Wind energy

Pay attention to the wagging finger. And for goodness sake, use the clothesline. The sun is your friend. And another thing....

5 | May 25, 2012 3:49am | By Mark Halper

Ratepayers would spend more at first, but energy costs would decline in long term, Energy Secretary says. Would this be enough to draw investors to build new plants? Maybe not.

2 | May 22, 2012 2:37am | By Mark Halper

The tools and knowledge that startups need to begin small-scale manufacturing -- on a shoestring budget -- are proliferating. So, now what?

May 20, 2012 3:00pm | By Mary Catherine O'Connor

British government mulls the nuclear alternative to hazardous uranium. Mark Halper's latest report along the thorium trail comes from his day in Parliament.

12 | May 18, 2012 3:08am | By Mark Halper

Participation in net metering, which gives consumers financial credit for the renewable energy they generate, is on the rise. In California, solar and utilities are clashing over the program.

14 | May 16, 2012 10:15am | By Kirsten Korosec

Keep an eye on this financially winding project. It might not be ready for the Olympics, unless taxpayers rescue it.

1 | May 16, 2012 5:17am | By Mark Halper

Energy columnist Chris Nelder reviews public opinion polls and finds that money is no longer able to stop the energy transition juggernaut.

54 | May 16, 2012 2:37am | By Chris Nelder

Saudi Arabia's renewable energy organization has announced an ambitious $109 billion plan to add enough solar capacity by 2032 to meet 20 percent of the country's power needs.

2 | May 15, 2012 4:00am | By Kirsten Korosec

A market research firm is tracking a major increase in the number of autonomous "microgrids" in the United States, which function even when the overall power grid goes down.

3 | May 10, 2012 6:09pm | By David Worthington

SmartPlanet's Mark Halper sets off on the thorium trail this month. Today he hits the beach sands of Kerala in his first of several reports on the element that could cause the sun to set on uranium.

19 | May 8, 2012 4:10am | By Mark Halper

"The Morning Briefing" is SmartPlanet's daily roundup of must-reads from the web. This morning we're reading about biofuel production.

2 | May 8, 2012 1:35am | By Charlie Osborne

Combined data from the EPA and DOE help communities and land owners assess whether contaminated land might offer potential for renewable energy development.

5 | May 7, 2012 3:33am | By Heather Clancy

SmartPlanet speaks with award-winning author Chris Turner about his observations of European environmental innovation and why the U.S. ought to catch up.

9 | April 30, 2012 5:33pm | By Christie Nicholson

New research shows wind farms have a warming effect on the local climate, which might throw a wrench in the expansion of this new form of energy.

41 | April 29, 2012 9:10pm | By Amy Kraft

After canceling projects for the controversial technology at home, the UK's energy department announces funding for carbon capture and storage in emerging countries.

April 27, 2012 6:02am | By Mark Halper

In a new SmartPlanet column, analyst Vinnie Mirchandani outlines four key attributes companies need to compete when technology touches all industries.

April 27, 2012 3:00am | By Vinnie Mirchandani

After the next natural disaster (or zombie apocalypse) strikes, solar powered support modules could save lives with communications, electricity, and water.

5 | April 26, 2012 9:05pm | By David Worthington

A recent survey found the majority of Americans would go solar -- that is, if cost weren't a factor. Turns out, their perception of upfront costs might not align with reality.

48 | April 26, 2012 9:18am | By Kirsten Korosec

The world continues to increase its use of fossil fuels, and global warming is still way above safe levels, head of International Energy Agency warns US Energy Secretary Chu and others.

26 | April 26, 2012 5:42am | By Mark Halper

Many of the futuristic technologies found inside this concept vehicle may someday become a reality.

3 | April 26, 2012 5:00am | By Tuan C. Nguyen