Emissions

Ready Or Not, Here Come MACT And CSAPR

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Congressional deadlock means two game-changing Environmental Protection Agency rules are poised to take effect unless a court stops them or the White House weighs in.

The rules will cost electric utilities and their ratepayers billions. But the utility industry itself is split between those that have invested to lower their air pollution ahead of federal regulation and say stricter standards can be met, and those who remain highly coal-dependent and contend the EPA is forcing changes so fast it will endanger electric reliability. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 15, 2011 at 10:30 AM

Untangling The New Regulation: AOL Energy Week In Review

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Has the deregulation of the energy industry gone into reverse?

Energy deregulation was a central theme of the 1990s, a trend that swept the developed world as ways to liberate markets were sought out in the wake of seemingly-successful deregulation efforts elsewhere in the economy in the preceding decade. No longer would customers pay out regulated, regular rates to monopoly corporations with lengthy planning timelines and no incentive to cut costs or employees. Creative destruction was the name of the game, and politicians and power regulators got roughly half-way through rewriting the rules of power markets before the implosion of Enron put the brakes on efforts at further deregulation, which have been halting and piecemeal. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 11, 2011 at 3:30 PM

The Science Of Energy: The Power And Promise Of Nuclear Fusion

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There’s power in smashing apart giant uranium atoms. But the future of energy may actually lie in the reverse process: the fusion of atoms.

In a recent conversation with Breaking Energy, Dr. Michael Gamble spoke of his research with fusion technology, a process that fuses together tiny atoms like hydrogen and water to momentarily release energy. The nuclei of the two atoms initially repel each other, and have to overcome repulsion of the electric force before fusing together into a joint molecule whose nucleus is held stable with the strong force. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 11, 2011 at 6:00 AM

China’s Carbon Emissions An Issue In New Five Year Plan

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A recent Energy Information Administration (EIA) report noted that India and China were going to lead the world in the global increase in energy consumption over the coming decades. Its unclear if that also means those developing countries will lead in carbon emissions.

In its second “Annual Review of Low-Carbon Development in China,” the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) found that under its 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010), China achieved a 19.1% reduction in the energy intensity of its economy. But at the same time, overall emissions were up 33.6%, with emissions from building operation and transportation growing 41%. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 10, 2011 at 11:45 AM

Southern Company’s Tom Fanning Bets Big On Nukes

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“Sleepy” hasn’t been the right word for the electric utility industry in many years, but the business has felt particularly strong zaps lately. The Japanese earthquake and tsunami rewrote the future of nuclear power, which had been in the midst of a renaissance. The Environmental Protection Agency wants to impose the most stringent emissions rules the industry has ever faced. And the rapid development of shale gas in the U.S. could revolutionize electrical generation. These are tense times for any utility — especially one like Southern Co., which is building a major new nuclear power plant near Augusta, Ga., and generates most of its electricity by burning coal. This article is a linkout find the full copy at http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/09/news/companies/southern_tom_fanning_leadership.fortune/

 /  Published November 10, 2011 at 10:00 AM

An Innovative Jet Engine Promises Less Pollution

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The GEnx is GE’s latest addition to its growing selection of energy efficient motors, engines and gas turbines.

Made specifically for commercial jets such as the Boeing 747-8 and Boeing 787, the engine promises 15% higher fuel efficiency than previous GE engine models, such as the GE90 and CF6. It will be used first by a Japan Airlines 787 later this year. Watch it in action in this video. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 10, 2011 at 6:00 AM

IEA_OECD IEA If fossil fuel infrastructure is not rapidly changed, the world will ‘lose for ever’ the chance to avoid climate change

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If fossil fuel infrastructure is not rapidly changed, the world will ‘lose for ever’ the chance to avoid climate change bit.ly/vCCbsD
@IEA_OECD

 /  Published November 9, 2011 at 10:00 AM

Energy Efficiency 24 Hours A Day, 7 Days A Week

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Energy nerds may be calculating emissions every time they turn on their cars, but they may not realize that some motors are burning far more energy, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Industrial motor systems burn far more energy and emit much more CO2 than the average person realizes, several GE executives told Breaking Energy in a recent phone conversation (in total these systems account for roughly 25-30% of the United States’ total energy consumption.) They said that if industrial facility operators in the US adopted high-efficiency motors like the ones GE sells, those industries could save $3-5 billion annually in electric bills and could reduce CO2 emissions by 15-26 million metric tons per year, about the same as taking 3-5 million passenger vehicles off the road. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 8, 2011 at 11:15 AM

Why People Opt Against Going Green

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Walk down any grocery store aisle or even department store, and you’ll be bombarded with green products. From dish detergent to baby wipes, to organic T-shirts and yoga mats, it seems as if every company is looking to grab a piece of the “green” pie. But not all consumers are buying.
Although the green movement has gained steam over the years, not everyone has gotten on board about reducing their carbon footprint. Green lifestyle expert Danny Seo says the main reason people choose not to buy green products is simple: they’re selfish. This article is a linkout, for more see: http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/11/04/why-people-opt-against-going-green/?cmpid=partner_aol#ixzz1d33WKxzI

 /  Published November 8, 2011 at 10:00 AM

Eastern Democrats Defend Cross-State Power Plant Emissions Rule

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US senators and officials from Delaware and Rhode Island on Monday defended the Cross-State Air Pollution rule, an EPA regulation that requires 27 states to make significant cuts in power-plant emissions that contribute to ozone and fine-particle pollution in other states.

Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky is seeking to defeat the rule with a Congressional resolution that represents a vote of “no confidence” in an agency’s regulation. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 8, 2011 at 6:00 AM
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