2016 was a big year for progress in the U.S. power sector. Renewable energy sources provided 16.9 percent of the country’s electricity in the first half of 2016, up from 13.7 percent for all of 2015. The country’s first offshore wind farm opened off the coast of Rhode Island. Most importantly, carbon emissions from the power sector are… Keep reading →
CAN WE TURN CARBON DIOXIDE INTO FUEL, RATHER THAN A POLLUTANT? A group of researchers asked that question and found a way to say yes. In a new study from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Illinois at Chicago, researchers were able to convert carbon dioxide into a usable… Keep reading →
In September 2015 a new government was elected in Canada, on a platform of significant change. Its first budget, tabled last March, outlines its plan for implementation of that change.
Interesting discussion at the Atlantic Council last week on an array of opportunities in front of the United States provided by the domestic energy revolution – specifically, benefits to consumers, the environment and to U.S. trade from abundant, clean-burning natural gas, all of which depend on infrastructure support to go forward. Liquefied natural gas (LNG)… Keep reading →
On December 4, 2015, the nine member states of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) released the results of their 30th quarterly carbon auction (Auction 30) held on December 2. All allowances were sold at a clearing price of $7.50 each, generating approximately $115.3 million. The clearing price reached a new high, in line with… Keep reading →
The Clean Power Plan is designed with reliability in mind, a fact detractors tend to ignore. The specter of grid failure is a frightening image, one that critics of the new power plant pollution standards have fixated on, but it’s just that: a specter, an illusion not grounded in reality. The fact is that regional and state-level… Keep reading →
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) placed national limits on mercury and other toxic emissions from power plants.
Two new reports published today by the Department of Energy finds that wind energy is on a steady rise, and will be a key factor in reducing carbon emissions. [The Washington Post] Energy Future Holdings has finalized a deal with Dallas energy and real estate mogul Ray L. Hunt to sell its power line subsidiary… Keep reading →
Natural gas can deliver substantial carbon emissions reductions when displacing coal, and the United States has taken good advantage of it in the past several years. But the U.S. experience might be “one moment in time and space,” says Stockholm Environment Institute senior scientist Michael Lazarus, lead author of a new paper [PDF] on gas and… Keep reading →
Fundamental scientific research lies at the heart of many energy-related breakthroughs that ultimately disrupt established social and economic systems. It can be overwhelming to look at the world’s looming energy and climate challenges, but Dr. Franklin (Lynn) Orr, Under Secretary for Science and Energy at the US Department of Energy remains optimistic despite the complexity… Keep reading →
