This month we’ve been highlighting solar energy at home. Many people still do not realize that an off-grid solar electric system isn’t as difficult as it seems. I am here to tell you how to make it possible. Oftentimes an off-grid solar system makes sense in rural areas where it is difficult and expensive to extend existing power lines to connect with the grid (which can cost between $15,000 and $50,000 per mile), but an off-grid system can also make sense elsewhere. Step One The first step to installing an off-grid solar electric system in your home is to research the equipment you will need based on what you want the system to accomplish.  For all systems to transmit electricity safely, you will need “ balance-of-system ” equipment to condition the electricity, as well as transmit and/or store electricty for future use. Do you want your system to store power for...

Energy Department Announces $53 Million to Drive Innovation, Cut Cost of Solar Power           WASHINGTON – Building on President Obama’s Climate Action Plan to cut carbon pollution and continue U.S. leadership in clean energy innovation, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz today announced more than $53 million for 40 innovative research and development (R&D) projects that aim to drive down the cost of solar energy, tackling key aspects of technology development in order to bring innovative ideas to the market more quickly. Supporting the development of next generation photovoltaic (PV) solar technologies and advanced manufacturing processes, and addressing both hardware and non-hardware “soft” costs of solar installation, these awards support advancements that will help reduce the cost of solar energy and make solar electricity more affordable and accessible for all Americans. “As U.S. solar installation increases and the cost of solar electricity continues to decline, solar energy is becoming an...

The Energy Department today announced up to $14 million to support landscape design approaches that maintain or enhance the environmental and socio-economic sustainability of cellulosic bioenergy through the improvement of feedstock production, logistics systems, and technology development. This supports the Department’s efforts to promote the commercialization of environmentally sustainable advanced bioenergy that reduces petroleum consumption and carbon emissions, as well as enhances national security. Applying landscape design to bioenergy production systems is a promising approach for meeting multiple environmental, social, and economic objectives, such as maintaining or enhancing ecosystem health, as well as food/feed/fiber production, and profitability for landowners. This funding will support interdisciplinary research and development projects that use landscape design principles to incorporate cellulosic feedstock production and logistics into existing agricultural or forestry systems. Examples might include growing energy crops on marginal lands to improve both agricultural productivity and water quality, or utilizing agricultural residue in a way that...

WASHINGTON — Marking another milestone in the Administration’s support of clean energy technologies that will diversify our energy portfolio and help transition the U.S. toward a low-carbon future, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will deliver remarks today at the grand opening of Abengoa’s second-generation cellulosic ethanol plant in Hugoton, Kansas as part of Energy Action Month. Once operating at full commercial-scale, the biorefinery will produce up to 25 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year – enough to avoid 132,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually and equivalent to taking 28,000 vehicles off the road. The cellulosic ethanol produced at the Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas (ABBK) facility, located about 90 miles southwest of Dodge City, Kansas, will be sold into the ethanol commodity market and used to fuel light duty vehicles. "Every gallon of cellulosic ethanol produced and used to fuel our vehicles reduces the impact of harmful greenhouse gas emissions...

As part of the Obama Administration’s effort to cut energy waste and double energy productivity by 2030, the Energy Department today announced $10 million to support research, development and manufacturing of solid-state lighting (SSL) technologies across the country. This funding will accelerate the development of high-quality light-emitting diode (LED) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) products with the potential to reduce lighting energy use for American families and businesses by one half and enhance U.S. global competitiveness. During the past 10 years, the Department has helped accelerate SSL technology deployment, yielding an estimated energy savings of $1.8 billion in 2013. Solid-state lighting technologies, which include both LED and organic light emitting diode technologies, have the potential to save Americans $26 billion a year in energy costs by 2030. Today, available LED technology is about 150 lumens per watt; the Energy Department's target is 250 lumens per watt – a 75 percent increase....