Clean Tech Headed for Stagnation
To be sure, the U.S. clean energy industry has been in a period of rapid growth, largely due to historic federal investments in the research, development, deployment, and manufacture of clean technologies. From 2009 through 2014, the federal... [read more]
Saudi Arabia to Unleash Solar by Investing $109 Billion
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Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest exporter of crude oil plans to install a solar capacity of 41,000 megawatts by 2032. Critics have noted that to achieve this, Saudi Arabia would need to produce and export approximately half of the world’s total annual installed capacity of solar. Can the country achieve this ambitious target? [read more]
The Smarter the Grid, the Less You Should Notice It
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Image courtesy of author
The smart grid is more than just smart meters. My Clean Break column this week takes a look at how Toronto Hydro is trying to modernize its electrical distribution system with a range of smart-grid technologies that don’t get much press. ---Richard Ford doesn’t like the term smart grid.... [read more]
When Global Warming Hits Home (Literally)
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Photo by Sue Waters via Flickr
In a recent PBS documentary, the mayor of Norfolk, Virginia, Paul Fraim, talks about how flooding has become a monthly occurrence in his town, and how global warming and sea level rise are as much a daily issue for him as education and fighting... [read more]
Supercritical CO2 turbine being developed for SMRs
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A former scientist at Sandia National Lab is bringing the technology to market Temperature / Pressure ranges for supercritical CO2 Image: S. WrightCarbon Dioxide is good for a lot of things like adding fizz to your soft drinking in its gaseous... [read more]
Continuing the Dialogue with the White House
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Takeaways from White House energy and climate adviser Heather Zichal’s appearance at Monday’s hydraulic fracturing workshop in Washington, D.C., hosted by API:Outreach – The oil and natural gas industry agrees with the Zichal and the administration that constructive dialog on energy issues is, well, constructive. Zichal:“I give [API... [read more]
Cleantech A Beacon In The California Gloom
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image via Next 10
According to the 2012 California Green Innovation Index, compiled by Next 10, the state’s investment in the clean technology is doing more than innovation. It’s also helping California grow its economy and cut emissions after one of the worst recessions in history devastated the housing sector and reduced the real estate tax base of... [read more]
Assessing Arun Majumdar's Legacy at ARPA-E
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Flickr
Last week saw the unfortunate news that Dr. Arun Majumdar will resign – effective June 9 – from the U.S. Department of Energy, where he has served as the head of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) since October 2009. His departure is a “big hit for energy innovation policy,” ITIF’s Matt Stepp commented (... [read more]
Managing Peaks without Overbuilding the Electric Grid
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The old wireline Bell telephone system was built for Mother’s Day. The Bell system network planners knew that this one day in May was the mother of all phone call traffic peaks in the USA. They designed their networks for that anticipated capacity. The network planners had an 11th Commandment that influenced their operations: “Thou shalt... [read more]
U.S. Coal Generation Drops 19 Percent In One Year
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