Despite a recent downturn, the Chinese government is moving full-speed ahead to invest heavily in renewable energy. The country's national regulators have already promoted renewable energy as a possible cure for the country's notoriously-bad air pollution. China energy policy renewable energy Investment Donald TrumpBut China has placed more emphasis on renewable power in its latest five-year economic plan. MORE

California electric utilities renewable energy solar energyElectric-car owners can cut their ownership costs significantly by avoiding the gas pump and charging up at home. But they can also save money by making the homes where they park their cars at the end of the day more efficient. Continuing decreases in the price of solar cells and related technologies mean it's getting easier and easier for modern. MORE

A 2015 study on the potential for renewable energy use in the U.S. electric utilities renewable energy solar wind energy grid storageScientists generally debate their studies and projections in relatively civil language, but perhaps the currently adversarial tenor of U.S. politics has spilled over into science. has now produced not only a stringent attack, but a harsh rebuttal to that attack in language rarely. MORE

That includes reaching beyond the automotive sector with its recently-announced plans to sell standalone battery packs for home and commercial energy storage. Batteries Mercedes-Benz Tesla Motors plug-in cars energyAs the newest carmaker on the block, it's perhaps not surprising that Tesla Motors likes to do things differently. MORE

The idea of an electricity grid powered entirely by renewable energy may seem like a utopian dream, but one country has recently achieved it, albeit briefly. That would be little Costa Rica, which claims to have powered itself using only renewable energy for 75 days. CHECK OUT: World''s First Entirely Renewable-Energy Place: Wind-Swept Scottish. Green Costa Rica clean energy energy infrastructure energy policy renewable energy MORE

HyperSolar claims to have reached a major milestone in its quest to produce hydrogen using solar energy. hydrogen hydrogen fuel cell renewable energy solarThe startup hopes to produce hydrogen gas from water using artificial photosynthesis, on a commercial scale. To do that, it has worked to achieve the 1.5 volts it views as the practical voltage needed for commercial hydrogen production. DON'T. MORE

renewable-energy generating capacity is not only growing, but it is beginning to erode coal's share of the electricity-generating mix, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The agency predicts renewable energy—particularly solar power—to continue growing. emissions renewable energy solar clean energy wind energy MORE

And the latest statistics from the International Energy Agency (IEA) will be good news indeed for electric-car drivers. Last year saw record growth in renewable energy, according to the IEA, which surpassed coal to become the. China energy policy plug-in cars renewable energy solar wind energyThe overall carbon emissions associated with electric cars decrease as the electricity used to recharge them gets cleaner. MORE

The price of energy generated by offshore wind farms has been falling steadily, and ahead of schedule too. Europe UK renewable energy wind energyThe winds of change are blowing harder in the U.K. Costs have fallen 32 percent since 2012, bringing them below a target of £100 per megawatt-hour previously set by the U.K. government and utilities. DON'T MISS: When lauding renewables. MORE

Renewable-energy growth has accelerated in 2016, but this may go down as a milestone year for one renewable-energy source in particular. Together, all renewable-energy sources are expected to account for 8 percent of U.S. electricity-generation capacity in 2017, according to the Department of Energy, and solar energy is responsible for most of. emissions natural gas renewable energy solar clean energy wind energy MORE

Tesla Motors was the first carmaker to branch out from selling electric cars to offering standalone battery packs for energy storage, but others have followed the company's lead. Mercedes-Benz and Nissan have stated their intentions to enter the energy-storage market, and now BMW is jumping on the bandwagon as well. Batteries plug-in cars renewable energy energy storage BMW i MORE

The cleaner an energy source, the cleaner the vehicles it powers. Europe The Netherlands renewable energy Public transport Trains wind energyWhile modern electric cars have only been available in large numbers for a few years, electric trains have been commonplace for some time. As with electric cars, the source of the electricity used to power these trains impacts their overall carbon footprint. DON'T MISS: Alstom. MORE

As Tesla regularly points out, the lithium-ion battery cells used in electric cars can also serve in home energy-storage units. Mercedes-Benz Energy announced yesterday that it is working with Vivint Solar to develop home. Batteries Daimler solar roof plug-in cars solar energy storageNow, a Daimler company will go up against Tesla in that field under the branding of its most famous luxury-car make. MORE

if not in much of the rest of the developed world--that doesn''t have to hold up the growth of renewable-energy infrastructure. energy policy climate change Texas renewable energy solar state laws charging infrastructure wind energy While the politics of climate change remain contentious in the U.S.--if Because if there''s one thing everyone can agree on, it''s that saving money is great. And that''s why one city in the often conservative oil state of Texas. MORE

