Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 180 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

With no upfront costs, this innovative financing tool makes energy efficiency affordable to all

Nate Berg

February 26, 2019 |

Ensia |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Aulander, North Carolina

North Carolina’s Roanoke Electric Cooperative is helping members bring down energy costs. Because the energy costs in this area is due to a lack of energy efficiency, the cooperative offers tariffed on-billing to help homes offset expenses like insulation and new heat pumps. The tariffed on-billing uses federal loans to pay for said expenses, and then the customer pays the tariff charge in their bill – which ends up being lower because of the energy efficient upgrades.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Putting the sun in Sunshine State? Florida's about-face on solar power

Eva Botkin-Kowacki

February 11, 2019 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Miami, Florida

“We’re in the midst of one of the largest solar expansions in the country,” says Alys Daly, a spokesperson for Florida Power and Light, the largest utility provider in the state of Florida. This statement represents a shift in which Florida has seized on decreasing costs of solar power and is working to increase its capacity tenfold. Power companies are helping residents save costs in an environmentally conscious way.

Read More
Go to Original Story
FGCU's geothermal air conditioner reduces impact on the environment

Jaryd Brady

February 06, 2019 |

Changing Florida |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Fort Myers, Florida

Florida Gulf Coast University utilizes a cooling plant that serves as the primary air-conditioning unit for multiple buildings on campus. This plant uses geothermal energy, which compared with traditional air conditioning units, has less of an impact on the environment and saves the university money on its power bill. FGCU currently has 146 total thermal storage tanks producing over 23,000 tons of cooling capacity for its academic buildings.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Africa Embraces an $8 Billion Solar Market for Going Off-Grid

Sophia Akram

February 04, 2019 |

OZY |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Nairobi

Many African "off-grid" countries, where as many as 80 percent of populations lack reliable access to electricity, are turning to a low-cost, environmentally friendly model: solar-powered, pay-as-you-go LEDs. Cheaper and more eco-friendly than alternatives like kerosene or diesel fuel, the LEDs like the one M-KOPA make boast 600,000 customers across East Africa. The technology has the sharp reduction in solar panel and battery cost to thank for increased access.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Smart Grid Experiment Saves Participants the Equivalent of One Electric Bill Per Year

Lynne Peskoe-Yang

February 04, 2019 |

IEEE Spectrum |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Turkey, Istanbul

Gamifying energy-efficient behavior can help consumers adjust their habits. Project GresBAS (Grid Responsive Society through Building Automation Systems) incentivizes consumers by allowing them to compete against their own personal records, as well as their neighbors. The Project has piloted studies in Turkey and Portugal, signaling the broader possibilities of gamifying user interactions with smart grid technologies.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Dutch eco initiative halves energy bills in first UK homes

Adam Vaughan

January 07, 2019 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Nottingham, England

By piloting a Dutch initiative to make homes more energy efficient with new windows and solar panels in the United Kingdom, tenants are seeing their monthly energy bills decrease by almost half. More than 150 social housing homes in Nottingham are testing the “Energiesprong” approach, which has already seen success in the Netherlands.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The key to easing land-use disputes? Listening, says Virginia solar developer

Elizabeth McGowan

December 05, 2018 |

Energy News Network |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Nokesville, Virginia

In Virginia's Prince William County, one solar developer shows that the key to community support for renewables may be dialogue. Virginia Solar, a Richmond-based energy company, has won approval for a 20-megawatt solar project near Nokesville. How? By listening to citizen concerns about conservation, property values, and construction.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Solar Mini-Grids Give Nigeria a Power Boost

Amy Yee

December 02, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Gbamu Gbamu, Ogun State

Over half of Nigeria's population lacks reliable access to electricity, but solar energy is slowly changing this. Mini-grids are gaining popularity in these rural areas thanks to the technology's capability to provide affordable electricity while also reducing harmful emissions.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Is clean energy funding from the UN's Green Climate Fund and other sources going where it's needed most?

John Vidal

November 29, 2018 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Zambia

The UN's Green Climate Fund is a mechanism through which money for climate adaptation and mitigation is distributed globally. But funding for renewable energy goes overwhelmingly to wealthier nations. Without more funding, it's unlikely that poorer, less developed countries can meet their 2015 Paris Climate Accord goals.

Read More
Go to Original Story
From German trains to South Korean buses, hydrogen fuel is back in the energy picture

Bianca Nogrady

November 06, 2018 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany, Hamburg

Hydrogen fuel has made promising strides from Germany to Japan, thanks to shifting markets for renewables, improved storage technologies, and emissions-reduction goals. Electrolysis that uses renewables to make the fuel could transform transportation and energy infrastructure, but a few concerns about the unintended effects persist.

Read More
Go to Original Story