David Isham of Isham Family Farm, established in 1871, said that each generation of his five-generation farm has made their mark on the Williston land. His son, Michael Isham, has proven to be no different. He took it over six years ago. The two watched as solar panels were installed on the farm Monday.

“It’s supposed to be all automatic,” Michael Isham said. “I don’t have to do a thing.”

The panels, using GPS positioning to track the sun across the sky will produce approximately 1,200 kilowatt-hours a year.

Marin Clean Energy outpaces other California utilities

Marin Clean Energy is outpacing Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and the state’s other large, investor-owned utilities in the level of renewable energy content it supplies to its customers, according to an analysis of mid-year compliance reports required by state utility regulators.

The 26.5 percent renewable energy that comprises Marin Clean Energy’s portfolio exceeds that of PG&E, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric by approximately 50 percent, 35 percent and 90 percent, respectively.

State utility regulators require all energy providers to report on their progress in meeting California’s goal of providing no less than 20 percent renewable energy — measured as a percentage of annual retail electricity sales — by the end of 2010.

California Governor: Still Hope For Renewable-Energy Bill

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday that he would work to help push through an ambitious renewable-energy bill that the state legislature failed to pass before a midnight deadline.

Schwarzenegger said he would work with lawmakers on the renewable-energy bill while negotiating the state budget.

“We can fine-tune that so we get it done,” he said, speaking at a press conference webcast from Sacramento where he discussed the outlook for a bipartisan agreement on the state’s budget.

The U.S. Mint in Denver is going green.

Xcel Energy said Tuesday that the Mint, which produces coins, will start getting all its electricity from wind power. The federal facility will buy its power from the utility’s Windsource program, through which customers pay a little more to support the development of electricity generated by wind farms.

Xcel Energy says the Mint will be one of the largest purchasers of renewable energy in Colorado. It uses nearly 13 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

Exelon, a Nuclear Energy Giant, Moves Into Wind Power

Exelon, a nuclear giant that recently backed away from building new nuclear plants, is moving into wind.

The company announced today that it was buying John Deere Renewables, which has 735 megawatts in operation and 230 megawatts in “advanced stages of development” in Michigan. The price was $860 million, plus another $40 million if ground is broken on the Michigan projects.

In March, Exelon withdrew its application for a construction and operating license for a twin-unit nuclear plant in Victoria County, Tex., citing lower projections for electric demand because of the recession. It had stopped work on the application last year. Instead, it asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for pre-approval of the site, which would speed up the approval process if it decided later that it wanted to build. But the decision left the country’s largest nuclear operator without a direct role in what the nuclear industry hopes is a renaissance.

SJC ruling gives Cape Wind project green light to build

A divided Supreme Judicial Court ruled yesterday that a state board had the power to sidestep community opposition to grant the controversial Cape Wind energy project local and state permits it needs to start construction in the waters off Cape Cod.

The long-awaited 4-2 decision removes a potential obstacle to the wind farm as its developers prepare to start building 130 turbines in Nantucket Sound within the year. If the court had sided with opponents, the project would probably have been delayed indefinitely or killed outright because several permits would have had to come from a community and a regional agency that oppose the project.

Cape Wind still must win approval from the state Department of Public Utilities, which is reviewing National Grid’s agreement to purchase half of the wind farm’s expensive power.

Facebook faces campaign to switch to renewable energy

Social networking website Facebook is coming under unprecedented pressure from its users to switch to renewable energy. In one of the web’s fastest-growing environmental campaigns, Greenpeace international says at least 500,000 people have now protested at the organisation’s intention to run its giant new data centre mainly on electricity produced by burning coal power.

Facebook will not say how much electricity it uses to stream video, store information and connect its 500m users but industry estimates suggest that at their present rate of growth all the data centres and telecommunication networks in the world will consume about 1,963bn kilowatt hours of electricity by 2020.

Windfarms bring renewable energy and good fortune to Romania

Exiled to the shores of the Black Sea 2,000 years ago, the Roman poet Ovid discovered the powerful winds that blew across that eastern border of the empire. To this day the wind continues to blow inland as far as Fantanele, a Romanian village located a few dozen kilometres from the coast.

