Renewable Energy

USDA Census of Agriculture Shows U.S. Losing Small Farms to Factory Farming, While Gaining in Renewable Energy Use

USDA Census of Agriculture Shows U.S. Losing Small Farms to Factory Farming, While Gaining in Renewable Energy Use

The latest Census of Agriculture from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) raises concerns over a loss of small farms and a growth in larger farms, while also showing some promise with the growth of renewable energy implementation in agriculture. The USDA completes a Census of Agriculture every five years to count the nation’s farms […]

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    BLM Proposes 22 Million Acres of Public Lands for Solar Energy

    BLM Proposes 22 Million Acres of Public Lands for Solar Energy

    In order to help the United States transition to renewable energy, the Department of the Interior has announced a new solar energy “roadmap,” including 22 million acres of public lands to expand solar energy development in the West, a press release from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) said. The BLM also announced plans for […]

    Pollinator-Friendly Solar Installations Can Help Solve Climate and Biodiversity Crises

    Pollinator-Friendly Solar Installations Can Help Solve Climate and Biodiversity Crises

    Rehabilitated farmland used for solar energy facilities that are planted with native wildflowers and grasses can create lush habitats for insects, birds and bees, a new study has found. The research, conducted by scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory, found that insect numbers tripled in […]

    Wind and Solar Capacity in Southeast Asia Rose by 20% in 2023

    Wind and Solar Capacity in Southeast Asia Rose by 20% in 2023

    Utility-scale wind and solar capacity rose by 20 percent in Southeast Asia last year, as the region comprising the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) brought its total capacity to more than 28 gigawatts (GW), according to a new Global Energy Monitor (GEM) report. The increase means the region is in a good position to […]

    Hertz Begins Selling Off EVs, Plans to Buy Gas Vehicles as Replacements

    Hertz Begins Selling Off EVs, Plans to Buy Gas Vehicles as Replacements

    Rental car company Hertz is selling off 20,000 of electric vehicles in its fleet, with plans to replace these vehicles with internal combustion engine vehicles.  The company cited high repair expenses and low demand as its reasons to sell the EVs, Utility Dive reported. However, in 2021, Hertz had committed to offering one of the […]

    U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Down 1.9% in 2023, but Must Fall Faster to Meet Climate Goals

    U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Down 1.9% in 2023, but Must Fall Faster to Meet Climate Goals

    Greenhouse gas emissions in the United States fell by 1.9 percent in 2023 — the lowest level since 1969 — mostly due to less coal power generation, according to preliminary estimates released by independent research firm the Rhodium Group. Following two years of increasing emissions, and with the country’s economy expanding by 2.4 percent, emissions […]