California solar power plants recently hit a new electricity output record for electricity from utility-scale solar power plants. It hit 4.813 gigawatts of output on August 15 at 12:03pm. The data comes from CAISO, which only tracks utility-scale output. It can’t track behind-the-meter rooftop output, which had the potential to add another 2.6 gigawatts. To put […]
California Solar Power Hits New Output Record Read More 👉
A couple of Via Motors employees decided to have a little fun and see how the two compared on a long commute. They drove 43.3 miles to work, 86.6 miles round trip. While the Volt driver could have plugged in at work, he decided to treat the trip more like it would be at a
Chevy Volt vs Toyota Prius (VIDEO) Read More 👉
Suntech was the largest solar module manufacturer in the world for years, then a combination of some illegal moves and a harsh financial environment for solar module manufacturers crushed the company, leading it to bankruptcy. Suntech is finally on the upswing after all of that. However, rather than focusing solely on solar, the Chinese company is
Suntech Jumps Into Energy Storage With $25 Million Investment Read More 👉
Last year, ABB hosted me on a tour of the Hoover Dam. It was not as big as I expected, but still amazingly impressive, especially when you considered when it was built. The first video below covers the dam a bit. However, some of the more amazing points made to me concerned global warming and
Hoover Dam Tour (+ Snapshot Of Extreme Drought In Colorado River Basin) Read More 👉
Originally published on CleanTechnica. On a cleantech speaking tour of Ukraine, I was introduced to a wicked awesome coworking space in Kiev, Chasopys. Pictures below. Ukrainian green incubator Greencubator and solar company Activ Solar hosted me on a cleantech speaking tour around Ukraine last year. Lucky for me, this was before all of the political turmoil there
Kiev Coworking Space Rocks! Read More 👉
Yingli Solar (aka Yingli Green Energy*) has been the largest solar panel manufacturer in the world the past couple of years. In 2009, it reached a cumulative solar panel production capacity of 1 gigawatt. By 2012, it had reached a production capacity of 2.45 gigawatts per year! Needless to say, Yingli has had many customers.
Yingli Solar Named A Top Supplier To Fuji, Expanding In Latin America Read More 👉
I recently had the chance to interview Sungevity CEO Andrew Birch, which was a great privilege and honor given Sungevity’s longtime and ongoing leadership in the solar industry. Obviously, I think you should read my full CleanTechnica article on that interview. However, right after writing that up I also saw a good interview with Birch on Bloomberg
Sungevity CEO Interview (VIDEO) Read More 👉
Current Republican leadership is really good at two things, as far as I can tell: 1) lying, and 2) fighting every single thing that Obama tries to do. I don’t think they represent the Republican base, but most Americans (Republicans as well as Democrats) are so uninformed politically that most Republicans don’t realize it. Furthermore,
Republican Propaganda Has People Switching To Solar Read More 👉
Almost every practicing climate scientist on the planet has made it clear: the world is warming (i.e., heating up) and human activities are the reason. Almost every if not every national science academy has backed up this point. Popular scientific experts like Bill Nye “The Science Guy” and Neil deGrasse Tyson have done the same thing. Now, Republican
Solar leasing and solar power purchase agreements (PPAs)—in which homeowners don’t buy their solar power systems but simply the electricity that comes from them—have become extremely popular in the United States in recent years. The first such residential solar options were introduced in 2007, and they quickly grew and took over the majority of the residential
Solar Leasing To Lose Ground To Solar Ownership In 2015 Read More 👉
Leading solar technology manufacturer and solar installer SunPower* has teamed up Admirals Bank, which offers solar loans across the US, to launch a $200 million home solar loan program. The loan program is to support home solar power installations from SunPower over the coming two years. The loan program will allow SunPower customers to get a
Home Solar Loan Program Launched By SunPower & Admirals Bank Read More 👉
It’s simple economics: when supply is low and demand is high, a product is more expensive. Of course, this applies to real estate products as well. It’s rather hard to find European-style walkable communities in the United States, but who doesn’t like such places? With the supply and demand mismatch, very walkable places (logically) cost
WalkUPs Are Bloody Expensive Places (Thanks To High Demand) Read More 👉
Global warming? Fuggedaboutit — we’re in the age of global heating! This firenado (aka fire tornado, fire devil, or fire whirl), filmed recently in California, is a rare breed, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a lot less rare in the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyNxdxRRx5U Here’s Wikipedia’s current writeup on firenado formation: A fire whirl consists of
Firenado — Global Heating, Here We Come (VIDEO) Read More 👉
I just ran across this one on Facebook and thought it deserved a share: “At one time in the world, there were woods that no one owned,” was apparently written by Cormac McCarthy in Child of God.
