feed in tariffs
Call it penny-wise, pound-foolish (or Euro-foolish) … although “cutting off your nose to spite your face” might be more apt. Budget-cutting governments are putting the brakes on spending for a variety of clean-energy and sustainability measures, raising the likelihood that our bills for energy and dealing with the impacts of climate
green buildings
The sustainable-living mantra of “reduce, reuse, recycle” is usually applied to low-tech or consumer goods: things like glass jars, old magazines and obsolete cellphones. But we could become a whole lot more sustainable if we followed those concepts for much larger items as well … say, for example, buildings. While advanced
Energy
The year 2012 might not see the fulfillment of any ancient Mayan “prophecy” of the end of the world, but it does appear to be signaling a different “end time” … one marking the end of business-as-usual trade with China. In his State of the Union address late last month, President
water
It’s been said that water is the next oil … as in, it’s the next resource we’ll find increasingly harder and more costly to use. That presents a growing challenge not only for individual users, but for the water companies that supply them. Water utilities, like electricity companies,
natural gas
In his most recent State of the Union address, President Barack Obama laid out an all-energy-sources-go strategy for boosting the country’s energy security. That strategy, he added, was bolstered by the fact that, “We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years.” Earlier that
oil
If you don’t care about the environment or climate change, start kicking the oil habit for the sake of the economy. That’s the message from two scientists who warn that declining oil supplies and increasing price volatility are posing a growing threat to the global economy, and a
renewables
The renewable energy industry might be suffering growing pains, but the key word there is “growing,” not “pain.” For all the challenges the clean-power sector has faced in the past year — fast-dropping prices for solar panels, stiff competition from Chinese manufacturers and a number of high-profile bankruptcies — renewables have not
water
Energy and water are linked in many ways, though we don’t always give much thought to the connections. A lot of water, for example, is used in producing electricity … whether it’s to provide cooling at nuclear power plants or to create steam to drive generators at a solar-thermal
energy security
Energy is the “lifeblood” of the global economy, as a report issued at the just-wrapped-up World Economic Forum (WEF) noted. But in most parts of the globe, the energy sector itself makes a surprisingly small contribution to national GDP. In Germany, for example, energy-related industries accounted for an average of
green economy
While we’ve focused plenty of attention and energy on the need for a low-carbon economy over the last several years, one big part of the picture often gets overlooked: the world’s oceans. That’s a major oversight, considering all the sustainability challenges related to the marine environment: * There
demand response
The energy revolution might not necessarily be televised, but it will increasingly be monitored, measured and automated to push “intelligent efficiency” up to once-unimaginable levels. For an idea of what that revolution could look like, consider a cluster of around 30 commercial and industrial buildings in an area west of
energy security
The US will produce 20 percent more crude oil a decade from now, become a net exporter of liquefied natural gas by 2016 and will see energy-related carbon dioxide emissions stay below 2005 levels all the way through 2035 … if current laws and regulations remain unchanged. That’s a big
