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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Don't look now, but clean tech is contributing to climate progress
New report on massive growth of renewables last year |
Joseph Romm |
27 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Climate Progress is the title of my blog posts' main home, as much as the 'progress' part strains credulity at times. I only see two major quantitative areas of sustained progress: clean energy deployment (especially in Europe) and private sector clean-tech funding. Those folk at Clean Edge, who wrote the best 2007 book on clean tech, The Clean Tech Revolution, have quantified these gains -- and made predictions about the future -- in a new report you can read here. S ... |
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| Topics: biofuels, business, energy, renewable energy, wind power (all these topics) |
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Another entrant in the $1/watt solar sweepstakes
Cost of solar cells may be driven down dramatically |
David Roberts |
26 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Well lookie here! A series of manufacturing process improvements could make the cost of electricity from silicon-based solar cells comparable to today's prices for coal generation within about four years, according to a company emerging out of stealth today. The company, 1366 Technologies, will be using technologies developed in MIT labs to reduce the manufacturing costs of standard-issue multi-crystalline silicon solar cells. They say they can ultimately reduce ... |
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| Topics: business, carbon sequestration, coal, energy, renewable energy, solar voltaic power (all these topics) |
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Next Up on the Panel ...
Solar-panel manufacturers dumping toxic waste in China |
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10 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:54 PM on 10 Mar 2008 Solar panels may look bright and shiny, but they have a dark underbelly: production of polysilicon for panels gives off a highly toxic byproduct called silicon tetrachloride. In China, where factories are rushing to alleviate a polysilicon shortage that's cramping the global solar-panel industry, the bubbly white liquid is often just dumped in nearby villages. "The land where yo ... |
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| Topics: business, China, energy, news, renewable energy, solar voltaic power, toxics (all these topics) |
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Sick of Cell Anemia?
Startup company makes thin-film solar cells via new process |
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07 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:03 AM on 07 Mar 2008 Solar company Konarka has announced that it successfully developed a new process to manufacture solar cells that could lead to a range of new solar-powered products and applications. The solar cells are made without silicon and are manufactured into a thin, light film via an inkjet printer, which means they don't need to be born in a clean room like traditional silicon cells. One dr ... |
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| Topics: business, news, renewable energy, solar voltaic power, tech (all these topics) |
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How high must oil go before we end subsidies?
Bush's refusal to consider clean technologies could be repeated by McCain |
Joseph Romm |
06 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
| So, who said: With $55 oil we don't need incentives to oil and gas companies to explore. There are plenty of incentives. Yes, that would be our president, three years ago. And yet with oil at nearly twice that price, Bush still refuses to cut subsidies and shift that money to clean technologies. And he still claims that the solution to our energy and climate problems is 'technology, technology, technology, blah, blah.' But, as we've seen, that is all just rhetoric ... |
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| Topics: Big Oil, business, energy, George Bush, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Blow by Blow
Company creates global map of wind patterns |
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04 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:11 AM on 04 Mar 2008 Any way the wind blows, weather-consulting service 3Tier wants to map it. The company has created a global map of weather patterns that's available free on the internet, allowing anyone to check whether there's strong enough air movement -- and transmission capacity -- to power property in a certain area. 3Tier plans to do a similar project to show the potential of solar energy, to keep the renewable-energ ... |
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| Topics: business, energy, greenish companies, innovation, news, renewable energy, solar voltaic power, wind power (all these topics) |
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A trillion here, a trillion there
Another day, another trillion dollars for the clean-tech industry |
Mark Pawlosky |
19 Feb 2008 |
Gristmill |
| It seems that a day doesn't slip by without someone raising the stakes in the alternative-energy poker game. The most recent bombshell wager: Cambridge Energy Research Associates report that alternative energy investments will -- hold on to your hats! -- top $7 trillion by 2030. That's an audacious number by any measure, and normally it would be enough to suck the oxygen right out of a convention of wind-farm enthusiasts. But that's not the half of it. The most sta ... |
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| Topics: business, economy, energy, investing, renewable energy, tech (all these topics) |
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The subsidy tease, part I
Congress needs to stop flirting with the renewable energy industry |
Joseph Romm |
13 Feb 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This post is by ClimateProgress guest blogger Bill Becker, executive director of the Presidential Climate Action Project. ----- When it comes to relationships, Congress is a big tease. Or so it must seem to the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries. Just when they think they're about to go to the altar with the federal government, Congress becomes the runaway bride. Everyone who's anyone acknowledges that energy efficiency and renewable energy a ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, energy, innovation, legislation, politics, renewable energy, tech (all these topics) |
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Boogie Woogie Google Boy
An interview with Google's green energy czar, Bill Weihl |
Amanda Griscom Little |
07 Feb 2008 |
Grist Feature |
| The phrase "to Google" has become synonymous with "to search." But soon it may connote something altogether different: "to green." That is, if the internet titan can successfully pull off its latest world-changing endeavor. Bill Weihl. In late 2007, the dot-com giant announced its intention to make renewable energy cheaper than coal. The RE<C pro ... |
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| Topics: business, carbon neutral, carbon offsets, coal, energy, energy efficiency, greening biz operations, greenish companies, interview, renewable energy, solar thermal power (all these topics) |
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The Check's in the Gale
Wind-power technicians are in high demand |
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05 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:54 PM on 05 Feb 2008 As the wind industry experiences a huge boom, trained technicians are in high demand. Wind techs must have smarts in mechanics, hydraulics, computers, and meteorology -- and, of course, not be afraid of heights. The relatively new industry's oldest independent training programs aren't even five years old, and the industry is hustling to support training programs at community and technical colleges ... |
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| Topics: business, energy, green jobs, news, renewable energy, wind power (all these topics) |
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Whither the alternative energy market?
