RENEWABLE ENERGY

Utility company Duke Energy Corp said it agreed to develop commercial solar power projects in the United States with ENN Group, a private Chinese energy company.

European solar equipment makers are slowly emerging from the crisis that has hit the sector, quarterly results will show, but the outlook beyond 2009 will be uncertain due to tight credit and oversupply.

Novera Energy will start construction of the Glenkerie wind farm in Scotland in the first half of next year after agreeing financing for the project.

Chinese solar panel maker Suntech Power Holdings Co Ltd (STP.N) said on Wednesday it will begin shipping a new solar system for large-sized projects next year, betting that the U.S. solar utility market will heat up.

Ascent Solar Technologies Inc said it achieved a new efficiency milestone on some of its solar modules, sending its shares up as much as 6 percent.

Shares of SunPower Corp rallied more than 6 percent on Monday as analysts upped their view of the company ahead of its quarterly results slated for this week.

A U.S. cap-and-trade market on greenhouse gases should be designed carefully to avoid unfair economic pain in fossil fuel industries and other parts of the economy, experts told lawmakers on Wednesday.

California is heating up its push for clean energy, as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger approved a new subsidy for solar power on Monday and joined forces with the federal government to fast-track renewable energy projects.

Solar thermal power company eSolar Inc said on Friday it granted South African company Clean Energy Solutions exclusive rights to represent and distribute eSolar's concentrating solar power technology across seven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The long-awaited smart grid for U.S. power could play a major role in rolling out renewable energy like wind and solar, the top U.S. power regulator said on Wednesday.

California's plan to slow climate change will boost the state economy and save hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk from rising energy costs, a study by a University of California economist said on Wednesday.

Global investments in renewable energy technology like wind, solar and hydroelectric power have slid dramatically this year as the economic crisis limited government and private funds for new projects, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

Britain expects around 100 billion pounds ($159 billion) of investment in a third round of offshore wind projects by 2020 and about 5 billion in its Pentland Firth marine energy scheme, the agency in charge of the coastal seabed said.

Europe has launched a campaign to triple funding for energy research to 8 billion euros ($11.7 billion) a year in a technology race with China, Japan and the United States, but said industry would have to pay the bulk.

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