Green Economy

Solar, Renewable Grid Parity, or Better, in California’s Latest Renewable Power Auction

Yes, that’s right: grid parity is here, well in California at least…and a lot faster than most ever thought possible. The weighted average highest cost of solar and other renewable power contracts accepted by California utilities in the state’s Renewable Auction Market (RAM) auction amounted to 8.9 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for 20-year power purchase contracts, the Vote Solar Initiative reported March 30. Though this doesn’t include transmission costs, $0.089/kWh is well below the average residential electricity cost of 15 cents per kWh in California in 2011, and that’s the weighted average highest cost of the accepted offers to the state’s electricity distributors.

US Solar Markets Map

  Apparently, I saved this 1BOG solar markets map awhile back to share it with you all and I never got to it. I was almost inclined not to even take a screenshot of it, since it’s an interactive map with all the value coming from your interaction with it. … [continued]

Chinese Coal City Switching to Solar

  The Chinese city Datong, despite being known for its coal resources, is transforming into a solar power center. “During the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) period, we have 432 projects with a total investment of 536.4 billion yuan ($84.8 billion) to help the city’s transformation from a high-carbon city into a … [continued]

UK Company Likes Its Energy Naked

  A cleantech start-up out of the UK, Naked Energy, has created a technology that’s a little over my head, but that looks quite cool. Basically, one of the key challenges of solar photovoltaics (PV) is that their efficiency drops if they get too hot. Naked Energy, in response, has … [continued]