Research & Development

White House Officials Tour Chevy Volt Plant

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 →

5.8 Earthquake Centered In Mineral, Virginia

As the United States moves closer to imposing an economic cost on carbon dioxide emissions in the form of emissions limits on power plants, there will be a shift in the ranking of fuels that are most economic for power generation. And while nuclear’s future is looking more promising, it is not certain that it… Keep reading →

Oil Boom Shifts The Landscape Of Rural North Dakota

The dramatic shift in the US natural gas sector over the past five years calls for a rethink of at least some aspects of natural gas policy. But heated debates over its economic and environmental impacts, and uncertain progress on regulatory and legislative changes, show how elusive agreement on a new policy trajectory can be.… Keep reading →

Germany Invests Heavily In Solar Energy

Photovoltaic (PV) energy, the conversion of sunlight to electricity, was discovered in the late 1830s, followed by usable PV cells developed in the early 1950s. Despite its history, only recently has the U.S. solar market really started to take off. Driven by the volatility of energy prices from traditional sources such as coal, gas and… Keep reading →

Biofuel U.S. Navy Warplane Makes Successful Flight

An examination of liquid biofuels published in Strategic Studies Quarterly, a peer-reviewed journal for security professionals, has concluded that they fail to provide meaningful benefits when pitted against petroleum products. “The United States cannot achieve energy security through biofuels, and even the attempt is ironically achieving effects contrary to ‘clean’ and ‘green’ environmental goals and… Keep reading →

Plastic Rolling Eyeball

One of the best and worst things about conferences is the giveaways. It’s the worst when you’re stuck with another one of those ugly canvas tote bags covered with weird company logos. And it’s the best when you get something so bizarre, so gloriously useless, that you have no choice but to keep it forever,… Keep reading →

This picture taken December 26, 2011 sho

Almost forty years ago, President Nixon exhorted the country: “By the year 1980, the United States will not be dependent on any other country for the energy we need to provide our jobs, to heat our homes, and to keep our transportation moving.” Today, more than 30 years later, the United States may actually be… Keep reading →