Thank your lucky stars, Australia. Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) left town before too much damage could be done. Meanwhile, a message to U.S. wave energy fans: Don’t lose faith. Oregon, which also suffered a big OPT disappointment, seems to be bouncing back just fine. First the Australia story: OPT last week pulled the plug on… Keep reading →
There’s an unlikely name among the usual suspects that populate a recently released list [PDF] of leading U.S. solar cities. There’s Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, San Jose, Honolulu, San Antonio and then … Indianapolis? Yep. And the city just got even more solar, with the official opening last week of a 9 megawatt array… Keep reading →
The battle lines aren’t officially drawn yet, but the fight is already intense. Next week, the Obama administration will propose new rules for curtailing greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants, the source of about 40 percent of U.S. carbon pollution. The proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air… Keep reading →
In 1954, Lewis Strauss, the Chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, promised a future of energy that would be “too cheap to meter”. He was talking about nuclear power. Now, 60 years later, nuclear is an increasingly hot and divisive topic in the energy debate. Is nuclear, as Strauss said, too cheap to… Keep reading →
The US military consumed 90 million barrels of oil last year which cost $15 billion, and military fuel consumption is expected to increase with the adoption of the F-35 combat aircraft, the Littoral Combat Ship, and the KC-46A tanker aircraft, that “will all consume more fuel than the platforms they will replace.” As a result,… Keep reading →
Texas both produces and consumes more energy than any state in the U.S. It controls one-quarter of U.S. proven oil reserves. Energy companies looking to grow or to establish a U.S. presence set up operations in Texas. The primary electricity transmission system in Texas is independent of the rest of the country (a long-time source… Keep reading →
Hawaii has long been plagued by high electricity costs due to the need to import feedstock – predominantly fuel oil and some coal – which is why the prospect of producing more of its own power is attractive. But renewables require energy storage to help balance loads during the ebb and flow of consumption, so… Keep reading →
Energy efficiency is a proven value. In Ohio alone, energy efficiency programs have saved people a total of $1 billion since 2009. What’s more is that these savings far outweigh the costs to implement Ohio’s energy efficiency programs, which amount to less than half of the total savings. Yet Ohio utilities, particularly FirstEnergy, and large industrial companies want… Keep reading →
A post-Hurricane Sandy storm has been brewing in New Jersey since PSE&G filed an infrastructure-hardening project with the Board of Public Utilities last year. The utility is seeking $3.9 billion to fortify power grid infrastructure flooded during the hurricane. The BPU is balking at the price and questioning the extent to which customers will benefit… Keep reading →
Countering the Russian incursion into Crimea, the House Energy and Power Committee is debating multiplying American LNG exports, and sending shale gas in liquid form to countries overseas, a move that consultants say will raise US electricity prices. A knock-on effect of sending more shale gas abroad is that US electricity companies that have gas-fired… Keep reading →
