solar energy

Alabama has some of highest solar fees in the U.S. and critics say it's hurting solar customers. It's one of several states where utilities are proposing or raising fees for homes with rooftop solar.

The state is poised to become the first in the country to require the panels on new single-family houses, with a few exceptions. The mandate will kick in as of 2020.

The move has met with both praise and criticism from the solar energy industry. Manufacturers lobbied for the tariffs, while solar installers warned that American jobs will be lost.

President Trump is facing a Jan. 26 deadline to decide whether to impose tariffs on solar imports. While tariffs could help level the playing field for U.S. manfacturers, they could also raise prices.

Installing solar panels on your home could become more expensive, depending on how President Trump responds to a decision Friday by the U.S. International Trade Commission.

On a sunny day, California gets up to 40 percent of its energy from solar power. Monday's total eclipse isn't just a scientific spectacle, it's a major concern for the state's power grid.

The company offers an "infinity" warranty on its tiles that integrate solar power into roof coverings. Tesla has published a web tool that can estimate costs and savings.

The loss of jobs has stung as the coal industry has declined. Renewable power — especially solar — is now where the jobs are. Solar jobs outnumber those in coal, but coal jobs pay more.

As more homeowners install solar they're using less energy from their utilities, which in turn hurts their business. One utility in Colorado has forged a deal that may be a model for other states.

Nearly 90 percent of Kentucky's electricity is from coal — the cheap energy source that helped build its manufacturing economy. Now it's struggling to respond as more businesses want clean energy.