renewable energy

Left: Luminalt employee Pam Quan installs solar panels on the roof of a home in San Francisco in 2018. Right: An oilfield worker fills his truck with water before heading to a drilling site in the Permian Basin oil field in Andrews, Texas, in 2016.

Economy

Oil Jobs Are Big Risk, Big Pay. Green Energy Offers Stability And Passion

2:21pm October 21, 2020

by Camila Domonoske

Workers in the energy sector face two paths: The oil industry offers big salaries but more volatility, while clean energy pays less but provides more stability and a sense of mission.

Julie Bishop raises the Katahdin breed of sheep, which have hair rather than wool.

How To Have Your Solar Farm And Keep Your Regular Farm, Too

5:35am October 09, 2020

by Dan Charles

Large-scale solar farms are running into opposition from people who want to save farmland. Now solar companies are trying to combine solar and farming.

The Monastery of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Washington, D.C. is the new host of a 151 kW community solar garden. The panels will provide roughly 50 nearby households with green energy.

Environment

Powered By Faith, Religious Groups Emerge As A Conduit For A Just Solar Boom

7:00am December 15, 2019

by Avery Ellfeldt

The solar industry may be booming, but clean energy's financial perks still aren't reaching communities that need them most. Religious institutions are stepping up to bridge the gap.

Environment

NC Plant Turns Poultry Waste Into Electricity

4:45pm December 10, 2019

by Keri Brown

Duke Energy and other utilities are investing in more home-grown energy sources. This new addition will come from poultry waste.

After decades of dependency on coal for jobs, the Navajo Nation is turning to renewables. Two utility-scale solar farms have been built in recent years and another one is in the works.

National

On The Navajo Reservation, Turning From Coal To Renewables

5:47pm April 07, 2019

by Laurel Morales

The Navajo tribe voted late last month not to purchase the Navajo Generating station, the largest coal-fired power plant in the west. Now renewable energy has become a top priority for the tribe.

Power lines and power-generating windmills rise above the rural landscape on June 13, 2018, near Dwight, Ill. Driven by falling costs, global spending on renewable energy sources like wind and solar is now outpacing investment in electricity from fossil f

From Walmart To Google, Companies Teaming Up To Buy More Solar And Wind Power

5:41pm March 28, 2019

by Camila Domonoske

Walmart, GM, Google, Johnson & Johnson and other corporations are forming a trade organization to promote the interests of renewable energy buyers.

Pumpjacks like this one dot the desert of southeast New Mexico, as oil and gas companies rush to develop one of the largest oil reserves in the world.

In Midst Of An Oil Boom, New Mexico Sets Bold New Climate Goals

6:20pm March 13, 2019

by Nathan Rott

New Mexico lawmakers passed a bill this week mandating state utilities use 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. Meanwhile, oil production in the southeast corner of the state is breaking records.

Queue Listen Now

Solar panels are mounted on the roof of the Los Angeles Convention Center on September 5. The state's governor has signed a landmark bill setting a goal of 100 percent clean energy for the state's electrical needs, by the year 2045.

California Sets Goal Of 100 Percent Clean Electric Power By 2045

9:14pm September 10, 2018

by Camila Domonoske

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill mandating that ambitious goal on Monday. He also issued an executive order calling for statewide carbon neutrality by the same year.

Economy

New Report Highlights Solar Energy Growth In North Carolina

11:28am July 18, 2018

by Neal Charnoff

A new report shows major growth in North Carolina's renew

Entering the control room at Three Mile Island Unit 1 is like stepping back in time. Except for a few digital screens and new counters, much of the equipment is original to 1974, when the plant began generating electricity.

As Nuclear Struggles, A New Generation Of Engineers Is Motivated By Climate Change

5:35pm June 15, 2018

by Jeff Brady

The number of people graduating with nuclear engineering degrees has more than tripled since 2001. Many say they are motivated by climate change.

Queue Listen Now