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Electrical transmission tower and power lines

DOE Announces $366 Million to Accelerate Energy Security in Rural America

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This week the Department of Energy (DOE) announced more than $366 million for 17 projects across rural and remote American communities. The funding will accelerate the development of clean, sustainable energy deployment with community driven projects such as building microgrids to ensure energy security with reliable, affordable energy.

Rural and remote communities face a unique set of energy challenges due to their small populations and isolation from larger electrical systems, resulting in higher electric bills, unreliable energy supplies, and/or no access to electricity at all. Read more

IRA - Private Clean Energy Investments in the U.S.

Federal Agencies Launch Clean Energy Incentive Finders and Tax Credit Hub

IRA - Private Clean Energy Investments in the U.S.

In addition to spurring private investment in large-scale clean energy deployment, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) created home energy programs for consumers, local officials, and advocates. To spread the word, several federal agencies have launched hubs to help organizations and consumers learn about the programs:

This Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program  is launching a new Incentive Finder to help consumers choose home energy products that qualify for benefits such as tax rebates. Read more

BLM proposes solar development plans on selected public lands

BLM Announces Plan to Open Public Land for Solar Projects

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently released a draft roadmap — known as the updated Western Solar Plan — that outlines proposed solar energy development across the West.  The plan is designed to expand solar energy production overall, and to streamline siting and project permitting on U.S. public lands.

The plan is an update of BLM’s 2012 Western Solar Plan, that identified land having high solar potential and low resource conflicts to guide responsible solar development in the original six states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. The updated plan adds areas in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. Read more

Graph: Manufacturing electricity demand intensity and rooftop solar PVs supply intensity ranges.

Rooftop Solar Could Power Up to 35% of Manufacturing in the U.S.

A recent study investigated the technical feasibility of using rooftop solar PV to cover the net annual electricity needs of industry across all U.S. states and manufacturing sectors. Modeled electricity supply intensity for solar PV arrays is compared with the electricity demand per unit of floorspace for average manufacturing buildings derived from the U.S. Department of Energy Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey.

Manufacturing buildings typically have large, flat rooftops that are ideal for solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays, yet less than 1% of industrial electricity demand in the U.S. is currently powered by on-site solar installations.

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VerdeWatts® - powering our planet responsibly

Unlocking Value: Fungible Federal Tax Credits are Revolutionizing Renewable Energy

Hello readers! I’m Steve Wilburn, CEO of VerdeWatts®️. Today, I want to share how fungible federal tax credits are revolutionizing the renewable energy landscape and benefiting both VerdeWatts and our investors.

At VerdeWatts, we are dedicated to developing and operating qualified renewable energy projects and manufacturing operations. These initiatives not only contribute to a sustainable future, but also generate valuable tax credits under the IRA Act of 2022. What makes these tax credits particularly exciting is their fungibility, which allows us to maximize their value in various ways. Read more

Graph: statistics about green job growth in several countries and globally

Green Job Growth Outpaces Overall Hiring in 2023

The number of jobs in the global energy sector continued to rise in 2023 as growing investment in clean energy technologies drove demand for new workers in every region of the world, according to a new IEA report that offers a benchmark for employment across all energy industries. Read more