By Bill Scanlon, NREL   |   October 26, 2010 Islands have beautiful sunsets, slumbering volcanoes, soothing trade winds, outrageous energy prices. In other words, they have all the ingredients for a daring dip into renewable energy. The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory is helping islands around the world craft polices and infrastructure for a future fueled by the sun, wind, waves, seaweed, and lava. It’s an initiative of the international Energy Development in Island Nations project. Why islands? First, consider the prices paid for energy on islands from the Caribbean to the South Pacific. The energy structure on typical islands was designed in the...
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By ELAINE KURTENBACH, AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach, Ap Business Writer – Tue Oct 26, 9:33 am ET HANGZHOU, China –   China rolled out its fastest train yet on Tuesday and announced that the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s biggest hydroelectric project, is now generating electricity at maximum capacity — engineering triumphs that signal the nation’s growing ambitions as its economy booms. The successes demonstrate how, after decades of acquiring technology from the west, Beijing has begun to push the limits of its new capabilities, setting the bar higher on mega-projects as it seeks to promote the image of a powerful, modern China. But many of these initiatives...
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By RenewableEnergyWorld.com Editors   |   October 8, 2010   Arizona, United States The Chinese solar PV manufacturer Suntech opened a new 30-MW capacity module production facility in Arizona today. Although a lot of solar manufacturers have moved over to China in recent years, this move shows that foreign companies see the value in setting up shop in the U.S. With some markets in Europe declining, the U.S. is expected to make up for some of the slumping global demand. The American PV market could break the 1GW barrier for the first time in 2011. Many companies have also moved into the U.S. so they can produce...
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By Jennifer Runyon, Managing Editor   |   October 6, 2010 California, USA — With staggering unemployment rates all over the world, politicians and displaced employees have set their eyes on the Clean Tech industry as a way back to jobs and economic growth. The big question being, of course: Will it deliver? The questions for job seekers don’t end there.  They want to know if the renewable energy industry will actually create more jobs than have been lost.  If so, where and in what industries?  And at what average salary?  What education level will be necessary to get these jobs? In an attempt to answer...
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