Quick Take: If you are based in the United States, you may not have noticed this trend. I spotted it because I serve as the Chairman of the Smart Cities Council. That puts me in touch with urban trends from around the world. Such as the powerful move in Europe to dramatically reduce carbon emissions. And how… Keep reading →
Customer grid defection through self-generation and storage not good from societal point of view Utilities in the US and elsewhere facing rapid rise of solar PVs are more or less unanimous on two remedies to address the revenue erosion challenge facing them: First, reducing the incentives to self-generation and Second, increasing the fixed charges customers… Keep reading →
Here’s an interesting look at the Los Angeles region’s long oil production history. One surprising photo shows drilling rigs lining the Long Beach oceanfront in the 1950’s, a level of industrial development that would be anathema today. However, local communities adapted over time to oil development infrastructure in their midst and the still-producing reservoirs now… 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 →
Quick Take: When it comes to the pending electricity revolution, many utilities dither or postpone or explain away (“It may have happened to every other industry. But it will NEVER happen to us. Because we’re special.”) Many environmental groups, on the other hand, are stepping up. They are not just saying that something must change.… Keep reading →
The US made significant energy efficiency inroads following the 1973 oil embargo, but fresh supplies of cheap energy hit markets in the mid-1980’s, bringing renewed complacency that caused lawmakers to backslide on efficiency measures. Famed innovator and energy researcher Amory Lovins sets the stage for a new energy efficiency surge in his latest blog post:… Keep reading →
