US

Wind and solar are now cheaper than fossil fuels

For years, grid parity – the time when solar and wind would be cost-competitive with fossil fuels and nuclear – was the holy grail of renewables energy, a target to reach in a distant future. But the future is now. 

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Renewables: how Puerto Rico could turn a crisis into an opportunity

Renewables currently generate very little of Puerto Rico’s electricity but hopefully this could change after Hurricane Maria.

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Tesla unveils its solar roof technology

Tapping solar vast potential is one of our best bets to become carbon neutral by 2040. As prices keep on dropping, one of the remaining problems is the look of the panels themselves. 

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Canada, the US and Mexico to partner on energy

The agreement signed late last month may be the beginning of a new era of collaboration on climate change as the three North American countries signed an agreement to push cleantech and fight climate change.

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Oil prices continue to drop, are now below $50

Now this is … strange ? odd ? bizarre ? weird ? I was reporting in October that oil prices had dropped below $90, but last week they went even lower with as little as $50 a barrel. This is a 55% drop compared to last June.

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Should solar panels really face west ?

It is almost common knowledge that solar panels should face South as it maximizes the amount of energy the panels can produce. However a study from Pecan Street Research Institute show some interest in pointing solar panels west. Solar panels facing in this direction produce more electricity when demand peaks, thus reducing the need for

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Energy efficiency brings huge returns on investment

You must know if if you have been reading this blog : albeit it is not as ” sexy “ as renewables, energy efficiency is simply a must as we embark our societies and economies on a journey towards sustainability. Here is further proof as Cleantechnica notes : ” Energy efficiency retrofits (…) created a

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Global wind capacity grew by 12.5 % in 2013

To Enerdata ” global wind capacity increased by 12.5% in 2013, reaching 318,137 MW. During the year, 35,467 MW were installed worldwide, which is almost 10 GW below capacity additions in 2012. “ ” US installations were badly impacted by a policy gap created by the US Congress in 2012; in Europe, installations grew by

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The energy transition already creates jobs

The energy transition from our model based on a huge majority of polluting fossil fuels to a model based on cleantech technologies such as energy efficiency and renewable energy sources will require a lot of money. Indeed, we have seen recently that up to a trillion dollar would be needed every year to do so.

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Emissions in United States rebounded in 2013

This was a major setback for me last week, US greenhouse gases emissions related to energy rose two percent in 2013 compared to 2012. To the US EIA this is due to ” a small increase in coal consumption in the electric power sector. “ ” Coal has regained some market share from natural gas since a

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