The world's first solar power train has gone on its inaugural run. It doesn't go very far but the Australian Byron Bay Railroad will begin making regular solar-powered journeys in January 2018.

FUTURISM -- Byron Bay, New South Wales, is located in eastern Australia and is known as a surfer and backpacker's paradise with a population of around 5,000. The new train service covers 1.8 miles (3 km) between the city's center and its North Beach district. It's part of a longer 82 mile (132 km) line connecting Australia's Northern Rivers region north of the capital Sydney.


What the solar powered lacks in distance it makes for in style. A 1949 refurbished ‘red rattler,’ the train uses custom-built curved solar panels on its roof and can carry 100 passengers.


“We searched the country and found a dilapidated vintage train, restored it, and are now powering it with a 4.6 billion-year-old power source,” says Jeremy Holmes, Byron Bay Railroad Company’s development director in a press statement. 



Towns in New South Wales get over 200 sunny days a year, but when the sun isn't out it can charge in a special shed.


On the chance of prolonged cloudy weather, the train has on-board batteries that it charges with local green energy sources. And in case of prolonged lousy weather and an electrical failure, the train also a diesel engine on board as a last-case scenario. "Due to the fact that the track is level with only one small curve, the train can run on a minimal amount of energy with the engine idle most of the time," the train's website states.


The world's cheapest energy source, solar energy is being used in vastly different ways around the globe. From refugees to vintage trains, expect to see a lot more of it in the near future.

​China will end the production of 553 passenger-car models that don’t meet fuel-consumption limits amid efforts by the nation to curb pollution.

BLOOMBERG -- The halt in production will begin Jan. 1, the China Vehicle Technology Service Center said in a statement Thursday. Models include FAW VW’s Audi FV7145LCDBG sedan, Beijing Benz’s Benz BJ7302ETAL2 sedan and Shanghai GM’s Chevrolet SGM7161DAA2 sedan.


China has been cracking down on chronic pollution in the past year through measures including curbs to steel supply, restricting coal usage, and a plan to phase out vehicles powered by fossil fuels. The latest announcement marks the first time China has come up with an official list of offending vehicles and there’ll be more to come, said Wang Liusheng, a Shanghai-based analyst at China Merchants Securities Co.


“To emphasize a cut back on energy consumption, such documents will surface frequently in the future,” Wang said in an email. “It’s an essential move to ensure the healthy development of the industry in the long run.”


The 553 models form a “very small” percentage of passenger cars in production, Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the China Passenger Car Association, said by phone. He didn’t provide further details.

In 2017 the U.S. received a harsh reminder of the perils of the rise in the planet’s temperature: a destructive rash of hurricanes, fires and floods.

BLOOMBERG -- The country recorded 15 weather events costing $1 billion or more each through early October, one short of the record 16 in 2011, according to the federal government’s National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville, North Carolina. And the tally doesn’t include the recent wildfires in southern California.



In many cases, weather broke records. In others, it was just downright odd, like the February warm spell that sent temperatures to a record 72 Fahrenheit (22 Celsius) in Burlington, Vermont, and spawned a tornado in Massachusetts.


“When all is said and done, this year is going to be one of the worst years on record for U.S. damages,” said Antonio Busalacchi, president of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.


Among the most devastating events were hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and wildfires in northern California. The killer storms caused economic losses of more than $210 billion in the U.S. and across the Caribbean, and about $100 billion in insured damages, according to Mark Bove, a senior research scientist with Munich Reinsurance America in Princeton, New Jersey.


The list goes on -- ruinous hail in Colorado and Minnesota, tornado outbreaks across the Midwest and South, flooding that damaged a massive dam in California and triggered evacuations downstream.




Billion-Dollar Disasters
There have been at least 15 weather and climate disasters in the U.S. this year that resulted in losses of more than $1 billion each. That's one short of the record set in 2011.


Many of the events can be explained by historical weather patterns. The most calamitous, though, showed signs of a warming climate, including Hurricane Harvey, which dropped as much as 60 inches rain as it meandered around the Texas coast after coming ashore as the first of three Category 4 storms to strike the U.S. this year.