Q&A with Eric Janszen on whether an alt-energy bubble is in the making |
Mark Pawlosky |
01 Feb 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Eric Janszen Eric Janszen, the founder and president of iTulip.com, recently argued in Harper's Magazine that the alternative energy segment is a prime candidate for a massive asset bubble, potentially dwarfing both the dot-com and housing bubbles. I wrote about Janszen's prediction last week. This week, Janszen joins us for a question-and-answer follow-up.Grist: You make a convincing argument that a financial bubble in the alternative energy industry ... |
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| Topics: business, economy, energy, interview, investing, renewable energy, tech (all these topics) |
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Stimulating Indeed
Senators include clean-energy incentives in economic stimulus bill |
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30 Jan 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:57 PM on 30 Jan 2008 More than 40 senators, of both the Democrat and Republican persuasion, got behind a successful effort to include green-job boosting and renewable-energy incentives in the Senate version of an economic stimulus package. The legislation passed markup in the Finance Committee today and now heads to the Senate floor for a final vote. source: Sierra Club F ... |
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| Topics: business, energy, green jobs, news, politics, renewable energy, US Senate (all these topics) |
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Chip and They're Bolder
Intel replaces PepsiCo as biggest U.S. buyer of alternative energy |
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28 Jan 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:45 PM on 28 Jan 2008 Tech giant Intel has announced that it will buy 1.3 billion kilowatt hours of renewable energy credits a year, making it the biggest U.S. buyer of alternative energy. Previous record-holder PepsiCo is bumped into second place with a purchase of 1.1 billion kilowatt hours annually -- but if Pepsi's advertising is to be believed, every sip gets them closer. sources: Financi ... |
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| Topics: business, energy, greenish companies, news, renewable energy, tech (all these topics) |
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Bubbling up ...
Could alternative energy companies drive the next big market bubble? |
Mark Pawlosky |
26 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| In case you missed it, the Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced a violent and exhausting 1,000-point swing the past week, down 450 points on Tuesday before trimming its losses and then tumbling 330 points on Wednesday before rebounding with a 299-point gain. It's not the only financial freefall of late. The housing market bubble was punctured last fall and has been leaking like the Hindenburg ever since. (And long before that, the economy experienced the ... |
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| Topics: business, economy, energy, investing, renewable energy, tech (all these topics) |
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Stock analysts v. venture capitalists
Tom Konrad on cellulosic electricity |
Guest author |
24 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The following is a guest essay by Tom Konrad, a financial analyst specializing in renewable energy and energy efficiency companies, a freelance writer, and a contributor to AltEnergyStocks.com. ----- Romm v. Khosla In a persuasive series of articles entitled "Pragmatists vs. Environmentalists" (Parts I, II, and III), Vinod Khosla has provided the reasoning behind his "dissing" of plug-in hybrids, which drew the ire of Joseph Romm. Nei ... |
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| Topics: biofuels, business, cellulosic ethanol, energy, ethanol, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Great Scott
Wal-Mart CEO lays out ambitious social and environmental goals for his company |
David Roberts |
24 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Yesterday, Wal-Mart CEO gave a fairly amazing speech, assessing the company's progress on its social and environmental goals and laying out some extremely ambitious plans for the future. A taste: He then laid out sweeping plans for the company on several health and environmental issues, and he hinted that even more ambitious goals might be on the horizon. Mr. Scott said, for instance, that Wal-Mart is talking to leaders of the automobile industry about selling el ... |
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| Topics: business, energy, greening biz operations, renewable energy, Wal-Mart (all these topics) |
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If you build it, they will come
Growing solar industry depends on key tax credit that will expire this year |
Adam Browning |
22 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Advocates talk a lot about how renewable energy is not just good for the environment, but good for the economy as well. And here is some real-world proof: New Mexico, with strong leadership by Gov. Richardson, PRC Commissioners Lujan and Marks, and many others, has done more than most to establish the full suite of policies necessary to build a solar market. And the reward? Schott AG is investing $100 million in a new manufacturing facility outside of Albuquerque. It w ... |
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| Topics: business, economy, energy, New Mexico, renewable energy, solar voltaic power (all these topics) |
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Rise to Power
Clean-tech and wind power both soaring |
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18 Jan 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:23 PM on 18 Jan 2008 Investment in clean-tech companies rose 44 percent from 2005 to 2006, and jumped an additional 44 percent from 2006 to 2007, soaring to $5.18 billion, according to the Cleantech Group LLC. Last year in clean-tech, energy generation received $2.75 billion in investment, followed by energy storage ($471 million) and transportation ($445 million). And you know what that means: "More new car companies were fi ... |
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| Topics: business, cars, energy, news, renewable energy, tech, wind power (all these topics) |
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Can the environmental economy dodge a recession?
