Alternate Energy

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49.9-MW Hudson Ranch I Geothermal Plant Unveiled in California
EnergySource hosted the unveiling of its 49.9 Hudson Ranch I geothermal plant, now renamed John L. Featherstone Plant – a geothermal innovator in the Salton Sea area, today in Imperial Valley, Cali…..

Apple to Power 3 Data Centers with 100 Percent Renewable Energy
Greenpeace advocates gathered outside of Apple’s Cupertino headquarters early this week dressed as iPhones and iPods, declaring their outrage about the company’s lack of clean energy use. They projec…..

Energy Efficiency: What Are the Laggards Thinking?
Why do some states avoid creating policies that encourage consumers and businesses to save energy? What’s the psychology of the laggards? A new report by the American Council for …..

NLP Solar Sales Training Live Webinar May 30th & 31st
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The Forest’s Treasure: A Profitable Solution to Woody Waste
When forests are logged, managed or selectively trimmed so they’ll be less susceptible to raging fires, there are usually huge piles of stumps, branches and other wood debris left laying on the groun…..

Are IT Data Centers Emerging as a ‘Killer App’ for Green Power? Part 1
Last month, Greenpeace launched a series of coordinated protests at Amazon, Apple and Microsoft locations to draw attention to the companies’ use of GHG intensive fuels in powering their data c…..

31 Percent Anti-Dumping Tariffs Announced for Chinese Solar Panels
The U.S. Department of Commerce on Thursday announced stiff anti-dumping tariffs of around 31 percent on crystalline silicon solar panels imported from China, leading to a new round of concerns on ho…..

Domestic Module Manufacturing: PV Globalization or Political Vote-Seeking?
Despite 2011 having been a particularly challenging year for PV cell and module manufacturers, new small-scale module manufacturing facilities continue to be implemented, especially in emerging marke…..

Can the Voice of Solar Shine Brighter?
Solar manufacturers and installers face the same challenge as many business owners: How can a company make time for media outreach as part of their overall marketing strategy? With so many other task…..

Mission Critical: A Clean Energy Call to Arms
They say nothing can get done in Washington, D.C. on the issue of clean energy, which has become a political lightning rod over the last year. With Congress at a high watermark of partisanship, accus…..

Rethinking the Role of Government in Cleantech
Another year, another wringing of the hands over tax credits and incentives for clean technology. Lobbyists and vendors in the U.S. are once again singing the blues, calling for continued an…..

Five Shining Examples of Renewable Energy Innovation and Investment
Sinking revenues and shrinking policy support may be causing a bit of a haze on the renewable energy horizon, but there’s plenty of sunshine trying to peek through if you look hard enough. …..

UPDATE 1-TransCanada says Ontario nuclear reactor opening delayed
TransCanada Corp said one of the reactors at the Bruce Power nuclear power facility in Ontario will not start operations in the second quarter due to a generator fault. …..

3 anti-nuclear leaders facing arrest threat in Tamil Nadu: Amnesty Intl
Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, May 18 : Amnesty International has alleged that three key leaders of Peoples’ Movement Against Nuclear Energy , an anti-nuclear group spearheading the ongoing struggle against…..

Westinghouse Eliminates 200 Jobs, Mostly in Western PA
A majority of the 200 jobs Westinghouse Electric A Co. A eliminated across the country today were from its operations in western Pennsylvania, including the company’s headquarters in Cranberry. …..

NRC finds minor violation building GA nuke project
Southern Co. has agreed to fix metal bars that federal inspectors say were installed incorrectly while building a nuclear power plant in Georgia. …..

Japanese Asked To Conserve Electricity As Local Politicians Block Nuclear Restart
Kansai Electric Power Company Co-President Makoto Yagi bowing deeply during a news conference in Osaka on Friday. …..

Aecon Nuclear gets stamp of approval to expand world-wide
The refurbishment of reactors at the Darlington nuclear power plant is “very, very significant contract” for Aecon Nuclear, but the company is also excited about potential growth on the international …..

Indian Point Debate: Battle Between Jobs and Safety
A Eleven thousand jobs created by a power plant. Eighteen million lives affected in the New York metro area by its demise. …..

