USSA Advocates for Sustainability 

At the end of October 2017, The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) put out an official statement of sustainability. The organization pledged to reduce its carbon footprint in order to preserve normal winter weather patterns, thus ensuring snowfall for future generations of winter athletes.  Following their statement, USSA formed an internal sustainability committee, partnering up with the City of Park City, National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), and Protect our Winters (POW) to formally push their efforts.  Read More

A Solar Race and Beyond

What does a team of college students racing solar cars in the Australian desert have to do with expanded solar power to the US electrical grid?  Quite a bit it turns out.

As students from around the world prepare to race solar cars across the Australian Outback in the 1800 mile, 7-day World Solar Challenge that starts on Oct 18, a partnership between the  University of Michigan team and IBM might well lead to more than just a place on the podium. IBM will be providing real time data predictions – drawn from over 10 years of cumulated weather data for actual temperature, cloud, and sun cover for specific locations  - that will let the Michigan team make calculated decisions on how best to race their car, the Aurum.  

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Save Solar in Nevada

Tomorrow, Wednesday, August 26th, Nevada’s Public Utility Commission (PUC) will decide whether to agree with the state's major utility, NV Energy, and implement huge rate increases for solar customers. Industry insiders say the move could completely devastate the residential market in the state - at a time when solar is booming in Nevada.

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The Investment Tax Credit

More than half a million American homes are powered by solar. The Investment Tax Credit (ITC), a 30% federal tax credit, has helped to make such large scale solar deployment possible in the U.S.   However, the ITC is set to expire in December 2016 and, if it is not extended, long term solar development could be stalled and investments could diminish.  Action is needed to encourage Congress to extend the ITC to support the continued growth of the solar industry.  

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Coal Shrinking - Solar Growing

While the solar sector is currently experiencing exponential growth and opportunity, the coal industry is seeing an opposite situation.  Government regulations and lowered costs of renewable energy and natural gas are driving a nationwide transition away from coal (over 187 coal plants have already been closed to date.)   SNL Energy reported that in 2014 coal mining jobs had fallen 8.3 percent to 79,658. As the movement away from coal-powered energy continues, what are the options for the coal industry employees? One option is job retraining programs in renewable energy fields.

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Solar power has caught fire in Pennsylvania, thanks to declining costs for solar equipment and generous state incentives, according to John Hanger, Secretary of the state's Department of Environmental Protection.

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The Maple View Farm in Hillsborough, North Carolina, recently added an acre of solar panels.

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Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a law August 17 requiring power utilities to get 6 percent of their energy from solar in 2015 and every year thereafter.

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When you think about NASCAR, you think power, speed, noise and lots of left turns. Now when you think about the sport’s Pocono Raceway, you’ll think about solar power.

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The Lone Star State may be best known for its oil industry, but it also leads the nation in one renewable energy and has the potential to do a lot more.

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