As economic indicators trend downward, the clean-tech sector is still looking up |
Mark Pawlosky |
18 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| As one key economic engine after another -- housing, finance, autos, retail -- sputters and stalls out, the fledgling eco-economy is purring right along, fueled in no small part by venture capital firms hungry for new opportunities in industries that promise outsized returns on their investments. In the first three quarters of 2007, VCs poured $2.6 billion into alternative energy and clean-tech firms, more money than they invested for the whole of 2006. The new y ... |
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| Topics: business, economy, energy, investing, renewable energy, tech (all these topics) |
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Coal is the enemy of the human race: Goliath, meet David edition
Google invests in solar thermal company eSolar |
David Roberts |
18 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Today, Google announced it's investing $10 million in eSolar, a solar thermal company, as part of its RE<C project. (Speaking of the latter, we've got an excellent interview on it coming up soon.) Here's what esolar has to say about itself (PDF): To serve the renewable electricity needs of utility-scale energy providers, eSolar has developed a market disrupting solar thermal power plant technology. Generation can be scaled from 25 MW to over 500 MW at energy p ... |
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| Topics: business, coal, energy, renewable energy, solar thermal power (all these topics) |
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Investors see opportunity in efficiency and wind
Energy stocks are looking attractive |
Joseph Romm |
10 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The following essay is a guest post by Kari Manlove, fellows assistant at the Center for American Progress. ----- CNNmoney.com just released a summary outlook on the solar, wind, biofuel (mainly ethanol), and efficiency industry financial sectors. The two looking most optimistic are wind and efficiency, and thus both sectors are overflowing with opportunity. According to one investment portfolio manager, efficiency investments are reliable and essentially fu ... |
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| Topics: business, economy, energy, energy efficiency, renewable energy, wind power (all these topics) |
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But what about the less attractive countries?
Swedish company to warm buildings using body heat |
Adam Browning |
09 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The legendary hotness of Swedes is now useful for more than getting dates. Calls to the French Embassy about plans for using the famous Gallic 'icy superciliousness' for air conditioning were not returned by press time. |
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| Topics: business, energy, innovation, renewable energy, Sweden (all these topics) |
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News from the Googleplex
Is Google betting on a carbon tax? |
Charles Komanoff |
29 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Google Inc. has a new project, 'Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal.' Google is preparing to bet megabucks, mega-engineers, and its cutting-edge reputation on its ability to propel solar thermal power, wind turbines, and other renewable electricity up the innovation curve and under the cost of coal-fired power, Reuters reported Tuesday. "Our goal is to produce one gigawatt [1,000 megawatts] of renewable energy capacity that is cheaper than coal. We are opt ... |
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| Topics: carbon tax, politics, renewable energy, business, energy, legislation (all these topics) |
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Google Dolls
Google funds R&D to make clean energy cheaper than coal |
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27 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 1:31 PM on 27 Nov 2007 Google has made a humongous announcement -- which goes without saying, since everything Google does is humongous -- of plans to heavily fund R&D of renewable-energy technology, focusing on wind, solar, and geothermal power. Calling the project Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal (or RE<C), Google has an end goal of cleanly produced electricity that's less expensive than dirty-black-ro ... |
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| Topics: business, greenish companies, news, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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The salty, oily flavor of progress
80% by 2050? Try 2010. |
Adam Stein |
20 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Got a headache from all the recent back and forth over rhetoric and politics of climate change? Last week, Frito-Lay served up a refreshingly rhetoric-free reminder that the future is coming no matter what we might do to encourage (or stop) it. Under their net zero initiative, the salty snack behemoth will be taking an Arizona potato chip factory almost entirely off the grid, running it on renewable energy and recycled water. The project stands out to me mostly for wha ... |
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| Topics: renewable energy, energy, climate, business, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics) |
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