NRC documents nuclear plant’s efforts to fix degraded concrete
While stating the deterioration of concrete structures at the Seabrook Station nuclear power plant has not reached a critical state, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Thursday it wants to en…..

Emergency Evacuation, Drill Requirements Quietly Cut While Nuclear…
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public meeting tonight on the safety and future of the Indian Point Energy Center , a nuclear power plant located in Buchanan, NY, less than 40 miles nort…..

New Nuclear Regulations: TMI Says It Won’t Change Procedure
Federal nuclear power regulators have changed emergency procedures for the first time in thirty years. …..

Commission eyes spent nuclear fuel agreement
Members of a commission created by Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter are considering taking up the state’s 1995 agreement on how to handle spent nuclear fuel. …..

Feds Cutting Back On Nuclear Power Plant Safety Because Honestly, Why Bother
The last few years has been pretty much a nonstop ride of positive safety PR for the nuclear power industry, right? I mean, this is an technology that absorbed an enormous earthquake and tsunami and b…..

China May Approve Nuclear Plan by End of June, Official Says
China’s state council, or Cabinet, will probably hold a meeting before the end of June to approve safety and development plans for the nuclear industry, according to Xu Yuming, the vice secretary gene…..

Now, the small matter of Kodak’s nuclear reactor
In a startling development it’s been revealed that a New York Kodak facility secretly housed, oh, we don’t know, ONLY A NUCLEAR REACTOR.Kodak has gone bankrupt, but in its halcyon days made cameras an…..

Regulators cancel meeting on Ohio nuclear plant
But the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says opponents of the plant asked to reschedule the hearing so that they can revise their arguments. …..

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Senate Democrats: Exclude Chinese Solar Panels From ITC
Two high-profile Senate Democrats introduced a proposal Tuesday that if passed would set domestic requirements on solar installations looking to qualify for the 30 percent Investment Tax Credit. …..

Discovery of Plant Proteins May Boost Agricultural Yields and Biofuel Production
Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Iowa State University discovered a family of plant proteins that play a role in the production of seed oils, substances important for anima…..

Pallets of PV: Communities Purchase Solar and Drive Down Costs Together
Think of it like Costco or Sam’s Club for purchasing solar photovolatics (PV). Some savvy folks in Oregon thought it would be a great idea to buy PV in bulk for their neighborhood to get a big volume…..

Asia Report: Solar Dumping Announcement Set for May 17
Seven months after a trade investigation was launched, American solar companies and Chinese solar manufacturers will finally get a clear picture of the challenges ahead. …..

Saudi Arabia Launches Massive Renewable Program with Hybrid FITs
While North America continues to dawdle on the road to the renewable revolution, the conservative, oil-rich Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has proposed one of the most sweeping and massive moves to renewabl…..

A Review of Arizona’s Generous Utility and State Subsidies for Solar Hot Water
Free Hot Water often highlights California’s generous subsidies for solar hot water installations, but it’s not the only state committed to solar water heating. Arizona’s u…..

Europe Braces for a Summer of Hot Solar Debate
As several debt-addled European Union nations continue to push forward with austerity measures, recent developments show that the political pendulum may be shifting away from drastic spending cuts. I…..

Solar Woes Continue with Sovello’s Bankruptcy Filing
Sovello has joined a growing roster of solar companies that have filed for bankruptcy over the past year, the German company said Monday. The announcement came after another German solar manufacturer…..

Lots of Solar Power May Reduce, Not Increase, Electricity Prices
Whether German feed-in tariffs or U.S. tax incentives, opponents of solar rail at its perceived high cost. But a story making rounds this week, “why power generators are terrified of solar,” presents…..

Maxwell Technologies (MXWL): Buy or Steal?
Confusion reigned following Maxwell Technologies’ (NASD:MXWL) earnings call Thursday night. What would be the impact of the company’s reduced sales growth guidance on the stocks value? …..

5 Ways to Act Like a Solar Leader — or Become One
I read a bucket of press releases about solar companies every week, and if I’m to literally believe their words, then there are thousands of “leading” solar manufacturers and s…..

Hans-Josef Fell, Father of the Feed-in Tariff
I dropped by the Bundestag office of Germany’s Green MP Hans-Josef Fell the other day. Fell is a fascinating character and is one of the figures hailed as “the father of the feed-in tarif…..

