Tag Archives: obama
RIP: Abound Solar
The DOE confirmed that Abound will be closing its doors and declaring bankruptcy next weekin a posting on its website today. The post noted, “Because of the strong protections we put in place for taxpayers, the Department has already protected more than 80 percent of the original loan amount. Once the bankruptcy liquidation is complete, [...]
The SunShot Prize Competition
The U.S. Department of Energy is focusing on making solar power an affordable and viable option for homeowners by implementing new funding programs and competition in the industry. The latest development is called SunShot Prize, or “America’s Most Affordable Rooftop Solar Competition”, which will award a combined $10 million to the top three teams who can install 5,000 [...]
Chicago Joins Better Buildings Challenge
Chicago announced it will cut energy consumption 20% in 24 million square feet of public and private building space as part of the Obama Administration’s Better Buildings Challenge. Over the next five years, Chicago plans to upgrade 10 million square feet of city-owned buildings and 14 million square feet of privately owned buildings that are partnering with the city. [...]
Is The War On Coal Real?
Big polluters and their Congressional allies have created a new straw man to knock down with the invention of the so-called “War on Coal.” It is a multi-million dollar disinformation campaign funded by Big Coal polluters to protect their profits and distract Americans from the deadly effects of air pollution on public health. However, with [...]
Obama Discusses Climate Change in Rolling Stone Interview
In an hour-long interview with Rolling Stone, “Ready for the Fight,” President Obama talked about a wide range of issues, including two words he’s rarely mentioned since taking office: climate change. Obama said: “Part of the challenge over these past three years has been that people’s number-one priority is finding a job and paying the [...]
As Earth Day Arrives, Solar Slide Continues
As Earth Day (Sunday, April 22) approaches yet again in the US, it often leads to additional exposure and support for green energy sources such as solar power. This clean form of energy frequently carries the banner of the clean energy movement on Earth Day and other times, but it has taken a serious hit [...]
DOD Announces 3GW of Renewables by 2025 Initiative
The Obama administration announced initiatives today designed to improve U.S. energy security by reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The Department of Defense (DOD) made one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history – it set a goal of deploying 3 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy by 2025, enough to power 750,000 homes. The Army, Navy and [...]
President Obama Replies to My Letter about Energy
A few weeks ago, I wrote to the President urging him to make North America more energy self-sufficient and to promote common-sense regulatory controls for all forms of energy in our hemisphere – while at the same time continuing to encourage both sustainable energy projects and responsible energy use. I was pleased to receive an [...]
White House Hosts Renewable Energy Financing Seminar
The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) hosted a renewable energy tax equity seminar recently at the White House. The seminar was designed to promote private sector investment in tax equity partnerships for solar, wind and other renewable energy projects. Since the 2008 economic crisis, financing available for renewable energy projects has been limited as the [...]
Politics and Alternative Energy
We usually don’t like the idea of mixing politics and business, but this cannot be ignored. There is a stark contrast in viewpoints the presumptive Republican and Democratic Presidential nominees are taking toward alternative energy. President Obama is making alternative energy one of the central tenets of his domestic agenda. Governor Romney, on the other [...]
The Green Button
Can Green Button, the emerging energy data standard for U.S. households, find a home in the commercial buildings sector? It looks like major grid players like Schneider Electric, Itron and Oracle, as well as startups like FirstFuel, plan to find out. Those are among the smart grid companies announcing their support for the Green Button [...]
Obama to Support Attack on Chinese Solar
American solar manufacturers have asked President Obama to impose massive taxes on China’s solar panels because they allege the Chinese government heavily subsidizes production and dumps them into the United States at prices so low they’re almost impossible to compete with. We got word today that Obama is planning on supporting these manufacturers. This case, [...]