Articles

ENN

How fighting big retail helped a N.C. community organize around energy efficiency

Residents of Carrboro, North Carolina, rallied around a neighborhood energy efficiency project, helping to overcome barriers that grant money can’t always solve and getting buy-in from about a fifth of households.

By Elizabeth Ouzts . 8 March 2023
ENN

Carbon offset pact will put solar on dozens of Habitat for Humanity homes

The District of Columbia-based American Institute of Architects is offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from a major renovation with a $500,000 donation that will cover the cost of solar panels on an estimated 72 homes.

By Elizabeth McGowan . 8 March 2023
Electrification

Electrifying your home can be a huge hassle. Helio Home wants to help

The startup is one of many companies springing up across the U.S. to shepherd consumers through the complicated and multifaceted process of home electrification.

By Alison F. Takemura . 8 March 2023
Electric vehicles

California's plan to electrify trucking may be hard for small companies

The state's ambitious timeline for cleaning up trucks will slash pollution in port communities, but some freight firms may not be able to afford the switch.

By Gabriela Aoun Angueira . 7 March 2023
Grid edge

This startup turns electric water heaters into grid batteries

Shifted Energy is tapping water heaters in lower-income communities to create virtual power plants that help balance the grid, starting in Hawaii.

By Jeff St. John . 6 March 2023
ENN

Electric trucks are coming. Will the Northeast’s grid be ready for them?

National Grid is undertaking a multi-state study to find where grid upgrades will be needed to accommodate an influx of zero-emission commercial vehicles.

By Lisa Prevost . 6 March 2023
Food and farms

There's a push underway to help more US farms save big with clean energy

Advocates say revamping the 20-year-old federal Rural Energy for America Program could give cash-crunched small farms some much-needed breathing room.

By Kathiann M. Kowalski . 6 March 2023
Electric vehicles

Chart: Is that electric truck greener than a gas-powered compact car?

A new analysis compares the total life-cycle emissions of electric vehicles, hybrids and gas-powered cars. How does your ride stack up?

By Maria Virginia Olano, Eric Wesoff . 3 March 2023
Nuclear

Will the feds approve any of the new small modular nuclear reactors?

Startups like Nano Nuclear and others are developing promising new designs. But the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has a 48-year streak of saying no.

By Eric Wesoff . 3 March 2023
ENN

Massachusetts heat pump installer network has momentum in second year

The state program has trained hundreds of technicians to install heat pumps, exceeding projections for its first year. The network will need to continue to grow in order to help the state meet its 2050 net-zero goal.

By Sarah Shemkus . 3 March 2023