Woods That No One Owns? Read More 👉
Stephen Colbert recently sat down with Tom Friedman — an American journalist, columnist and author who is passionate about tackling climate change — for some fun + a call for climate action now. Of course, Colbert was in his fake über-conservative hat (which we get to watch for a bit longer until he takes over
Colbert & Tom Friedman Discuss Global Weirding (VIDEO) Read More 👉
Money has far too much influence over politics and society for the common man’s good. And when it comes to money, Wall Street is king. So, when a certain (former) contract law professor at Harvard University comes after Wall Street’s nearly untouchable power on behalf of the common man and woman, you know that Wall Street doesn’t
Why Wall Street Absolutely Hates Elizabeth Warren (Colbert Show Videos) Read More 👉
This John Oliver global warming sketch is so hilarious, but also one of the best ways I’ve seen to point out the absurdity of global warming denial: For more good videos on global warming, be sure to check out: Top Global Warming Videos For more on the fact that human activity is causing catastrophic global warming
John Oliver Global Warming Denial Sketch Is So Hilarious (VIDEO) Read More 👉
I remember having a badass cat that would scare away dogs — basically just stare them down with back up as high as possible. But the cat in this video is really a winner. Check it out: http://youtu.be/C-Opm9b2WDk
Cat Saves Kid Attacked By Dog (VIDEO) Read More 👉
I just ran across a couple of shocking stats, especially when combined: Congressional approval ratings dropped to a then-record-low 10% in 2012. Nonetheless, 90% of the representatives in the House of Representatives were re-elected. America! Why you haz so dumb? In all seriousness, here’s the good news: the US somehow realizes that Congress is broken. But
America, We Have A Problem! Read More 👉
Many of us grow up with the assumption that stock traders are just rich people looking to make a quick buck (or 5 billion). However, investing is also a way to show your support for an industry and company. Aside from myself, I know several people who are now engaged in “impact investing,” investing in
Divestment Rap (VIDEO) Read More 👉
As the next stage of development for Google’s self-driving car project, its self-driving vehicles have been hitting actual city streets… and all the unexpected obstacles that jump out into them. Well, I guess the point is that they aren’t hitting those obstacles. Apparently, they’re doing that better than humans themselves. “Since our last update, we’ve logged
Google Self-Driving Cars Hitting City Streets Read More 👉
The beginning is a bit slow, but it gets really good. It is shocking to me that clear racism can exist today on a major media channel. Perhaps even more shocking is that Sean Hannity and his anti-other friends on Fox can be so hypocritically anti-American, that they can act as if they are the
Jon Stewart Crushes Sean Hannity's Anti-American, Racist Nonsense (VIDEO) Read More 👉
A colleague recently sent along a great infographic on off-grid living. Check it out below. However, first here are a few stories on off-grid living that we’ve published over the years on Planetsave and Important Media sister sites: One Year Living Off-the-Grid at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage Florida Law Makes Living Off the Grid Illegal Off
Off-Grid Living (Infographic) Read More 👉
Curious where in the US no one lives? Here are some maps on just that: As the creator over at mapsbynik writes: A Block is the smallest area unit used by the U.S. Census Bureau for tabulating statistics. As of the 2010 census, the United States consists of 11,078,300 Census Blocks. Of them, 4,871,270 blocks totaling 4.61
US Map Of Where No One Lives Read More 👉
Via DailyKos: We like to assert that Daily Kos is a reality-based community. At the very least we surely do not deny science. A new study appearing at Princeton’s website may test these assumptions for some of us here. For others, it will be grim vindication of what we already know: the United States of America is
For some more discussion on growing wealth inequality in the US, and the vanishing middle class, here’s Bill Maher: http://youtu.be/ySBsfJ5cuJo Wow, $50 an hour for the average employee at the largest employer in the US? Not bad. And not today.
