USDA invests $400M in rural electricity upgrades, smart grids

The largest loan will send $68.5 million to back a solar farm run by NextEra Energy Resources in Arkansas, which could meet the needs of 21,000 homes.  

By Jason Plautz • Sept. 21, 2018

EV charging providers scale up amid a ‘revolution in transportation’

New numbers show that electric vehicles are growing faster than analysts thought, and companies like ChargePoint and EVBox are responding with plans to expand their charging networks. 

By Robert Walton • Sept. 19, 2018

Seattle, Atlanta first winners in American Cities Climate Challenge

The pair are the first of 20 cities to be named for Bloomberg Philanthropies' two-year program, which looks to help uphold the goals of the Paris climate accord.

By Chris Teale • Sept. 17, 2018

New Hampshire to use $4.6M of VW settlement to build EV infrastructure

The funds come from a $15 billion settlement between Volkswagen and the U.S. government after the automaker was caught rigging vehicle emissions tests.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 14, 2018

Survey: 57% of cities plan climate action in next year

The survey, conducted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, shows cities are investing heavily in renewable energy.

By Jason Plautz • Sept. 13, 2018

Outages and coal plant floods are top concerns as utilities brace for Hurricane Florence

Environmental groups are afraid the weather could release toxic coal ash, but utilities say their bigger worry involves cooling ponds at regional power plants. 

By Catherine Morehouse • Sept. 13, 2018

Report: US almost halfway to achieving Paris goals thanks to city, state action

The study by the America's Pledge initiative slammed federal government inaction and gave lower levels of government pointers on what to do next.

By Chris Teale • Sept. 13, 2018

New York subway station damaged in 9/11 attacks opens just before 17th anniversary

New York subway station damaged in 9/11 attacks opens just before 17th anniversary

By Jason Axelrod • Sept. 12, 2018

Initiative gives cities equal access to competitive EV bids

The Climate Mayors Electric Vehicle Purchasing Collaborative provides an online portal for cities to bid on the vehicles and charging infrastructure.

By Chris Teale • Sept. 12, 2018

California has a 100% clean energy goal, but not the laws to get it there, critics say

Legislators went big on renewable energy and utility wildfire protections, but went home before kickstarting clean energy procurement or expanding the CAISO market.

By Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 12, 2018

How residential IoT can help shape a smart city

Once homes and living communities are more connected, they can plug in to larger smart city programs — though we still have a long way to go.

By Paige Leuschner • Sept. 11, 2018

Chicago and San Jose, CA achieve ‘LEED for Cities’ platinum certification

The cities had received grants earlier this year to assist with their work toward certification, and join Washington, DC and Phoenix as honorees.

By Katie Pyzyk • Sept. 11, 2018

Lyft commits to 100% renewable energy, full carbon neutrality

The company says it is "doubling down on our climate and clean energy commitments" just in time for the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco.

By Kristin Musulin • Sept. 11, 2018

Pepco unveils $15M transportation electrification program for DC

Electric vehicle growth has been uneven in the District of Columbia, where two-thirds of residents are renters and have limited access to charging infrastructure.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 10, 2018

Greenlots to demo real-time interaction between EV charging and power grid

The company will partner with Burns & McDonnell to test an open standards charging technology, which will allow real-time visibility into the network and data collection, while intending to move into the utility sector.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 7, 2018

Sonnen aims to unify all aspects of the smart home

The company's new smart energy management system will unite home automation, residential solar and energy storage with intelligent load control.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 7, 2018

San Francisco announces 4 key environmental commitments

Mayor London Breed committed the city to zero waste, making its buildings carbon neutral, issuing green bonds and using 100% renewable energy.

By Chris Teale • Sept. 6, 2018

Kentucky regulators reject smart meter plans

The utilities “failed to provide sufficient evidence" that smart meters would benefit their customers, which continues a troubling trend for advanced metering infrastructure.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 4, 2018

Northern Virginia, Phoenix lead global markets with most future data center inventory

Data centers will not only accommodate cities’ growing interest in using blockchain to handle municipal proceedings, but will help with the vast amounts of data necessary for IoT technology.

By Jason Plautz • Sept. 4, 2018

Rooftop solar saves New England power customers $20M during July heatwave

Customer-sited solar in New England can reduce peak demand by up to 1 GW, according to a new analysis by Synapse Energy Economics. 

By Robert Walton • Aug. 31, 2018

California passes landmark 100% clean energy goal

The bill headed to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk would direct state agencies to begin planning to supply 100% of retail electricity sales with carbon-free resources by 2045.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Aug. 31, 2018

Los Angeles has biggest temperature variance among large US cities

Research from Geotab found the city has a 37-degree swing, while Phoenix is home to the hottest average temperature at 111 degrees Fahrenheit.

By Chris Teale • Aug. 30, 2018

California passes bill to coordinate EV charger planning

The bill would grant authority to the California Energy Commission to assess charging infrastructure build-out in an attempt to meet the state's ambitious EV goals.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Aug. 29, 2018

Google-backed AI network aids lead pipe cleanup in Flint, MI

The system is helping the city predict which of its 55,000 homes need pipes to be replaced — with a 97% success rate.

By Jason Plautz • Aug. 27, 2018

Pollinator habitats: The bees’ knees of rural solar development

Pollinator-friendly solar is a blossoming trend that saves maintenance costs and makes utility-scale solar more appealing to agricultural communities.

By Catherine Morehouse • Aug. 27, 2018