“That’s why we call it the Black Sea,” said Constantin Stanciu, a farmer in Fantanele. “It’s a rough sea and when it’s angry, which is often, it blows this far inland.” The wind is the only certainty in this isolated, hilly region. The land is arid and rocky, which limits the farming possibilities. And to judge by the farmers’ leathery skin, the sun is as strong as the wind. The inhabitants have been resigned to the wind’s onslaught for centuries, and their poverty is apparent.

But today the wind of history has turned in the villagers’ favour.

California Legislature passes energy storage bill

The California Legislature has passed the nation’s first energy storage bill, which could result in the state’s utilities being required to bank a portion of the electricity they generate.

Assembly Bill 2514 (AB 2514) now heads to the desk of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), who has made climate change and green technology his political legacy as his final term winds down.

Energy storage is considered crucial for the mass deployment of wind farms, solar power plants, and other sources of intermittent renewable energy, as well to build out the smart grid.

A Vermont Environmental Court judge has ruled that a 16-turbine wind-energy project is entitled to the final permits it needs to begin construction on Granby Mountain and Libby Hill in Sheffield.

Judge Merideth Wright ordered several revisions in the construction stormwater permits issued to Vermont Wind, a subsidiary of Boston-based First Wind, but upheld those permits. Vermont Wind would be only the second such project to be constructed in Vermont. A commercial wind farm in Searsburg, in southern Vermont, was completed in 1997.

If the company follows the permit conditions, there is no reason to expect that road-building and installation of the towers would degrade five small streams on the ridge, Wright concluded.

Disclosure: SDRS represents First Wind in this matter.

Use of Idaho’s geothermal resources on the rise

A farming operation north of Idaho’s capital city is taking advantage of the region’s geothermal hot water to extend its growing season, just the latest example of how energy-conscious residents are putting the largely unseen but steamy reservoir beneath their feet to work.

The Idaho Statesman reports that Sweet Valley Organic, located in a valley near rural Emmett, Idaho, has built a geothermal greenhouse. It also uses outdoor pipes to keep its crops from freezing.

EPA Recognizes Connecticut For Its Use Of Renewable Energy

The Connecticut state government has been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as one of the organizations doing the most in the country to buy renewable energy.

Government procurement officers have contracted for more than 107 million kilowatts in renewable energy for the coming year, 17 percent of the state’s power use.

The rooftop of Robert Green’s home bears two unmistakable marks that it is part of the effort to rebuild New Orleans with a new resilience.

There is a safe exit to a secure area of the roof—a feature that needs no explanation for longtime Lower Ninth Ward residents like Green, who lost both his mother and his three-year-old granddaughter in 20-foot-high floodwaters after the Industrial Canal levee broke in the wake of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005.

But in addition to that echo of the tragic past, there is an installation that points to a hopeful future: 15 solar photovoltaic panels.

U.S. energy use in record drop

Energy use in the United States fell nearly 5% last year, marking the largest annual drop on record, according to an analysis of federal data by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Total U.S. energy use fell in 2009 to an estimated 94.6 quadrillion British Thermal Units, down from 99.2 quadrillion BTUs in 2008. To put that in perspective, the average room air conditioner uses about 10,000 BTUs.

Despite the drop in overall energy use, Simon said the study also showed a substantial increase in alternative sources of energy, including gains in solar, hydro and wind power.

Vermont Public Service Board approves plan for smart grid

The Vermont Public Service Board has approved a $68 million plan by the state’s largest electric utility for a smart grid program that can help save electricity and money.

The board, which regulates utilities in Vermont, says the plan by the Central Vermont Public Service Corp. will include automated metering, two-way communications systems and other strategies, such as reducing electric demand during peak usage times.

California moves to set up auction market for green energy

The goal is to accelerate the market for small-scale photovoltaic systems by requiring California’s three big investor-owned utilities to hold auctions twice a year where developers bid on projects that can be built quickly — within 18 months — and plugged into the existing power grid.

By letting the market essentially determine electricity prices rather than the government setting a premium rate to be paid for renewable energy, California hopes to avoid the boom-and-bust cycles that have whipsawed the European solar industry when subsidies have been cut.

