| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Will you pay or will you go? Renewables score big victory in the Senate |
Josh Dorner |
10 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| With today's green energy boom (and over 100,000 existing jobs in the wind and solar industries alone) hanging in the balance, the Senate voted this morning by an overwhelming 88 to 8 margin to attach short-term extensions of key clean energy tax incentives set to expire at the end of this year -- the Production Tax Credit that mostly goes to wind power, the Investment Tax Credit for solar, and other incentives for energy efficient appliances and the like -- to the housi ... |
|
| Topics: climate, energy, legislation, politics, renewable energy, US House of Representatives, US Senate (all these topics) |
|
|
Happy Renew Year! Senate passes one-year extension of renewable-energy tax credit |
|
10 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:17 AM on 10 Apr 2008 The U.S. Senate passed an extension of the renewable-energy production tax credit Thursday as part of a bill intended to address the ailing U.S. housing market. The renewable-energy credit provides a per-kilowatt-hour incentive for the first 10 years a renewable-energy project is in operation -- a credit considered to be a vital driver of clean-energy expansion. The credit is worth ... |
|
| Topics: legislation, news, renewable energy, United States (all these topics) |
|
|
Steel Yourself Labor and enviros join up for green-jobs campaign |
|
08 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:40 PM on 08 Apr 2008 A new green-jobs campaign has been launched by the Sierra Club, NRDC, the United Steelworkers, and the Blue Green Alliance (itself a project of the Sierra Club and the steelworkers union). The Green Jobs for America campaign, moving forward on the momentum of last month's Good Jobs, Green Jobs conference, will be focused in 12 states and will aim to raise public awareness, encourage private investm ... |
|
| Topics: business, energy, grassroots activism, green jobs, news, NRDC, renewable energy, Sierra Club (all these topics) |
|
|
Maryland keeps getting greener State's governor pursuing clean energy and GHG reductions |
Joseph Romm |
07 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This post is by ClimateProgress guest blogger Kari Manlove, fellows assistant at the Center for American Progress. ----- Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has prioritized clean energy policy and aims to reduce the state's energy consumption 15 percent by 2015. In addition, Maryland is a part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electric utilities. With those goals topping the governor's agenda, Maryland's Senate chambers ... |
|
| Topics: carbon trading, climate, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, Maryland, politics, renewable energy, state politics (all these topics) |
|
|
Interest in Renewing Renewables Renewed Boosts for renewable energy get another go-round in the Senate |
|
04 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:28 AM on 04 Apr 2008 Wind- and solar-boosting folk are crossing their fingers that new Senate legislation will succeed in extending renewable-energy tax credits set to expire at the end of 2008. The Clean Energy Tax Stimulus Act is framed as an economic boon: "If both houses of Congress don't pass a bill and the president doesn't sign it into law soon, we will start to see as ... |
|
| Topics: energy, legislation, news, politics, renewable energy, US Senate (all these topics) |
|
|
Against the grain: What are they thinking? Part 2 Time bashes grain ethanol |
Joseph Romm |
03 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This post is by ClimateProgress guest blogger Bill Becker, executive director of the Presidential Climate Action Project. ----- All that glitters is not gold. And all that grows is not green. That is the belated realization about grain ethanol -- in fact, about any ethanol whose feedstock is grown on cropland. Joe Romm has done a good job posting on this issue, including his report on the recent studies featured in Science magazine. I'd like to weigh in with a few add ... |
|
| Topics: agriculture, cellulosic ethanol, deforestation, Department of Agriculture, energy, ethanol, magazines, renewable energy (all these topics) |
|
|
Solar's new mega-plants
|
David Roberts |
03 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Good stuff.(Thanks, Brian) |
|
| Topics: business, energy, renewable energy, solar voltaic power (all these topics) |
|
|
More reasons to love Lieberman-Warner CAP article says it promotes the transition to clean energy |
Joseph Romm |
02 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A new article by the Center for American Progress makes clear that the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act [PDF], S. 2191, would be a boon to affordable, job-creating renewable energy. The article, by CAP's Daniel J. Weiss and Alexandra Kougentakis, explains how the bill would ... ... make significant reductions in the carbon dioxide pollution that causes global warming as well as turbo charge investments in clean energy technologies such as wind, solar, and geotherma ... |
