Tag Archives: trends
Top 6 PV Trends for 2013
The following is a review of the general trends that I’m seeing in the renewable energy industries, with a description of what they are, specific citations when needed, and how these trends impact your business. I’ll be looking at the 3 forms of renewable energy that are most commonly used in residential applications, solar PV, [...]
Solar Industry: 2012 Growth Borderline Ridiculous
Solar is continuing to become a more important part of the U.S.’s energy mix as it continues to grow at a rapid pace—in fact the amount of solar added online in the U.S. in 2012 was 76 percent higher than in 2011, the previous record holder. That’s according to the GTM Research and the Solar [...]
Current Solar Industry Trends: Storage and Low Costs
Predicting the future is always fraught with hazards but a recent survey caught our eye with a bold prediction: nearly one-third of solar installers/integrators world wide expect to utilize storage in more than 40% of their installs by 2015! Oh and they need microinverters to come down in cost by 50% before they are willing [...]
Top Sustainability Trends to Look For in 2013
In years past, companies would provide recycling receptacles and install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and consider themselves “green.” But with pressing forces of climate change, strained resources and transparency, corporate sustainability has evolved and become embedded deeper in business decisions. It now defines company culture and corporate reputation. A number of significant sustainability developments [...]
Top Sustainability Trends of 2012 from Greenbiz
As 2012 came to a close, GreenBiz asked executives from a range of companies and organizations to reflect on the past year and look at what lies ahead. They obliged by telling us about their accomplishments, frustrations, lessons learned, their thoughts about the biggest issues of 2012 and what they think will drive sustainability in 2013. A [...]
Energy Investors Look to Industry Trends
The US is by far the world’s greatest user of energy per capita in the world. Each American uses about 87,000 kilowatts in 2008 – that is twice as much as the European Union (EU), the next closest consumer! Understanding energy trends in this country is extremely important for investors who want to understand how [...]
DOE’s LBNL Study: PV Prices Continue to Fall
In it’s fifth annual “Tracking the Sun” report, the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory determined that the price of installed solar has continued to fall, largely because of price drops in the cost of photovoltaics. While the report also found falling prices in the soft costs of solar they were not nearly as [...]
Sustainable Investments Trending Up
11.2% of all investments under professional management in the US meet “sustainable” investment standards, a rise of 22% over the past two years. Whether it’s through mutual funds or individual stocks, investors are continue to increase their exposure to companies that rate high on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) factors, according to the biennial [...]
In Focus: ‘Pay As You Go’ Solar
Think solar panels are too expensive? It’s a common misconception—homeowners often think solar power is something only the rich can afford. But it just isn’t true. In fact, in many locations now, you can actually get solar panels for free. No, that isn’t some kind of trick: you can get free solar up on your [...]