That depends on how you measure it. Today. – The current ranks and leaders: http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=6090 – Recent increases by state: http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=5750 The Future. California, Minnesota, Maine, Colorado, and New York have the strongest regulations to require renewable power in the future as a portion of their total. Each has a target to achieve…
Category: Green/Renewable
A crystal ball and the future of renewable energy
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to attend a lecture hosted at the US Dept of Energy given by Dr. Eric Martinot who is Senior Research Director for the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies in Tokyo, Japan. He presented an overview of a recent report that he authored titled “Renewables: Global Futures Report”…
Water, wind, and sun: helping to power America
The forces of nature are among the “green and clean” sources of electric power generation. While the United States is a world leader in terms of total KWH generated via renewable sources, it produces only about 13% of our total power. Many hope to see the renewable portion increase in the future for reasons of…
Solar PV installations are on the rise
Wind energy gets most of the renewable energy attention these days, but solar PV has been growing too. As the technology grows more affordable, perhaps you have communities worth considering. For more info, see: Utility-scale installations lead solar photovoltaic growth New EIA data show total grid-connected photovoltaic solar capacity Kent McDonaldKent works at RealPage and…
How Net metering policies impact you
Net metering is the name of state and local policies that allow consumers to sell power back to the grid. For communities that are considering generating power on site, knowing the local regulations on net metering might make a big impact on your ROI. For more info, see: Policies for compensating behind-the-meter generation vary by…
Eight Green Credentials you should know about
When you hear the topic of green certification for buildings, LEED is typically one the first things to come to mind. But the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is not the only legitimate option. The City of San Francisco recently began recording sustainability labels of buildings in their official…
Emerging green tech: a new form of water power
In prior articles, I discussed multiple ways how water has been used to generate electricity. But now that most large-scale hydro electric power that can be built already has been built, are there any other ways we might be able to generate electricity from water? Why, yes. Enter: Hydro-kinetic power. For more info, see: Regulators…
Water and electricity do mix after all
When we were growing up, we were told that water and electricity are a deadly combination. But under the right circumstances, they can work together for great benefit to society and the planet. Image courtesy of adamr / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Hydroelectric power is the use of falling water to turn a propeller-like piece called a turbine,…
Visit a national Energy Lab
I recently visited the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, CO near Denver. The US Dept of Energy has several such laboratories and research centers spread throughout the country. Most of them welcome visitors during normal business hours. For a full listing, click here and then scroll down to the “Labs & Technology Centers” section….
Emerging green tech: Pumped-storage hydroelectricity. What was old is new again.
Hydroelectric power is the use of falling water to generate electricity. One form of this technology is Pumped-storage hydroelectricity (PSH). “In a pumped storage facility, water is pumped during off-peak demand periods from a reservoir at a lower elevation for storage in a reservoir at a higher elevation. Electricity is then generated during peak demand…