|
| Topics: climate, economy, energy, legislation, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
|
|
Algal update Texas forum on what's new, April 10 |
Erik Hoffner |
02 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| For the interest of those who haven't given up entirely on biofuels, I humbly present the National Algae Association forum in Texas on April 10. This meeting will serve as an update on what's new in this promising branch of the nascent sustainable biofuel movement: biodiesel from cultured algae (outside of biodiesel from waste oil, that is). This week's Renewable Energy World podcast had an interesting interview with the principal of one algae-fuel company, Solix Bio ... |
|
| Topics: biofuels, energy, renewable energy, Texas (all these topics) |
|
|
Mr. Rogers responds Duke Energy CEO responds to climate scientist Jim Hansen |
Guest author |
02 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The following is a response from Jim Rogers, CEO of Duke Energy, to an open letter from climate scientist Jim Hansen. ----- Dear Dr. Hansen: I am happy to meet with you as you suggest in your letter dated March 25, and will work with my staff to find a time that is mutually convenient to discuss climate change. I am in New York City on a regular basis and also open to scheduling a special trip to meet with you. I look forward to spending some time together t ... |
|
| Topics: carbon sequestration, climate, coal, energy, James Hansen, nuclear power, renewable energy (all these topics) |
|
|
Darth Vader and Mr. Rogers James Hansen writes to Duke Energy on coal |
Guest author |
01 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This is a guest post by noted NASA climate scientist James Hansen. ----- The captains of industry, perhaps more than anyone else, have the ability to solve the global warming problem, so they deserve attention. But different strategies are needed for a Mr. Rogers or a Darth Vader. Some may argue that Mr. Rogers, $28M/year chairman of Duke Energy, is just another executive focused on short-term profits, with any concern for his children and grandchildren directed t ... |
|
| Topics: carbon sequestration, climate, coal, energy, James Hansen, nuclear power, renewable energy (all these topics) |
|
|
Air capture 101 Potentially a long-term option for putting waste heat to use |
Joseph Romm |
01 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| RealClimate has a good introductory post on air capture, which they explain as: The idea would be to let people emit the carbon dioxide at the source but then capture it directly from the atmosphere at a separate facility. This is going to be a relatively expensive and complicated strategy for decades -- and, of course, you need a place to put the carbon dioxide. That said, a lot of work is going on to see if one can do air capture driven by heat. Why does that matte ... |
|
| Topics: climate change adaptation, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, renewable energy (all these topics) |
|
|
Small hydro, big potential 'Run of river' projects set for a boom? |
Erik Hoffner |
28 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
| When I bought my house, I didn't realize that the stream that travels its acres is perennial and spring-fed ... which seemed like the perfect scenario for a microhydro generator. These units make a lot of power all day and night, unlike solar and (usually) wind. It works by siphoning off a portion of water to run through a pipe, then through a generator, and then back into the creek. Voilą! So I did the measurements and found 140 gallons per minute, which is about eno ... |
|
| Topics: energy, energy at home, hydropower, renewable energy (all these topics) |
|
|
Casten gospel reaches NYT
|
David Roberts |
27 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Congrats to our own Sean Casten for getting the following letter to the editor in The New York Times: Re "States' Battles Over Energy Grow Fiercer With U.S. in a Policy Gridlock" ("The Energy Challenge" series, March 20): Proponents of coal-fired power argue falsely that coal is cheap. Coal is a cheap fuel. But who cares? Coal can't run an iPod. And electricity from coal -- which also includes fuel, maintenance and capital recovery costs -- ... |
|
| Topics: business, energy, coal, renewable energy (all these topics) |
|
|
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 ... |
|
| Topics: biofuels, business, energy, renewable energy, wind power (all these topics) |
|
|
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 ... |
|
| Topics: business, carbon sequestration, coal, energy, renewable energy, solar voltaic power (all these topics) |
|
|
Why FutureGen had to die The blind alley of more coal |
John McGrath |
