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The upcoming issue of Time Magazine will be all about "How to win the war on global warming." It's interesting to note that this is the cover story in all worldwide editions of Time, except for Europe. That edition focuses on US-UK relations.
Continue reading "How To Win the War on Global Warming (Time)" »
I thought the Beijing Olympics would create a world platform for progress on the environment. Turns out I was wrong. An older and stronger issue is taking the lead.
Continue reading "China Olympics: Green Will Take a Bronze behind Human Rights" »
Can the U.S. have energy security at the same time it tries to cope with global warming? Warren Olney of KCRW's "To the Point" podcast looks at some of the contradictions we face as the U.S. searches for a coherent energy policy.
Continue reading "Energy Security versus Environmental Stability (KCRW)" »
The IRS this week issued concerning the deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings under section 179D of the Internal Revenue Code, including guidance regarding the deduction allocable to designers of government-owned buildings.
Continue reading "IRS Clarifies Deductions for Energy-Efficient Building Improvements" »
GLOBE 2008-- If you know about Globe, then you know this is one of the biggest international events about sustainability. If you haven't heard of Globe, I can tell you it is not yet-another-upstart conference to tap into the environmental revival. The Globe 2008 conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is also one of the longest-running conferences for sustainable business, having started in the early 1990s. (photos)
The government's futuristic "clean coal" power project has joined the long list of scuttled coal plants. The death spiral of coal energy is reminiscent of the 1980s popular blockade of nuclear plant construction. Investors and even the Bush administration are backing out. Was "An Inconvenient Truth" the "China Syndrome" of coal?
RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD 2008 -- Adding solar power to your building is getting easier, thanks to a financing model borrowed from utility-scale renewable energy projects. Power purchase agreements are now an option for getting your own clean energy source, without laying out the capital. But even big projects don't happen without the right incentives in place. Some important federal subsidies are due to expire if Congress doesn't act soon to extend them. Will that happen in an election year? Does this dark cloud cast gloom on renewable energy's future? Denis Du Bois asks Mark McLanahan of MMA Renewable Ventures about his expectations for the production tax credit, the investment tax credit, and the global economy.
Continue reading "Solar Financier's Outlook is Bright; Tax Credits' Future is Cloudy" »
Seattle Home Show -- Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels commemorated the anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol on opening day of the 64th Annual Seattle Home Show with a short speech and a tour of energy-efficiency and renewable-energy exhibits here.
Continue reading "Mayor Marks Kyoto Anniversary with Home Show Tour" »
The total FY 2009 request for the Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is a 27 percent cut from the FY 2008 level. Nuclear and "clean coal" are obvious priorities for the Administration, with increased budget proposals for each.
Continue reading "FY 2009 Budget Request Means Big Cuts for Efficiency, Renewables" »
Yucca Mountain's tunnel is closed and most workers have gone home.
Continue reading "Deep Layoffs Announced at Yucca Mountain (AP)" »
The Energy Independence and Security Act was signed into law moments ago by President Bush. This Energy Priorities summary, based on a list provided by Rep. Jay Inslee's (D-WA) office, focuses on the highlights of the bill. Renewable electric energy provisions are in Title VI; green building provisions are in Title IV.
Continue reading "Summary of the Energy Independence and Security Act, H.R. 6." »
The conference of representatives of over 180 countries started Monday, December 3, 2007, and will continue for two weeks. The objective is to launch negotiations for the international agreement that will take over when the current Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.
The surface layer of news coverage will be about the fireworks when the U.S. refuses to back carbon limits, but there's much more going on there. The outcome will affect our power prices and American exports -- i.e., U.S. competitiveness -- through 2050. Here are some links to help you follow the events.
Not only is China doubling its nuclear energy capacity by 2020, it's on a hydro spree that appears to abandon the ecological values we take for granted in the developed world.
Continue reading "Patrick Moore Should Be Proud of China's Energy Plans (NY Times)" »
The IPCC's Synthesis Report, the fourth and final installment from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is due in a few weeks. Just the Summary for Lawmakers is more than meaty enough to consume your idle reading time this weekend. Thankfully, our staff has extracted the key points and boiled 23 pages down to 2.
I've been interested for several years in the concept of building systems as (very big) hardware platforms for increasingly sophisticated software. Mark Mills dug into this topic uncharacteristically far (for Forbes) this week. Maybe the idea is catching on.
Continue reading "Sport Utility Buildings and McMansions: The Latest Battlefront (Forbes)" »
A United Nations panel of scientists meeting has concluded in Valencia, Spain. The scientists' final report, released today, describes the mounting risks of climate change in language that is more specific and forceful than its previous assessments. Here are links to the report, the IPCC web site, and a New York Times article about it this morning.
Continue reading "UN Report Describes Risks of Inaction on Climate Change (NY Times)" »
When it comes to getting global carbon emissions under control, The Economist's Green.view column says the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) is more of a distraction than a savior. Overall the Economist comes down on this IPCC co-creator pretty hard -- too hard.
