Stories by Robert Fares

Plugged In will unplug on Friday. It’s been a great seven years and we look forward to continuing the conversations that we started here

How much does electricity cost in your state? Where does it come from? Here's a chart

Under new regulations, power markets must recognize the unique characteristics of energy storage to reduce barriers to its direct competition with power plants

For years critics have claimed grid costs and stability will spiral out of control before we hit 20 percent renewable energy. Texas is proving them wrong

Analysts say proposed tariffs on imported solar panel components could cut 88,000 jobs and seriously slow U.S. solar energy growth

The rule would guarantee a profit to any power plant with 90 days of fuel stored on-site in the name of grid resiliency — but experts say it will do nothing for resiliency and increase costs for consumers.

Puerto Rico lost approximately 80 percent of its power lines, and experts expect it will take months to restore power to the island

A comprehensive survey of the wind industry shows wind energy is routinely purchased in bulk for just two cents per kilowatt-hour—and turbines are only getting cheaper, bigger, and better

The Senate Appropriations Committee moved to sustain funding for energy research and development, breaking with the president and House of Representatives

Confronting climate change is an urgent challenge. But it's not clear if keep-it-in-the-ground activism or all-of-the-above-energy moderation is the best way forward

A critique of seminal research on the feasibility of a 100 percent wind, water, and solar energy system finds serious shortcomings, underscoring the need for continued research and a balanced decarbonization portfolio

Our democracy depends on evidence-based policy. Our economy depends on the U.S. scientific enterprise. The time has come for scientists to make their voices heard.

All of the equipment and manpower required to get electricity from power plants to customers costs about 750 dollars annually per customer

Mexico is hungry for natural gas and within pipeline distance of the U.S., but talk of tariffs and a border wall could undermine booming gas exports

Storing solar energy for nighttime use is less green than just sending it straight to the grid

Despite the rancor of the U.S. presidential election and transition, supporting nuclear power and streamlining transmission line and pipeline construction could provide a bipartisan path forward on energy and climate

To prevent a radical rollback of climate change regulations by GOP lawmakers, the environmental movement should shift its message to appeal to the American mainstream

Despite the fact that wind energy is already one of the cheapest electricity resources available, experts in the wind industry anticipate larger turbines will drive costs down 24 percent by 2030

President-elect Donald J. Trump will hire over 4,000 political appointees. Scientists, engineers and experts of all stripes should apply to preserve facts in the post-truth era

No, but energy interdependence has made the U.S. energy supply more resilient to outside shocks than ever before

How cheap natural gas and renewable energy are driving down electricity prices in one interactive chart

Despite already low costs, the installed price of solar fell by 5 to 12 percent in 2015

A new hybrid device could significantly reduce the power required to cool commercial buildings

A technique to harvest atmospheric water using flared natural gas could significantly reduce the water footprint of the controversial hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” method of extracting oil and gas