Columbus, Ohio, hit the “smart city” jackpot recently by beating out 7 other US cities (finalists) to win the Smart City Challenge. The US Midwestern city actually beat out 78 other cities (including the 7 finalists) to win the US Department of Transportation’s exciting new contest.
Traveling in the Nissan LEAF bubble has lifted me out of the worse situations of smelling gas — as I do not have to refuel at gas stations. I do think that I have fewer headaches due to less exposure to the toxic fumes / air pollution. (Headaches can be a … [continued]
Originally published on RMI Outlet. By Kaitlyn Bunker, Ph.D. and Laurie Guevara-Stone With a population of 1.8 million and counting, Austin, Texas, is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. That rapid growth brings with it transportation challenges. In fact, last year Austin was rated the nation’s 13th … [continued]
A recent Bloomberg article broke news that Google parent company Alphabet is planning to make the innovator’s self-driving car unit a stand-alone business under the new parent company. This news comes from a person “briefed on the company’s strategy,” and as such, must be taken for a grain of salt, but … [continued]
Originally published on Solar Love. In what’s being referred to as the first “community-wide, ground-up residential solar program in Texas,” Lennar is collaborating with SunStreet Energy Group on a community in Austin, Texas, which includes rooftop solar as a standard feature. The Colorado Crossing development, located in southeast Austin, will … [continued]
Update: I added the Lazard chart on levelized cost of electricity and the update below it in order to provide some context for those who don’t realize that 4¢/kWh (or even 5.71¢/kWh) is lower than the lowest LCOE for all other sources of electricity other than wind power. Texans likes to be #1. … [continued]
The US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015 team Texas/Germany — the University of Texas at Austin and Technische Universitaet Muenchen in Germany — has designed an affordable, net-zero energy, water self-sufficient home — NexusHaus — that has two 420-ft2 modules. One unit houses living, dining, and kitchen areas, and the other houses two … [continued]
Bosch and the real estate development company Taurus Investment Holdings are partnering together to outfit a new 7,500 home “master-planned” community outside of Austin, Texas, with geothermal heat pumps, solar energy systems, and energy-efficient appliances, according to a recent press release. The community — dubbed Whisper Valley — will feature 7,500 … [continued]
Originally published on Solar Love. Recently, the city of Austin raised its solar power goal from 200 MW by 2020 to 950 MW by 2025. 200 MW of this solar power will be operating within Austin’s city limits and 750 MW will be utility-scale solar. Actually, the goal for Austin … [continued]
Rocky Mountain Institute. Renewables scored a major victory recently in the natural gas heartland that is Texas. In a resolution adopted by the Austin City Council on August 28, the city declared solar energy its default generation resource, in part noting “that solar energy represents a cost-competitive means of securing … [continued]
