Looking on the bright side, states seek solar benefits

U.S. jobs grew nearly 20 times faster in the solar industry than the whole economy’s national average, reports The Solar Foundation, and some southeastern states are catching the rays of the burgeoning industry with policies encouraging growth in both privately-owned and utility-scale solar.

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Decent news for N.C. solar power

According to a report by Environment North Carolina, the state ranks fourth nationally for installed photovoltaic solar power in 2013. The N.C. Utilities Commission’s decision to renew a set of rules governing the contracts between electric utilities and independent power producers allows the state’s solar developers to begin the new year on steady footing.

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Entrepreneur Banks on the Sun

The contraption looks like a piece of a tanning bed, exposed on a rooftop, leaning toward the sun. But rather than emitting powerful UV rays, these tubes capture them and heat water in a process called solar thermal, harnessing the sun’s energy at a rate that is more than five times more effective than most photovoltaic solar panels.

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Knoxville: “The Sustainable City”

By Nolen Nychay Knoxville, Tenn. ranks second in the nation for growth in green jobs and is one of only a handful of American cities to have fully bounced back from the economic recession, according to a recent Brookings Institute report. Since 2006, the city has reduced carbon emissions by 17 percent, and under Mayor…

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