Offshore Wind: Making an American Industry, Part 2
In the choppy seas of American offshore wind development, calm waters are often followed by stormy skies. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Mid-Atlantic waters off Delaware, Maryland and Virg…..

Prairie Island nuclear security supervisor pulls Homer Simpson, gets busted faking drug test
In a move worthy of Homer Simpson, a security supervisor at Xcel Energy’s Prairie Island nuclear power plant was fired after he was caught faking a drug test urine sample . …..

Obama’s Vision for Nuclear Good for Consumers
While some continue to exert tireless effort and spend millions of tax payer dollars researching and improving upon alternative clean energy sources like wind and solar, others are wasting no time re-…..

Taiwan: Could the Future be Nuclear-Free?
Inspired by the shutting down of all nuclear power plants in Japan since May 5 for thorough security checks, the Taiwanese society also starts discussing the possibility for moving towards a nuclear-f…..

Indian Point to Test Sirens Wednesday Morning
Indian Point Nuclear Power Plants will perform a test of the siren systems Wednesday morning, plant officials said in a release. …..

MidAmerican Reviewing Options After Nuclear Energy Bill Stalls in Iowa Senate
Officials at MidAmerican Energy Co. are studying potential options now that the Iowa Legislature adjourned without taking action on a bill the utility sought to lay the groundwork for a state regulato…..

Japanese Town Approves Restarting Nuclear Plants
The third and fourth reactor buildings of the Oi nuclear power plant of the Kansai Electric Power Co on April 12, at Oi town in Fukui prefecture, western Japan. …..

Activists’ study doubts safety at Calif nuke plant
A report commissioned by an environmental group warned Tuesday that running California’s San Onofre nuclear plant at reduced power would not resolve problems with badly worn tubing that have kept its …..

New study: Teens engaged with media 24/7
The survey found that teens spent more than 6 hours texting, 3 hours watching TV, 1.5 hours on Facebook, 1 hour on Twitter, 1.5 hours on other Internet sites and 1 hour playing video games READ Down i…..

NRC cites Virginia nuclear plant after 2011 earthquake
A Virginia nuclear power plant will get closer scrutiny from regulators after one of its backup generators failed to work during the earthquake that rattled the state and surrounding region in August……

Research reactor an obscure piece of Kodak history
The Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club held the Wa Wa Wally Waddle 5K and one-mile Kids run at Vassar… ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A little-known piece of Kodak’s history has emerged as the company struggles for su…..

Nuclear engineers gather for Utah conference
Scientists and engineers from 37 countries are gathering at a Salt Lake City conference aimed at discussing how to extend the life of nuclear power plants worldwide. …..

UI awarded $2.56M for 3 nuclear research programs
University of Idaho officials say the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy University Programs has awarded the northern Idaho school $2.56 million for nuclear research projects. …..

Feds increase oversight at St. Lucie nuclear plant
Federal officials say they’re increasing their oversight of Florida Power and Light’s nuclear plant in St. …..

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From Deserts to Rooftops: Solar’s California Battleground
As California pushes the leading edge of renewable energy adoption in the United States, it’s also approaching new legal hurdles that are slowly beginning to define the roles that solar developers an…..

Applied Materials Restructuring Solar Business
In order to meet its recently announced goal to reduce the annual revenue breakeven level in its Energy and Environment Solutions (EES) segment from $800 million to $500 million in FY 2013, Applied M…..

Study Compares Energy Sources From ‘Cradle-to-Grave’
No form of energy really emits zero emissions, and that’s a point that’s both missed by casual advocates and overstated by strident critics. …..

Offshore Wind: Making an American Industry, Part 1
Positioned between the affluent of Martha’s Vineyard to the east and the well-heeled of The Hamptons to the west, Block Island has always been more of a casual paradise, a place for blue collar worke…..

How To Become Energy Efficiency’s #1 State
It’s easy to get the impression that technology game-changers happen in a near flash. And the stories of Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Apple leave us thinking that genius pops right out of th…..

