News

This past December, governments of the world met in Paris to negotiate aglobal climate agreement. It’s considered a breakthrough. Here’s why. Until now, climate agreements were “top-down,” giving countries targets and timetables for reducing climate-warming carbon emissions. The Paris agreement, by contrast, allows governments to come up with their own emissions reduction plans. Every five years, [...]

Markets around the world are making amazing progress, but not quickly enough. by John Timmer - Mar 13, 2016 The story of the US' energy economy has become simple: natural gas has gotten incredibly cheap, wind is catching up, and solar will be competitive before the decade is out. All of this is driving a [...]

In his annual investor letter, Buffett addresses the new set of risks faced by electric utilities. by Stephen Lacey February 28, 2016 Billionaire investor Warren Buffett says that renewable energy and efficiency are pushing utilities beyond a "sloppy" operational model and into a more competitive environment. In his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, Buffett [...]

By Jeff Byron and Ann Hancock | Special to the Mercury News | February 26, 2016  Big and positive changes are underway in Silicon Valley for renewable energy. Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties and their cities are voting to establish Community Choice Energy programs, laying the foundation for the 21st Century energy system. In place of [...]

The Gang looks at the post-bubble state of cleantech in the world of venture capital. by Stephen Lacey February 18, 2016 In 2012, Wired magazine ran a prominent feature on why "the cleantech boom went bust." A couple years later, after a slew of venture investment failures in the industry,60 Minutes ran a major story [...]

February 2, 2016 By Junko Movellan, Correspondent Solar is not just for homeowners. The advent ofcommunity solar is now enabling those who don’t own a home to go solar and enjoy all of its benefits. But regardless of whether someone decides to own or rent, solar still seems to be for those who have a [...]

ROBERT DIGITALE THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | December 15, 2015 Sonoma Clean Power customers can expect an increase in their monthly bills next year, prompted by state rules devised to protect utility users who keep buying their electricity from PG&E. Critics have voiced concern that the PG&E-computed increase will make it more difficult for clean power [...]