Clean Energy Blog
Stay up to date on the latest news related to clean energy in our region and beyond.
Seattle-Area Fusion Companies Discuss the Future of Fusion
Zap Energy’s FuZE-Q fusion device. (Zap Photo) Three Seattle-area fusion companies served on a panel together to discuss the path to commercial power last week at the Technology Alliance Seattle Investor Summit+Showcase event. Fusion, which powers the sun and the...
Guide to governors on supporting energy sector during pandemic
The National Governor’s Association (NGA) has prepared a memo that provides guidance to governors on how they can best support and protect the energy industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. The March 25 memo highlights three areas governors should consider to ensure...
New bill to help WA ranchers losing land to solar farms
Washington ranchers, farmers and state agencies are learning that certain land features make them ideal for renewable energy projects. Ranchers are losing land to solar farms, but help is on the way. Leases canceled from the Department of Natural Resources are hurting...
New solar cells reach an efficiency record
New designs for perovskite-silicon solar cells have reached a conversion efficiency of 27.7 percent. The use of solar photovoltaic cells as a renewable energy source is booming, as the technology becomes more efficient and less expensive. Stacking perovskite solar...
Solar project to benefit low-income communities
An innovative solar project in Toledo, Ohio, will do triple duty when it’s completed this spring. It will provide renewable power to a nearby axle factory. It will use otherwise unproductive land. And hundreds of thousands of dollars from the sale of the project’s...
Wind surpasses hydro as most used renewable
Wind is now the top renewable source of electricity generation in the country, a position previously held by hydroelectricity. Annual wind generation totaled 300 million megawatthours (MWh) in 2019, exceeding hydroelectric generation by 26 million MWh. Wind generation...
Recycling old wind turbines
It’s difficult to recycle a gigantic wind turbine. The blades are built to withstand extreme weather, from scorching desert heat to hurricane-like winds, and that means their life almost always ends in a landfill. In Europe alone, about 3,800 blades will be removed...
Successful battery farm stabilizes local grid
The battery backup Elon Musk built has saved South Australia tens of millions of dollars. Musk’s Australian solar and wind farm powers rural South Australia, with a population density between Wyoming and Alaska. South Australia experienced a near total blackout in...
Centralia tests transition from coal plant closure
The TransAlta coal plant in Centralia will fully close down by 2025, as part of an agreement that will see $55 million invested to help the community prepare for the transition. The Centralia agreement is an example of an unusually well-funded, long-planned...
Energy storage, essential for long-term climate goals
Consolidated Edison and National Grid are experimenting with energy storage in New York. ConEd is in the middle of several major projects to advance the state's distributed grid, while working to add 300 MW of energy storage by 2023. Storage is essential to New York's...