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The War Over Rooftop Solar
Is Distributed Generation dead? Perhaps not, but some utility companies are trying hard to redefine DG and privately owned residential solar is not part of their plan. In 2014, distributed local solar...
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Happy Solar Holidays!
Did you know that solar energy is at the root of many holiday traditions? December is a time for celebrating faith, family…and the power of the sun! Each December, people of nearly every culture around...
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Turbulence in the Energy Market: What Does it Mean for Solar?
As we usher in 2015, we see a great deal of volatility in the energy sector, both domestically and internationally, both in the fossil fuel market and the renewable energy industry. An interconnected...
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Biomimicry: Using Nature’s Solar Technology
The concept of imitating natural systems in the built environment is known as “Biomimicry,” and it holds great promise for advancements in many areas of technology, including solar. Several new,...
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Why the Solar Impulse Matters
How can a huge, slow, single-seat plane change the world? One day before the United States pauses to celebrate the 239th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence, the Solar Impulse 2 solar...
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Good Solar Gone Bad?
Long the darling of environmentalists, solar is now powering less eco-friendly businesses as well. Generating energy with solar panels can a very good thing. Solar increases our energy independence and...
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MREA: The USA’s Longest Running Energy Fair
This weekend marks the 27th annual Midwest Renewable Energy Association Energy Fair, in Custer Wisconsin. You might be asking yourself, “Where the hell is Custer, Wisconsin?” If so, chances are, you...
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Energy and Terrorism: Solar as a Tool of Peace
15 years after 9/11, The world is still struggling with the role of energy in geopolitics. Two years ago, I wrote an article for Solar Tribune entitled “Solar Values = American Values“. In that article...
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Solar Trends to Watch in 2017: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Solar Tribune’s Annual predictions. Spoiler Alert: 2017 Will Rock!! Happy New Year, solar watchers! 2016 was a wild ride in both policy and market news, but despite the poo-pooing by solar naysayers,...
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Clarifying Five Common Anti-Solar Talking Points
Solar Subsidies, Environmental Impact and “True Cost”… Who is Right? The virtual world of social medial is a funny place. It’s not like science. There is no “Occam’s Razor.” A lot of questions are...
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Why Utilities have already lost the “War on Net Metering”
As state legislatures gavel in their 2017 sessions, a new crop of anti-net metering bills is being pressed forward by utility and fossil fuel lobbyists. By alienating customers, they are only...
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Jimmy Carter: The “Solar President”
In the late 1970s, the peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia became the first American president to promote solar as a path to American energy independence and freedom from foreign oil. Now, at 92, his...
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Your Summer Guide to Solar Fairs
Solar fairs and sustainable living expos are great places to learn more about solar. For consumers, sustainable living events are a place to meet face-to-face with installers from around the region,...
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Solar in Space: Powering the International Space Station
Since the earliest days of the space program, solar panels have been powering satellites, spacecraft and space stations. Today, the International Space Station relies on one of the most advanced solar...
View ArticleSmall Modular Reactors: Launching in 2018
Small modular reactors (SMRs) are an innovation on nuclear plant design that could replace coal-fired steam turbines with zero or near-zero carbon emissions. While there are approximately 50 SMR...
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Solar Head of State: An Interview with Director and Co-Founder James Ellsmoor
Seeking to harness the untapped resources in communities that could most benefit from rooftop solar installations, James Ellsmoor co-founded and serves as Director of Solar Head of State (SHOS), a...
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Off-Grid Solar and the Path to Universal Access
One in seven people around the world live without access to electricity, and that is leaving a devastating human toll. In Sub-Saharan Africa, where over 60% of these affected populations live, people...
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The Duck Curve: Utilities’ Growing Challenge to Solar Adoption
Since 2008, the U.S. has seen a veritable explosion of not just residential solar, but commercial and utility-scale installations as well, enjoying a ridiculously high annual growth rate of 54% over...
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Answering the Internet’s Pressing Solar Questions Using The Open PV Project
While solar power continues its accelerated adoption in the U.S. market, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) tracks photovoltaic (PV) installations nationwide. As the sector evolves, this...
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Inspiring the Next Generation of Solar Power Enthusiasts at a Young Age
While Whitney Houston famously told us that the children are our future, those advocating for a clean energy transition also contend that solar power is the future. Both are sage forecasts, and as...
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