September 8, 2010

Carmen, Okla. is using Recovery Act funds to cut costs through wind energy... [More]

September 7, 2010

Solar energy system expected to save company $5 million... [More]

September 2, 2010

Houston is purchasing 24 solar generators to be used during power outages... [More]

September 2, 2010

Shoppers at City Market are picking up more than groceries these days... [More]

September 1, 2010

Genoa Township, Mich., has installed five solar and wind hybrid systems... [More]

September 1, 2010

Watch how a 90-panel solar energy system is installed on a municipal building in Allen, Texas.... [More]

August 26, 2010

Like a lot of community colleges in California, Butte College is... [More]

August 25, 2010

After Eco Technologies received a contract to install solar panels… [More]

August 24, 2010

Like many Pennsylvania towns, Fairless Hills has a long history... [More]

August 24, 2010

The Recovery Act is working, and Vice President Joe Biden had some metrics Tuesday to back up that claim.

With the help of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investments, the United States is on track to double its renewable energy generation capacity by 2012 and significantly drive down the cost of electric batteries and solar technology over the next five years, Biden said to an audience of Recovery Act recipients at the White House.

Joined by Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Biden made the remarks during a speech to unveil a report, titled “The Recovery Act: Transforming the American Economy through Innovation,” that analyzed the impacts of Recovery Act investments in science and technology projects, many in the clean energy sector. [More]

August 19, 2010

In Hailey, Idaho, one 330,000 square foot building - the Blaine County Public Safety Facility - accounts for county's highest operational costs of all county government buildings. At any given time, it houses between 60 and 80 prisoners and nearly 30 full-time staff members, including from the sheriff's office.

"Any cut we can make in these costs is significant," says Lawrence Schoen, Blaine County commissioner. "This grant was a way to offset some of the higher costs associated with the jail." [More]

August 16, 2010

Hot water demand soars at the six-building Knox County Detention Facility in Tennessee... [More]

August 13, 2010

When the school buses pull up to Norton Middle School this year, students will see more than just their friends and teachers, they'll get a view of new - 126 solar panels on the school's roof.

"Middle schools have their own type of energy. When students get excited about something, they spread the word. They're the best sales people we have," says Dr. Patricia Ansay, superintendent of Norton Public Schools. [More]

August 13, 2010

"This year, it's the greenest back-to-school ever," says Stacy Gabrielle of Crayola.

The 107 year-old company is tapping into the sun's energy to make 1 billion crayons using power from the 1.9 MW solar farm behind its Easton, Pa., plant.

About 26,000 "thin-film" solar panels — manufactured by First Solar in Perrysburg, Ohio — are providing enough power to make a third of the 3 billion crayons the plant pumps out per year, representing 10 percent of the facility's total energy consumption. [More]

August 12, 2010

Electricians in Indiana believe solar power is the future, and they are preparing for it.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 725 (IBEW 725) in Terre Haute, Ind., purchased 60 solar panels and plans to train its members in solar installation.

Todd Thacker, business manager for IBEW 725, says some Indiana utility companies estimate they will generate 20 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources in the near future. Thacker wants IBEW 725 electricians to be ready. [More]

August 10, 2010

Helios USA, a startup solar energy company based in Wisconsin, will begin manufacturing photovoltaic modules in Milwaukee this fall. The firm is the first in the state to do so. Helios, founded in February 2009, received a $1 million loan from the state in May 2010, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to assist with capital toward its 40,000-square-foot factory.

The company selected Milwaukee because of its location and well-prepared workforce. [More]

July 23, 2010

Replacing a roof can often lead to a big budget hole without significant financial return. And that was no exception for the METRO Regional Transit Authority of Akron, Ohio when it was looking at replacing the roof of its central bus barn as part of a system-wide replacement effort on old, leaky roofs. The central bus barn houses 70 buses.

That changed with an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant. [More]

July 22, 2010

Byron Washom is helping to define and create solar energy’s future. In 1984, Washom’s company built a concentrated solar energy generator using a parabolic dish to concentrate solar power onto a Stirling engine.

That project set a world record for efficiency in solar power, which stood until 2008. [More]

July 21, 2010

School-based solar isn't just for math and science students.

At two Houston-area high schools students in core courses – ranging from English to history to fine arts – will take part in a solar energy curriculum that has a real-world component. [More]

July 19, 2010

The city of Colton, S.D. is a small, agriculturally-based community. So small that Mayor Erik Miller says if his two Labrador retrievers ever got lost, local residents would have no trouble finding them.

"Colton is like taking a trip to the past," says Miller. [More]