Washington Post: Obama Administration Rolls Out New Community Solar Program
The White House Tuesday announced an array of new measures to extend access to the most rapidly growing source of U.S. energy -- solar -- to a much broader group of Americans, including low-income communities and individuals who rent, rather than owning their own homes.
That includes a new initiative to ramp up so-called “community solar” projects across the country -- programs in which one solar installation supplies energy to multiple different homes or individuals -- with a focus on serving low- and middle- income Americans.
Green Car Reports: Uber Wants Half a Million Autonomous Electric Cars From Tesla by 2020
Tesla Motors is one of several automakers planning to put a self-driving car on sale sometime in the next few years, and it already seems to have at least one big fan.
This person isn't a celebrity owner or safety advocate, but rather the CEO of preeminent ride-sharing company Uber.
If Tesla can build a fully autonomous car by 2020, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick says his company would buy it. In fact, he'd buy every one Tesla builds.
U.S. Army: Breakthrough in Solar Cell Research Results in Patent
U.S. Army researchers have developed a tiny photovoltaic solar cell for the conversion of light energy into electrical energy that it resulted in a patent.
The patent reveals a new kind of photovoltaic solar cell with significantly reduced size and cost compared with current solar cells.
Dr. Michael Scalora, a research physicist at the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, described the invention as a "breakthrough," which he hopes will be the basis for further technological progress.
Bloomberg: BMW Pushes Fuel-Cell Car Development With First Street Tests
BMW AG will test a vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel cells for the first time on public roads this month as the German automaker looks to expand clean-car offerings after rolling out the battery-powered i3 in 2013.
The company plans “a technically mature, customer-ready vehicle some time after 2020,” Matthias Klietz, head of powertrain research, told journalists at BMW’s test track in Miramas, France. “By around 2025 to 2030, we expect fuel-cell cars to have an established presence, but there are challenges that remain, like building the refueling infrastructure.”
Patch: Solar Power Grows More Than 300% in New York 2011-2014
The growth of solar in New York state has increased more than 300 percent from 2011 to 2014, which is twice the rate of U.S. solar growth overall, according to state labor department officials.
“The Empire State is rapidly becoming a leader in clean energy technology, and that means greener and more sustainable communities for all New Yorkers,” said Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a prepared statement. “Through the $1 billion NY-Sun Initiative, we’re making solar a reality in virtually every corner of the state and building a brighter future today. I am proud to see New York pulling well ahead of the national average for the growing solar industry, and look forward to seeing that momentum continue in the years to come.”