Bill Maher On The Vanishing Middle Class Read More 👉
Good stuff: The Daily ShowGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook The Daily ShowGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook The Daily ShowGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook Because, you know, the rich don’t already own the US….
Jon Stewart & Aasif Mandvi Slam Supreme Court's Campaign Finance Absurdity Read More 👉
This US healthcare clip from the Daily Show is so absolutely hilarious. A must watch! Check, laugh so hard, then share: The Daily ShowGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook Thanks to Jim Seko, who posted a link to this on a quick Planetsave article reposted over on CleanTechnica.
This Is So Hilarious Read More 👉
This is pretty awesome. Of course, it’s fun to watch dogs driving cars, but it’s also cool because the purpose of this dog driving course, conducted by a charity in New Zealand, is to get more people comfortable with the idea that rescue dogs are intelligent, can be trained, and are worthy of adoption. I
Dogs Learn To Drive Cars, Really (VIDEO) Read More 👉
Ford is doing a bit more to “walk the walk” when it comes to the electric car transition. Teaming up with GE — something it’s been doing since the founders of the two companies first partnered up — Ford will soon have electric car charging stations (which allow for faster charging than from a normal
GE & Ford Team Up To Provide Electric Car Charging At Ford Facilities Nationwide Read More 👉
This is absolutely hilarious… but also absolutely sad. Most of what is in this Daily Show fracking video is no joke at all. The ramifications from fracking that are highlighted here are real — even the earthquakes. And Chevron’s attempt to pacify a community that had just seen an explosion that killed one of its
Hilarious Daily Show Clip On Fracking (VIDEO) Read More 👉
This video demonstrates a few crazy things. One: US wealth inequality is even much greater than most Americans think. Two: US wealth inequality has grown tremendously in the past few decades. Three: US wealth inequality is absolutely insane. The visualizations are amazing, so be sure to check out the video: Via John Brian Shannon
US Wealth Inequality In One Chilling Video (Must See) Read More 👉
Via Daily Kos: As you may have seen, yesterday Fox offered up this hilariously misleading chart of Obamacare’s enrollment progress: The numbers on that chart said 6 million and 7 million, but visually, it was pure gibberish. According to the height of the bars, the ratio was actually 3:8. Making it worse, there wasn’t even a scale.
Fox News Has Issue With Charts… & Reality Read More 👉
Via Daily Kos On second thought, maybe Texas Sen. Ted Cruz won’t ask this question again: Back on March 24, Cruz posted an informal survey on his verified senatorial Facebook page. It read: “Quick poll: Obamacare was signed into law four years ago yesterday. Are you better off now than you were then? Comment with YES or
Ted Cruz Obamacare Poll On Facebook Reveals A Whole Lot Of Obamacare Love Read More 👉
Via Daily Kos The corporate media doesn’t want you to see these images of massive lines across the country of people signing up for Obamacare. They want to bury the inconvenient truth.Whenever someone says the media is liberal, I laugh, because if the media was truly liberal these images would be plastered everywhere. Instead, the
Look At The Lines, & Don't Miss Stephanie Miller's Story Read More 👉
Via DailyKos: I suppose it would be charitable to say that Jonathan Karl was simply being a reporter when he stood up during a press conference at The Hague Tuesday and asked President Barack Obama if Mitt Romney was correct during the 2012 presidential campaign when he referred to Russia as America’s “Number one geopolitical
Obama Gives Super Answers To Questions About Russia, Romney Criticism, & War Mongering Read More 👉
Via the Washington Examiner: IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told a House panel that congressional investigators can try to hold him in contempt over theTea Party targeting scandal whenever they think that they can make the charge stick, something he thinks is unlikely. The topic came up when Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., asked for a date at which it would be appropriate
IRS Commissioner Tells Darrell Issa Witch Hunt Crew They're Morons… In Other Words Read More 👉
Just watch it: Unfortunately, that’s the world we live in… well, some of us.
