The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released their third annual state energy efficiency scorecard yesterday and the most energy efficient state was, no surprise, California, while Wyoming was ranked dead last. The organization judged all 50 states plus D.C. on six criteria:  utility-sector and public benefit programs and policies; transportation policies; building energy codes; combined heat and power; state government initiatives; and appliance efficiency standards. 

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GREEN HORIZONS An increasing amount of electricity is being generated by solar panels in California and wind turbines in Texas. By KATE GALBRAITH Texas cares little for environmental niceties. Its governor, Rick Perry , bashes the Environmental Protection Agency at every opportunity, and recently branded the climate bill that passed the House of Representatives a “legislative monstrosity.” Yet the oil-and-gas state has nonetheless emerged as the nation’s top producer of a commodity

Suntech just announced that they will start shipping a larger solar power system suitable for utility-sized projects later on in the year. The system, called Reliathon, will be available starting next year, and can be used for projects greater than 10 MW in scope. By reducing the number of bolts and the amount of wiring required for the Reliathon system, Suntech has managed to reduce its installation costs by 10%. Two years from now, the company expects 50% of its installation costs to come f

From the High Country News: “Donna Charpied remembers a day last February, when she and her husband, Larry, visited entrepreneur Arthur Lowe in his Palm Desert, Calif., office to talk about renewable energy projects proposed for the Mojave Desert. The Charpieds farm jojoba near the town of Desert Center, southeast of Joshua Tree National Park, and

Solar wind describes the torrent of ionized particles continually being released by the sun from its interplanetary magnetic field. Taking a few days to reach the earth, these charged particles form an incredibly strong magnetic field which represents what is known as the earth’s magnetosphere. Charged particles in a great multitude such as found in

With eco-friendly legislation looming on the horizon in the U.S. , states are racing to roll out their green economic development plans. With the crown champ California, solar-happy Arizona and the efficiency-conscious Northeast coming down the home stretch, few would have predicted Iowa to break into their ranks. But it has — becoming the No. 2 wind power producer in the country behind Texas (an unbeatable foe, generating as much as its three top rivals combined). You can credit Iowa’s quick

Photo via NY Times Two states have emerged as leaders in renewable energy, a recent piece in the New York Times notes–California and Texas. Historically, they’re politically as different as night and day; one is dark blue, the other deeply red. But while California’s liberal voter base has allowed it to pass aggressive energy efficiency laws and renewable energy standards, Texas is poised to leave Read the full story on TreeHugger

It seems solar company Daystar (DSTI) can’t do anything right these days and the company remains in disarray.  A couple weeks ago, the stock got a pop to around the buck level on news it would merge operations with EPOD solar .  It appeared for a bit that the stock would get out of the cellar, but the rally stalled out and this morning any optimism was squashed with the announcement of the EPOD agreement being terminated and the new CEO (head of EPOD) resigning.  DayStar’s board thought that te

Both of these sentences appeared in major US newspapers, one during the Reagan administration and one just last year: “ Now, consider solar. Photovoltaic systems get the most attention. But for now, at least, they are very expensive, costing an estimated 39 cents a kilowatt-hour .” “ Costs for photovoltaic power currently range from $6 to $9 a watt, which translates to 15 to 20 cents per kilowatt hour .” It’s reassuring, right? Solar power is still kind of expensive, but at least we can l