It’s unusual when a documentary film on air pollution becomes a blockbuster hit, but that’s exactly what’s happened with “Under the Dome,” a film produced about energy and environmental issues in China. Released online on Saturday, the 100-minute film has already racked up more than 150 million views on Youku, China’s YouTube equivalent. That’s equal to… Keep reading →
A competitive marketplace is the sowing field for innovation and investment. Look no further than the advanced hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling that launched America’s ongoing shale energy revolution. Shale development features cutting-edge technology to increase output and efficiency and to make operations as safe and clean as possible. An example of this can be… Keep reading →
The U.S. is not the clear, go-to nation for energy manufacturing. But it’s no longer the nation that businesses automatically leave when it comes time to scale up innovations to commercial production, said Gene Sperling, Director of the National Economic Council, and it’s critical that the U.S. seize the opportunity that presents. Speaking to the… Keep reading →
The March 2011 Fukushima accident destroyed four and shuttered most (currently all) of Japan’s 54 nuclear plants. Japan replaced nuclear energy with discomfort, sacrifice, and costly fossil fuels, because utility oligopolies suppressed renewable competitors and national energy efficiency languished. Two and a half years later, power reserves, though easing, remain tight, fuel bills exorbitant, and… Keep reading →
In the United States, coal is facing hard times. The welcome, though unexpected expansion of unconventional natural gas resources and production in North America has made natural gas the economically attractive fuel choice for new electricity generating power plants and, in many cases, has replaced older existing coal fired plants. From 2003 to 2013 coal’s… Keep reading →
“Peak oil” is a term that’s been bandied about for decades, but almost always in reference to supply, not demand. The Economist is calling oil “yesterday’s fuel”. “The world’s thirst for oil could be nearing a peak. That is bad news for producers, excellent for everyone else.” [Economist] There’s a nice (and very thorough) piece… Keep reading →