"1 Second A Day" Video Will Flip Your Mind Read More 👉
There are a lot of great Bill Maher clips out there. He’s great at not only writing funny jokes, but also pull out amazing facts and stats to highlight. Watch this video below, share it, and check out & share the text facts shared again below the video. http://youtu.be/pcKMd49wDRk The 85 richest people own more
Bill Maher Nails Inequality — Crazy Inequality Facts (Video + Stats) Read More 👉
There’s a decent chance you’ve seen the ridiculous “young Republican” or “Republican hipster” commercials that came out on March 16. They’re so ridiculous that I think most of us thought they were parodies. Apparently, not. Of course, parodies have since been made. Below are the original commercials in case you missed them (first two), followed
Republican "Hipster" Commercials & Two Great Parodies (Videos) Read More 👉
Originally published on Daily Kos. Scott Brown is as hapless a Senate candidate in New Hampshire as he was in Massachusetts. Even in a crowd of friendly fellow Republicans, he can’t seem to keep his foot out of his mouth, particularly when it comes to Obamacare. Brown found that out on Saturday, when he stopped by
Scott Brown Talks Shit About Obamacare To Wrong Republican Read More 👉
This is pretty cool — the opposite of planned obsolescence, this little candleholder pictured above turns your old, burning candle into a new one ready to be burned. I think you get the idea from the pictures, but in case not: The candle burns, melts, goes down into the hollow candelholder, hardens, and can be
This Little Candleholder Reincarnates Your Candle Almost Infinitely… Well, Sort of Read More 👉
There’s no denying it: Republicans kick Democrats’ asses when it comes to messaging. But things may be getting a bit better. Check out this Bill Maher clip for some tips and some history on political messaging: http://youtu.be/3TCxRc5vdq0 Now, let’s invade the sun and takes its oil! via Peter Sinclair
Bill Maher Nails The Difference Between Republican & Democratic Messaging (VIDEO) Read More 👉
Beautiful. I love giraffes. Apparently, a maintenance worker at Rotterdam’s Diergaarde Blijdorp zoo is dying from cancer. He requested that he be brought to the zoo to pay a last visit to some kind giraffes. “Heart-breaking pictures have emerged of the moment a giraffe said goodbye to a terminally ill zoo worker, who had spent most of
Giraffe Kisses Maintenance Worker Dying From Cancer Read More 👉
This is hilarious. Not much more to say. Just watch:
Dogs Freak Out When They Get Pranked By Magic Trick Read More 👉
Originally published on Solar Love. This isn’t a new commercial, but I ran across it recently and had to share again. It’s so funny and so well done. And it does nail the #1 reason why people go solar. Check it out: http://youtu.be/zYBfAW0fGNc
Rooftop Solar Owners Like Dolphin Babies, But… Read More 👉
This was reported by Elon Musk on Tesla’s last financial call, but it seems to have slipped under the radar. Reuters recently ran a short article on the news, which made me think I should as well. As Tesla moves into the European and Chinese markets more, the company is expecting to see about twice
Tesla Sales In China & Europe Expected To Be Double North American Sales Read More 👉