The Japanese carmaker will offer standalone battery packs for home energy storage. Batteries plug-in cars energy storageThe Nissan Leaf electric car doesn't compete directly with any of the luxury models from Tesla Motors, but Nissan is now targeting Tesla in a different arena. Available for pre-order in September, the xStorage line of battery packs was developed in concert with. MORE

The White House declared this past week "Energy Week" and offered up a few key points on which the Trump administration plans to focus to unleash what it calls a new American dominance in energy. However, neither the initiatives nor the proposed policy changes hone in on where the world is heading: renewable energy, free of fossil fuels. Politics energy policy clean energy Donald Trump MORE

oil energy policy plug-in cars energyIt's not uncommon for media commenters to look at electric-car sales numbers, only to conclude that the segment is teetering on the brink of death. Electric cars will never become mainstream, they argue, because of fickle consumers who base their-car purchases on what the price of gas happens to be the moment they walk into a dealership. Yet while. MORE

Politics global warming Efficiency climate change carbon dioxide renewable energy fossil fuels Donald TrumpWhile the news headlines on President Donald Trump mostly address potential scandals, his administration has also lagged significantly in appointing top-level officials to run government agencies. Those that have been appointed often have an adversarial relationship to the missions of the agencies they run. Scott Pruitt, for example, is now. MORE

hydrogen energy infrastructure hydrogen fuel cell renewable energyHydrogen fuel-cell cars face an uphill battle toward mass adoption. Both cars and fueling infrastructure need to be made widely available before large numbers of consumers can seriously consider switching from gasoline to hydrogen. But under certain circumstances, hydrogen could prove very attractive to consumers for one simple reason. DON'T MISS. MORE

Like almost everything else related to the company, its venture into energy storage is generating plenty of publicity for electric-car maker Tesla Motors. Batteries Tesla Motors plug-in cars renewable energy Tesla PowerwallThe new product line includes Powerwall home battery packs for the home, as well as a separate line of battery packs designed for businesses and utilities. But it's worth noting that Tesla. MORE

emissions renewable energy solar clean energy energy storage Solar CityThe combination of Tesla and SolarCity is already promoting its potential synergies, albeit in a location far away from the mainland United States. MORE

President-elect Donald Trump's choice of Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicates that his administration will pursue radically different energy policies from its predecessor's. emissions EPA energy policy renewable energy fossil fuels Donald Trump MORE

jobs climate change solar clean energy energy Sierra Club wind energy fossil fuels Donald TrumpYesterday, U.S. president Donald J. Trump signed an executive order to begin the process of rolling back pretty much every vestige of U.S. efforts to address climate change. In both his campaigning and since his inauguration, Trump has claimed that his government and its actions focus on creating or bringing back jobs for working-class Americans. MORE

When it comes to sites where renewable energy can have the biggest impact, it's best to look offshore. Islands are often cut off from mainland grid infrastructure, which drives up energy costs for the people who live there. energy infrastructure renewable energy energy wind energy Rhode IslandThat creates a powerful incentive for switching to renewable sources, and often means there's little if any local competition. MORE

While its electric-car manufacturing continues to get the most attention, Tesla quietly continues to build up its energy-storage business as well. Today, the still-incomplete "gigafactory" in Nevada is assembling standalone battery packs for the company's Tesla Energy stationary energy-storage division. Batteries energy infrastructure plug-in cars Hawaii solar energy storage Solar City MORE

Batteries research plug-in cars energy storage capacitor The need to increase electric-car ranges and decrease charging times has led to huge amounts of research into improved battery chemistries. But why stop at the stuff that goes into the battery? Why not change the battery itself? MORE

Among the drawbacks of cars that run on battery power is the energy required to heat their cabins. Green Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) Climate Control Fuel Winter Weather energy plug-in cars MORE

It's always good to understand how the huge global energy industry views the worlds of today and tomorrow. At last month's Shell Eco-Marathon fuel-efficiency competition, sponsor Shell Oil provided seminars for attending journalists to explain how the company views the energy landscape from now through 2050. Green CNG Fuel LNG LPG Shell energy energy infrastructure hydrogen natural gas plug-in cars MORE

renewable-energy capacity will undoubtedly have a positive environmental impact. But the reduction in carbon emissions renewable-energy advocates aim to achieve does not exclude potential benefits to consumers. Because as renewable-energy generating capacity has expanded significantly over the last decade, household. emissions energy infrastructure renewable energy energy fossil fuelsSubstantial growth in U.S. MORE

