All Energy Voices

Pop and rock music boosted the efficiency of solar cells used to produce electricity by 40 percent, according to a study by scientists in London. Rock on, solar power.   

Tesla Motors (TSLA) had avoided major battery complications until this fall, when three Model S cars crashed and their batteries caught fire. Tesla Motors officials are scrambling to assure investors and the public that these Tesla fires are not spontaneous eruptions that have plagued other battery-powered vehicles. 

The US should lift its limitations on oil exports, according to a growing chorus of those in the oil and gas industry. But exporting US oil will be a tough case to make to politicians and consumers, who still see high prices at the gas pump and worry about the environmental consequences of more drilling.

Fuel cells were left by the wayside as solar power and wind power grew in popularity. But now it seems as though fuel cells are beginning to establish themselves in niches that show promise for the future, Kennedy writes.

From Virginia to Colorado to Washington, voters on election day 2013 threw their weight behind politicians and policies that limited the use of coal, oil, or natural gas. Bans on fracking, coal exports, and tar sands were on the ballot in a handful of states, and in most cases, the election day 2013 results did not favor fossil fuels.

Tesla Motors' (TSLA) third-quarter sales numbers came in under most analysts' expectations late Tuesday, and the electric carmaker's stock price plunged, triggering a 'circuit breaker' on the Nasdaq. But the fundamentals of Tesla Motors appear to remain strong, and the California-based company has plans for expansion.

Voters in Virginia narrowly elected Democrat Terry McAuliffe for governor over Republican Ken Cuccinelli II, who differed among other things on the future of the state's coal industry. Mr. McAuliffe supported new EPA regulations on power plants that will make it difficult for new coal plants to be bought. 

An intelligent streetlight system, designed by Dutch Delft University of Technology, uses motion sensing technology that automatically dim streetlights when no pedestrians or vehicles are in the vicinity, Kennedy writes, and the idea is ready to go commercial.

India launched its first spacecraft to Mars Tuesday at a price tag of $72 million. It takes less fuel to propel India's Mars orbiter 485 million miles to the Red Planet than you think.

A new generation of 'smart' thermostats leverage cheap sensors, data analytics, and other bells and whistles of the IT world to take the guesswork out of programming your thermostat. It's an emerging field that is expected to grow as users demand more from their everyday devices. 

With the British shale story in its infancy, a new report downplays the risk of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, leading to groundwater contamination. Will Britain follow in the US footsteps towards a shale gas boom?

Residents of four Colorado towns will vote on fracking bans Tuesday. Oil and gas production is growing in the western states, and what happens in Colorado is being closely watched in other shale-rich states.

The carbon bubble idea is an interesting hypothesis, Styles writes, but there are some flaws in the arguments Al Gore makes in its support. Carbon bubble or no, there's nothing wrong with investors wanting to track their carbon exposure, consider shadow carbon prices, or ensure they are properly diversified.

Daylight saving time ends this Sunday, meaning peak heating and lighting season really ramps up. Daylight saving time is itself a means to save energy, but there are plenty of other ways to save money and energy this fall and winter.

Two fires in damaged Tesla Motors Model S cars have raised some concerns over the safety of lithium ion batteries. But the concern should be more about the response from Tesla Motors, Finley writes, than the fires themselves.

Gas prices are continuing their downward slide, hitting the lowest average price since last December Friday. Gas prices are expected to continue to fall this year, and in many places, drivers are already paying less than $3 a gallon to fill up their gas tank.

As Japan moves forward with its energy future after the Fukushima disaster, it tries to balance stable electricity with public safety. Will Japan return to nuclear energy?

The US will begin publishing annual reports on how much the government spends on fossil fuel subsidies. It's part of the White House's broader push to be more transparent in mineral wealth extraction, but there's debate over exactly what subsidies are and how important they are to US energy.

Defense Department plans to buy 92,000 hybrid and electric vehicles over the next seven years to trim its fuel bill. They could be especially cost-effective in war zones.

Recent pipeline spills in North Dakota have drawn attention to the nation's extensive oil and gas pipeline network. Pipeline capacity is short of what's needed to keep pace with oil production in the United States, Graeber writes, and the regulatory agencies to monitor safety aren't up to snuff.