The keys to the future of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan lie in the playbook that each state is required to develop that will allow it to meet the carbon reduction mandates. State implementation plans are regulatory schemes commonly used to get states to administer and enforce federal EPA standards under… Keep reading →
On December 18, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (H.R. 2029), which includes multi-year extensions for federal tax incentives for wind and solar generation facilities and lifts the 40-year-old ban on crude oil exports from the United States. The $1.1 trillion spending bill, which funds the government through September 2016,… Keep reading →
A variety of technologies are available for heating your house. In addition to heat pumps, which are discussed separately, many homes use the following approaches: ACTIVE SOLAR HEATING Uses the sun to heat either air or liquid and can serve as a supplemental heat source. ELECTRIC RESISTANCE HEATING Among the most expensive ways to heat… Keep reading →
WASHINGTON – U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz today announced $125 million across 41 cutting-edge energy technologies awarded by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). These new projects are funded under ARPA-E’s OPEN 2015 program and come in advance of the COP21 U.N. Climate Negotiations in Paris next week. The announcement was… Keep reading →
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) researchers have won 33 of the 100 awards given out this year by R&D Magazine for the most outstanding technology developments with promising commercial potential. The R&D 100 awards, sometimes called the “Oscars of Innovation,” are given annually in recognition of exceptional new products or processes that were developed and… Keep reading →
The Energy Department announced a new report that shows the fuel cell industry is continuing to grow at an unprecedented rate, totaling more than $2.2 billion in sales in 2014. In order to further expand on this emerging market, the Department also announced today the investment of more than $20 million in 10 projects to… Keep reading →
Fuel flexibility is a matter of survival for coal-fired power plants, considering the cloudy economics besetting segments of the power industry. What is less understood, however, is that fuel flexibility can also lead to major savings for plant operators. “Most coal-burning generators were built in an era when coal was cheap, environmental pressures were low,… Keep reading →
On September 11, 2015, the California State Legislature approved the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015 (SB 350) which aims to increase the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) to 50 percent by 2030 from the present goal of 33 percent by 2020, in addition to increasing energy efficiency in existing buildings by 50… Keep reading →
A recent analysis from Lazard of the levelized cost of various forms of energy shows wind, solar and biomass states they are already cost-competitive with most fossil fuels. [WSJ] American households are expected to pay an estimated $700 less for energy expenditures than in 2014—a windfall that is expected to last through 2016, according to the EIA.… Keep reading →
Over the past few years, scientists across the country have been revolutionizing the future of fuel. Biofuels researchers from the Department Energy’s National Laboratories and its partners have achieved some significant milestones, and there’s a lot more in the works. Check out what’s new: 1. THEY’RE GETTING A LOT CHEAPER. Rapid advancements in biofuels… Keep reading →
