East Africa is on the verge of personifying an energy transformation. New advances in natural gas, wind, geothermal, solar power and potentially oil are emerging to feed the hungry markets, while large hydro will continue to expand as well. Ethiopia, a country of 92 million and 7+ percent economic growth, has been a driver in […]
As August ended, the Scottish government unveiled plans for the world’s largest wind farm in the Moray Firth, in the country’s far northeast. The government plans to spend £4.5 billion to erect 339 wind turbines off shore which would generate 1,500 MW, about the same as a conventional power plant. This is part of the […]
We had a fabulous trip in, in the immortal phrase of Donald Rumsfeld, “Old Europe.” The only problem, Rummy, with your formulation is that … well, it’s wrong. France, in the Southwest, where we were for part of the trip, is smart, prosperous, progressive and with friendly folks. France, though, is far too reliant on […]
Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s national train operator, currently gets about 20% of its power from wind, hydro and solar generation. It has just announced its intention to raise that to 28% in 2014 and to be carbon free by 2050. Nuclear had been the favored source of electricity in the train operators plans, but the decision […]
The question last week was whether or not renewables were going to be left behind in the tax deal in Washington. It is a testament to the maturity of the industry that they were not. The key federal grant program, and some other supports for renewables, were extended. One perspective has it that thousands of […]
The Financial Times had another blockbuster special report on energy out a couple of weeks back. Some highlights: US policy: A nation in thrall to the power of oil in which we learn that federal policy has been generally a failure for decades – no news there, I’m afraid. “The only really successful federal policy […]
A story last week in the Washington Post gave me a jolt: Pentagon objections hold up Oregon wind farm. Two weeks prior to breaking ground on an 845-megawatt, $2 billion project in Oregon, the Department of Defense has blocked construction owing to concerns about radar. Two weeks! The project has been on the drawing boards […]
I was talking with an old friend last week about how much renewable energy and energy efficiency can do for us. Pretty much everything is my argument. We are making progress along these lines that is sometimes breathtaking. There was a breakthrough announcement on renewable energy last week from the British: They will be deploying […]
New York Mayor Bloomberg harnessed the green power of Earth Day to unveil a plan that would require NYC buildings – responsible for 80% of the city’s emissions – to undergo regular energy audits and retrofits, as needed, in order to become more energy efficient. The announcement was made just a couple weeks after Bloomberg […]
Secretary began a four-city tour this week to discuss ideas for harnessing the energy potential of offshore areas. He has made broad claims regarding resources offshore such as windpower off the coasts can produce the energy of 3,000 coal-fired plants as he boasts about offshore’s energy potential. He is likely to face resistance in opening […]
“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.” I don’t mean to get Biblical on you, but that describes the sensation I’m getting these days. If you prefer Bobby Dylan, then how about “You don’t need a weatherman to […]