When we talk about the potential for safe, inexpensive, and (of course) low-carbon nuclear energy, we’re normally talking about fission. Perhaps we’re discussing thorium and the promise represented by LFTRs (liquid fluoride thorium reactors). In fact, there is a whole chapter on this subject in my recent book: Bullish on Renewable Energy.
But we would do well to keep our fingers on the pulse of the development of fusion as well. (more…)
The good people at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) sent me an email just now with the subject line: “Changes is in the wind,” promoting the fall symposium.
I wrote back:
Sounds like a great event. Not to pick nits, but I would make this: “Change is in the wind” or “Changes are in the wind,” so as to create agreement between subject and verb.
No wonder I’m so much beloved by these guys…. 🙂
Here’s a wonderful graphic on the subject, particularly germane as we head toward Paris and the 21st international conference on this subject.
Somehow, most people have a far greater sense of optimism here than we did about the first twenty.
(Note: I have to admit; this looks pretty good. – ed)
While the lighting industry is indeed moving toward total energy efficiency, it continues to experience growing pains. At first, the everyday consumer turned from incandescent lights to compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) for the most cost-effective lighting solution. This switch certainly improved the efficacy of the fixtures, but the light they produced was no longer the warm, candle-like glow people had gotten used to with incandescent lights. People had a hard time opting for the blue-white, sallow glow of CFL, even if it meant saving some extra cash on energy bills. (more…)
Energy storage consists of a series of techniques and processes that allow one to concentrate different forms of energy to be used later; thus devices that store energy are sometimes called “accumulators.”
Consider for a moment the concepts of potential, kinetic and chemical energy. (more…)
The pic to the left exemplifies something we see in our lives every day: someone telling us something we know is deliberately (in this case laughably) mischaracterized. What a wonderful opportunity this is to plug my friends at EnergyFactCheck.Org, who deal with the constant bombardment of disinformation on renewable energy that is so aggressively disseminated by the oil companies. (more…)
My brilliant colleague Jennifer Runyon (pictured), chief editor of RenewableEnergyWorld.com and Renewable Energy World magazine, wrote this piece on the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) associated with renewables and fossil fuels, and how this comparison continues to tip in the favor of clean energy sources. This, of course, echoes the findings I lay out in my most recent book: Bullish on Renewable Energy.
Nice job, Jennifer.
A dear friend is in the process of delivering a great number of speeches through South Africa right now, and I just received a note from him explaining that he often quotes Nelson Mandela (not a bad example of a man who could inspire others around him). My friend writes: (more…)
Water is a critical component in a lot of environmental schemes. Whether the focus is on saving it, using it better, or how it can benefit any given project, water always seems to crop up whenever environmental issues are approached.
Today we’ll turn our focus on a more narrow water topic. (more…)
It’s such an interesting time to be alive. The stakes are so high, and there seems to be a greater divide than ever between good and bad.
Good things and people are better than they’ve been before. We have a humanitarian Pope for the first time in the 1600-year history of the Catholic Church. We have presidential candidates who are getting real traction with platforms that include climate change mitigation and campaign finance reform. (more…)