Continue reading "High Hopes and Slender Means for IPCC's Parent (The Economist)" »
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 enacted renewable energy tax credits, but most expire at the end of 2008. That tosses many tax and regulatory policies back up in the air. Congress has been working on energy bills aimed at weaning the U.S. off oil, creating American jobs and addressing climate change. What will be in the 2007 energy bill, and what do renewable energy industry executives foresee if it passes -- or if it doesn't?
Continue reading "Energy Bill 2007 Could Give Renewables the Green Light -- or a Lump of Coal" »
Global warming will be one of the themes of the 2008 Future in Review conference organized by Mark Anderson's Strategic News Service. In an SNS Special Letter, Anderson shares the transcript of "Looking Further," an interview about climate change between futurist Glen Heimstra (Futurist.com) and author Kim Stanley Robinson (“Mars” and “Science In The Capital” Trilogies). The elite ranks of SNS subscribers pay dearly for Anderson's insightful newsletter subscription. But we're bringing this interview to you, compliments of SNS and Energy Priorities.
Continue reading "Global Warming: Looking Further (Strategic News Service by Mark Anderson)" »
In 1961 John F. Kennedy called for his nation to put a man on the moon in ten years. That was a formidable challenge -- and today's energy challenge is even greater. Congressman Jay Inslee has been calling for an end our oil addiction and the accompanying transformation of our economy. He calls it the Apollo Project for energy and his new book, "Apollo's Fire," spells out his vision.
Continue reading ""Apollo's Fire," Jay Inslee's Apollo Project, the Book" »
World leaders are saying there is no solution to global warming that does not include nuclear power. The administration has had six years and the Energy Policy Act to reinvigorate the fission industry. No company, however, has broken ground -- or committed to break ground -- on a new nuke plant in the U.S. What's holding things up?
Continue reading "Nuclear Renaissance: Far from a Sure Thing (Power Engineering)" »
Why our electricity system is headed for a state of emergency, and what can be done to head it off: My two-sentence review of "Lights Out" by Jason Makansi, plus why I liked it and where it falls short.
California's Renewables Portfolio Standard requires utilities to obtain 20 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2010. The California Public Utilities Commission is examining the potential use of renewable energy credits for compliance with the RPS.
Almost half the states have passed an RPS of some kind. Should utilities be allowed to buy RECs from other regions to meet their RPS, rather than build renewable energy sources in the state?
Continue reading "Utilities Could Buy Credits to Meet Renewable Energy Minimums" »
Windpower in Namibia, free fluorescent bulbs in South Africa, industrial customers paid to switch off equipment during periods of high demand. These progressive ideas are but a postscript in the story of the power crisis in Africa. Most of the sub-Saharan nations face electricity shortages and unprecedented power crises that mirror -- or presage -- the U.S. experience. Their solution: more power plants, if they can build them.
The European Commission set the beginning of July 2007 as the deadline for having a completely open retail energy market in the European Union. Residential customers should be able to choose their power and gas suppliers, just as business users can. In most countries, they still cannot.
Continue reading "Europe's Energy Market Now Open -- Sort of" »
Quick take on an unexpected pronouncement by George Bush in favor of reducing carbon emissions.
Continue reading "IPCC Fourth Assessment Defines Role of Buildings in Climate Change Mitigation" »
Does France really get 78 percent of its energy from nuclear power? Well, not really. But don't ask its politicians for the answer. In fact, the truth is hard to find.
Continue reading "France Gets X Percent of its Energy from Nuclear Plants" »
Legislators proposing two carbon-capture bills in the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee say the technology is necessary to coal's future. A third bill, if passed, would greatly reduce emissions through energy efficiency.
Continue reading "Legislators Propose Bundle of Bills To Reduce Carbon Emissions (UPI)" »
Energy Minute: The U.S. Department of Energy announced $168 million in funding to accelerate solar energy technology development. This brief podcast explains what the research will accomplish and how it will happen. (podcast)
In the short term there will be winners and losers from climate change. Who are they? In this special double issue devoted to global warming ("Living With Global Warming" in overseas editions), Newsweek takes a look at many aspects of the phenomenon.
These days even the war on the environment is going badly. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled twice this week on carbon emissions cases that will affect businesses worldwide.
Continue reading "Supreme Court Decision Reaches Beyond Tailpipes and Power Plants" »
On March 28, 1979, America's worst commercial nuclear accident occurred inside the Unit Two reactor at the Three Mile Island plant near Middletown, PA.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced $168 million in funding to accelerate solar energy technology development, positioning the money as a giant boost to the future of photovoltaics. Will this really make solar cost-competitive with grid power in the next eight years? How meaningful is this announcement to businesses?
Continue reading "Solar America Initiative Starts Not with a Bang, but with a Whimper" »
The pro-innovation group TechNet, whose membership includes top executives from more than 115 tech firms, believes the move away from nonrenewable sources of electricity and fuel will require timely, active support from federal and state government. The group issued an agenda that would focus national attention on expanding policies that encourage the development and adoption of sustainable technologies.
Continue reading "CEOs Urge U.S. To Double Energy Research Funding" »
Demand response has been around for many years, but it still hasn't caught on at a national level here in the US. Participants still are pioneers -- they need a willingness to wade through the options and paperwork, not to mention dealing with immature technologies and managing their programs with sketchy data.
