The Obama stimulus planted the seeds, and now big solar is sprouting in the desert Southwest. The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday announced that the Agua Caliente solar project in Yuma, Arizona, was now fully online, producing up to 290 megawatts of power, making it the world’s largest photovoltaic plant. Agua Caliente was backed… Keep reading →
This is the second in a series of posts about leading women in the power, environmental science, advocacy, policy, and business sectors. To see previous installments, please use the ‘Search’ field in the left sidebar to search for ‘Women in Power.’ Today, women earn roughly half of the bachelor’s degrees in the earth and biological sciences, but only… Keep reading →
Cybersecurity is becoming an increasingly important issue for utilities and other energy companies as more business tasks are connected to online environments in various ways. To better address these risks, President Obama issued Executive Order 13636, “Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity,” which called for the development of a voluntary risk-based Cybersecurity to enhance the security and resilience… Keep reading →
Industry leaders gathered last week at the Global Marine Renewable Energy Conference in Seattle, mindful that wave and tidal are clean energy’s infants, on the cusp of toddlerhood, struggling to get up on their feet, while older siblings wind and solar sprint to new records. Nobody has lost faith that the vast energy of the… Keep reading →
In 2012, the average American family spent 2.7 percent of their household income on home energy bills. While this might not sound like a lot, it adds up to almost $2,000 a year in energy costs. And much of that energy — 20 percent or more — is wasted on things like air leaks, poor insulation, and inefficient heating… Keep reading →
Quick Take: PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) conducted a worldwide survey of CIOs from many different industries. They recently released a comparison that shows how utility CIOs think of themselves, and how that differs from other CIOs. It’s interesting stuff. In many ways, utility CIOs are doing a bit better than average. Yet many of them rate their own… Keep reading →
DOE has announced improvements to its Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing loan program to clarify eligibility criteria and increase responsiveness to applicants. On April 2, 2014, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced improvements to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program at the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) Legislative Summit. The… Keep reading →
Recently, the White House took a crucial stride to tackle methane pollution and natural gas waste. A key aspect of the strategy tasks the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with enacting policy to reduce emissions from the oil and gas industry. Yesterday, EPA formally initiated its process, issuing five white papers focused on the biggest opportunities to cut the industry’s… Keep reading →
New York Governor Cuomo yesterday announced awards totaling $4.3 million to 17 businesses that are helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation while increasing energy efficiency. “Transportation is responsible for three-fourths of the State’s fossil fuel use and 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Since 1996, NYSERDA has provided $93 million to 246 businesses performing… Keep reading →
Today’s quote is actually a reader comment made in response to a news tidbit we featured in a recent morning roundup about the US Navy turning seawater into fuel. We remarked the piece was a bit light on details, so one of our readers helped fill in the technical aspects that, as he puts it,… Keep reading →
