If you drive around the Lone Star State, you’re sure to see bumper stickers that say, “Texas: Bigger than France.” It references an ongoing debate about which “country” is bigger (something Texans feel very strongly about), but a closer look (aka, a quick Google search) reveals Texas and France are roughly equivalent in size. This,… Keep reading →
States can lower their electricity bills for consumers and businesses by complying with the Obama administration’s climate rule for power plants, a new report has concluded. [The Hill] The British government has announced plans to cut the costs of subsidies for renewable forms of energy, including solar and wind. [The NY Times] France have passed… Keep reading →
Morgan Stanley analysts floated the idea that Russia’s President Putin could order state-controlled natural gas export monopoly Gazprom to cut supplies to European firms in retaliation for western-imposed economic sanctions. It appears the incremental damage such a move would cause to Russia’s economy makes using the “gas weapon” unlikely, but the Putin regime is not… Keep reading →
GE’s apparently successful takeover of key segments of Alstom’s prized energy business raised eyebrows when many thought German energy giant Siemens would prevail. Siemens’ unwillingness to part with its train signaling business – a critical concession made by GE – is reportedly one aspect of the deal that tipped negotiations in GE’s favor. Interestingly, the… Keep reading →
Half empty in the West, half full in a handful of centrally planned economies Nuclear power’s prospects appears to be doomed in the West where markets and private investors tend to make the decisions and assume the risks, that is, if they can get the public’s support and regulator’s approval. In other parts of the… Keep reading →
Electricity prices plunge to 2.75 cents per kilowatt-hour as renewable energy dominates on Germany’s Reunification Day. Wind and solar power peaked at 59.1 percent of German power generation earlier this month. It happened at noon on a very windy and sunny October 3, which is the German holiday commemorating reunification. (Germany also hit peaks of… Keep reading →
On the heels of a hope-inspiring report that patents for wind and solar technologies are way up, comes this downer: Global investment in clean energy is plunging. Again. Bloomberg New Energy Finance, which has been tracking these numbers for nearly a decade now, toted up $45.9 billion in clean energy investment in the third quarter of 2013,… Keep reading →
Electric car manufacturer Tesla has announced plans to dramatically expand its electric vehicle charging network – the company claims that within six months, it will connect most major metropolitan areas in the US and southern Canada. [Forbes] In somewhat related but perhaps slightly less dramatic news, the US Navy has unveiled its first solar-powered EV… Keep reading →
A furnace used to treat low grade nuclear waste exploded at a nuclear site in southern France on Monday, killing one person and injuring four others.
France’s nuclear safety authority said there were no radioactive leaks from the explosion at the waste treatment site at Marcoule run by EDF, the operator of France’s 58 nuclear power stations. Keep reading →
