Solar Power | Grist

Exclusive new Caldeira analysis explains “the burning of organic carbon warms the Earth about 100,000 times more from climate effects than it does through the release of chemical energy in combustion.”

Why solar energy trumps coal power 0
Posted 1 week, 1 day ago
Solar power when the sun goes down — with help from United Technologies 0
Posted 1 week, 5 days ago Concentrated solar thermal with storage remains “The technology that will save humanity.” And we are seeing more and more plants in various phases of construction.
This little light of mine

Student solar homes shining light toward the future 0
Posted 4 weeks, 1 day ago I wanted to congratulate all the students who competed in the Solar Decathlon on the National Mall this month. The Solar Decathlon, a competition sponsored by the Department of Energy, brought together 20 teams of students from around the world who designed, engineered, and built solar-powered homes showcased in Washington, D.C.
GOP proposes to cut solar technology funding 0
Posted 4 weeks, 1 day ago
Why solar won’t topple in Germany 1
Posted 1 month, 1 week ago Since the new center-right coalition won the elections a few weeks ago in Germany, onlookers from the U.S. have been expecting the country to drastically cut its support for solar. But Craig Morris explains why solar there to stay.
The Spanish solar collapse 3
Posted 1 month, 1 week ago There's been a lot of talk in the U.S. about the collapse of the Spanish solar bubble this year. But few U.S. commentators seem to understand the Spanish market well enough to explain what really happened. Craig Morris does.
Tank and File

Ask Umbra on replacing hot-water heaters 21
Posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago When the parents of three little boys wonder which hot-water heater makes the most sense for them, Umbra sheds light on the issue.
Placemakers

An interview with solar activist Anya Schoolman 1
Posted 2 months ago
Three years ago, a group of neighbors in Washington, D.C., wondered if they could bring solar power to the homes in their 'hood. This month they're celebrating their fiftieth installation -- we caught up with one of the ringleaders to find out how they got it done.
Conservative French Government again proposes higher solar PV tariffs 1
Posted 2 months, 1 week ago
For the second time within twelve months the French Government of conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy has proposed raising the feed-in tariff for solar PV in the coming year.
Pee-Wee Longevity for US PV Panels

Regulatory standards save money 0
Posted 2 months, 2 weeks ago
Contrary to all that we've been told by the economic pundits for decades, it is the ABSENCE of regulations and regulatory performance standards that costs consumers money, reports Business Week. This is a great case for the contribution of performance standards to overall economic efficiency.
Quest for Storage -- "Holy Grail" of New Energy Economy -- Nears Goal

Enabling wind, sun to be our main power supplies 5
Posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago
As the world meets this December to set plans to halt global warming, it is expected America and other industrial nations will commit to a daunting task: reduce CO2 emissions 80% by 2050. In just 40 years, a complete revolution in how we use and supply our power must happen, or the world will face catastrophic effects of runaway climate changes.

As a new power plant typically lasts 40-50 years, many scientists are now arguing we must simply stop building new power systems that use significant amounts of fossil fuels. They argue we must move to a high reliance on the wind and the sun for our electricity.
Visions of the Green Future

California students take Refract House to Solar Decathlon 5
Posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago
On the Silicon Valley campus of Santa Clara University, workers are building a contemporary wood-clad home that wouldn't look out of place in the pages of Dwell or another shelter magazine for the po-mo, Tesla-driving, little-square-eyeglasses-wearing set. Which is exactly the idea. The home is California's entry into the U.S. Department of Energy's biannual Solar Decathlon and is a collaboration between undergraduates at Santa Clara University and the California College of the Arts in San Francisco.
On the faux mathematics of large decisions

Could we replace the nation’s pavement with solar panels? 30
Posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago
A while back I mentioned Solar Roadways, a clean energy idea that appears kind of kooky, at least on the surface. (See what I did there?) The notion is to replace paved surfaces with rugged, specially built solar panels.

The Solar Road Panels would contain not just solar panels but LED lighting (to enable real-time communication with drivers), heating units (to prevent icing), high-voltage power transmission lines, and even electric vehicle recharging stations. It's transportation, power, and grid infrastructure in the same place.
Can't we all be friends?

Solar wars 4
Posted 3 months, 1 week ago
Note to utilities: solar is popular with your customers.
And definitely cheaper than terraforming Mars

Solar is getting cheap 14
Posted 3 months, 1 week ago
Much of the rhetoric against energy legislation of any kind—and at any level—centers on cost. So advocates spend a lot of time explaining why continuing with the status quo is not a low cost option.
tasty tariffs

North American feed-in tariff policies take off 0
Posted 3 months, 1 week ago
Clean energy advocates in Europe have long considered the feed-in tariff as an antidote to the industrial world's fossil fuel dependency. Now, the United States and Canada are starting to catch on as well.
The Grist List: From Heath to Health

Heath Ledger harpoons whaling, and more 3
Posted 3 months, 2 weeks ago
He's no joker: Before his death, Heath Ledger created a grim music video about whaling for Modest Mouse.
eSolar launches power tower concentrated solar thermal plant - live video cast today, 1 pm EDT 0
Posted 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Jimmy Fallon, iPhone home

Solar chargers, real and imagined 1
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago
If you, like literally dozens of Americans, find Jimmy Fallon mildly to moderately funny, you will enjoy this bit of "news."
Sun in the Fun

Ask Umbra on solar pool heaters 9
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago
A homeowner wonders if it's possible to devise a passive-heating system for her pool, so Umbra dons her water wings and wades in with an answer.