You’ve heard this sort of appeal before: For less than a dollar a day, you can help a child in a faraway place get access to nutritious food, school books or proper medical treatment….   What if your community – or workplace – spent well under a dollar a day to help someone right in your...

As the hottest July on record was drawing to a close, UN Secretary-General António Guterres may have summed it up best when he declared that the “era of global warming has ended, [and] the era of global ‘boiling’ has arrived.”   Guterres was referring to a string of weather calamities that, sadly, have been repeating themselves this summer,...

If you don’t already own an electric vehicle, chances are, you will someday soon.  EVs are expected to reach more than half of new U.S. car sales by 2030, up from just 6% today.  With all those new car batteries needing regular charging, EVs may reach nearly 15% of U.S. electricity demand by 2035, up...

The weather forecast for July 10 said it all.  Vermont, for the first time ever, was at “extreme risk” for excessive rainfall, with flash flooding reaching nearly every corner of the state.  With damage from this 48-hour deluge still being tallied, historical comparisons are being made to Tropical Storm Irene, the August 2011 storm that...

Solar continues to charge ahead!  That’s the main message in a new report from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Wood Mackenzie consulting firm.  As the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and other federal tax incentives kick into high gear, solar power generating capacity in the United States is expected to nearly triple by...

If you want a picture of how climate change is affecting our weather here in New England, you need look no further than the spring we’ve just had.  It’s been a grim reminder of how climate change is taking us to new extremes that defy the seasons, upset crop-growing patterns, and even foul the air...

Will this be the season when you take a serious look at 100% clean and less expensive solar energy?  

New England is off to another warm start this year as we head into the summer of 2023.  The first four months of the year were the second- and third-hottest on record in New Hampshire and Vermont, respectively, with average temperatures running about 6.5 degrees F above the 20th century average.  While an early season...

On April 15, California modified one of the most attractive residential solar net-metering programs in the nation.  California has long been a leader in promoting residential solar power; it now produces more small-scale solar generation than the next nine largest-producing states combined.  The recent decline in net-metering rates, orchestrated by the California Public Utilities Commission,...

With all of the ambitious goal-setting around cutting carbon emissions, it’s easy to question whether these targets are for real or just so much political hype. Just last week, President Biden upped the ante on the nation’s switch to electric vehicles, announcing new regulations that would effectively require auto makers to achieve 67% EV sales...

But Is It Soon Enough to Ward Off the Worst Effects of Climate Change? America reached an historic – if largely unheralded – milestone in 2022.  For the first time, U.S. power generation from renewable resources, mostly wind and solar power, surpassed power from coal-fired generation, according to statistics kept by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. ...

Now that Spring has arrived, it’s time for a look back at the 2022-23 winter season and some of the weather records it set.  Despite ranking as the third warmest winter season on record, it still managed to produce some potent winter storms – providing fresh evidence that snow is still a force to be...

A new electric utility is setting up shop in New Hampshire.  If you live in one of the 18 cities or towns that it’s ready to serve, chances are you will become one of its first paying customers (unless you opt out).   And you’ll be in growing company.  When the switch gets flipped next month,...

With Spring just around the corner, Solaflect Energy is getting ready for another busy season of solar Tracker installations.  Our Trackers deliver 40% more power than conventional roof or ground-mounted fixed solar arrays, operate virtually maintenance-free, and produce clean energy at far less than the ever-rising price of electricity through the gas-fired grid.   The combination...

How Will Wider Temperature Swings Affect Home Heating and Cooling Demand? They call it “climate change” for a reason.  While our planet is warming fast, two severe cold-weather outbreaks in the last six weeks remind us that global temperature extremes are heading in opposite directions – both up and down!  Last weekend, Mt. Washington set...

2022 was another year of wild, warm and unpredictable weather.  As we did a year ago, here’s an annual checkup on the globe’s health, as told in six charts. Global Temperature Trends Source:  National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration 2022 was the sixth warmest year on record, with all 10 warmest years occurring since 2010.  Earth’s...

Last summer, New Hampshire ratepayers saw their electric bills soar by 40% – 60%.  Now it’s Vermont’s turn.   Four municipal utilities in Vermont are raising their rates between 8% and 14% this winter – and all for the same reason.  They say they need to recover the rising cost of purchasing wholesale power from natural...

The holidays are upon us – and time for some good cheer!  Still, the world keeps on spinning on matters we hold dear.  December has been a busy month, with developments good and bad.  Here’s one on the sunny side, and two that may make you sad.  Is this progress we are making to build...

The move toward an all-electric future just got a step closer in Vermont.  The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) has completed two public hearings and received 340 written comments on a proposed rule to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035.  The final rule is scheduled go into effect on Dec. 16...

As we head into Thanksgiving weekend, it’s time to take stock of our world and give thanks for things we hold dear.  There’s a lot to reflect on this year, as the coronavirus recedes, the war in Ukraine drags on, and gas and electric bills reach record highs. From a climate perspective, “the things Americans...

In a recent post, we showed how Solaflect Trackers – when used to charge electric vehicles – can usually pay back their installed cost in seven years or less.  Fuel savings add up fast when you’re replacing gasoline with sunshine at the equivalent of 75 cents per gallon!   However, it’s not just the price of...

Now that Congress has passed generous new tax credits for the purchase of solar energy and electric vehicles, you may be wondering if now is the time to kick the gasoline habit.  The short answer is YES!!  There’s never been a better time to fill up your car on sunshine. But you likely still have...

While utilities have lots of charges for energy, transmission and other customer fees, a typical bill boils down to two main components – supply and delivery.  Both are going up fast! Yes, it’s true that electric bills have already been on a tear this year.  New England utilities paid the highest wholesale electricity prices in...

The record heat wave that struck California last week posed the biggest threat to our nation’s electrical grid since a deep freeze that shut down the Texas grid for nearly a week back in February 2020.  This time, Californians were spared the worst: the grid held, thanks to voluntary conservation efforts that averted rolling blackouts. ...