Clean Energy Digest

A recent story about how solar power plants are now more cost effective  to build than nuclear power plants in Carolina has created quite a bit of buzz especially amongst staunch advocates of renewable technology. Here’s how the New York Times framed the issue on July 26th. Solar photovoltaic systems have long been painted as [...]

As I survey the clean energy landscape at the beginning of the new year I think about the prospects for technological milestones and breakthroughs in 2010. We’re coming out of a year where billions of dollars have been either granted or loaned to companies in the name of the next generation of clean energy. You [...]

There may not have been two phrases that garnered much more buzz in 2009 than “smart grid” and “cloud computing.” They have a lot in common too. Both refer to a collection of technologies that few people understand in depth. Both are understood to refer to forward looking, game changing technologies. And both have the [...]

You have to hand it to Google. They keep coming up with innovative ideas to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and the harmful emissions that go along with them. Unfortunately some of the efforts that they trumpet as “low carbon”, “green” or “renewable” don’t pass the common sense test. You may remember that one [...]

As much as anyone I look forward to the day when I’ll be able to drive a car that doesn’t use gasoline as the primary fuel source. And when I use the word “car” I mean a car like the ones we’ve become accustomed to. In general most people want cars that are stylish, economic, [...]

The presentation below was created as the term project for my graduate level economics class. Our analysis explored the key factors contributing to the rapid growth of wind generation in the United States between 1997 and 2007. Wind Power Growth In U.S. View more presentations from robsafuto.

Now that BMW has announced production of an electric version of their very popular Mini Cooper subcompact, interest in electric cars for urban use is likely to increase. Popular Mechanics reports, “Dubbed the Mini E, it will be available for lease in three states—California, New York and New Jersey—and only to those companies and individuals [...]

The latest Energy In Brief posting by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) is very instructive on the topic of U.S. government subsidies for energy. I consider it recommended reading for anyone who wants to understand the level of government investment and how it effects energy production in the U.S. In total, renewable energies were subsidized [...]

With gas around $4 per gallon you would expect to hear a lot about alternative fuel automobiles. So it’s no surprise that there are a steady stream of news stories about automobiles that are powered by electricity. And as the news becomes more frequent, lots more people get excited about the prospect of making the [...]

It’s election season in the U.S. and talk of energy plans is all the rage. And while wind gets its fair share of press perhaps politicians should look offshore for something more than drilling. The United States has thousands of miles of coastline that is rated either excellent, outstanding or superb for wind power potential [...]