Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure

Last week, President Barack Obama and China’s President Xi Jinping announced that their two countries would sign the global climate accord on April 22. Senior U.S. officials noted that the commitment to cut carbon emissions by the world’s largest greenhouse gas polluters will compel other countries to formally join the agreement.

Last week Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) released a report entitled “Clean Jobs America,” a comprehensive analysis of clean energy and clean transportation jobs in the United States.

The Senate and the House of Representatives are both on Spring Recess, with the Senate returning on April 4 and the House scheduled to return on April 12.

Interested in upcoming events in the energy technology industry? Look no further! Our blog features an events page dedicated to listing happenings around the globe, and there are many upcoming spring events. Click here to view it – and feel free to add this page to your favorites list!

Paul Dickerson and Tom Burton wrote an article published on Monday in the Houston Chronicle regarding the current fundamental change in the global energy landscape as well as the importance of energy diversity.

Do you find yourself checking social media for news instead of sitting down each morning to read the newspaper? If so, you’re not alone! Last year, 63% of Twitter users agreed that the platform serves as a source for news, according to a study conducted by Pew Research Center.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee remains optimistic that the bipartisan energy bill will advance potentially as soon as this week after completion of legislation related to GMOs, but more likely following the Senate’s return from next week’s recess.

Applications are being accepted for the 2016 Cleantech Open Northeast and the return of its start-up accelerator program.  Open to startups at all stages of development, the accelerator program is excited to begin the search for the next crop of cleantech companies that are prepared to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the program.

Last week the Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) released its fourth annual Advanced Energy Now Market Report, which highlighted the spectacular growth in advanced energy over the last five years both globally and in the United States.

Following Senate action last week on the pipeline safety bill, there is new hope for the Senate bipartisan energy bill with a potential compromise on legislation to address the Flint water crisis.

Mintz Levin is thrilled to be a returning sponsor of the World Energy Innovation Forum, being held at the Tesla Motors manufacturing facility on May 4–5, 2016 in Fremont, California.

The United States is experiencing a period of rapid growth in the solar industry, and Fraunhofer TechBridge looks to enhance and continue through its SunRISE TechBridge Challenge to Realize Innovation in Solar Energy.

The Senate’s bipartisan energy bill continues to be a focal point of legislative debate on Capitol Hill. After a long standstill due to disagreements on how best to address the water crisis in Flint, MI, progress came after a compromise agreement announced by Senator Inhofe (R-OK) and Senator Stabenow (D-MI) regarding Flint.

Last week, the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) released the results of a study exploring the potential impact of recently extended federal tax credits on the deployment of renewable generation technologies and related U.S. electric sector carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Earlier this week, GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association announced that the United States installed 7.3 GW of solar photovoltaics in 2015, the largest total ever and 17 percent more than in 2014.

Congress returns this week from the President's Day recess to a changed landscape with the death of Supreme Court Justice Scalia. The Supreme Court vacancy has important ramifications for the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, which was stayed by the Supreme Court earlier this month.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of a brand new website for entrepreneurs entitled MintzEdge: www.mintzedge.com. This site is intended to function as a resource of useful information for building and growing new and disruptive businesses.

The bipartisan energy bill, which Congress has focused on since the start of the new year, has been put on hold following a disagreement over federal aid to address the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. 

The start of the new year has brought with it numerous opportunities for energy tech funding from the Department of Energy. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been or are being given out to companies and research institutions across the country – opportunities stretch a wide variety of focus areas, from solar energy storage to grid modernization.

In a press release last week, the analytics firm IHS predicted that the solar installation boom will continue in the United States in 2016 following the extension of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) last December.