Two New Reports on Utility-Scale Solar
Utility-scale solar is still something of a novelty in the renewable energy ecosystem. Large-scale deployment of these multi-megawatt (MW) installations has only recently been enabled in the United S…..

Saving on Solar Way Cooler Than Saving Dolphin Babies
Lose the propellor cap, flush the granola and forget the flower power because … gasp … solar power can help you save money. …..

Winners and Losers in the Renewable Energy Race
According to a recent Pew Charitable Trust report entitled, “Who’s Winning the Clean Energy Race,” the United States overtook China in green energy investments during 2011 after lagging b…..

I Want My TLC: Attaining Transparency, Longevity and Certainty in the California Renewables Market
Back in 2009, Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisors (“DB”) published a study tracking 270 major climate policies in 109 countries. The study concluded that successful programs were those that offere…..

How the U.S. Geothermal Market Is and Is Not Growing
Apparently little happened in the way of new, operational geothermal plants in 2011, if you look at the Geothermal Energy Association’s 2012 annual Power Production and Development report. Although t…..

Radioactive kelp, issues at San Onofre add to questions on nuclear renewals
Anyone looking for the most under-reported story of the spring in California need look no further than the tall stalks of kelp swaying back and forth just beneath the ocean surface along much of the C…..

New way for Nine Mile to store nuclear waste
For decades, nuclear waste, the highly radio-active by-product of nuclear power, has been stored in 40 foot deep pools at nuclear plants. …..

Haunting shots of Chernobyl nuclear disaster that revealed true scale …
The black and white shots, taken in the weeks following the 1986 Ukraine tragedy, revealed the truth behind the tragedy Soviet authorities were trying to hush up. …..

Green Blog: A Higher Price Tag for a Nuclear Project
The flagship project of a hoped-for but not-yet-realized “nuclear renaissance,” the Vogtle 3 and 4 reactors under construction near Augusta, Ga., may cost about $900 million more than had been estimat…..

Global Nuclear Retreat? Armenia, Others Aim to Keep Plants Alive
Armenia is vowing to keep its one nuclear reactor running, despite international pressure to close the 32-year-old Soviet-designed plant, which sits in a broad seismic zone that stretches from Turkey …..

Thousands march as Japan shuts off nuclear power
Participants raise banners with a slogan, “Good bye, nuclear power station”, at a rally protesting against the usage of nuclear energy in Tokyo Saturday, May 5, 2012. …..

Energy Northwest to buy $711M of nuclear fuel
Energy Northwest officials say preliminary estimates indicate it will need to spend between $30 million and $50 million at the Columbia Generating Station near Richland to meet post-Fukushima nuclear …..

Nuclear safety complaint being investigated after letter from Arlington employees
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is reviewing allegations of retaliation against agency staffers who raised safety concerns about a Nebraska power plant, which prompted a U.S. lawmaker to demand an i…..

RPT-CORRECTED-Poland to pick adviser for nuclear project in 2012
Poland, one of only a handful of European nations still pursuing plans to build nuclear power plants, will select the technical adviser for its first facility this year and hopes it will start operati…..

Last shield door delivered to Hanford Waste Treatment Plant
In this April 3, 2008 file photo, a sign warns of radiation on the Hanford nuclear reservation near Richland, Wash. …..

PSEG Nuclear’s Hope Creek reactor returns to service after refueling outage
The Hope Creek nuclear reactor in Lower Alloways Creek Township has returned to service after a scheduled refueling outage. …..

French connection tipped as a frontrunner for CEZ nuclear partner
Czech electricity giant A EZ says it will sound out major power companies, including what it regards as its main power production rivals, with regard to the search for a strategic partner to share the…..

Lithuania nuclear power plant to cost up to 7 bln euros
Lithuania’s government gave its final approval to several plans aimed at reducing its dependency on Russian energy sources on Wednesday, including a new nuclear power plant which it said could cost up…..

DOE invests in future nuclear energy leaders
RICHLAND, Wash. — Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced, The Department of Energy will be giving more than $47 million in scholarships, fellowships, research grants and university research reactor…..

San Onofre Restart Date Still in Limbo
Southern California Edison is aiming for a June restart of its idled San Onofre nuclear reactors, but officials from the company and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission stressed the date is not firm bec…..