Warming worsened Harvey’s impacts by boosting moisture in the atmosphere and weakening high-altitude winds that would normally push such a system along, according to Kerry Emanuel, a professor of atmospheric science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. Harvey marked the third-straight year of major flooding in Houston.



In Texas and elsewhere, “there are certainly indications that these extreme rainfall events are occurring more frequently,” said Greg Carbin, branch chief at the U.S. Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.


Those who are skeptical that climate change is a phenomenon, or that human activity is to blame, contend that dramatic weather this year was happenstance or part of larger, regular meteorological swings. Trump, who has in the past dismissed the concept of man-made climate change as a hoax, announced in June that the U.S. would leave the Paris climate accord, saying it favors other nations at the expense of American workers.


The overwhelming consensus among scientists is that Earth’s climate is warming and that greenhouse gases are the prime reason. The American Meteorological Society linked changing climate and severe weather this month in a report that included contributions from researchers at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.


“When you see an extreme event that is breaking all records, it is more likely to have the fingerprints of human-induced climate change,” said Brenda Ekwurzel, senior climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists.


Earlier this year, rain and snow that brought life to California hills parched by six years of drought foretold dangerous times. The moisture produced a bumper crop of grass and brush that then dried out, leaving ample fuel for wind-driven flames that burned large swaths of Napa and Sonoma counties in October and Santa Barbara and Ventura counties this month.


“Prolonged drought and warming temperatures in California are not just extending the state’s wildfire season, they are increasing the evaporation rate of water,” Bove said. “This means that extreme wildfire conditions will return to California after a rain event more quickly today than in the past.”


At least 40 people died in the fires, some of which were among the top 20 most destructive in state history, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Thomas fire, now almost contained, set a record as the largest ever in the state.


While other countries suffered intense and unprecedented weather in 2017, the range and number of incidents across America put it in its own league, said Bob Henson, a meteorologist at at Weather Underground in Boulder, Colorado. “The U.S. took a disproportionate hit.”

Eight northeastern states said on Tuesday they sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to force it to impose more stringent controls on a group of mostly Midwestern states whose air pollution they claim is being blown in their direction.​

REUTERS -- In the latest development of a legal saga that began during Barack Obama’s presidency, the lawsuit by New York and seven other states challenges a Trump administration decision to allow nine upwind states to escape tighter smog pollution controls.


“Millions of New Yorkers are breathing unhealthy air as smog pollution continues to pour in from other states,” said New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who led the coalition of states that filed the lawsuit dated Friday.


The coalition urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to overturn the EPA’s decision not to add the nine upwind states to the congressionally created “Ozone Transport Region,” which requires stricter pollution controls.


An EPA spokeswoman declined to comment.


Northeast and mid-Atlantic states have long contended that emissions from coal-fired power plants and other air pollution in the Midwest is carried eastward by prevailing air currents.


In a statement, Scheiderman said the EPA was empowered to add states to the “Ozone Transport Region” if the EPA has reason to believe that their air pollution significantly causes states already in the region to exceed federal pollution standards.


The lawsuit was filed by the attorneys general of Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, which in late 2013 originally asked to have nine upwind states added to the “Ozone Transport Region.”


That case resulted in a consent decree that forced the EPA to decide by the end of October 2017 whether to add Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia to the region.



EPA chief Scott Pruitt declined to add the states.

Scheiderman said the EPA’s own studies show that pollution from upwind states substantially adds to harmful levels of smog in New York, and cited an American Lung Association report showing that the New York City area ranks as the nation’s ninth most smog-polluted city.

In 2018, electric cars will finally turn the corner from curious niche product to become a viable option for  America's families. Next year will mark a turning point in the ultimate electrification of America's roads.

CNN — Electric cars will still only make up just 1.5% of all U.S. auto sales according Navigant Research. But, for EVs, the really important numbers to watch are price, driving range and availability.


Americans will finally be able to buy reasonably affordable and widely available electric cars that can hold enough power to breeze through their daily routines with no worries. Cars like the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the redesigned Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Model 3 will begin to strip away the "trust issue," as Kelley Blue Book analyst Rebecca Lindland terms it.


Electric cars are far simpler, mechanically, than internal combustion cars and should be more reliable. But it will take time for people to realize that they aren't going to freeze up like their smart phones do, she said. Seeing more electric cars on the road in large numbers will help ease those fears.