25 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Thomas Homer-Dixon, whose book I adore, has written an op-ed in The Globe and Mail arguing in favor of large government investments in carbon capture and sequestration technology. His advocacy of CCS has long confused me -- my reading of his book suggested (to me, anyway) that large-scale CCS was precisely the kind of technology we should avoid like the plague. To recap: Homer-Dixon builds on the work of Joseph Tainter, who argues that societies respond to pressures ... |
|
| Topics: carbon sequestration, climate, coal, energy, fossil fuels, renewable energy, wind power (all these topics) |
|
|
Wary Indiana Plans for Indiana BioTown face obstacles, but sputter on |
|
24 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:47 PM on 24 Mar 2008 In 2005, Reynolds, Ind., was deemed the world's first "BioTown," as agricultural officials unveiled a plan to power the 550-person burg entirely with corn, hog waste, sewage, and other energy sources in ready local supply. Three years and many obstacles later, the ambitious proposal is far off track. A significant private investor dropped out; construction on a planned ethanol plant ... |
|
| Topics: agriculture, energy, Indiana, news, placemaking, renewable energy (all these topics) |
|
|
No (Dutch) nukes
|
David Roberts |
24 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The Netherlands is opting for carbon sequestration and renewables over nuclear power. What does this mean? Why, clearly it reinforces what you have always said! |
|
| Topics: carbon sequestration, climate, energy, Netherlands, nuclear power, renewable energy (all these topics) |
|
|
Salt for the Earth Energy could be harvested from mixing of fresh and salt water |
|
19 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:28 PM on 19 Mar 2008 Through an osmotic process we don't pretend to understand, the mixing of fresh and salt water at the world's river mouths produces enough energy to feed 20 percent of the world's electricity demand, say Dutch scientists. Could we start running our gadgetry on salt power? Small projects in Norway and the Netherlands are testing out ways to harvest estuary energy, but membranes needed ... |
|
| Topics: energy, Netherlands, news, Norway, renewable energy (all these topics) |
|
|
Should we laugh or cry? Florida Power & Light on wind power |
Sean Casten |
13 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Florida Power & Light is fairly notorious as a utility that embraces competition so long as it doesn't happen in their service territory. On the regulatory side, they have worked pretty hard to make sure that no one can build power in their state except themselves. But on the unregulated side, their sister company FPL Energy has been one of the leading installers of wind turbines. (Not coincidentally, you will find that they tend not to do projects anywhere near F ... |
|
| Topics: energy, Florida, renewable energy, wind power (all these topics) |
|
|
Lemonade Spitzer's successor may continue doing good for green |
Adam Browning |
12 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Snark aside, the ascension of the former Lt. Gov. David Paterson could very well mean good things for environmental progress. He recently chaired the state's Renewable Energy Task Force, which recently recommended an increase in the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard. As he comes in without a direct voter mandate and has to deal with a fairly acrimonious legislative environment, what better way to establish a popular mandate than adopt something super popular -- sa ... |
|
| Topics: energy, New York, politics, renewable energy, state politics (all these topics) |
|
|
New Pew survey on energy shows big support for fuel efficiency and renewables
|
David Roberts |
12 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Last week Pew released a small survey on public attitudes toward energy policy. Some results: The two highest numbers are in support of raising fuel efficiency standards (90%) and "increasing federal funding for research on wind, solar and hydrogen technology" (81%). Supporting public transit is in third, with 72%. Republicans and Democrats differ on nuclear power and oil exploration (including in the Arctic Refuge). Support for more ethanol ... |
|
| Topics: energy, fuel efficiency, renewable energy (all these topics) |
|
|
Doing the math Are solar incentives a subsidy for the rich? |
Guest author |
12 Mar 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. ----- One of the most common arguments against incentives to help people buy solar panels for their homes is that they are a subsidy for the rich, paid for by everyone. The argument is that only the rich can buy a photovoltaic system, which, even with subsidies, costs thousa ... |
|
| Topics: energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, renewable energy, solar voltaic power (all these topics) |
|
|
Next Up on the Panel ... Solar-panel manufacturers dumping toxic waste in China |
|
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 ... |
|
| Topics: business, China, energy, news, renewable energy, solar voltaic power, toxics (all these topics) |
|
|