Tag Archives: solar
Are Coal Power Plants Now Too Expensive to Pursue?
A coal project starting today might well be nearing completion just in time for its obsolescence. There’s no guarantee for anyone, but those that tie themselves up with enormous financial commitments to centralized projects that do not support the emerging paradigm are sure to have a tougher time surviving. Continue reading
Who’s Killing the Coal-Fired Power Plant?
EPA rules are only an accelerant, and only in some cases; and may give many power companies the cover to launch costly new projects with huge returns, and to tighten markets in a way that could drive up prices and profits. Companies are shutting down many older, dirtier coal plants because it makes better economic sense. Continue reading
Exelon’s Rowe an Unlikely Booster for Shale Gas
“Somebody who really believes that the climate problem is the biggest problem we face will correctly point out that gas only deals with it for 20 years, and then the carbon in gas becomes a major impediment,” he said. “Well, 20 years is a long time. Better that we should do something now than wait for a perfect solution 20 years down the road.” Continue reading
Renewable Sources Could Provide 77% of World’s Energy by 2050, Report Says
By James Kanter for The New York Times Renewable sources could provide a majority of the world’s energy supplies by 2050, but only if governments dramatically increase financial and political support for technologies like wind and solar power, experts from a United … Continue reading
Renewing Support for Renewables
By Nancy Folbre for The New York Times The biggest positive result of the accident at Fukushima Daiichi could be renewed public support for the development of renewable energy technologies. Many influential policy makers, including President Obama, continue to insistthat we must … Continue reading
Clean Energy Standard Challenges Coal
By Ken Silverstein for EnergyBiz If a Clean Energy Standard is enacted, what will that mean for fossil fuels? Interestingly, the emphasis on the development of sustainable fuels is not at the exclusion of coal and natural gas. President Obama … Continue reading
Coal Production Construction Costs Going Up, Solar Going Down
The EIA estimates that capital costs for new coal and nuclear power plants could be 25% to 37% above those calculated for 2010. Continue reading
How I Pissed Off a Room Full of Environmentalists
In 2007, the National Academy of Sciences released a report indicating the United States probably only has enough coal to meet our needs for about 100 years. So why, when we know that coal’s reign cannot possibly last beyond this century, would we spend billions of dollars to make it “cleaner”? Continue reading
The Long Road to an Alternative-Energy Future
New energy technologies are coming that will shrink our use of fossil fuels and cut emissions of greenhouse gases. Just don’t expect them anytime soon. Why the delay? After all, the computer revolution has shown how rapidly new innovations can be imagined, developed, brought to market and have an impact. But new energy technologies don’t work that way—they can take years to gain just a toehold in the market, and 20 to 30 years to push aside existing products or techniques. Continue reading
From the Climate and Energy Project’s report of ACORE’s Study of energy potential in Kansas
New research from the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) concludes that previous renewable energy projections for Kansas – often referred to as the “Saudi Arabia of wind” – may have fallen far short of the state’s potential, and the nation’s expectations. Continue reading