Next year will be the first full year that the Chevrolet Bolt EV will be available nationwide. But it's already been a clear marketplace success. Already more than 20,000 have been sold. And it wasn't even available in all 50 states for most of the year. Prices for the Bolt EV start at about $37,000 and it has batteries that can take it an estimated 238 miles.


The redesigned Nissan (NSANF) Leaf is also just entering production. For now, the Nissan Leaf isn't going head-to-head against the Bolt EV, since it doesn't go as far -- only 150 miles on a charge. But it also doesn't cost as much, with a starting price in the U.S. of under $30,000. A version of the leaf that will be closer to the Bolt's range and price is expected to come later.




The Tesla (TSLA) Model 3, with a starting price about the same as the Bolt EV, was supposed to be leading the charge for the mass-market EV. But something went wrong. Tesla has struggled to make the car -- only 260 had been produced as of October. That's given GM (GM) a long lead in the marketplace.


Still, if it can get its production troubles behind it quickly enough -- something that remains far from certain -- Tesla could handily outsell either Nissan's or GM 's electric cars, despite Tesla's far more limited dealer network.


Over 400,000 people have already paid refundable deposits to buy a Model 3. Sam Abuelsamid, a transportation analyst with Navigant Research, expects more than half of those people will ultimately back out when they learn how much options cost, and about what he describes as the car's awkward interior controls. Even then, the Model 3 would be well positioned to take the lead in sales.


Tesla has two advantages. First, there's the allure of the Tesla brand band. KBB's Lindland, who holds a reservation for a Model 3 herself, said she'd never consider the Bolt EV despite the fact that she knows it's at least as good.


"There is a mystique about Tesla," she allowed.


The other factor is that Tesla's dealer network, while paltry compared to Chevrolet's or Nissan's, is far more effective at selling electric cars. Salespeople at mainstream auto dealers often push customers interested in electric vehicles toward gasoline-powered models, according to a recent study by the marketing research firm Ipsos.


Each of these three cars are helping to change consumer attitudes about EVs. Tesla has transformed the idea of what electric cars can be, making them intriguing and desirable. The Leaf and the Bolt EV show that these cars are accessible -- they can be purchased from the same dealer that sells you a pickup truck, not just from a start-up car manufacturer.


One remaining wrinkle is the $7,500 federal tax credit that manufacturers are counting on to help sell these electric cars. That incentive survived the Republican tax overhaul but the full credit is only good on the first 200,000 electric cars sold by each automaker. And GM, Nissan and Tesla are expected to hit that number some time next year.


Maybe by then enough people will have changed their minds, and electric cars will be able to stand on their own.

The French Parliament on Tuesday passed a law banning the production of all oil and gas by 2040.


THE HILL — France will not grant any new permits or renew existing ones that allow fracking or the extraction of fossil fuels in the country and its overseas territories.


France is almost entirely dependent on hydrocarbon imports, so the largely symbolic ban will not majorly affect the country’s industries, but some lawmakers said they hope it will inspire other 

Macron used the hashtag “Make Our Planet Great Again,” a nod to his efforts to push efforts to tackle climate change after President Trumppulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord. Macron has said that he will continue trying to convince Trump to reverse his decision and rejoin the pact.


France has also committed to ending the sale of gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2040.

The Caribbean Climate-Smart Coalition seeks rapid implementation of US $8 billion climate investment plan that will transform regional energy system, build resiliency, drive economic growth and set a global example. 


Recent hurricanes have left unprecedented devastation across the Caribbean and it is a traumatic time for all those who live in the region. Whole communities and towns have been decimated, and the global community needs to act quickly and give generously to relieve suffering and help to rebuild. Alongside the on-going emergency response, Caribbean leaders today announced the launch of a new public-private coalition to create the world's first "climate-smart zone". 



The Caribbean Climate-Smart Coalition aims to find a way to break through the systemic obstacles that stop finance flowing to climate-smart investments. With the right domestic and international reforms, the world can step up – and help unleash the means to catalyse an ambitious US $8 billion investment plan to bring greater energy and infrastructure resilience to 3.2 million Caribbean households. This would help Caribbean islands to eliminate their costly dependency on fossil fuels so that they can meet close to 100 per cent of their energy needs from renewable sources, and to embed resilience into communities and livelihoods to realise the bold ambitions of all Caribbean people. 
 
