All renewable energy types to be cost-competitive by 2020: report

Wind farm outside Fort MacLeod, Alberta, Canada   [photographer: Joel Bennett]Renewable-energy generation costs are falling like photons onto a solar panel. By 2020, it's expected all types of renewable-energy generation will be able to compete with fossil fuels on cost. That's right: saving our environment will actually save electric utilities some money, too. DON'T MISS: Two-thirds of world's new energy capacity in 2016...

Why diesel beats solar for disaster recovery in places like Puerto Rico

APR Energy's GE TM2500 Gen 8 mobile gas turbines in Puerto RicoCall it the Ikea mindset. On populated islands, space is at a premium, just like those stereotypical Swedish kitchens you see when you stroll through your local assemble-it-yourself retailer. That space restriction is a major reason fossil fuels remain a better power-generation option than renewables on populated islands that have just experienced...

In Germany, neighborhood solar starts to eat away at utility revenue

Photovoltaic solar power field at Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, TennesseeFive years ago, an electric-utility think tank issued a dire warning to its members: Your century-old business model is ending. The continually falling costs of renewable energy generation, especially solar panels, would begin to erode utilities' business from its most profitable customers, the study said. Now, in Germany—hardly known for...

Soaring growth of solar power demonstrated in one chart (updated)

Photovoltaic solar power field at Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, TennesseeSometimes a picture is truly worth a thousand words. In the case of the rapidly rising rate of solar installations for electricity generation, numerous forecasts by internationally respected bodies have proven woefully conservative. The chart in the tweet below, created by Auke Hoekstra at the Technical University of Eindhoven, The Netherlands...

Stella Vie ‘family sedan’ wins long-distance solar car race

Stella Vie Dutch solar car winner in World Solar ChallengeEarlier this month, the 30th World Solar Challenge kicked off in Darwin, Australia, with 42 competitors vying for victory. At the end of the 3,022-kilometer (1,880-mile) race from Darwin to Adelaide, one team emerged victorious in the highly contested Cruiser class. Solar Team Eindhoven, from the Netherlands, placed first with its Stella Vie...

Solar-powered car race kicks off 30 years of World Solar Challenge

World Solar Challenge 2017Although a car powered solely by solar power is far from reality, the 30th anniversary of the World Solar Challenge showcased just how far the technology has come. World Solar Challenge kicked off its celebrations with this year's iteration of the solar-powered car race in Darwin, Australia, on Sunday. From the starting point, the teams will...

Two-thirds of world’s new energy capacity in 2016 was renewable: IEA

Tesla Kauai solar-energy generation and storage project  [photo: The Verge]For years, renewable energy has been cast as the most expensive option to reduce emissions and the world's reliance on fossil fuels. But 2016 may have marked a turn for the renewable energy sector, with solar energy in particular rising significantly in output. For the first time in history, renewable energy sources accounted for fully two-thirds...