RENEWABLE ENERGY

First Solar Inc is on the verge of being included in the flagship S&P 500 index, a sign that alternative energy companies are now a mainstream investment.

California utility Pacific Gas and Electric said on Thursday that it has signed power agreements for more than 2,000 megawatts, boosting its use of energy from solar resources and natural gas.

Arizona Public Service said late Wednesday Starwood Energy Group Global LLC terminated a long-term power purchase agreement on Starwood's proposed 290-megawatt concentrating solar power plant in Arizona.

A green power building spree is on the way, and much of it will be brought to you by the same people who built the nuclear and coal-fired power plants that keep the lights on now.

A green power building spree is on the way, and much of it will be brought to you by the same people who built the nuclear and coal-fired power plants that keep the lights on now.

U.S.-listed solar shares sank on Monday, cutting into gains earlier this month as investors feared Germany's new coalition government could trim support for the industry.

Martin Roberts

The European Union and the United States are holding talks on agreeing a pact with OECD countries and China to eliminate duties on green goods as part of incentives to Beijing in a potential global climate deal.

MILAN - Italian renewable energy company TerniEnergia is set to exceed its 2009 target for new solar installations and may review 2010 and 2011 goals aiming to expand in the rapidly growing market, its chairman told Reuters.

Lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems Inc has a history of losses, is uncertain about its ability to generate positive cash flow -- and is the most talked-about company going public this week.

The U.S. Energy and Treasury Departments on Tuesday awarded $550 million in cash grants to develop renewable energy projects to help meet the Obama administration's goal of doubling U.S. renewable energy production over the next few years.

As the United States' power grid becomes more sophisticated, electricity rates will need to rise to reflect periods of intense energy use and to encourage consumers to change their electricity habits, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said on Monday.

Germany's Siemens aims to build on its leading position in offshore wind turbines to become the world's third-biggest supplier to the wind industry overall by 2012, a senior executive said.

U.S.-based solar panel maker First Solar Inc said on Thursday that it will supply 27 megawatts of solar panels for utility projects in the United States to a unit of juwi Holding AG.

Solar power makers will get a boost in California, already their largest U.S. market, as it sharpens its focus on small-scale projects as part of efforts to get a third of its power from renewable energy.

Tucson Electric Power, a unit of UniSource Energy Corp, agreed to buy power from two solar energy systems to be built in Arizona that would generate enough electricity for more than 6,000 homes, the company said in a release late Wednesday.

Investors betting on renewable or clean energy and related green themes are looking for healthy and sustainable returns, but the road is full of pitfalls for the unwary, investment managers warned on Thursday.

In the game of climate poker, developing nations might feel they have the right cards on the table in U.N. talks after ramping up efforts to curb greenhouse gas output.

Major developing nations have announced steps over the past year to curb their growing greenhouse emissions as the world tries to negotiate a broader, and tougher, U.N. pact to slow the pace of climate change.

Japan's new energy minister said he aims to expand the nation's electricity feed-in tariff scheme to other energy sources beyond solar power within two years, to help meet the new government's goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.

Australia's futures exchange operator ASX Ltd plans to establish a futures market for renewable energy by the end of the year as the country seeks to quadruple green power generation by 2020.