Mass adoption of electric cars and renewable energy could significantly decrease global consumption of fossil fuels. But does the established energy industry view these new developments as a threat? oil plug-in cars renewable energy energy fossil fuelsIn a recent report, ExxonMobil said coal could continue to provide the majority of the world's electricity-generation capacity in 2040, and that. MORE

emissions energy policy climate change plug-in cars Bill Gates clean energyThis week, representatives from world governments are meeting in Paris for the much-anticipated United Nations summit on climate change. Ahead of those talks--which are intended to create a global strategy for radically reducing carbon emissions--some of the world's richest people announced their own plan to slow climate change. More than 20. MORE

Japan hydrogen hydrogen fuel cell renewable energy wind energyOne of the big questions surrounding hydrogen fuel-cell cars is how to produce the hydrogen used to power them. Mass adoption of fuel-cell vehicles would not only require much more hydrogen than is currently available, but hydrogen that is generated with minimal carbon emissions. Today's hydrogen production methods increase a fuel-cell vehicle's. MORE

Department of Energy (DOE) loan program that became a lightning rod during the 2012 presidential election is now turning a profit. energy policy Department of Energy DOE renewable energy energyThe U.S. The program became infamous for backing solar company Solyndra, which later went bankrupt. Three years after Soyndra's failure, though, the program is now in the black. DON'T MISS: Carbon emissions from U.S. MORE

Batteries research plug-in cars charging energy storage capacitor ultracapacitorsEngineers are nothing if not creative. Significant research is going into improved ways of storing electricity, including alternatives to the currently dominant lithium-ion battery-cell chemistry in electric cars. That includes using supercapacitors to substitute for storage batteries in some circumstances. DON'T MISS: Batteries from junkyard. MORE

While renewable-energy use has grown substantially over the last few years, the regulatory environment remains volatile. Some states have worked hard to stimulate renewable energy, supporting infrastructure projects and offering incentives to consumers who install home solar arrays. But others have tried to restrict renewable energy, often at the. laws Politics energy policy electric utilities renewable energy fossil fuels MORE

SolarCity was already controlled by Musk, who believes its solar-energy business can be reinforced and complemented by Tesla's energy-storage business. electric utilities Hawaii renewable energy solar energy storage Solar CityEven before Elon Musk engineered Tesla's acquisition of SolarCity, the two companies were collaborating. MORE

Its Tesla Energy division markets stationary lithium-ion battery packs for energy storage. Energy-storage systems can increase the utility of home solar arrays, meaning Tesla Energy will likely become more important now that Tesla is set to. plug-in cars renewable energy energy storage Solar City Tesla PowerwallTesla is perhaps best known for its electric cars, but the company has another prominent business as well. MORE

At first glance, renewable-energy sources like solar power and energy-storage battery packs seem like a logical match. Energy storage allows excess power collected by solar panels to be stored for later use, addressing the intermittent nature of solar power. Study electric utilities renewable energy energy energy storage MORE

There is actually more available solar energy than there is use for it. renewable energy solar clean energy South America energyChile has a problem with its solar industry. It's not that the industry can't meet electricity demand for the South American country—quite the opposite, in fact. DON'T MISS: North America's largest coal power plant to become 44-MW solar farm Consequently, Chile is now. MORE

Government subsidies have been an important lifeline for renewable energy, helping to make different technologies viable even when costs are not in their favor. emissions energy policy Department of Energy renewable energy solar wind energyBut at what point will the industry be competitive enough with fossil fuels that subsidies will no longer be necessary? It's possible that will happen sooner, rather than later. DON'T. MORE

The combination of battery-based energy storage and solar power already has some electric utilities worried. They believe consumers' ability to store energy harvested by home solar arrays for later use could be a threat to their business model. Given that, they're probably not going to like this latest development in energy-storage economics. Batteries energy infrastructure electric utilities renewable energy solar energy storage MORE

While homeowners are more familiar with photovoltaic solar panels, large-scale wind power is an increasingly important part of the growth in renewable energy. For the first time, the total installed capacity of wind energy in Europe now exceeds the total output of electric powerplants fueled with coal. Europe renewable energy energy wind energy fossil fuels MORE

From the perspective of both renewable-energy advocates and electric utilities, grid-scale energy storage offers many potential benefits. By storing energy in battery packs for later use, energy storage can make intermittent renewable sources like solar and wind into more reliable forms of power. California energy policy renewable energy energy energy storage MORE