Unanimous support for NJ landfill energy bill

New Jersey lawmakers voted unanimously for legislation aimed at opening access to old landfills and quarries for use developing renewable energy facilities. The NJ State Senate passed a bill this week that permits development of solar photovoltaic arrays and wind turbines on dozens of uncapped landfills that are otherwise at risk of leaking into the environment.

Arizona set to become center for algae-based, biofuel industry

Arizonans have cleaned algae from cattle tanks, swimming pools and fish tanks for decades.

Now, Arizona researchers are developing algae as a promising 21st-century alternative fuel to power cars, trucks and planes and propel the state’s economy into the future.

With its ideal climate and abundance of available land, Arizona is poised to become a major center of a multibillion-dollar, algae-based, biofuel industry.

The Coast Guard’s 41-foot search and rescue boat eased away from the dock Tuesday morning, its batteries fully charged by electricity generated from the waters beneath its hull.

Since Aug. 18, a tidal energy generator developed by Ocean Renewable Power Co. has been producing clean, grid-compatible power for the Coast Guard boat. On Tuesday, the renewable power company and Coast Guard officials welcomed dignitaries and local residents to view up close what they described as the first-ever successful implementation of tidal energy at a federal facility.

“This has put Eastport on the world map,” said Chris Sauer, president and CEO of ORPC. “Folks in Australia, the UK, Chile, New Zealand know all about Eastport, Maine. They’re watching us and hoping it happens to them.”

Communities go solar together, save money

It wasn’t until her neighbors decided to take the plunge together — generating significant savings — that she made up her mind to do it.

“It takes the right financial incentive to make it happen,” Arntson said.

The group of neighbors, called “Solarize Salem,” is the latest in a wave of grass-roots efforts around the country to connect homeowners interested in solar power.

The homeowners attend educational workshops, buy solar panels in bulk and negotiate a group discount with a panel installer. The practice can save 10% to 30% off the cost of installation, organizers say.

California Approves First New U.S. Thermal Solar Plant

California regulators on Wednesday approved a license for the nation’s first large-scale solar thermal power plant in two decades.

The licensing of the 250-megawatt Beacon Solar Energy Project after a two-and-a-half-year environmental review comes as several other big solar farms are set to receive approval from the California Energy Commission in the next month.

“I hope this is the first of many more large-scale solar projects we will permit,” said Jeffrey D. Byron, a member of the California Energy Commission, at a hearing in Sacramento on Wednesday. “This is exactly the type of project we want to see.”

Idaho building its largest wind complex to date

Idaho is building what will be the state’s largest wind project to date near land once traversed by Lewis and Clark, and Sacagawea.

As part of the groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday for the 183-megawatt Idaho Wind Partners project, Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter and others signed the giant blade of a wind turbine. Most of the land being used for the Idaho project consists of both active and idle farmland across Magic Valley, part of which is considered a piece of the iconic Oregon Trail.

Hydro leads China’s renewables plan

China will construct 100GW of hydropower in the next decade, head of the country’s National Energy Administration announced yesterday, forming a majority of Beijing’s non fossil-fuel 2020 energy targets.

Administration head Zhang Guobao said that the country will invest RMB1tn ($174bn) in hydropower over the next five years, aiming for it to account for nine per cent of Beijing’s energy needs.

California starts to lay energy storage foundations

California this week moved a step closer to mandating the rollout of energy storage systems capable of supporting new renewable energy projects, passing a critical bill in the state senate.

Bill AB2514 would require the Public Utilities Commission to set targets for systems that store energy. Both public and private utilities in the state would then be required to help meet the targets, the legislation said.

Green Prince Charles looks to sun for electricity at his London home

The Prince of Wales was granted permission yesterday to install dozens of solar panels on his home at Clarence House in the latest move to cut his carbon footprint.

The 32 solar photovoltaic panels, which produce electricity, can now be installed on the south-east roof of the central London residence, which has been a home to royalty for 170 years.

The panels are expected to produce around 4,000 kilowatt hours of green electricity a year – equivalent to the electricity used by the average household in the capital.

