Solar Energy

By Will de Freitas |- You may have seen a variant of this meme before. A map of North Africa is shown, with a surprisingly small box somewhere in Libya or Algeria shaded in. An area of the Sahara this size, the caption will say, could power the entire world through solar energy: Over the […]

Featured

US hits milestone of 2 Million Home Solar Installations, to double by 2023

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) just released a report showing that there are 2 million solar home installations in the United States. That is enough to power 12 million homes. (There are 127 million households in the US, and about 64% of Americans […]

Democratic Socialism

The World’s Happiest People Already have a Green New Deal, and they Love It

George Lakey

(Waging Nonviolence ) – Green New Deal advocates in the United States should look to the Nordic countries for inspiration on how to overcome the 1 percent and address climate change. According to the latest report from the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the Nordics are once again in the top tier of the […]

Featured

Florida PL’s Huge Solar Battery will make as much Electricity as half a Nuclear Plant

Juan Cole

Solar and wind power are already here. By next year, Iowa is expected to get 40 percent of its electricity from wind. Nearly 20 percent of California’s electricity is generated by solar panels. The missing ingredient is energy storage, that is, batteries. Solar panels make electricity from photons, which the sun sends down on us […]

Costa Rica

Is Costa Rica’s ambitious Decarbonization Program a Model for the US Green New Deal?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Last week, Costa Rica’s president, Carlos Alvarado, announced one of the more ambitious plans for a transition of a country to Net Carbon Zero proposed anywhere in the world. While many countries have made strides toward reducing their carbon dioxide production from electricity generation, Costa Rica is now addressing transportation, […]

Solar Energy

Energy Revolution: Off-Grid Solar across Africa Benefits 165 mn. People (Video)

World Bank

World Bank | (Video Report) – “Countries are pushing forward in the global effort to fight climate change, and are using more clean energy than ever before. The World Bank and ESMAP are at the forefront of this exciting change.” World Bank: “An Energy Revolution is Happening”

Solar Energy

What can I do about Global Heating?

Daniel E. Moerman

Generally, it seems, we are not supposed to do anything about the climate emergency producing global heating. It’s a Chinese plot. It doesn’t exist. It’s “libtard nonsense.” Well, I don’t agree. I think it’s really serious. So, what can I DO about it? Well, there is one thing, for homeowners and building owners: This is […]

Featured

California shows the Way with Solar Home Mandate, as Gov’ts at Climate Summit Falter

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – As the Climate Summit in Poland comes to a desultory end, there is nevertheless good news on the front of fighting the climate emergency and global heating. California has has mandated that starting a little over one year from now, in 2020, all newly built homes must have solar panels. […]

Featured

Will its Renewables Revolution Give China an Edge over the US?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Financial Times buries its lead, focusing on an expected rise of offshore wind in the Asia-Pacific, but noting at the end of the article that the Asia-Pacific is expected to add 355 gigawatts (GW) of new solar capacity over the next five years. Edward White in Taipai slights this […]