When will demand response become a mainstream resource? I went to America's most progressive state for demand response, and asked the top regulator and top grid operator to get specific about when demand response will be commonplace. (podcast)
Continue reading "When Will Demand Response Be as Accepted as Daylight Savings Time?" »
California's big three utilities have 2,660 MW of demand response enrolled, ahead of the regulators' policy goal for next summer. Enrollment is not the same as participation. Do companies have enough price elasticity to participate? If so, is demand response cost-effective for utilities? Can participating companies recover the cost of the necessary equipment? Who pays the price?
Blogged live from a meeting entitled "Demand Response: Simple Solutions, Real Savings, Fast Payback," this article grew as the meeting proceeded. It's still in its rough form, but nonetheless full of interesting information and perspectives. I invited readers to post questions using the comments form at the bottom of this article, and I posed some of them to the speakers and panelists.
Continue reading "Demand Response: Experts and Businesses Discuss the Challenges Ahead" »
Interview with Peter Fusaro, the founder of Global Change Associates, an energy and environmental advisory, and the author of "What Went Wrong at Enron." (podcast)
Continue reading "Will 2007 Be the Year for U.S. Carbon Legislation?" »
Interview with Peter Fusaro, the founder of Global Change Associates, an energy and environmental advisory, and the author of "What Went Wrong at Enron." (podcast)
Continue reading "Will 2007 Be the Year for U.S. Carbon Legislation?" »
After several years of imagining that the U.S. can live by a separate standard than the rest of the developed world, the Bush administration has begun to soften its stance on climate change. How far off is the U.S. carbon cap and trade system?
Life is good for renewable energy companies, but sustained success will require a sustained commitment, says National Renewable Energy Lab director Dan Arvizu. He spoke at the Power-Gen Renewable Energy and Fuels 2007 conference in Las Vegas Nevada last week. Here are the highlights of his keynote address. (podcast) (photo)
Desert dwellers know they can cope with the heat by cool seeking the shade of a Palo Verde tree. But operators of Arizona's Palo Verde nuclear plant are in the hot seat, and relief might be years away.
Kyoto countries have hinted loudly that there might be consequences for trading partners who have not signed onto the accord. France's President Jacques Chirac is the latest to reiterate the prospect.
Continue reading "France Tells U.S. to Sign Climate Pacts or Face Tax (NY Times)" »
In many regions of the U.S., utilities are feeling the heat. Peak power demand threatens their ability to deliver as much energy as customers need on hot afternoons. Ice storage air conditioning shifts a major commercial energy load into off-peak evening hours, saving money for businesses and reducing pressure on the grid. California's new building energy code makes load shifting a necessity for many new facilities. (podcast) (photo)
A San Jose company is boasting the largest intelligent metering infrastructure -- and it's in Sweden. Vattenfall AB has ordered 500,000 units from Echelon, and eventually could deploy automated meter reading equipment and software to three-fourths of its one million customers.
Continue reading "European Utility Expands its Echelon Automated Metering Infrastructure" »
Iraqi insurgents are waging war on the electric grid around Baghdad, and winning.
Continue reading "Iraqi Insurgents Attack Capital's Weakness: Its Power Grid" »
A new poll also shows that Americans are worried about global warming -- 58 percent say global warming will have a "great to extreme" impact on their children's future -- and two out of three agree it will adversely impact the U.S. economy over the next ten years.
Continue reading "Americans Favor Taxing Carbon, Poll Says" »
Voters around the U.S. are pushing electric utilities to generate a percentage of electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar power. Will this push the Feds to pass a national RPS, and would that be a good thing?
Continue reading "Growing Number of States Requiring Alternative Energy (USA Today)" »
Renewable energy credits (RECs) are earned as power is produced, and can be sold to companies who want to offset their carbon output. That's an incentive to companies installing solar, but when California said "mine," solar companies screamed.
Continue reading "Who Owns Solar Renewable Energy Credits?" »
Wave energy company AquaEnergy Ltd. of Seattle is through an environmental assessment and is ready to apply for a permit to install its offshore buoys. The passage of Washington's I-937 was good news for the company and its parent, who expects to go public within weeks.
Continue reading "AquaEnergy Bouyed by Regulatory Progress (Puget Sound Business Journal)" »
Five million French and countless others were deprived of electricity for about an hour on Saturday night, 4 November 2006. The blackout also hit Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain and Portugal.
Continue reading "Europe Hit by Massive Blackouts (Le Monde)" »
Many EU countries are getting nervous about having enough electricity supply to meet peak demands. Although Europe is not expecting widespread blackouts on the scale of those in the U.S. in 2003, a new report says energy conservation and investments in alternatives are urgent.
Continue reading "European Energy Usage Pushes the Limits (Deutsche Welle)" »
Washington state voters will decide whether to compel utilities to choose renewable energy sources. The initiative is about keeping Washington from slipping backward while other states advance in their renewable energy use.
Continue reading "Renewable Energy Initiative Puts 15-by-20 Plan on Washington's Ballot" »