The Center for Biological Diversity is accusing the Obama Administration of violating a 19th-century law by allowing oil and gas companies to continue drilling on public lands that are now closed to other visitors during the government shutdown. “Previously permitted oil and gas development on public lands isn’t affected by the shutdown.” [Fuel Fix] An… 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 →
Wifi-enabled thermostats can deliver substantial efficiency benefits when they’re used, but the trick is expanding deployment to as many households as possible. Broadening the range of wifi thermostats that can link up to any utility’s demand response program could help to achieve that. Home thermostat technology has made evolutionary leaps and bounds, such as the… Keep reading →
Daniel Yergin, vice-chairman of IHS Cera, has published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973. The piece drives home a central point: oil production and pricing can adapt relatively quickly to changing circumstances, provided that governments refrain from stepping in to influence them. “A… Keep reading →
The global natural gas revolution has arrived in Mexico. As the country’s power sector undertakes a fuel shift toward natural gas, state-owned and domestic companies are beginning to seek ways to partner with technology-empowered foreign firms to boost domestic production. While maintaining and expanding struggling crude oil production at state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos (better known as… Keep reading →
More nukes are shutting down than getting built. Cheap and plentiful natural gas accomplished what thousands of anti-nuclear protesters could not: shut down the Yankee Nuclear Power Station in Vernon, VT. In late August 2013, the operator of the plant, Entergy Corp., the second biggest operator of nuclear reactors in the US after Exelon, announced that the decision… Keep reading →
Suntech for Sale Suntech Power, once the world’s largest solar panel builder, is bankrupt (or the Chinese equivalent) and receiving bids for its main manufacturing unit, according to reports in the Financial Times. Suntech owes a total of $2.3 billion to a number of Chinese banks. The bidders are: Shunfeng Photovoltaic, an acquisitive solar cell maker, which looks… Keep reading →
By Holly Ellyatt The shale gas revolution is only just beginning, but according to one leading analyst the U.K. and Europe have failed to capitalize on the maverick within the global energy market and are being left out in the cold. “I don’t think the U.K. is anywhere near catching up with the U.S.,” David… Keep reading →
The API has challenged EPA’s 2013 RFS mandate, claiming that the volumetric targets are unrealistic. On October 8, 2013, the American Petroleum Institute (API) filed a lawsuit in the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2013 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumetric requirements, claiming the 6 million gallon (MG)… Keep reading →
Energy efficiency is finally top of mind for building owners and policy makers alike. There is a general agreement that buildings could be saving an enormous volume of kilowatt-hours and btus, with their associated dollars and tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Energy benchmarking is the clear first step to managing energy, but how can policy-makers… Keep reading →
