The Energy Collective - The world's best thinkers on energy & climate

Cockroach Fuel Cell: Our New Energy Frontier?

namarchetti — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:00:45 +0000

As if we didn’t have enough phobias about creepy crawly cockroaches, now they’re generating energy thanks to scientist Daniel Scherson and his colleagues. No, this is not preparation for a sci-fi movie where cockroach robots build a new society; it’s a quest for renewable energy wherever it may be.

Weather on Juice?

DanHuber — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:41:31 +0000

A common analogy to explain the link between climate change and extreme weather is gambling with “loaded dice.” For people who aren’t the gambling type but love America’s pastime, perhaps Barry Bonds’ homerun statistics would be more enlightening, or at least more entertaining. A new video from the National Center for Atmospheric Research draws an analogy between a batter on steroids and the “doping” of the atmosphere with manmade CO2.

California’s Green Economy Doubled Performance of Total Economy During Downturn

JosephRomm — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:12:27 +0000

When times get tough, companies often fall back on an old familiar phrase: “we just need to do more with less.” That usually applies to human resources. But it’s equally important with natural resources. As it turns out, “green” companies in California that do more with fewer natural resources fared much better than companies in other sectors during the worst of America’s economic troubles — more than doubling the performance of the broader economy.

House Transportation Bill is Fiscally Reckless

DeronLovaas — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:10:04 +0000

This week we have confirmation that the Republican Leadership has hijacked the transportation bill, with Congressman LaTourette of Ohio confirming that the bill was written by Speaker John Boehner (although LaTourette himself, along with many others, doesn’t support it).

Should the U.S. government play a role in American energy use?

JoshFreed — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:27:23 +0000

One of the big questions on the campaign trail today is whether there should be a government role in America's use of energy.

The Future of American Shale Gas

Energy For One World — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:37:22 +0000

This article was inspired by the most recent State of the Union: America’s plan for an “all-out on local energy”- and the subsequent discussions in the industry on its implications, its opportunities and its challenges.I promised to give you my take on the present on-going market developments with shale gas as well as my predictions for America's energy future from my civic venture point of view.I'm looking at America's energy future from both a national and a global perspective. I have three thoughts on the consequences of the American shale gas revolution:

Comparing Green Energy Suppliers

VickyPortwain — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:15:05 +0000

Insurance comparison websites have been around for a while and have helped consumers choose the cheapest and / or most suitable product for them without phoning a huge number of suppliers. A similar website service for household and business energy now helps people compare energy prices and features allowing them to decide which is the most appropriate service or product for them.

British Columbia Aims to Sell Cleaner LNG

Geoffrey Styles — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:23:22 +0000

I just ran across British Columbia's new provincial natural gas strategy, which includes a specific strategy for expanding liquefied natural gas (LNG) production as a way to mitigate global climate change.

New Cellulosic Ethanol Subsidies

namarchetti — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:25 +0000

Sierra Club admits taking money to promote natural gas over coal

RodAdams — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:19:24 +0000

Looks like the Sierra Club is in hot water! What do you think about the controversy?

Cincinnati Explores 100% Renewable Energy Plan

jcwinnie — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:58:19 +0000

Cincinnati is working on a new power aggregation deal right now that could lead to the entire city being powered from 100 percent

Australia: Solar Flagships extends deadline, re-opens bidding

Bea Gonzalez — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:14:34 +0000

The Solar Dawn consortium proposing to build a 250MW solar thermal plant in south-west Queensland as part of Australia’s Solar Flagships program has won a six month extension to its contract after initially failing to gain finance for the project. However, the future of the $1.2 billion project looks uncertain.

Is Climate Change Bringing the Arctic to Europe?

JosephRomm — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:17:06 +0000

Less Summer Arctic Sea Ice Cover May Mean Some Colder, Snowier Winters in Central Europe [For Now] [T]he probability of cold winters with much snow in Central Europe rises when the Arctic is covered by less sea ice in summer. Scientists of the Research Unit Potsdam of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association have decrypted a mechanism in which a shrinking summertime sea ice cover changes the air pressure zones in the Arctic atmosphere and impacts our European winter weather.

The Dawn of a New Day for Autos

NickNigro — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:01:07 +0000

A lot has changed in the two years since I made my first visit to the Washington Auto Show. Back then, gas prices averaged $2.68 per gallon and the Nissan LEAF looked like a “car of the future” compared to the other vehicles on the showroom floor. Now, prices at the pump are 25 percent higher, averaging $3.50 per gallon in 2011, and fuel costs are eating up the largest share of the average American’s income in over 30 years. Meanwhile, the auto industry is adapting their product line to their new environment and cooperating more closely with regulators. The 2012 auto show includes many more alternative vehicles like the all-electric Ford Focus (see picture below) and the Prius V, a 42 mile per gallon hybrid station wagon.

Four Smart Grid Innovations that are Utility Painkillers

Christine Hertzog — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:48:15 +0000

The electricity value chain of generation, transmission, distribution and consumption has a number of challenges, or pain points, to overcome to deliver all Smart Grid benefits. Electric utility Smart Grid investment decisions are made on the basis of what reduces or eliminates pain. There is no “one size fits all” answer in terms of innovations that are true painkillers for them, but here are a few that are most likely to be adopted by utilities.

Regulatory Efficiency: A Must for Electricity Infrastructure Renewal

JimBurpee — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:35:02 +0000

We at the Canadian Electricity Association have publicly raised, many times, that our electricity sector faces a complex challenge over the next two decades. In order to meet Canada’s increasing demands for electricity, we must invest in electricity infrastructure. That means renewing, replacing and adding to the generating stations and power lines that power the economy.

Liquid Wood, Anybody?

Stefano Ratti — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:44:24 +0000

One of the most abundant forms of renewable energy available in the United States is wood residue from forestry operations. The carbon in wood residue is bound to go back to the atmosphere, either as carbon dioxide (CO2) as a result of combustion (natural or controlled fire), or through methane (CH4), as a result of decomposition.

International nuclear markets gain momentum

Dan Yurman — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:10:58 +0000

China restarts approvals, moves to 3G designs

Public Opinion, the Media and Climate Change

JosephRomm — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:29:49 +0000

A must-read study published Monday in the journal Climatic Change debunks some pervasive myths about public opinion and climate change. The lead author, Dr. Robert J. Brulle of Drexel University, gave me an exclusive interview.

Why I am opposed to Northern Gateway

SimonDonner — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:25:08 +0000

After a few months of thinking, I came to the conclusion that there is no choice but to oppose the construction of the Northern Gateway pipeline. There are many worthy arguments on either side of this issue, from the economy to First Nations rights, and from the preservation of the BC coastline to the reality of oil consumption here and abroad. My argument, presented in the Mark, is entirely about climate: