Tag: Solar panels

Denver Will Soon Require New Buildings to Have “Green” Roofs

Along with New York City, London, Paris and San Francisco, Denver is the latest city to require contractors to install “green” roofs on new buildings. Green roofs usually feature either solar panels or rooftop gardens, and these cities have made it mandatory for companies constructing large new buildings to find a green solution for their… Read more »

Five Things to Know About Solar Ready Requirements

Solar is becoming an increasingly common and affordable alternative for generating electricity. Estimates are that more 1 million homes in the U.S. now have solar panels installed. California is a leading proponent of home solar panels, and has implemented solar ready requirements for new homes. Here are five things the California Energy Commission’s Efficiency Division… Read more »

Using Renewables to Boost Water Supplies?

California is now amid its fifth year of serious drought, and state and private agencies alike have been trying everything from water usage restrictions to exploring alternative sources of water as part of efforts to balance demand with availability. The problem with converting alternative water sources like recycled wastewater, brackish groundwater and seawater into potable… Read more »

Sun Beats Wind: Solar Now the Top Green Energy Supply in CA

Big news in the energy field here in California: Solar became the No. 1 source of renewable energy in the state in 2015. That’s according to data compiled by the California Independent System Operator, the primary grid manager in the state. Their numbers show that last year, utility-scale solar power plants produced 15,591,964 megawatt-hours of… Read more »

Solar Impulse 2 Resumes Its All Solar Flight

Last week, a solar-powered plane that is flying around the world without any fuel left Hawaii after being stranded there for nearly 10 months due to some technical difficulties. The plane – Solar Impulse 2 – is co-piloted by Bertrand Piccard, a Swiss explorer and psychiatrist, and Andre Borschberg, a Swiss engineer. The pair takes… Read more »

Solar is Coming: San Fran to Require Panels

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently passed a new law that will require all new buildings that are 10 stories in height or smaller to add solar panels. The new rule goes into effect January 2017, building on an existing California law that requires all new small- and mid-sized buildings to make a portion… Read more »