First Utility-Scale Solar Projects Proposed in West Virginia By Brian Sewell Solar Thin Films Inc., a New York-based company, recently announced a contract to develop up to 35 megawatts of solar capacity in West Virginia. Through an agreement with property…
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Solar and Wind Projects Take Off Across Appalachia
TAGS: Dominion energy Renewable Energy Solar Energy Virginia energy policy West Virginia wind energy Wind Power
New Vision
By Matt Grimley The sun is beating down on a mid-July afternoon in Philippi, W.Va., but that doesn’t stop Ruston Seaman and the youth mentoring group from playing ultimate frisbee. Their shouts — “Take your time!” and “Go left! Go…
Democratizing the Grid
The Opportunities and Obstacles of Community-owned Renewable Energy By Brian Sewell When energy experts talk about distributed generation, they describe it as both a threat that will disrupt markets and erode utility profits and an opportunity that is changing the…
TAGS: Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy clean energy community-owned renewable energy distributed generation electric grid Renewable Energy Solar Energy
Appalachian State University Competes in European Solar Decathlon
By Chelsey Fisher After winning “People’s Choice” in the 2011 U.S. Solar Decathlon, Appalachian State University has been chosen to take their ideas across the ocean. ASU — one of three universities chosen from the United States — will pair…
Reaping Renewable Rewards
Governments and utilities offer a variety of incentives to assist residents and businesses in the transition to renewable energy. Below is a sampling of federal, utility and state policies. Find more clean energy and energy savings incentives at dsireusa.org. Federal…
Beyond Renewable: The Cutting Edge in Energy
By Chelsey Fisher The use of clean energy has increased in the nation since 2005, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. While renewable energy is mostly used in more traditional ways, such as powering homes or businesses, in recent…
Almost Always Sunny in Appalachia
Whether through a power plant or from the home, solar energy’s future is bright By Matt Grimley In a meeting earlier this year with U.S. Department of Energy employees, the secretary of energy was blunt about solar power. “I would…
Growing Community in the New River Valley
Story and photos by Molly Moore From a curvy, two-lane road roughly four miles from downtown Blacksburg, Va., Arlean Lambert’s property is easily recognizable. Three solar panels are mounted by a pond in front of her ranch-style home. A verdant…
Solar Leasing: Crediting Electric Bills with the Sun
By Davis Wax Energy distribution for the people, by the people. That was the founding principle of electric cooperatives and municipal utilities as they sprang up in the United States throughout the twentieth century. Today, any profits made by these…
TAGS: clean energy Electric Utilities Renewable Energy rural electric cooperatives Solar Energy solar leasing
Tenn. Tuesday: More Sun! More Wind! More Healthcare?
[Spoiler Alert] Yes, Yes, and Almost Certainly Not. American clean energy advocates are celebrating the revelation that solar energy made up half of new generating capacity for the first quarter of this year. Tennessee is a recognized leader in our…