The Caribbean Climate-Smart Coalition aims to find a way to break through the systemic obstacles that stop finance flowing to climate-smart investments.


The announcement came at the One Planet Summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris to review progress made on the Paris Agreement adopted by global governments two years ago today. Caribbean leaders have brought together a Coalition of global organisations such as the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank and the Caribbean Development Bank, as well as businesses and supporters from the Caribbean and the international community. The Coalition aims to reinvigorate the islands that have been impacted by recent hurricanes Irma and Maria, and help build more resilient infrastructure and communities across the region as the likelihood of future extreme weather events increases. 


Coalition members will help to establish partnerships that can make investment deals happen. They will also bring their collective abilities together to break down the technological and financial barriers which represent the last obstacles to Caribbean people grasping the transformational opportunities that are in reach. 


Specifically, the Coalition's work will focus on catalysing four initial critical priorities: 


>> Scale renewable energy as rapidly as possible to help free Caribbean countries from the high cost of imported fossil fuels and the high vulnerability of centralised distribution systems. 
>> Build low-carbon and resilient infrastructure including nature-based approaches, to better withstand future extreme weather events. 
>> Create innovative financing models such as a debt-for-resilience swap initiative in exchange for demonstrated progress on policy reforms and investments to strengthen resilience and promote climate-smart growth pathways. Build platforms to help facilitate the large public and private investments required.
>> Strengthen the capacity of Caribbean countries and key regional institutions to plan for long-term resilience and climate smart growth strategies. 


Prime Minister Keith Mitchell of Grenada, Chair of CARICOM, said: “Caribbean leaders have come together as a powerful collective to build a better future for the people of the Caribbean. We welcome the financial commitments from our partners – around US$1.3 billion for recovery efforts and US$2.8 billion toward the vision shared by all members of the Coalition and others. This is a great first step. Now we need to turn this possibility into a set of realities that benefit all our people. We all need to work together to change the rules of the game to accelerate climate-smart financial flows for the Caribbean and other small island developing states. Together we can build thriving economies fuelled by clean energy, nature-based resilient design and innovation. The time for action is now.” 

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica, said: “Despite the immense human suffering and economic damage caused by the recent hurricanes, the people of the Caribbean do not want to be just passive victims of climate change. Rather, they want to be active participants in designing and implementing solutions, and for their Caribbean region to serve as a beacon of hope for island nations all over the world.” Supported by funding and resources from the Inter-American Development Bank Group, the World Bank Group and the Caribbean Development Bank, a Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator with an estimated budget of $6 -10m for a three-year period is being established to catalyse billions of further public and private resources.


Luis Alberto Moreno, Inter-American Development Bank Group President, said: “The IDB Group reaffirms its continued and historical commitment to the Caribbean and will work with leaders of the region to improve lives by creating climate-smart and vibrant economies, where people are safe, productive, and happy. We hope that through this Climate Smart Coalition, in addition to offering new affordable financing, we will use our wide physical presence on the ground to work closely with the people of the region to design their Caribbean of the future, today.”


Jim Yong Kim, World Bank Group President, said: “The Caribbean is in the ‘eye of the storm’ and we need coordinated international support to rebuild and better plan for the future. At the World Bank Group, we welcome the Caribbean Climate-Smart Coalition and plan to support it so countries get back on their feet and are better able to deal with the growing frequency and intensity of storms and hurricanes.”


Warren Smith, President of the Caribbean Development Bank, said: “The destruction our Region experienced during the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season emphasises that we cannot afford to take a business-as-usual approach in tackling climate change. CDB, therefore, welcomes the establishment of the Caribbean Climate-Smart Coalition. The Bank shares the vision of the Coalition and we look forward to supporting and investing in solutions to accelerate progress towards achieving this goal.

The World Bank announced its plan to discontinue its financing of upstream oil and gas projects in 2019. The announcement came at the One Planet summit and on the two-year anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement.