The Coast Guard’s 41-foot search and rescue boat eased away from the dock Tuesday morning, its batteries fully charged by electricity generated from the waters beneath its hull.

Since Aug. 18, a tidal energy generator developed by Ocean Renewable Power Co. has been producing clean, grid-compatible power for the Coast Guard boat. On Tuesday, the renewable power company and Coast Guard officials welcomed dignitaries and local residents to view up close what they described as the first-ever successful implementation of tidal energy at a federal facility.

“This has put Eastport on the world map,” said Chris Sauer, president and CEO of ORPC. “Folks in Australia, the UK, Chile, New Zealand know all about Eastport, Maine. They’re watching us and hoping it happens to them.”

Communities go solar together, save money

It wasn’t until her neighbors decided to take the plunge together — generating significant savings — that she made up her mind to do it.

“It takes the right financial incentive to make it happen,” Arntson said.

The group of neighbors, called “Solarize Salem,” is the latest in a wave of grass-roots efforts around the country to connect homeowners interested in solar power.

The homeowners attend educational workshops, buy solar panels in bulk and negotiate a group discount with a panel installer. The practice can save 10% to 30% off the cost of installation, organizers say.

California Approves First New U.S. Thermal Solar Plant

California regulators on Wednesday approved a license for the nation’s first large-scale solar thermal power plant in two decades.

The licensing of the 250-megawatt Beacon Solar Energy Project after a two-and-a-half-year environmental review comes as several other big solar farms are set to receive approval from the California Energy Commission in the next month.

“I hope this is the first of many more large-scale solar projects we will permit,” said Jeffrey D. Byron, a member of the California Energy Commission, at a hearing in Sacramento on Wednesday. “This is exactly the type of project we want to see.”

Idaho building its largest wind complex to date

Idaho is building what will be the state’s largest wind project to date near land once traversed by Lewis and Clark, and Sacagawea.

As part of the groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday for the 183-megawatt Idaho Wind Partners project, Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter and others signed the giant blade of a wind turbine. Most of the land being used for the Idaho project consists of both active and idle farmland across Magic Valley, part of which is considered a piece of the iconic Oregon Trail.

Hydro leads China’s renewables plan

China will construct 100GW of hydropower in the next decade, head of the country’s National Energy Administration announced yesterday, forming a majority of Beijing’s non fossil-fuel 2020 energy targets.

Administration head Zhang Guobao said that the country will invest RMB1tn ($174bn) in hydropower over the next five years, aiming for it to account for nine per cent of Beijing’s energy needs.

California starts to lay energy storage foundations

California this week moved a step closer to mandating the rollout of energy storage systems capable of supporting new renewable energy projects, passing a critical bill in the state senate.

Bill AB2514 would require the Public Utilities Commission to set targets for systems that store energy. Both public and private utilities in the state would then be required to help meet the targets, the legislation said.

Green Prince Charles looks to sun for electricity at his London home

The Prince of Wales was granted permission yesterday to install dozens of solar panels on his home at Clarence House in the latest move to cut his carbon footprint.

The 32 solar photovoltaic panels, which produce electricity, can now be installed on the south-east roof of the central London residence, which has been a home to royalty for 170 years.

The panels are expected to produce around 4,000 kilowatt hours of green electricity a year – equivalent to the electricity used by the average household in the capital.

The Coast Guard’s 41-foot search and rescue boat eased away from the dock Tuesday morning, its batteries fully charged by electricity generated from the waters beneath its hull.

Since Aug. 18, a tidal energy generator developed by Ocean Renewable Power Co. has been producing clean, grid-compatible power for the Coast Guard boat. On Tuesday, the renewable power company and Coast Guard officials welcomed dignitaries and local residents to view up close what they described as the first-ever successful implementation of tidal energy at a federal facility.

“This has put Eastport on the world map,” said Chris Sauer, president and CEO of ORPC. “Folks in Australia, the UK, Chile, New Zealand know all about Eastport, Maine. They’re watching us and hoping it happens to them.”

Communities go solar together, save money

It wasn’t until her neighbors decided to take the plunge together — generating significant savings — that she made up her mind to do it.

“It takes the right financial incentive to make it happen,” Arntson said.

