New York broke temperature and energy-use records in late July, and expectations that heat waves might become a more common feature of Eastern Seaboard summers are raising pressing questions about power grid stability, and how utilities can manage the load when demand peaks. There are both supply- and demand-side solutions to managing rising energy demand in… Keep reading →
The unpredictability of renewable energy sources like wind and solar creates reliability challenges for utilities seeking to balance power supply and demand across centralized grid networks. Policies compelling energy providers to incorporate more renewable energy into their portfolios make the challenge more urgent, but also create business opportunities for companies finding solutions. Those who crack… Keep reading →
Public opinion is not the only factor policy makers must weigh when charting a course for the US energy sector, but it does play a role. And this can prove difficult when there is a mismatch between what the public favors and how well people understand the costs and challenges of implementing their preferred energy… Keep reading →
Five people will make a decision soon that will have an outsized impact on the future of renewable energy in America. I’m not talking about big shots like Obama, Koch, Boehner, Bloomberg, or Steyer. I’m talking about names many have never heard of: Moeller, Norris, LaFleur, Clark, and Binz (if he is confirmed). These are the chief… Keep reading →
The steady upward march of oil prices over time is putting increasing pressure on remote communities in Alaska that rely on diesel-fueled generators for much of their power supply, but displacing diesel with other electricity sources, such as renewables, is often an even higher-cost option. Alaska’s rural communities pay some of the highest prices for… Keep reading →
Arguments about expensive, exotic renewables are dated If you are among those who still believes that renewables are exotic, expensive, unreliable, intermittent or whatever, you may be fighting a losing battle. With each passing day, renewables are gaining ground, and their shortcomings, most notably intermittency, diffused energy source and low capacity factor, are getting compensated in ingenious ways.… Keep reading →
The US federal government has long had a hand in guiding development of the country’s energy sector. In some cases, such as the Department of Energy’s role in the early stages of research and development that helped usher in the shale boom, this has been hailed as a success. In others, such as the highly-publicized… Keep reading →
Mexico’s National Action Party (PAN) has outlined a proposal for energy market reform, which entails amendments to the constitution removing obstacles that have blocked private investment in the country’s oil and gas sector. “It is an unsustainable, non-viable model that needs to be thoroughly reformed in order to return to productivity,” PAN party chairman Gustavo… Keep reading →
Last fall, the imminent deployment of a fully approved wave energy buoy off Oregon had a lot of people excited. Even the New York Times busted out a long story as Oregon held its fingers crossed that its investment in wave energy might blossom, sending energy to the coast and growing jobs there and elsewhere in… Keep reading →
Any newcomer to the world of clean energy might become quickly lost in the maze of various renewable sources, technologies, incentive programs, efficiency opportunities, and other complexities in what is a very large – and often fragmented – part of the energy landscape. Below are some invaluable resources that offer helicopter-view insights into clean energy… Keep reading →
