The energy industry – oil & gas sector in particular – is bracing itself for a massive wave of retirements over the short to medium term, which has been dubbed “The Great Shift Change.” As the industry prepares for this turnover, companies are looking to the next generation of candidates with skills ranging from finance, geology,… Keep reading →
Barack Obama promised an overhaul of coal mining on public lands during his final Sate of the Union address, delivering a major blow to the ailing industry. [The Guardian] The solar industry added 35,000 jobs in 2015, up 20% from the previous year, according to the Solar Foundation, a nonprofit in Washington D.C. [CNN Money]… Keep reading →
Just hours before Pyongyang claimed to have tested a hydrogen bomb, Iran unveiled another underground facility and showed off North Korean-designed long-range missiles. Evidence of North Korea’s January 6 nuclear test is still being analyzed, but already there is doubt about whether it was a powerful hydrogen bomb, as Pyongyang has claimed. Rather, it was… Keep reading →
Utility-scale solar and distributed solar both have an important role to play in reducing greenhouse emissions, and both have made great strides in the past year. Utility-scale solar, the focus of this article, is reaching “grid parity” (i.e., cost equivalency) with traditional generation in more areas across the country. And solar received a major boost… Keep reading →
On December 31, 2015, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order directing the Midcontinent System Operator (MISO) to make changes to the capacity auction rules, including requirements to stop relying on PJM Interconnection prices to set maximum bids and increase the amount of electricity available in the Illinois market area. FERC found that… Keep reading →
In Oklahoma, seismologists have warned that significant temblors last week could signal a larger, more dangerous earthquake to come in a state where drilling is destabilizing the bedrock. [The Guardian] Russia’s main stock indexes plummeted on Monday as the drop in oil prices cast a pall over the country’s energy-dependent economy. [The NY Times] Data… Keep reading →
In 2015, the Energy Department’s Solar Ready Vets program trained more than 150 American armed forces veterans to enter the solar workforce. I’m pleased to report that every single one received a job offer upon graduating. THIS IS JUST THE START. President Obama formally launched Solar Ready Vets in April. Since then, transitioning service members have trained at Camp… Keep reading →
At this year’s State of American Energy event, we highlighted the impact of energy policy on the lives and livelihoods of families and businesses in every state. The connection between policy and pocketbooks is evident after a year in which Americans saved an average $550 per driver on gasoline, due largely to strong U.S. oil… Keep reading →
The U.S. Department of Energy has selected a Battelle Memorial Institute-led team to drill a test borehole of over 16,000 feet into a crystalline basement rock formation near Rugby, North Dakota. This is an important step in exploring the science needed for utilization of deep boreholes in crystalline rock formations. One of the most promising… Keep reading →
If 2015 was defined by falling commodity prices, 2016 may simply be defined by continuing lows.
