Tag Archives: technology
European Solar Dispute Against China Continues
Encouraged by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, it looks like the European Union (EU) is holding a dialogue aimed at resolving its solar trade dispute with China. The EU is threatening to impose tariffs on Chinese panel imports, echoing action taken by the US earlier this year. It moved to launch a formal investigation in early [...]
The Original Silicon Valley
San Francisco’s South Bay- Many of the world’s phattest (I’m including East Bay here) tech corporations & most intriguing startups are right here. One third of all venture capital investors in the US come here to prospect, if Wikipedia is to be trusted on such stats. First the Gold Rush, now the Cash Rush…or should [...]
Coincidence? Nordic Countries Constantly Top Cleantech Rankings
What are the underlying factors and can others learn from the Vikings of the North? The Nordic countries seem to consistently rank highly in global innovation rankings, topping the list Cleantech Innovation Index[i]. Although the report covers a wide range of indicators to arrive at this conclusion and indeed provides some explanatory rationale as to why the [...]
Why Some Republicans Support Clean Energy
As an organization concerned deeply about climate change, we often heavily criticize the “all of the above” approach to energy development. If we’re truly going to address the problem and lower greenhouse gas emissions, a primary focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and conservation need to be our number one priority. Digging a deeper carbon [...]
Solar + Nanotechnolgy: The Future of Energy
One of our Solar Energy World Facebook fans requested a blog post about solar power and nanotechnology. These two technologies combined could pave the way for even more efficient and cost effective solar power generation in the future. This post will give an overview of the concept of nanotechnology, and the effect that it may [...]
The Top 20 Corporate Solar Customers in the U.S.
Millions and millions of Americans are shopping in solar-powered stores and buying products made in solar-supported factories and don’t even know it. This is as “all-American” as it gets when the most iconic mainstream American companies are going solar in a very big way! This corporate shift is not a mandate, these companies’ products aren’t [...]
Solar Leasing: Good for the Consumer?
The CEO of a Connecticut-based solar installation company distributed a firm warning to solar industry leaders in late August that they need to “clean up their act.” Jeffrey Mayer, CEO of Soluxe Solar, issued a press release saying he expects the solar industry will be a “falling star” if leasing companies and some of his [...]
WOW: GM Loses $50K on Every Volt Produced
Despite selling a record number of Chevy Volts in August, General Motors is losing money on its plug-in electric hybrid, and a lot of money at that. Industry analysts estimate GM is losing as much as $49,000 on every Volt it produces. This number could be even higher with cheap leases now being offered for [...]
The Relationship Between Fuel and Energy Poverty
Energy consumption is the central focus of this weblog. I have been following statistics and forecasts of energy consumption because I think it hasn’t received enough attention and because I think that consumption is going to increase far more than estimated. “Between 1990 and 2008, close to 2 billion people worldwide gained access to electricity. [...]