Energy Matters reports 1.3 Million Solar Power Systems In Germany, in a record setting year. German solar photovoltaic collectors generated 28 billion kilowatts, in 2012, supplying 5% of Germany's total demand for electricity.

via Daily Kos

Wind generated slightly more than 3 percent of total U.S. electricity in the United States during the 12-month period ending in May this year... a decade ago, it was one-tenth that.

Via Daily Kos

Renewable energy sources -- wind, water, solar and others -- passed nuclear generation as a share of U.S. power in September, according to the Energy Information Administration ( Read more... )

The average California resident emits a bit over half the national average in CO2 emissions.

Apparently because Californians on average use far less heat and air conditioning, and because the energy sources we do draw on, on average, emit less CO2.

via Yglesias

Electricity from the wind, sun, waves and biomass drew $187 billion last year compared with $157 billion for natural gas, oil and coal, according to calculations by Bloomberg New Energy Finance using the latest data.

Bloomberg Energy via LA Times

Solar energy photovoltaic (PV) companies manufactured a record 24,000 megawatts of PV cells worldwide in 2010, more than doubling their 2009 output.

Evwind.es

Westinghouse Solar announced today the introduction of “all-in-one,” do-it-yourself (DIY) solar power system kits for the home.
The kits’ low cost and ease of installation make them “very appealing to contractors and do-it-yourself (DIY) homeowners who, until now, have been put off by the high price of a rooftop system,” according to a Westinghouse ( Read more... )

A. Entrepeneur walks into the offices of A. Bigbank and asks for half a billion dollars to build a factory using technology X to produce solar energy.  A. Bigbank's loan officer, after evaluating the risk and the return, denies the loan, noting that there is a 50% chance that technology X will be obsolete by the time the factory is built, ( Read more... )

Germany set another record with renewable energy.. in the first half of 2011, renewables accounted for fully 20.8 percent of power production... The goal... is to draw at least 35 percent of production from renewables by 2020... opposition parties claim that 40 percent or even more is realistic.

Grist

Whether, when you put the palm of your hand on the flat of your refrigerator door, it feels cool, or it feels pretty much room temperature.

Poll