Category Archives: Renewables and Energy

Green Certified Homes Sell for 9% more, Study Finds

Posted on July 30, 2012 | Leave a comment

WASHINGTON — It has been a controversial question in the home real estate market for years: Is there extra green when you buy green? Do houses with lots of energy-saving and sustainability features sell for more than houses without them? If so, by how much?

Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com for your green property questions; they are forerunners in green property appraisals.

Some studies have shown that consumers’ willingness to pay more for Energy Star and other green-rated homes tends to diminish during tough economic times. Others have found that green-certified houses sell for at least a modest premium over similar but less-efficient homes.

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SolarWorld Wins Steep Tariffs on Chinese Solar Products

Posted on June 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

SolarWorld blazed toward victory in its trade fight Thursday as the U.S. government announced plans to slap tariffs ranging from 31 percent to 250 percent on Chinese solar panels and cells.

But managers of the solar company, aiming to preserve jobs that include 1,000 in Hillsboro, hinted that the duties aren’t high enough to help U.S. manufacturers prosper. They hope the U.S. Commerce Department will soon announce additional tariffs, even as China appears set to retaliate as soon as next week.

U.S. solar stocks jumped Thursday on news that the Commerce Department would impose 31 percent tariffs on exports by companies including SolarWorld’s two largest Chinese competitors, Trina Solar Ltd. and Suntech Power Holdings Co.

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Electric Car Makers Looking to Seize Opportunity

Posted on April 13, 2012 | Leave a comment

To drivers, the high price of gasoline is a scourge. To the electric car industry, it could be a game-changer.

Nissan’s electric Leaf and the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid both hit dealer showrooms in late 2010, riding a wave of carefully cultivated hype. But first-year sales were lackluster at best, as consumers balked at the high sticker prices and unfamiliar engineering.

This year’s gas-price spike could change that.

Technology that looked like a gamble to many car buyers last year might look more like an insurance policy now.

“Every time it goes up, my phone rings a little more,” said Ron Coury, with the Northbay Nissan dealership in Petaluma. “It’s the ones who’ve been sitting back and watching, and now they’re sticking their feet in the water.”

Nissan and General Motors, which makes the Volt, have a chance to reset their marketing campaigns. Other companies introducing electric cars this year – including Ford, Mitsubishi, Coda Automotive and Tesla Motors – could benefit from the timing in a way that GM and Nissan couldn’t in 2010.