Anyone who expects the French to fall in line with conventional thinking on energy (or on anything, really) grossly misunderstands these people. Part of what attracts me to their culture is that they couldn’t care less what the rest of the world thinks of them. (more…)
Here’s an article that makes the same point that I have put forth a few dozen times: there is no nuclear renaissance. At the core of the discussion is the simple and unavoidable fact that nuclear is fantastically expensive – even when the government pays for the insurance (because no private insurer will take on that level of catastrophic risk).
Writing for EmpowerTheOcean, my colleague Emma Websdale notes that Norway may be making a huge investment in renewable energy, and that, if it happens, …. “it will be an unprecedented shift in both the global investment community and also for tangible action on climate change.”
Norway is so sophisticated in so many different ways. Living in the U.S., it’s hard to imagine a population of people who put a significant value on doing something tangible about climate change. But there they are — with an average GDP/capita of twice the U.S. — both sophisticated AND successful — not a bad combination.
I hope readers will check this out: electric vehicle sales are going through the roof. Apparently, the phenomenon I predicted has started to kick in: falling prices, better range, and lots of word of mouth from really ecstatic customers.
Now, of course, the game is to get rid of coal as the answer to the question: what happens when we put an incremental load on the grid in the middle of the night?
I have a good feeling that U.S. President Obama will axe the Keystone XL Pipeline. My reasoning has nothing to do with the noise that environmentalists are making, though I’m not discounting that effect altogether. I’m thinking that none of the other things he seems to want to get accomplished currently (having passed the Affordable Care Act) have any chance of happening. Congress shot gun control dead and said “adios” to immigration reform. What about a grand bargain? Are you serious? (more…)
From your lips to God’s ears, as they say in cliché-land. But is it even remotely possible? (more…)
Here’s a reasoned, lively but civil debate on the pros and cons of natural gas fracking. The guy (pro) generally does a very good job, though I agree more with the woman – particularly that gas, while better than coal, is not good enough if humankind is to address the climate catastrophe that’s coming its way. It’s also true that the gas industry systematically understates the ecologic issues associated with extraction.
The guy responds that there are far more beneficiaries of gas than there are people who are hurt, which strikes me as a fairly meaningless statement. Even if it’s true right this minute, it won’t be for long – at least if what our scientists are telling us is correct.
Here’s a good discussion on the level of certainty (95%) that the scientific community has on the existence of anthropogenic climate change. Even the chief scientist at the Cato Institute (whose spokesperson I interviewed for “Renewable Energy – Following the Money”) is on board with the theory.
Do we need to be absolutely certain before we take action? Astonishingly, some people say yes.
According to this article in the New York Times, the nuclear industry is complaining that the energy industry is “rigged against them,” insofar as the price paid to the sources that generate electricity varies on an hour-to-hour basis, and nuclear plants can’t ramp up and down to meet those changes in pricing. (more…)
Does the world pay attention when little ol’ Craig Shields says that the power utilities are in trouble, due to distributed generation and microgrids? Hardly. But when the best minds at Citibank (see article linked above) say essentially the same thing, referring to them as “dinosaurs” – and pointing out that change is happening much faster than anyone could have predicted — that gets some consideration. (more…)
Here’s news of a 
