We’re only eight months into the year, and utility-scale solar installations in the United States have already surpassed the total for all of last year. Data from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [PDF] shows 1,774 megawatts of new Big Solar capacity as of the end of August – compared to 1,476 MW for the entire… Keep reading →
Supporters of coal have called the planned new rules from the EPA on CO2 emissions from coal-fired power generation a war on coal and have pledged to fight the rule-making process. It is true that there will almost certainly not be a new coal-fired electric generating station built in the U.S. for at least the… Keep reading →
Saudi Arabia’s early history dates back 15,000 to 20,000 years, but the modern Kingdom, founded on this day in 1932, has since become the most powerful Opec member and the world’s most influential oil exporter. “Since King Abdulaziz Al-Saud established the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, its transformation has been astonishing…On September 23,… Keep reading →
The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled its proposal for Clean Air Act standards to limit carbon dioxide emissions from new power plants on Friday. The agency also announced that it has begun coordinating with state and local governments, industries and non-profit organizations to establish carbon dioxide emissions standards for existing power plants. “Power plants are the… Keep reading →
“The Christian Coalition believes that energy efficiency is a family value issue,” writes the group’s CEO in an op-ed. Whether or not you follow the logic, it will be interesting to see whether this helps advance efficiency legislation in Congress. [The Hill] Germany is finding out that its efforts to shift toward cleaner energy – while cutting… Keep reading →
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy just released a report ranking the 34 largest US cities on energy efficiency. “By considering both policies and energy performance, the City Scorecard reflects the current activities and historical legacies in each city, and as a result provides actionable information to policymakers and residents,” the group writes in… Keep reading →
In 1956, a little-known geologist named Marion King Hubbert published a paper predicting that oil supplies were destined to reach a peak as the cheap and easy to tap reservoirs were depleted over time. He predicted that US oil production would peak somewhere between the late 1960s to early 1970s. Others, including oil financier Mathew… Keep reading →
A question that frequently surfaces in discussions about energy and environment is why we continue to use fossil fuels, rather than transition to cleaner energy sources, given the threats posed by climate change. According to Statoil chief economist Eirik Wærness, no one has identified a means of sustaining acceptable levels of economic growth without them.… Keep reading →
The American Petroleum Institute’s latest statistics for US crude oil production show output for the month of August at its highest level in a quarter of a century. Production averaged more than 7 million barrels per day in August for the tenth consecutive month, according to API. “U.S. crude oil production in August increased by 1.2… Keep reading →
The success of distributed solar generation is one of the surprising twists in the ongoing drama of shifting US power markets, and now the revolution is set to come to wind power. United Wind started the road toward an anticipated half a billion dollars in financing by 2017 for distributed wind installations this week with… Keep reading →