The group of neighbors, called “Solarize Salem,” is the latest in a wave of grass-roots efforts around the country to connect homeowners interested in solar power.

The homeowners attend educational workshops, buy solar panels in bulk and negotiate a group discount with a panel installer. The practice can save 10% to 30% off the cost of installation, organizers say.

California Approves First New U.S. Thermal Solar Plant

California regulators on Wednesday approved a license for the nation’s first large-scale solar thermal power plant in two decades.

The licensing of the 250-megawatt Beacon Solar Energy Project after a two-and-a-half-year environmental review comes as several other big solar farms are set to receive approval from the California Energy Commission in the next month.

“I hope this is the first of many more large-scale solar projects we will permit,” said Jeffrey D. Byron, a member of the California Energy Commission, at a hearing in Sacramento on Wednesday. “This is exactly the type of project we want to see.”

Idaho building its largest wind complex to date

Idaho is building what will be the state’s largest wind project to date near land once traversed by Lewis and Clark, and Sacagawea.

As part of the groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday for the 183-megawatt Idaho Wind Partners project, Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter and others signed the giant blade of a wind turbine. Most of the land being used for the Idaho project consists of both active and idle farmland across Magic Valley, part of which is considered a piece of the iconic Oregon Trail.

Hydro leads China’s renewables plan

China will construct 100GW of hydropower in the next decade, head of the country’s National Energy Administration announced yesterday, forming a majority of Beijing’s non fossil-fuel 2020 energy targets.

Administration head Zhang Guobao said that the country will invest RMB1tn ($174bn) in hydropower over the next five years, aiming for it to account for nine per cent of Beijing’s energy needs.

California starts to lay energy storage foundations

California this week moved a step closer to mandating the rollout of energy storage systems capable of supporting new renewable energy projects, passing a critical bill in the state senate.

Bill AB2514 would require the Public Utilities Commission to set targets for systems that store energy. Both public and private utilities in the state would then be required to help meet the targets, the legislation said.

Green Prince Charles looks to sun for electricity at his London home

The Prince of Wales was granted permission yesterday to install dozens of solar panels on his home at Clarence House in the latest move to cut his carbon footprint.

The 32 solar photovoltaic panels, which produce electricity, can now be installed on the south-east roof of the central London residence, which has been a home to royalty for 170 years.

The panels are expected to produce around 4,000 kilowatt hours of green electricity a year – equivalent to the electricity used by the average household in the capital.

Australia has plans to build the biggest wind farm in the southern hemisphere by 2013, part of its scramble to fight climate change and harness its abundance of clean energy sources — wind, solar, waves, geothermal energy and bioenergy.

Renewable energy now supplies just 6 percent of power in Australia because the country has historically lacked the political and commercial will to pursue big renewable energy projects. And the very sources of Australia’s clean energy — its vast outback and nearly 60,000 kilometers, or 37,000 miles, of coast — are major obstacles to linking new, remote power sources into the grid.

Clean energy laws, utility costs make New Jersey a solar hotbed

New Jersey is the hottest place in the United States for solar energy these days, and it is not because it is so sunny. The Garden State’s progressive clean energy laws and high electricity costs make it the best place to install solar power because systems can pay for themselves in less than five years — faster than any state in the nation.

Governor Baldacci touts renewable power in Maine

Maine Gov. John Baldacci says the state is moving in the right direction with tidal and wind power development.

Baldacci used his weekly radio address to tout the success of Ocean Renewable Power Co., which last week reported that its underwater turbine generator is producing grid-compatible electricity in Cobscook Bay. The company hopes to connect to the grid next year.

San Jose Credit Union: First-of-its-Kind Organizational Solar ‘Group Buy’ Program Established

Members of the San Jose Credit Union, who are also City of San Jose employees and retirees, can now go solar more efficiently and cost effectively thanks to an innovative group buy program that is the first of its kind in the U.S. The San Jose Employee Solar Group Buy program is the result of a partnership between the San Jose Credit Union and San Jose’s Solar America City Program. A group of 130 City employees and retirees negotiated the group buy, which allows them to purchase residential solar electric and solar thermal systems at a reduced cost.