The building efficiency field has never been as promising and full of opportunities as it is today. The proliferation of energy disclosure laws and rating systems has brought greater understanding of the potential savings embedded in our built environment. The price volatility of energy and water, as well as greater awareness of the economic… Keep reading →
After analyzing the EPA’s ‘Clean Power Plan’ proposal for the Scientific American, David Biello aptly concludes that in order “to burn coal or even natural gas without exacerbating global warming requires CO2 capture and storage whether in India or Indiana. The EPA, because of the cost of such CCS technology, will not go that far.”… Keep reading →
In a global carbon emissions context, the Keystone XL pipeline is a drop in the bucket. The greenhouse gas emissions generated from developing Canada’s oil sands – 6.8% of total 2010 Canadian GHG emissions – are one piece of a very large global climate puzzle. Tailpipe and power plant emissions are far greater sources of GHG’s. And… Keep reading →
The nimble startup company behind New York Energy Week is rapidly growing alongside the innovative event series it launched last year. New York Energy Week creators, Energy Solutions Forum, just completed a corporate rebranding, taking the new name EnerKnol (for energy knowledge) that better reflects their core mission and flagship offering. Breaking Energy recently interviewed… Keep reading →
Trade sanctions on Chinese solar panels – established two years ago and broadened last week in a preliminary decision by the U.S. Department of Commerce – are a matter of fierce debate in the solar community. But given the results of a new study on the energy use efficiency and carbon footprint of Chinese solar,… Keep reading →
Quick Take: Both utilities and the companies that sell to them will be encouraged by the results of the survey described below. Utilities can take comfort that most of their peers are gearing up to grapple with the changes ahead. Vendors can be glad that they say the solutions will come from new technology. – Jesse Berst… Keep reading →
The plains of the Dakotas are as beautiful as they are sometimes harsh. The Sioux Tribes that have inhabited the rolling plains and spectacular badlands of South Dakota have faced high energy costs in recent years — costs that sometimes represent a disproportionately large portion of a family’s total income. To help the South Dakota… Keep reading →
More data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), pointing toward American energy self-sufficiency: The agency reports domestic energy production accounted for 84 percent of total U.S. energy demand in 2013, a ratio last seen in the early 1990s. EIA: The portion of U.S. energy consumption supplied by domestic production has been increasing since 2005, when it was… Keep reading →
Louisiana’s coastline is getting washed out to sea and a lawsuit designed to make oil and gas companies pay for the damage now rages. Some believe a creative financing solution – that involves federal, state and private funding – is needed to foot the more than $50 billion dollar bill over 50 years. “Companies will… Keep reading →
Many U.S. water utilities don’t have the revenue to support sustainable operations. Much of the buzz in the utility world in the past week was around the proposed EPA rules to limit carbon emissions from existing power plants. Some utilities are lining up for a fight, while others already have enough trouble on their hands competing in… Keep reading →
