Solar Energy News

The U.S. solar industry faced its share of headwinds heading into 2019, but through it all, the industry showed remarkable resiliency and is poised to experience another year of solid growth. Record-Breaking Quarter The record-breaking pace of solar PV adoption in the United States showed little sign of letting up in 2019. This was the […]

The post Solar Industry Overcomes Trump, Thrives in 2019 appeared first on Solar Tribune.

The widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles into our daily lives seems like an inevitability that is just around the corner. A recent flurry of activity in the auto industry around solar-powered cars, however, has momentarily supplanted autonomous technology as the most talked about innovation in the industry, as the once fanciful idea starts to enter […]

The post Solar-Powered Cars: The Future of Personal Transportation? appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Although climate change should frighten you, the question remains, “What can I do about it?” There is a simple, effective way for every American to personally, profoundly impact climate action and it is as close as your local voting booth. Vote Climate U.S. PAC’s 2020 Presidential Voter’s Guide empowers Americans to make climate change a […]

The post You Can Profoundly Impact Climate Change appeared first on Solar Tribune.

With the 2020 Presidential race already heating up, issues surrounding climate change, clean energy, and what policy mechanisms are the most critical ones for the federal government to employ are getting more of a spotlight than ever before. While ideas like research & development, tax credits, and carbon prices are among the first policy levers […]

The post Climate Change Policy Measures: Identifying Priorities, Particularly Outside of the Usual Suspects appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Over the last 10 years, the Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which offers a federal income tax credit worth 30% of a homeowner’s solar installation costs, has opened up solar to millions of homeowners by dropping that huge financial hurdle. But the ITC is set to begin phasing out at the end of 2019 and […]

The post Does the U.S. Still Need the Solar Investment Tax Credit? appeared first on Solar Tribune.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute is a non-profit organization located in Washington DC whose mission is “to accelerate the transition to a new, low-emissions economy based on energy efficiency and renewable energy.” The organization works towards these goals through their briefings on Capitol Hill (as well as webcasts, papers, and more) to educate policymakers […]

The post Top Priority Policy Planks for a Green New Deal appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Installing solar panels on a household’s rooftop is an exciting moment for any family, but it’s also one that can come with some fear and hesitation due to the high costs. Mosaic is trying to change that and allow all homes to reap  the benefits of installed solar systems. Mosaic is a company that provides […]

The post Mosaic’s PowerSwitch 6 Residential Home Solar Loans: An Interview with GM of Solar, Erin Talbot appeared first on Solar Tribune.

The US is seeing record amounts of solar energy production recently. In April, renewable energy – including solar, wind, and hydropower – actually outperformed coal for the first in U.S. history. However, solar is still a small percentage of the nation’s overall electricity. How do we compare with the rest of the world? And with […]

The post As Costs Fall, Global Solar Capacity Ramps Up appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Climate change policy has finally taken a place on the priority of the mainstream population and politicians and candidates looking to represent them. However, climate advocates can no longer support leaders who pass the bar of saying they support climate action, but rather we need to be debating and choosing the specific types of climate […]

The post What are the Best Policy Mechanisms to Combat Climate Change appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Silicon is by far the most common material in photovoltaic solar, but that could all change in the next decade as researchers around the world continue to develop new photoelectric materials. In a June 2019 webinar for the publication, Nature Research, University of Notre Dame professor Prashant Kamat walked through some of the most promising […]

The post New Solar Tech Could Outshine Conventional Silicon appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Acclaimed billionaire and former New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has promised to donate $500 million towards efforts to close all coal-fired power plants. Beyond the large sum, Bloomberg’s announcement has raised eyebrows thanks to his decision to simply ignore Washington and focus instead on state and local politicians and lobbying. Bloomberg’s pledge Michael Bloomberg, the […]

The post Bloomberg Pledges $500 Million to Close All Coal Plants appeared first on Solar Tribune.

For clean energy and climate advocates, the Democratic challenger in the upcoming 2020 Presidential election is poised to present a more climate-focused candidate than the incumbent, President Donald Trump. But an analysis of the Twitter histories of the Democratic primary candidates presents a field that largely places climate lower on the list of top policy […]

The post Are the 2020 Democratic Candidates Serious About Climate? Twitter Data Says No appeared first on Solar Tribune.

When the solar industry gathers, those across the field are able to share recent successes, future goals, pressing concerns, and more. On May 14 and 15, hundreds of industry professionals, financiers, and other stakeholders in the solar power industry gathered in Paradise Valley, Arizona, for the 12th annual Solar Summit put on by GreenTech Media […]

The post State of the Solar Industry Through the Lens of Solar Summit Attendees appeared first on Solar Tribune.

The U.S. renewable energy sector reached a significant milestone in April when government projections showed renewable energy sources beating coal generation nationwide for the first time in history, a trend that continued into May. While the flip is partially brought on by the seasonality of hydro and coal generation, it shows that we’re in the […]

The post Renewables Exceed Coal for the First Time Ever appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Today, we equate solar energy with electricity, but that wasn’t always the case. Throughout history and across the world, people have always placed huge importance on the sun. The Incans had Inti, whose children he sent to the earth to create civilization. The Egyptians had the all-powerful Ra, who controlled the sky, earth, and underworld. […]

The post The History of Solar Energy appeared first on Solar Tribune.