All Energy Voices
Why Google is spending billions on renewable energyGoogle has already invested around $1 billion in alternative power projects with a combined capacity of more than two gigawatts. These investments have not been just for the benefit of the environment, or to increase Google's sense of wellbeing, Peixe writes, they are investments made with a goal to making a profit in the future.
Earth Hour 2013: Does it really save energy?Earth Hour has been criticized for accomplishing little in the way of saving energy and reducing carbon emissions, but those critiques tend to miss the bigger picture. Earth Hour is intended to raise awareness about climate change.
Refiners hit 'blend wall' with ethanol. Now what?Prices of ethanol credits have skyrocketed 1,400 percent as refiners get stuck with ethanol that they can't profitably blend with gasoline. Courts may take up fairness of renewable fuel standard, which has caused the glut.
Why natural gas will determine the future of CyprusCyprus could be sitting on 60 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The country's enormous natural gas reserves are intricately linked to the potential for bailing out Cyprus, Alic writes.
Energy firms, environmentalists agree on 'fracking' standardsRare collaborative effort creates 15 standards to reduce environmental footprint of 'fracking' operations in the Northeast. Agreement suggests new tack by environmentalists on fracking.
Cyprus gets bailout offer from Russian gas giant GazpromCyprus could get an economic boost from Russia's Gazprom if Cyprus is willing to sell exploration rights to the promising offshore natural gas deposits in the Mediterranean Sea, Kennedy writes.
Is the Keystone XL pipeline a diplomatic nightmare?President Obama's possible approval of the Keystone XL pipeline is a tale of political calculation gone sadly wrong, King writes. Delaying the pipeline's review offended the country's principal trading partner and gave environmentalists time to mobilize against the Keystone XL pipeline, King adds.
Suntech Power defaults. Solar troubles reach China.Suntech Power Holdings, one of the world's largest solar-panel manufacturers, has defaulted on $541 million in bonds. The inability of Suntech Power to make payments on its debt is part of a consolidation of the market's oversupply of cheap solar panels from China.
Even with high gas prices, will drivers budge from oil?President Barack Obama hopes to move drivers away from oil, but consumer trends suggest the American economy isn't quite ready to abandon oil completely, Graeber writes.
US cars in 2050 could be using 80 percent less gasolineThe US could cut oil consumption for light-duty vehicles and greenhouse-gas emissions, if it adopts policies and encourages key technologies, a new National Research Council report says.
Canadian coal plant retrofit could be a 'game changer'A 43-year-old Canadian coal plant is being retrofitted to capture roughly 90 percent of its carbon dioxide emissions and store the gas deep underground, Gates writes. It will be the first commercial-scale power plant equipped with a fully integrated carbon capture and storage system, he adds.
Is the US oil boom coming to an end?Though US oil production is experiencing steady expansion, Graeber writes, it's starting to slow down and with it potentially goes the revenue on which Paul Ryan's budget plan depends.
More politics than policy in Arctic oil drilling debateThe political debates around Shell's Arctic drilling plans and the Keystone XL pipeline are becoming less about energy and more about partisanship, Graeber writes.
Clean-coal power plant to break ground in TexasThe Texas Clean Energy Project, a $2.5 billion coal gasification power plant, will be the first US power plant that combines both integrated coal gasification combined cycle and carbon-capture-and-storage technologies, Tracey writes.
Behind the oil boom lurks oil well depletionRecent oil discoveries sound large, Cobb writes, but, when put into the context of how much we consume, they won’t extend the oil age by much. Current oil wells are constantly being depleted.
Ethanol mandate: Did the EPA jump the gun?The Environmental Protection Agency may have jumped the gun on ethanol mandates, Alic writes. Consumer groups are balking at a mandate they think could harm vehicles and leave car-owners stranded without insurance in the case of ethanol-related damage.
Making energy innovation part of climate policy debateIt is time for energy innovation policy to become a priority in our policy nuance and our elevator pitches, Stepp writes, because the nation cannot face the challenges of climate change without it.
Obama at Argonne lab: Why batteries matterPresident Obama visits a battery-research lab in suburban Chicago to announce a $2 billion plan to boost battery and transportation research. Scientists at the lab are in pursuit of a battery that could have a profound effect on how we power our gadgets, cars, and homes.
Court case: Coal mine gets permit. Can EPA take it back again?Arch Coal and the EPA faced off in federal appeals court over agency's revoked permit for West Virginia coal mine. The case has several industries worried that the EPA could take back their permits retroactively under the Clean Water Act.
In Great Plains, if you drill it they will comeThe Great Plains are experiencing a stunning resurgence in population after being long considered a population drain. One big reason: the energy boom.
