renewables
The International Energy Agency (IEA) is seeing “green shoots” in the economy again, but one has to wonder whether there’s more wishful thinking than reality involved in that assessment. Yes, global spending on renewable energy like wind and solar “remained broadly stable in 2009 despite the economic downturn,” as
energy
The path toward more renewable energy doesn’t lie with government-backed demonstration projects and trials alone, a new report finds. Without a clear plan for moving beyond the demonstration phase and implementing low-carbon technologies on a wider commercial basis, governments risk wasting public funds on innovations that will end up
solar energy
Two solar energy companies are looking to expand with the help of nearly $2 billion in new financing through the US Recovery Act, President Barack Obama announced over the weekend. During his weekly address, Obama said the Department of Energy would provide $1.45 billion in conditional commitment funds to
Jurdy blames the media …
innovation
Magnets could hold the secret to ultra-efficient household refrigerators and cooler laptops, but the theory probably has years to go before becoming reality in your home. While scientists have known about the phenomenon called the magnetocaloric effect for more than 100 years, using magnets to provide cooling hasn’t advanced
conservation
Think your puny efforts to switch off lights or wash laundry in cold water don’t really mean much in the large-scale picture of carbon dioxide emissions? Think again, says a British researcher whose painstaking study has found that policy-makers are wildly underestimating the impact of household conservation strategies. The
energy efficiency
Cisco has just rolled out a new system that will let utility companies give customers access to information about their home energy use. Part of Cisco’s recently announced Connected Grid portfolio for smart grid communications, the new Home Energy Management offering includes a home energy controller and energy management
green investment bank
If ever a time called for creative financing, now — 2010 in the UK — is the time. It’s a classic case of immovable object (the need to cut fossil fuel energy use and carbon emissions) meets unstoppable force (the government’s decision to slash the deficit with a £40 billion
Jurdy’s latest meeting doesn’t go so well …
Burning waste wood for fuel is fine, says a UK-based wood industry organisation … but the government’s way of promoting it is distorting market prices and could threaten not only jobs but carbon emissions reduction goals. To reduce dependence on fossil fuels, the UK government currently encourages the development of
energy
If it still feels like a recession in many places, no matter what the economists say about recovery, along the Gulf Coast these days, the situation feels more like a depression. Up to 60,000 barrels of oil per day continue spewing into the Gulf from BP’s broken Macondo
Jurdy discovers the mushrooming biofuel industry …
