Solar
The controversies at the heart of California’s solar net-metering fight
The future of rooftop solar in the country’s biggest solar market is up for grabs. Here’s what’s on the table.
By Jeff St. John .
Solar
Carbon-free buildings
Are solar water heaters worth it? Here’s what to consider.
New data from the IRS shows an uptick of interest in the appliances, which provide one pathway to cutting the carbon footprint of water heating.
By Alison F. Takemura .
A rural home in Massachusetts rocks thick solar water-heater panels alongside small skylights and solar photovoltaic panels. (Prateek Joshi/NREL; Binh Nguyen/CanaryMedia)
-
-
Solar
Chart: The top 10 solar states include some unexpected contenders
Markets and policy matter more to solar success than geography and politics. -
Utilities
Solar and green groups buy into Duke's net-metering plan in North Carolina
The state's dominant utility has proposed time-varying solar rates and smart-thermostat incentives, and solar advocates are on board.By Jeff St. John .
-
Climate justice
Helping Native communities attain 'energy sovereignty' with solar
Nonprofit Grid Alternatives develops solar projects on reservations and provides job-training opportunities.By Natasha Ferguson .
-
Solar
How to turn trash into treasure: Put solar panels over landfills
Building solar on closed landfills can add costs and complications, but it could bring gigawatts of clean energy to underserved communities, a new report says.By Jeff St. John .
-
Clean energy
What 24/7 carbon-free energy can achieve over the long term
New modeling from Princeton projects the expected impact from companies and cities procuring carbon-free electricity for every hour of every day.By David Roberts .
-
Policy & regulation
Jigar Shah's big idea for getting rooftop solar and smart appliances to low-income Americans
How the DOE could marshal its loan guarantees to decarbonize the grid and boost energy equity in one fell swoop.By Jeff St. John .
-
Clean energy
Chart: The vast majority of Americans love solar and wind power
Enthusiasm for renewables cuts across the country's cultural chasms. -
Solar
Solar power is a huge success story. A longtime solar champion explains how it happened
Adam Browning, departing leader of Vote Solar, shares insights from his 20-year career as a pioneering solar advocate.By David Roberts .
-
Clean energy
Chart: Almost all new power plants being built in the US are renewable
That trend is chipping away at fossil fuels' dominance on today's grid — but not fast enough to meet climate targets.
Sponsored