On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans demonstrated for a clean and sustainable environment. In October 1973, Americans experienced the first oil embargo, and for the first time thought about the real costs of our reliance on oil for energy. On the 40th anniversary week of Earth Day, we know how the Smart Grid helps Continue reading →
Just over a year ago, Anthony Foxx – President Obama’s nominee for transportation secretary – unveiled a pilot program for electric-vehicle charging stations in Charlotte, N.C., where he is the mayor. If he wins confirmation, Mr. Foxx can help the president push electric vehicles (EVs) on a national scale. Getting more American drivers into plug-ins Continue reading →
Climate Progress recently reported on a study that found both economic and environmental benefits if homes in the northeastern United States upgraded older heating systems by moving from heating oil to switchgrass. However, one point to emphasize was the findings were specific to those circumstances — the region, the homes, and that particular use. via Continue reading →
Over the past decade, there has been significant focus on minimizing carbon emissions. This has led to higher emphasis on identifying environmentally friendly energy sources like nuclear, solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, biofuels, and tide/ocean energy. Also, unlike earlier when oil and gas reserves were considered to be infinite, the new realization of the finite limits Continue reading →
Libya could generate approximately five times the amount of energy from solar power than it currently produces in crude oil, research by Nottingham Trent University shows. A study led by the university’s School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment found that the oil-rich nation could generate enough renewable power to meet its own demand Continue reading →
Brandon Hollinger grew tired of the foreign-policy implications of filling up his car at the pump. The wars fought on top of oil reserves. The diminishing petroleum supplies. So he decided to stop relying on gasoline. He considered converting his car to run on hydrogen. He studied compressed natural gas. He concluded that driving an Continue reading →
Everyone knows that gasoline is made from oil, and how much a gallon of the stuff costs at the pump, but most people would be hard pressed to accurately explain what a kilowatt-hour is, let alone what one costs, or how it was made. Thankfully, research suggests that when people plug in their cars, they start to Continue reading →
A smart grid partnership co-launched by an Oklahoma electric cooperative is helping test high-tech sensors to better serve one of the area’s fastest-growing industries: oil producers. When installed on drilling machinery at a nearby oil rig, the sensors will collect and analyze data to pinpoint electrical problems, such as high or low voltage or transformer Continue reading →
“Cause-related marketing,” which aims to align the social issues that matter most to customers and the commercial goals of the business, has been proven to positively engage consumers. Dawn Saves Wildlife is a great example of this – the detergent-maker not only donates thousands of dollars to wildlife organizations, but has also developed an educational Continue reading →
Similar to last week’s post on natural gas costs, we can determine a total actual life-cycle cost for wind energy needed to build and operate the number of plants required to produce a trillion kWhrs over their life-span. Key assumptions include the following long-term average commodities spot prices: $70/barrel for oil; $40/ton for coal; $4/tcf Continue reading →
There has unfortunately never been a more fortuitous time to focus attention on energy security and NATO involvement in confronting this strategic challenge albeit for all the wrong reasons. Stubbornly high oil prices are a proven burden to NATO Member State economies and their oil dependent militaries. Ongoing political instability in the Middle East, the Continue reading →
Smart-grid people aren’t always peak-oil people, or vice versa. But both have good reasons to back the other, considering how the two issues could increasingly be going hand-in-hand. The idea behind a smart grid is this: an “internet of things” that connects all the parts of our energy infrastructure — coal-fired power plants, wind farms, Continue reading →
Reaction Wednesday to Gov. John Kasich’s proposed comprehensive energy program ranged from caution to disappointment to rage. Kasich’s 10-part energy reform package is wide-ranging, from shale gas wells to gas pipelines, from smart grid technologies and power generation to workforce development. Some of the new regulations are administrative while others will require legislation. via Gov. Continue reading →
Hawaii is one of the world’s premier travel destinations. However, if visitors look beyond the views of Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach, palm trees and the blue Pacific, they’ll see a renewable energy transformation under way that could be a model for others around the world. Imported fossil fuel, mostly oil, supplies 90 percent of Hawaii’s Continue reading →
The rise in global oil prices in recent years may have been a boon for Alaska’s state revenues, but for Alaska’s rural communities the parallel rise in fuel prices has created an economic crisis. Faced with massive bills for heating and cooking, many rural residents have faced stark choices between the competing necessities of heat, Continue reading →
Here’s a mind-bending thought: The United States can wean itself from oil and coal by 2050 — and without action by presidents or Congress. “It’s refreshing to think that we needn’t wait for Washington,” Amory Lovins told me recently. The founder and chairman of the Old Snowmass, Colo.-based Rocky Mountain Institute, Lovins has been a Continue reading →
How much easily recovered oil is really left? At what high-end prices are practices like directional drilling and 4D exploration financially feasible? At which low-end prices does renewable energy cease to become a financially feasible option? It appears from the many news reports, opinion pieces, and general facts that easily recovered oil reserves are running Continue reading →