FUTURISM — In a move sure to be celebrated by opponents of fossil fuel-based energy, the World Bank has just made a huge announcement at the One Planet summit called by French President Emmanuel Macron. The bank, which provides loans to developing countries to foster economic growth, announced on December 12 that it will no longer offer financial support for oil and gas exploration after 2019.


During the summit, the bank released a statement saying it “will no longer finance upstream oil and gas,” citing a need to change in a “rapidly changing world.” In 2015, the bank previously vowed to have 28% of its portfolio dedicated to climate action by 2020. The bank’s latest statement on fossil fuel financing suggests that it is on course to achieve that goal.


This is yet another blow to the fossil fuel energy industry, and a seemingly significant win for environmental advocates. The economics surrounding the energy sector are increasingly making it more attractive for entities to switch to renewable energy. Across the world, it has become cheaper to build new renewable energy installations than to operate and maintain existing coal power plants.

The World Bank’s plan does lay out a caveat for “exceptional circumstances,” saying that they will consider “…financing upstream gas in the poorest countries where there is a clear benefit in terms of energy access for the poor and the project fits within the countries’ Paris Agreement commitments.”


The Paris agreement is a major factor in the decision. The One Earth summit was planned on the two-year anniversary of the historic agreement, which was looking uncertain after the President of the United States, one of the major financial and influential member nations, decided to withdraw. Even so, the agreement looks to be thriving, even in the US, which may reach the goals laid out in Paris against all odds.

Tesla has dedicated efforts to restoring energy in Puerto Rico following the devastation of Hurricane Maria. Now, the company is partnering with the local government to launch six new battery projects on two islands.

FUTURISM — After Hurricane Maria destroyed much of Puerto Rico earlier this year, Elon Musk was quick to offer Tesla’s services as an energy provider.


The largest energy contract in the restoration efforts ultimately went to Whitefish, a small energy company from Montana, but they’ve since halted work. Tesla, however, has remained dedicated to improving energy access and availability in Puerto Rico.


Tesla’s restoration efforts began with powering a children’s hospital in San Juan, and now, Puerto Rico and Tesla are partnering on six battery projects as part of a larger effort to power two islands in Puerto Rico: Vieques and Culebra.


These energy projects will combine Tesla Powerpack systems with solar arrays that are already in place on the islands to run microgrids until the main energy grid is repaired and fully operational.


CRITICAL LOCATIONS


A lack of energy resources can have dire health implications, so Tesla will first deploy battery systems at the most critical locations. These include a sewer treatment plant, the Arcadia water pumping station, the Ciudad Dorada elderly community, the Susan Centeno hospital, and the Boys and Girls Club of Vieques.


As reported by Elektrek, Governor Rosselló Nevares spoke about the partnership between Puerto Rico and Tesla on local radio 1320:


Due to the limited access to the Municipality Islands, and the importance of the sanitary sewer processing systems and their direct relationship with the health and the environment, we understand the need to provide energy options to improve the capacity for recovery after an interruption of the network.


These projects are part of the measures we are taking to build a better Puerto Rico after the passage of Hurricane Maria and ensure a reliable service for the benefit of the citizens who reside here.

Relief Efforts in Puerto Rico are still very much underway. Image Credit: United States Department of Defense​

Tesla has made a clear and significant effort, thus far, to support restoration efforts in Puerto Rico, and these initial battery systems are only one part of the company’s longer, larger goal. The governor’s words illustrate the combined dedication of the local government in Puerto Rico and Tesla to not only overcome the damage done by Hurricane Maria, but to use technology to create a better energy grid than the one Puerto Rico had initially.

As renewable energy prices drop, schools are saving millions, while teaching students about technology. Their solar capacity has nearly doubled in three years.


INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS — In a field behind an elementary school in rural Middlesex County, Virginia, near the Chesapeake Bay, an ambitious plan has been taking shape: Schools Superintendent Peter Gretz and other local administrators are preparing to power their school district with solar energy.


By next August, Virginia-based solar developer Sun Tribe Solar expects to have an array of solar panels in place in that field that can generate enough electricity to power the county's elementary school and middle school—at a price well below their current electricity costs—while offering students, teachers and the community a way to learn about clean energy.


