Originally published on the Rocky Mountain Institute website By Dan Seif and Jesse Morris Why does Germany, a country with the same amount of sun on a yearly basis as Alaska, have residential solar costs half that of the U.S.? Why have solar panel prices dropped significantly while whole-system cost … [continued]
By James Newcomb and Owen Smith, Rocky Mountain Institute The time is now to make our electricity system cleaner, more efficient, more reliable, and cheaper. Distributed resources are a critical piece of that electricity future, but existing market structures, business models, and regulations do not yet ensure a consistently level … [continued]
Originally published on RMI Outlet, the Rocky Mountain Institute blog. By Cara Carmichael Of the various funding mechanisms for implementing energy efficiency retrofits in buildings, energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs) may be the most powerful, especially for federal buildings, where capital for upgrades is about as common as ocean-front property … [continued]
Originally published on RMI Outlet. by Greg Rucks Fuel economy is greatly affected by an automobile’s weight. Nevertheless, for years our automobiles got heavier. In the U.S. the average curb weight of a passenger vehicle climbed 26 percent from 1980 to 2006. Advances in powertrain technology have not lead to drastically higher … [continued]
Originally published on RMI Outlet. by Devi Glick The fight for the title “Solar Capital of the U.S.” is on, and for two towns in California, things are heating up faster than a solar panel during summer peak! Earlier this year Lancaster, on the edge of the Mojave Desert north … [continued]
