A record-low bid for concentrated solar power with storage in Dubai has sparked debate over whether the technology might soon become competitive with solar PV.

The bid for power production priced at $94.50 per megawatt-hour is one of four received by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), in a call for 200 megawatts of concentrated solar power (CSP) capacity to be built in Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.

Other bids ranged in price from $105.80 to $173.50 per megawatt-hour, according to local reports.

Although DEWA -- which is due to issue the tender award in the coming days --

Wind energy may have achieved one of its most significant landmarks ever with WindEurope’s announcement that floating offshore turbine technology has “come of age.” 

WindEurope, which represents the interests of the most advanced offshore wind markets in the world, last month claimed a “breakthrough pipeline of projects” proved floating turbine designs had achieved technological maturity.

“Floating offshore wind is no longer consigned to the laboratory: It’s a viable technology ready to be rolled out on an industrial scale,” said the industry body in a recent press release. 

WindEurope expects 298 megawatts of floating offshore wind projects to be commissioned between 2017 and

Electrify America, Volkswagen’s $2 billion U.S. electric-vehicle charging infrastructure plan, created as part of the automaker's court settlement for cheating on its diesel vehicle emissions tests, can now point to eight real EV chargers in and around the nation’s capital, and 50 more to come in nine more metro areas by September -- a first step in what could end up being the country’s largest EV charging investment to date. 

But in California, the country’s biggest EV market, regulators are demanding more details before allowing the first phase of the plan to move forward, including specifics on how it will support disadvantaged communities and data

It’s widely agreed that one of the best ways to reduce carbon emissions around the globe is to bring online more renewable energy. However, the current century-old grid system presents challenges to this goal, with inefficient infrastructure and independent grid systems.

Moreover, new transmission and distribution projects potentially face significant delays related to right-of-way issues, such as permits for crossing waterways or resistance from residential neighborhoods, as well as limited financing options related to high up-front investments.

Collectively, these issues are slowing the rollout of renewable energy projects. 

That’s where High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission systems come in. HVDC can be more expensive to build,

The energy storage industry needs better financing to break out of its early stages. So far, commercial project financing is becoming more widely available, but residential financing has barely gotten started.

The high upfront cost of storage makes it hard for behind-the-meter customers to purchase out of pocket, and they can't call on the kind of capital available to utilities or large power producers. For financiers, meanwhile, energy storage poses several risks: it's a relatively new technology with emerging business models and revenue streams, both of which are subject to the influence of shifting tariff structures.

"If the energy storage market is going to

The amount of money a company needs to spend in order to sell a home solar system continues to be a major challenge for the solar industry.

In fact, the cost for an installer to acquire a residential customer in the U.S. has actually risen, even while the cost of every other component in the cost stack has plunged. Customer acquisition includes all costs to obtain leads, as well as all sales and marketing costs related to closing a sale.

GTM Research expects a 27 percent drop in average global project prices by 2022. The fall will come from declining module costs, as well as

The Japanese conglomerate Toshiba bought a 60 percent stake in Landis+Gyr for $2.3 billion in 2011. Earlier this year, the industrial, electronics and energy giant reportedly started seeking out a buyer for the Swiss smart metering company, to help Toshiba cover losses from its Westinghouse nuclear power plant business. 

Now it's seeking the public option.

Landis+Gyr announced this week that it’s planning an initial public offering on the SIX Swiss stock exchange, in which Toshiba and 40-percent stakeholder Innovation Corporation Network of Japan will sell all of their shares in the company. While CEO Richard Mora said in a Monday conference call that a sale to