Users of critical infrastructure – for example, the electrical grid – are not really known for being blessed with outstanding customer service from their respective providers. Instead, for operators/providers – i.e. utilities – of a public good such as electricity, customers seem not to be the primary consideration given that utilities have a legal “obligation… Keep reading →
Originally Posted on TheEnergyCollective.com Before the massive electrical grids and power lines that our current infrastructure relies so heavily upon, batteries were the way we created electricity. As batteries advanced, so did our technological capabilities. From lead-acid to lithium ion, battery technologies dominate the majority our our everyday gadgets, appliances, and amenities. If you don’t believe… Keep reading →
In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed into law an amendment to the Clean Air Act that mandated emissions reductions of the harmful pollutant sulfur dioxide, SO2, from coal-fired power plants. The government did not instruct industry how they were to achieve the reductions, but merely that they were required to. A novel system called… Keep reading →
Novomer is a small start-up chemistry company developing novel methods for converting waste carbon dioxide, CO2, into useful plastics, polymers and chemical intermediates. Novomer has developed proprietary catalysts that react with CO2 and allow it to bond with other molecules. CO2 is a difficult molecule to work with for the same reasons that it accumulates… Keep reading →
Oil and gas companies have discovered most of the world’s “easy oil,” but face extreme pressure from shareholders and Wall Street to consistently increase production and replace reserves, which takes them further offshore and closer to the poles. And as petroleum resources are increasingly developed in outpost locations with unconventional methods, the key to making… Keep reading →
The annual MIT Venture Capital conference is a summit where VCs from Menlo Park to Boston come together and present their views on the next hottest startup investments to eager MBA students, entrepreneurs, and fellow investors. As global leaders in engineering and technology, it’s no surprise that MIT has always been a pillar for energy industry development,… Keep reading →
The oil and gas industry often bemoans the inefficiencies, permitting delays and duplicated efforts it says result from overlapping regulations at local, state and federal levels. Energy companies are now getting some help addressing this issue from 10 US state governors – who preside over the lion’s share of US oil and gas production –… Keep reading →
The U.S. is not the clear, go-to nation for energy manufacturing. But it’s no longer the nation that businesses automatically leave when it comes time to scale up innovations to commercial production, said Gene Sperling, Director of the National Economic Council, and it’s critical that the U.S. seize the opportunity that presents. Speaking to the… Keep reading →
In what has to be seen as a discouraging sign for offshore wind power – a key component of the United Kingdom’s scheme to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions – RWE said it is abandoning the planned 1,200-megawatt Atlantic Array, in the Bristol Channel. The company said unspecified technological challenges of the project made it “uneconomic for RWE at this… Keep reading →
The failed nomination of Ron Binz to be the Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which was formalized with his withdrawal from consideration last month, was unprecedented in Washington. The role of FERC has never been the subject of public of political interest – and I’d argue that few people (in Congress or otherwise)… Keep reading →
