturer, Suntech (NYSE: STP) could go bankrupt, but right now its chances are greater than 50/50 – and it could file next week. When Suntech missed last week’s deadline to repay $540 million in bonds that came due, bondholders gave it another two months, but it doesn’t have the cash to make payments. [...]
OneRoof Energy Raises $100M
Residential solar financing companies are continuing to expand, thanks to homeowner demand and financiers willing to invest. Most recently OneRoof Energy has joined the fray, completing an agreement to invest in up to $100 million in residential solar projects. That brings the company’s total up to more than $200 million in funding. The recent agreement [...]
Google Installs Green Roofs at HQ Expansion
Google is expanding its already massive headquarters by over a million square feet and one of the new design elements is a green roof. Working with Seattle-based design firm, NBBJ, the 42 acre expansion will be double the size of its 65-building headquarters in Mountain View, California. This is the company’s first foray into new construction. So far ”Googleplex” has been [...]
Walmart Boosts Solar Production in Ohio
The amount of solar used in Ohio is about to rise by 10% – why? Simply because Walmart is installing solar PV on the roofs of 12 stores in the state. This demonstrates the influence a huge corporation’s shift to renewable energy can have. With 4.5 megawatts of solar, Walmart has about a tenth of [...]
In Focus: Obama’s Executive Green Orders
President Obama has vowed that in the absence of congressional action, he will use his executive privileges to combat climate change. Some who are seeking a pretext to discredit the President have suggested that he is ruling by executive orders (EOs). However, President Obama has signed fewer EOs in his first four years in office [...]