… cellphone and mobile banking providers—connected small farmers in Africa with agribusiness companies. Through their phones, farmers are able to communicate about which crops are ready for market, when; they can also transact sales over … is catalytic work,” Warshauer said. “We’re launching something that makes sense on straight commercial terms.” Throughout his presentation he was careful to distinguish the work of …
… work in the interest of the greater good. This feeling grows when I read reports that some companies are using water in California to grow almonds, which represent a classic economic … the almonds have a high profit margin because the cost of water is not borne by the companies. Almonds, which represent about ten percent of California’s agricultural output … in irrigation). J. Lohr reports that it has reduced water use by a third thanks to a “comprehensive water conservation program.” Today, it produces one gallon of wine using only …
… this period reveals a series of news stories, beginning with Silent Spring, that have become household names — the crash of the Exxon Valdez, chemicals released at Union Carbide’s … Eastern seaboard, to name just a few. Though a disparate list, all of these events have two common characteristics. First, they had significant impacts. Rachel Carson’s Silent … number of countries (including the United States), the Bhopal tragedy inspired a government commitment to disclose toxic chemicals stored and emitted by companies. Second, each of …
… (SAPC) working group. The association, originally formed in late 2013, is en route to becoming a major game-changer in the path to unleashing distributed solar finance. “Our … What Are SEFA’s Resources? The standard residential lease contracts and residential and commercial PPA agreements developed by SAPC and administered by SEFA are available publicly … uniform documents minimize due diligence costs and uncertainty for all parties – customers, companies, regulators and investors. For customers and investors doing solar deals, …
… (SEPA) posed to energy stakeholders in its 51st State Initiative . This crowdsourcing competition, launched in 2014, sought to encourage constructive conversations about … themes and insights have emerged from the variety of proposals submitted to the competition. Are Electric Utilities Natural Monopolies Anymore? For decades, electric … utilities were the textbook example of a natural monopoly. Huge fixed costs deterred competition. Duplicating grid infrastructure was neither profitable nor economically …
… to a typical conservationist, and thoughts turn to concrete. And lots of it. Certain images come to mind: Big dams. Levees that strait-jacket rivers. Hardened coastlines. Even when these projects help communities, there are often consequences for natural systems. The dams interrupt fish runs. … that starve beaches of sand. This, of course, has not gone unnoticed by the conservation community. But perhaps these thoughts are a bit unfair. We enjoy the benefits of dams and …
… their town. Solarize, which has unrolled across the state over the last three years, is a community-based program that leverages the power of social interaction to motivate rooftop … open houses and other events, the solar ambassadors reach out to friends, family, and community organizations who, in turn, spread the word to other friends or organizational … Solar (now Direct Energy Solar), was walking the audience through the basics of how her company sites panels on roofs. She displayed a photo of a technician perched on a ladder and …
… policy question: where should the money go first, cars or infrastructure? By comparing the funding model in New York, which ranks 25 th nationwide in new EV … signed the Zero Emission Vehicle Action Plan in 2014; together, these eight states are committed to a goal of 3.3 million EVs on the road, with adequate charging infrastructure, … policy question: where should the money go first, cars or infrastructure? By comparing the funding model in New York, which ranks 25 th nationwide in new EV …
… program. Since 2010, 58 Connecticut towns have participated in five rounds of this unique community-based marketing campaign, designed to motivate solar adoption among homeowners. … version of the campaign, town leadership (with the CT Green Bank ) selected a single local company to provide solar installation. SmartPower then helped the town recruit “Solar Ambassadors”—active community members who either had panels on their own rooftops or were passionate and …
… the relationship between charging stations and consumer purchases of EVs. EVs are becoming an increasingly large part of our clean energy economy and are a vital element of … to encourage consumers to buy EVs. The prices of EVs are declining. Their ranges are becoming longer. And distributed generation is making it possible to use locally-sourced … public chargers. Building up higher station usage is necessary for EV infrastructure to become more financially viable and therefore become widespread. Some have said this presents a …