June 11th, 2012
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)’s Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2011, and the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21)’s Renewables 2012 Global Status Report were both released today. The reports highlight that 2011 was a very strong year for renewable energy despite the ongoing global economic crisis.
May 14th, 2012
It can sometimes feel like we are stalled or at best moving too slowly towards truly tackling the climate challenge. But, then, just as I start to feel that way I hear from people around the country who are standing up to call for action and I know we’ll meet the challenge. Read More
May 9th, 2012
Cincinnati, Ohio recently became the first major city in America to offer residents the chance to purchase a 100 percent renewable electricity supply. The effort showcases a central theme of our new book, Cooler, Smarter: Practical Steps for Low-Carbon Living: how citizen action and community leadership can promote innovative energy policies to lead us toward a low-carbon future. Read More
April 19th, 2012
One of the many reasons I love the arrival of spring is that it allows me to turn down the home furnace, open up the windows, and soak in the fresh air. As a self-professed energy geek, springtime also puts a smile on my face because it is the time of year when I crunch the numbers on dollars saved and carbon emissions avoided from our investments in home energy efficiency. This year, with the release of our new book Cooler Smarter: Practical Steps to Low-Carbon Living, I’m sharing all the number crunching I do on household energy with you. Read More
April 13th, 2012
Good News! State renewable energy policies combined with the federal production tax credit have borne measurable fruit. New EIA data show that non-hydroelectric renewables have made great strides across the United States in the past decade. This is particularly true in the western and central parts of the nation, where five states got more than 10 percent of their electricity from wind in 2011 while 13 states saw penetrations of more than 5 percent. Read More
April 11th, 2012
The third stop on our renewable energy tour of Germany was the state of North-Rhine Westphalia— the industrial, steelmaking, and coal mining center of the country—where we learned about the economic and social ramifications of Germany’s transition away from coal to renewable energy, and what lessons might be applied to the U.S. Read More
April 6th, 2012
This week, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors gave the green light to a series of large-scale solar PV projects, totaling 600 MW of generation capacity, to be constructed in the Imperial Valley of California. Read More
February 1st, 2012
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), from its Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), just released an updated analysis that indicates 2011 was the ninth warmest year on record for the planet. GISS Director James Hansen said: “Even with the cooling effects of a strong La Niña influence and low solar activity for the past several years, 2011 was one of the 10 warmest years on record.” Read More
January 17th, 2012
With the enactment of a 33 percent renewable energy standard firmly in place, the question in California seems to be not whether we can reach this level, but when? Read More
December 6th, 2011
In an earlier post, I wrote about the California Legislature’s failure this fall to reauthorize funding for the state’s clean energy research, development, and deployment (RD&D) program. On an encouraging note, the California Public Utilities Commission recently issued a proposed decision to approve a year’s worth of bridge funding to continue the program, allowing the Legislature to take another crack at the issue in 2012. Read More
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