Technology

Gov. David Ige said Tuesday he wants Hawaii to deploy more community solar projects — which give those renting or living in condominiums access to renewable energy — by 2018. Speaking at the eighth annual Hawaii Clean Energy Day at the Laniakea YWCA, Ige said he wants the solar option to be available for all Hawaii residents.

New solar developers will be paying significantly less to integrate their generation into Idaho Power Company’s transmission and distribution system under new integration rates approved by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission this week.

As part of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan to create American jobs, develop domestic clean energy sources and cut carbon pollution, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Abigail Ross Hopper today announced a proposed lease sale for 122,405 acres offshore North Carolina for commercial wind energy leasing.

A&B Properties, Inc. (ABP), a wholly owned subsidiary of Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. (NYSE: ALEX), has partnered with Carbon Lighthouse, an energy services company, to implement a two-month pilot to identify energy efficiency initiatives for its commercial assets in Hawaii. The program was launched this week at two properties on Oahu—Pearl Highlands Center and Kaka`ako Commerce Center—and the Kahului Office Building on Maui. These properties were identified as the highest energy demands within ABP’s Hawaii commercial portfolio.

The California Public Utilities Commission, California Energy Commission, and the New Buildings Institute (NBI) today announced that California continues the march toward its zero net energy (ZNE) goals, with 108 new and renovated commercial buildings ...

In an effort to increase transparency and provide the public with a quick and easy method to verify the authenticity of a professional’s certificate of licensure, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) is now including a unique quick response (QR) code for all professions within the Divisions of Professional Regulation and Real Estate.  When the QR code is scanned using a QR reader application from any mobile device, the latest license information from IDFPR’s database will be displayed, including licensure status.  The QR code announcement is the latest from IDFPR in their ongoing efforts to modernize the state’s regulatory agency.

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today announced nearly $127,000 in federal funding to support the purchase and installation of renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced funding for 821 projects across the nation that will help rural small businesses and agricultural producers reduce energy usage and costs in their operations. The funding is available through the Rural ...

The National Institute of Building Sciences Off-Site Construction Council (OSCC) and the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) will co-sponsor the second webinar in OSCC’s new webinar series designed to share knowledge and improve industry efficiency, productivity and speed to market through the use of pre-fabrication and off-site construction. The webinar, “Precast Concrete Off-Site Construction: Techniques & Case Studies,” will be held July 26 from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm CT (12:00 pm to 1:00 pm ET) and again July 28 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm CT (12:00 pm to 1:00 pm PT).

Kicking off the year with record growth across all solar sectors, Texas is on track to become the fastest-growing utility-scale solar market in the U.S. within the next five years, according to the recently released U.S. Solar Market Insight, Q2 2016, ...

Environment California Research & Policy Center will deploy hundreds of door-knockers this summer as part of a multi-million-dollar effort to educate Americans about the possibility of 100 percent clean, renewable energy.

U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced his support for the Timber Innovation Act, bipartisan legislation introduced last month by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) that would support the advancement of the forest products industry by accelerating research and development – and ultimately construction – of wood buildings in the United States.

Consumers Energy is honoring nearly 70 Michigan companies that work with the Michigan energy provider to help households lower costs through energy efficiency, making an impact of over $1 billion on customer bills since 2009

In a disappointing decision for Maryland consumers, Gov. Larry Hogan today vetoed legislation that would move the Maryland’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to obtain 25 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable sources within four years. The bill earlier passed with a veto-proof majority in both the state Senate and House, meaning the bill will come back for an override vote in early 2017

The U.S. Senate passed the first funding bill of the year, the FY17 Energy and Water Appropriations bill in a vote of 90-8. This is the first time since 2009 the U.S. Senate has passed this appropriations measure on the floor as a standalone bill under...

Montgomery County reaffirmed its longstanding commitment to public safety and clean energy technologies by joining the U.S. Department of Energy in a program designed to enable the County to provide uninterrupted public safety services during major sto...

With the support of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Senate today passed the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, bipartisan legislation that funds U.S. Department of Ener...

A home built by students in the Hawai‘i Community College (HawCC) Model Home Program was dedicated today in the Hawaiian homestead community of Keaukaha. Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiary Elton “Tui” Suganuma is the new owner of the three-bedroom, two-bath home in Keaukaha, Hilo, Hawaiʻi. Elton was joined at the home dedication ceremony by his wife Patricia, and his son Poʻai, who along with his growing ʻohana will call this place home.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy is visiting Durham, N.C., today for the agency’s Energy Efficiency Action Week and touring a new ENERGY STAR-certified Habitat for Humanity home, in the North East Central neighborhood, that includes energy-efficient features that will save homeowners money on their utility bills. Administrator McCarthy will meet with the new homeowner and be joined by Congressman G. K. Butterfield, Durham Mayor Bill Bell, Habitat for Humanity International Vice President for the U.S. and Canada Sue Henderson, and representatives from Advanced Energy, Southern Energy Management and Habitat for Humanity Durham

The New York Power Authority and the State University of New York at New Paltz announced today they will partner to build a cutting-edge, solar-energy storage system on campus that will offset the school’s reliance on the electric grid.

At the Rural Energy Conference in Fairbanks, AK, today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced 13 recipients of Remote Alaska Communities Energy Efficiency (RACEE) technical assistance, and released its “Sustainable Energy Solutions for Rural Alaska” report.

Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), senior Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, visited the Rutgers Solar Farm in Piscataway on the 46th Earth Day to address the need for investments in clean energy in New Jersey and throughout the ...

Peninsula State Park in Door County will have more naturalist activities available, be better positioned to deal with invasive species and have improved trail maintenance thanks to a $25,500 donation from Friends of Peninsula State Park accepted by the...

American wind power hailed the Maryland Legislature’s historic move to obtain 25 percent of its electricity from renewable sources within four years, and is prepared to do its part to meet the standard if it becomes law. Both the state Senate and House have now passed SB 921, the Clean Energy Jobs Act. It now goes to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan for his signature.

Congresswoman Diana DeGette, joined a bipartisan group of 44 current and former Senators and 164 current and former House members to file an amicus brief in support of the Obama administration’s historic ‘Clean Power Plan’ (CPP). The CPP will reduce carbon pollution and address climate change, save consumers $155 billion by 2030, create jobs, and prevent 90,000 childhood asthma attacks through 2030‎. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is considering a challenge to the rule in West Virginia et al. v. Environmental Protection Agency. The full text of the amicus brief filed today can be found here and a full list of the 208 current and former members of Congress that signed can be found below.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s mobile household hazardous waste collection service will be in Bedford and Montgomery Counties on March 19. Since the program’s inception in 1993, more than 322,000 households have properly disposed of more than 21 million pounds of material.

American wind power hailed Oregon’s bipartisan decision to raise the state renewable energy law to 50 percent renewables by 2040. The new state law doubles Oregon’s access to renewable energy, putting the state on the path to cut costs, keep the lights on, and create cleaner air

The Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) and Steamfitters Local 638 members, who install the fire suppression systems that have helped make New York City the safest big city in America, laud the near-record low in fire fatalities last year. In 2015...

U.S. Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN) toured the School Sisters of Notre Dame solar farm located atop Good Counsel Hill and discussed how important investing in renewable energy is to meeting America’s energy demands, creating jobs and addressing the threats pos...

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment introduced by Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) that would expand the federal housing assistance program to cover previously ineligible expenses of low income mobile home owners. The bipartisan ...