Doug Staker, the VP of Business Development at Demand Energy, would like to own a Tesla Model S. Unfortunately, he has two children in college and at least one responsible adult household member (his wife) with little desire for the car. (Demand Energy builds integrated energy storage systems for behind-the-meter energy optimization and emergency backup … Continue reading How Big an Impact Will Electric Vehicles Have on the Grid?
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Climate Change as a Threat Multiplier in Syria
Among the factors that have driven the Syrian people to rise up against the Assad regime was a climate-change-related drought that caused a famine, according to ex-U.S. State Department advisor William Polk. “Syria is and has always been a complex society,” Polk wrote recently in describing the conflict’s context for The Atlantic. But it “has … Continue reading Climate Change as a Threat Multiplier in Syria
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Train or Pipeline, the Answer is the Same
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Radiation in Fukushima hit new high
Radiation readings around tanks holding contaminated water at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant have spiked by more than a fifth to their highest levels, Japan’s nuclear regulator said, heightening concerns about the clean-up of the worst atomic disaster in three decades. Radiation hotspots have spread to three holding areas for hundreds of hastily built … Continue reading Radiation in Fukushima hit new high
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House members take up bipartisan effort to support renewable energy
House Republicans and Democrats joined together last week to co-sign a letter to the House Committee on Ways and Means recommending that renewable energy development receive continued support in any forthcoming comprehensive tax reform debate. The effort was led by Representatives Paul Ruiz (D-CA), Jon Runyan (R-NJ), and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), and was signed by … Continue reading House members take up bipartisan effort to support renewable energy
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Energy Storage
Government investments in energy storage and related areas, such as the smart grid, continue to bear fruit, particularly in the North American and Asian markets. Both the global energy storage project pipeline and the number of deployed projects have grown. Meanwhile, the R&D and government funding strategies within each region are converging. While Asian economies … Continue reading Energy Storage
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New energy policy from European Investment Bank welcomed
After a meeting last week in Luxembourg, the board of the European Investment Bank (EIB) changed its energy lending policy. The EU’s main lending arm said it would stop financing most coal-fired power stations to help reduce pollution and meet climate targets, and devote 90% of its lending to clean energy. In a press release, … Continue reading New energy policy from European Investment Bank welcomed
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Chrysler, NextEnergy to test vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology in US
Chrysler has collaborated with Detroit-based NextEnergy to examine the vehicle-to-grid (V2G) electric vehicle (EV) technology. The test will be conducted with four battery-powered all-electric minivans featuring a charging module that is capable of simulating any electrical grid in the world. Both the companies expect that if ample number of EVs are connected together, their combined … Continue reading Chrysler, NextEnergy to test vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology in US
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French President Francois Hollande vows no fracking while he is president
French President Francois Hollande on Sunday refused any exploration of the shale gas in France during his five-year-mandate. “As long as I am president, there will be no exploration for shale gas,” the president said in a National Day interview on local TV. “On shale gas, there is a debate that has lasted too long,” … Continue reading French President Francois Hollande vows no fracking while he is president
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Peak Water: What Happens When the Wells Go Dry?
Peak oil has generated headlines in recent years, but the real threat to our future is peak water. There are substitutes for oil, but not for water. We can produce food without oil, but not without water. We drink on average four liters of water per day, in one form or another, but the food … Continue reading Peak Water: What Happens When the Wells Go Dry?
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Vestas applauds President Obama
In a speech given Tuesday at Georgetown University, President Obama calls for the nation to double its use of renewable energy. President Obama’s plan would cut carbon emissions that cause climate change and endangers public health. His goal is to double the amount of renewable energy permits approved on public lands which would power more than … Continue reading Vestas applauds President Obama
Continue readingWind energy poised to help deliver on national climate commitment
AWEA welcomes the President’s initiative to proceed with climate actions focused at this time on executive agencies. AWEA supports policies to achieve science-based greenhouse gas reduction targets. U.S. President Barack Obama will unveil his second-term climate change agenda with a view to limiting carbon emissions from the country’s power plants. In a speech at Georgetown … Continue reading Wind energy poised to help deliver on national climate commitment
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Policy issues plague hydropower as wind energy backup
Theoretically, hydropower can step in when wind turbines go still, but barriers to this non-polluting resource serving as a backup are largely policy- and regulation-based, according to Penn State researchers. “We have a very clear realization that we need to make energy systems more sustainable,” said Seth A. Blumsack, assistant professor of energy policy. “We … Continue reading Policy issues plague hydropower as wind energy backup
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Unclear Progress Towards the EU 2020 Renewable Energy Targets
While renewable energy targets now exist in 118 countries worldwide, few regional commitments to renewable energy deployment exist, though this trend is beginning to change. The European Union (EU) has undoubtedly been one of the global leaders in spurring the advanced development and deployment of renewable energies worldwide. The vision set forth by the Renewable … Continue reading Unclear Progress Towards the EU 2020 Renewable Energy Targets
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Engel encourages EU leaders to adopt 2030 climate and energy targets
Vestas CEO Ditlev Engel conveys to EU leaders meeting in Brussels, “With the right policies, business and industry will make the investments, take the risks, and create the green growth, competitiveness and energy security that Europe needs. But the EU must act fast to create greater regulatory certainty.” If the EU hopes to reach its … Continue reading Engel encourages EU leaders to adopt 2030 climate and energy targets
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French and German ministers call for 2030 renewable energy targets
Writing in France’s prestigious centre-left daily newspaper Le Monde, Peter Altmaier, the German environment minister, and Delphine Batho, his French counterpart, underlined the need for a 2030 renewable energy target and highlighed the importance of renewables in transforming the European economy, improving energy security and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. “We want to make the energy … Continue reading French and German ministers call for 2030 renewable energy targets
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Plastics
In 2012, 280 million metric tons of plastic were produced worldwide. These scientists project that a total of 33 billion metric tons will have been produced by 2050. Scientists calculated that the new classification would reduce the 33 billion metric tons of additional plastic produced by 2050 to 4 billion. In the March online issue … Continue reading Plastics
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Tell a G8 leader to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy
The global temperature is rising. Freak weather events are multiplying. Climate change is happening. And yet governments are giving $6 to polluting fossil fuels for every $1 dollar that goes to clean renewables. World leaders must move now to renewable, clean energy sources like wind energy.
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Consumer Support for Wind Power and Solar Energy, Though Still High, Fell in 2012
Despite some well-publicized company failures, the solar and wind energy industries continued to expand in the United States during 2012, and consumers still tend to view the two renewable energy concepts favorably. However, according to a recent survey by Navigant Research, consumer support for solar and wind energy, though still high, has fallen steadily over … Continue reading Consumer Support for Wind Power and Solar Energy, Though Still High, Fell in 2012
Continue readingThe reason fossil fuel firms are not trying to reduce their carbon emissions could be due to uncertainty on climate and energy policy, suggests the Economist in a recent editorial. The paper cites cuts in renewable energy support schemes as one of the elements influencing investors.
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