"We felt it was important work for our kids, and we wanted them to see the community leading in a way that was responsible and sustainable, as well as fiscally responsible and efficient," Gretz said.


The number of schools powered by solar is growing quickly. About 5 percent of all K-12 U.S. schools are now powered by the sun, and their solar capacity has almost doubled in the last three years, according to a new study by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), The Solar Foundation, and Generation 180, a clean energy nonprofit.


The nearly 5,500 schools using solar power today have a total of 910 megawatts of solar capacity, enough to power 190,000 homes, according to the study.


The biggest reason for the surge is the economic benefits of solar energy. Drastic declines in price have made it financially viable for schools. Both public and private schools are reducing their electricity bills with solar, leaving them more money to spend on educational programs, according to the research. Many are also incorporating renewable energy into their science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) lessons.


Mirroring the overall solar landscape, California has the most school installations, with nearly 2,000 schools that use solar power. Nevada has the highest adoption rate: 23 percent of schools are now using solar energy. New Jersey, Arizona, Massachusetts and New York, other states with solar-friendly policies and a rapidly growing solar base, also have high adoption rates, according to the study.


"People are excited about the environmental benefits, and the curriculum development, but what has moved the needle is the economics," said Devin Welch, vice president of business development for Sun Tribe. "It has really changed the narrative completely."


Schools Are Saving Millions of Dollars
Sun Tribe has spent the last two years working to expand solar in Virginia, which gets less than 1% of its electricity from solar. The company has installed an array on a private school campus near Charlottesville and on the University of Virginia's campus. By partnering with the Virginia Association of Independent Schools, Sun Tribe is working to expand a pilot program for third-party power purchase agreements in the state.


"Schools have always been in demand for solar because it aligns so well with their mission: preparing the next generation of leaders," Welch said.

Schools have added solar panels on rooftops, above parking lots and in open fields to help reduce their electricity costs. Credit: Sage Renewables​


According to the study, the average school solar system is about 300 kilowatts, which is 900 to 1,200 panels. Most are installed on rooftops, but there are many other models: solar farms are being built near campuses or on shaded carports in parking lots; urban schools with less space are participating in community solar projects; new buildings are being designed to be solar or net-zero-energy ready. The projects can save school districts into the millions of dollars over the projects' 25-year lifetime. Kern High School District in Bakersfield, California, for example, is estimated to save as much as $80 million in electricity costs over 25 years with its 22-megawatt project.


The upfront costs of the majority of school solar projects are funded through power purchase agreements, which allow a solar company to install panels and sell the power to the school, but some have also been funded through school bonds if the state does not allow third-party solar.


Middlesex County is using a power purchase agreement with Sun Tribe and will pay 6.8 cents a kilowatt-hour for solar, compared to about 9 cents the district currently pays, Gretz said. The district expects to save about $2.5 million in energy costs over 25 years with the solar panels.


The Students Get It
There has been some pushback from communities, although most, even in a conservative state like Virginia, have been on board as prices have dropped to make solar more affordable for schools. But the students get it, Welch said. In many cases, students have been the ones to push schools to transition to solar power, and some have gotten jobs with solar installers after projects were completed.


To cultivate more of that enthusiasm, solar companies are partnering with local organizations to develop math and science curriculums that teach students and teachers about renewable energy. In North Carolina, the nonprofit NC GreenPower has a program that offers low-income schools in the state a curriculum about solar, along with a 5-kilowatt solar array and weather station that classrooms and often, the community, can use as an educational tool.


"We hope this opens the door, especially in areas where solar is not welcomed," said Katie Lebrato, marketing communications director for NC GreenPower. "This provides an educational opportunity for folks who live nearby."


The sector is growing rapidly, but like the solar industry as a whole, the expansion of solar-powered schools depends on market forces, cheaper technology, the adoption of solar-friendly regulations by states, and the outcome of the international solar tariff trade case, said Shawn Rumery, SEIA director of research.


In Middlesex County, construction is about to begin. Gretz is excited to learn alongside students about how solar energy works. "I don't know anything about solar, I was an English teacher," he said. "The kids will be involved and teachers are involved. It's important for kids to see and have access to this technology."