No form of energy really emits zero emissions, and that’s a point that’s both missed by casual advocates and overstated by strident critics.

Study Compares Energy Sources From ‘Cradle-to-Grave’

Utility-scale solar is still something of a novelty in the renewable energy ecosystem. Large-scale deployment of these multi-megawatt (MW) installations has only recently been enabled in the United States by two key pieces of federal legislation and state-level implementation of renewable energy standards. The market boomed in 2011, adding more than 760 MW of capacity and ending the year with a bullish outlook for 2012.

Two New Reports on Utility-Scale Solar

Lose the propellor cap, flush the granola and forget the flower power because … gasp … solar power can help you save money.

Saving on Solar Way Cooler Than Saving Dolphin Babies

According to a recent Pew Charitable Trust report entitled, “Who’s Winning the Clean Energy Race,” the United States overtook China in green energy investments during 2011 after lagging behind for the previous two years. 
When you add up asset finance, public markets, venture capital, and small distributed investments together, we

Winners and Losers in the Renewable Energy Race

Back in 2009, Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisors (“DB”) published a study tracking 270 major climate policies in 109 countries. The study concluded that successful programs were those that offered investors “TLC” — transparency, longevity, certainty — a comprehensive, stable, and predictable set of rules that infused markets with a sense of clarity and security. The research went on to find that the United States lacked TLC and was lagging behind other countries, notably China and Germany. A more recent DB paper found little to cheer about at the Federal level in the U.S. Referring to the gridlock in Congress on energy policy, the paper noted “…while Congress stumbles, the U.S. stands to fall behind.”

I Want My TLC: Attaining Transparency, Longevity and Certainty in the California Renewables Market

Construction has begun on what will become Chile’s largest wind farm, a 115-megawatt development in the Antofagasta region in the northern part of the country.

Latin America Report: Work Starts on Chile’s Largest Wind Farm

The world’s first solar-geothermal power plant was commissioned last week in Stillwater, Nevada with the completion of a 24-MW solar PV plant developed by Enel Green Power. It is strategically positioned next to Enel’s existing 60-MW geothermal plant to increase power production and resource predictability.

Enel Flips Solar Switch at Cogeneration Plant, Starts Geothermal Work in Utah

Emerging Australian company CBD Energy has an agreement in place to acquire California-based Westinghouse Solar in an all-stock deal that will give the company better access to the growing American solar market.

Australia’s CBD Acquires Westinghouse Solar; CEO Out

Affirming its commitment to the development of renewable energy resources, the Arizona legislature recently passed legislation exempting the sale and/or use of Renewable Energy Credits (generally referred as “RECs”) from Arizona’s transaction privilege tax, which operates similar to a sales tax. Given that Arizona’s state transaction privilege tax is over seven percent in most counties, and that city tack on an additional 2 to 3 percent tax, the decision to exempt the sale of RECs from a 10 percent tax is a significant development that should encourage the development of renewable energy in Arizona.

Arizona Legislature Exempts the Sale of Renewable Energy Credits from State Sales Tax

A natural disaster sparked the re-emergence of Japan as a ripe renewable energy market. Now, a political shakeup could have similar effects 6,000 miles away in France.

Hollande Victory Signals Shift in France’s Renewable Energy Policy