Our nation’s electricity system is undergoing a rapid and profound transformation. We are at a pivotal point in America’s energy history. America’s Power Plan is a project designed to facilitate discussion about decisions and investments that will shape the course of the power sector, the economy, national security, and the climate for decades to come.
An annual census of solar-industry jobs shows that solar employment grew 19.9 percent—faster than the national average employment rate—adding 23,682 new jobs in 2013. The industry has grown 53 percent in the past four years alone, adding nearly 50,000 jobs. The census is conducted by The Solar Foundation, an independent nonprofit solar research and education organization.
A recent solar industry report found a record level of photovoltaic installations in the U.S. in 2013, and ranks North Carolina as the number-two state in terms of solar capacity, behind California.
Eight governors whose states collectively represent nearly a quarter of the U.S. car market announced last week that they’re taking steps to put 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles on the roads in their collective states by 2025. The governors hail from California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
In a landmark agreement, China and California have committed to collaborate on efforts to combat global climate change, promote clean and efficient energy, and support low carbon development.
The “Get Smart Guide: Energy Innovation for the Consumer Electronics Industry” analyzes some of the major devices we use in our homes and offers recommendations for what we can do to move toward a more efficient future. Consumer electronics covered in the report include televisions, set-top boxes, computers, battery chargers, and more.
Four Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) directors who served under Republican presidents penned a New York Times opinion piece called “A Republican Case for Climate Action.” The writers include Energy Foundation board member William D. Ruckelshaus, who headed the EPA from the agency’s founding in 1970 to 1973, and again from 1983 to 1985. The others … Continued
A new study highlights the role of policy in unlocking record levels of private capital in the industry during the past decade. The study also explores policies that would significantly increase private capital into renewable energy development.
Wind and solar power are the fastest-growing sources of electricity in America and worldwide. We need reliable power—so what happens when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine?
In the first study of its kind, University of North Carolina researchers found that loans on Energy Star homes are 32 percent less likely to go into default.