Solar

How solar microgrids are bringing power (and quiet) to North Carolina

In areas hit by Hurricane Helene, the nonprofit Footprint Project is replacing noisy and polluting generators with solar panels and batteries.

By Elizabeth Ouzts . 28 October 2024

Solar panels on the ground with people around — Workers installing a solar microgrid in Marshall, North Carolina. (Footprint Project)

Clean energy

Clean energy in rural America gets another big boost of federal funding

The Biden administration announced $78 million — the latest from a $1 billion program — to install solar, batteries, and more in rural communities.

By Alison F. Takemura . 2 May 2024
Solar

Minnesota's biggest solar project will help replace a huge coal plant

Xcel Energy’s 710-megawatt Sherco solar facility will create union jobs in a coal community, pilot long-duration storage tech, and advance the state's climate goals.

By Eric Wesoff . 1 May 2024
Solar

Major US solar manufacturers call for strict new solar-panel tariffs

First Solar, Qcells, and other domestic solar-panel makers are petitioning the Commerce Department for new tariffs on panels imported from Southeast Asia.

By Eric Wesoff . 24 April 2024
Solar

Solar is about to get a lot more affordable for low-income households

The EPA’s historic $7 billion Solar for All program will help every state fund solar projects for lower-income residents. In many states, that will be a first.

By Alison F. Takemura . 24 April 2024
Solar

California’s rooftop solar policies threaten progress on climate

NEM 3.0 rules have undermined California’s rooftop solar industry and could hamper the state's efforts to meet its climate targets.

By Julian Spector . 16 April 2024
Solar

California derailed its booming rooftop solar buildout. Can it be fixed?

Over the past year, California regulators have kneecapped small-scale solar needed to hit the state's climate goals. These lawmakers are trying to bring it back.

By Jeff St. John . 15 April 2024
Solar

Nexamp nabs $520M to build community solar across the US

Community solar helps people who can’t get rooftop solar access the benefits of solar ownership. Developer Nexamp just raised a boatload of money to build more of it.

By Eric Wesoff . 12 April 2024
Clean energy

Chart: Which US states generate the most solar and wind energy?

A new report tracks how renewable energy is transforming the nation's electricity mix, state by state.

By Maria Virginia Olano . 12 April 2024
Solar

Texas got more electricity from solar than coal last month

Solar has out-produced coal in the state for the first time — a remarkable reminder of how quickly clean energy has grown in Texas.

By Julian Spector . 10 April 2024
Electrification

These startups help busy contractors get electrification rebates faster

Rebates help households pay for solar, heat pumps and other climate-friendly upgrades — but contractors get stuck with the paperwork. These businesses are stepping in.

By Alison F. Takemura . 1 April 2024