Much has been made about natural gas serving as a bridge fuel until more renewable energy can be fed into the US power grid. While that’s a somewhat controversial concept – with hard-core environmentalists preaching zero fossil fuels and hydrocarbon industry folks pooh-poohing renewables for multiple reasons – this National Journal piece explains the wind-to-gas… Keep reading →
Fifty cents a watt? Wow. That’s the module cost claim for utility-scale installations that Cogenra is making with its new T14 PV system. The emphasis on the system’s ability to deliver low-cost benefits with low-concentration photovoltaics is a bit of a shift for Cogenra, which had long sold itself as uniquely able to combine PV and… Keep reading →
Renewable transportation fuels like ethanol have been under the microscope lately, as fighting over the Renewable Fuel Standard ratcheted up in the days leading up to EPA’s proposed 2014 blending requirements. While corn-based ethanol received most of the attention – due to an investigative report highlighting some of the industry’s negative environmental impacts – the… Keep reading →
The big news over the weekend was the temporary deal the US and its allies struck with Iran over the country’s nuclear program. The deal – recently predicted in an exclusive Breaking Defense interview with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif – has been called the biggest diplomatic breakthrough with Tehran since the 1979 hostage crisis. The… Keep reading →
Yesterday the US Department of Energy hosted a debate on the subject of Nikola Tesla versus Thomas Edison – who was more important and more inventive? The results are now in and the winner is… Well, it may not be that cut and dry. They both played integral parts in developing one of the most… Keep reading →
Dubbed the world’s most advanced wind turbine drive-train testing facility and a grid-scale distributed power generation simulator, the SCE&G Energy Innovation Center dedicated yesterday at Clemson University is state of the art. The facility will vet technology needed to upgrade the aging US power grid. “Central to updating and improving the efficiency and reliability of the aging… Keep reading →
What could someday be one of the world’s largest public electric vehicle sharing systems has begun to quietly unfold in the large eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou. If all goes according to plan, residents in that metropolitan region could, within five years, have access to up to 100,000 self-serving EV rentals and related supporting infrastructure.… Keep reading →
The debate about using ethanol and advanced biofuels to further US environmental goals recently reached a crescendo when the AP released a deeply-researched investigative report into the biofuel industry’s green credentials. The report came out right before the EPA announced its proposed 2014 biofuel blending requirements, a highly controversial issue unto itself. The degree to… Keep reading →
Is the rapid increase in US oil and gas production from shale resources a threat to the oil-dependent Saudi Arabian economy? That depends on who within the kingdom you ask. One school of thought proclaims global energy demand growth is expected to be sufficient to absorb all new supply sources, while another fears extensive incremental… Keep reading →
Celebrities: Constructive Addition to the Fracking Conversation?
By Jared AndersonThe noise level created by the debate over fracking in the US is reaching unprecedented levels. It seems everyone has a view on the controversial oil and gas development technology, some informed and many less so. A new video series features celebrities asking President Obama and several state leaders to ban the practice outright, but… Keep reading →