Energy
Oil on the water
Canada’s oil sands deposits are found in northeastern Alberta, where few people ever travel. It would be easy to overlook them, except for the controversy surrounding the Keystone XL pipeline that would deliver crude oil from these deposits to Gulf Coast refineries. [Read more…] about Oil on the water
The cost of driving with electricity
With more and more electric cars and plug-in hybrids on the road, there is a growing interest in knowing the cost of driving using electricity. Most of us keep tabs on the price of gasoline and how it impacts our bottom line. But for people with cars that plug in, what is the relevant price? [Read more…] about The cost of driving with electricity
Invisible power plants
The mushrooming growth of rooftop solar systems is a good thing for the environment and for the overworked electric grid. However, in places like California, where there are now an estimated 150,000 such systems, utilities face a new kind of problem. [Read more…] about Invisible power plants
Tilting at windmills
Throughout the Midwest, wind energy has caught on. In that region, ten states produce more than 10% of their electricity from wind, and Iowa and South Dakota top 20%. For the country as a whole, wind energy supplies 3.5% of our electricity, and at the current rate of growth this could reach 20% by 2030. [Read more…] about Tilting at windmills
An electric highway
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A key issue facing the widespread adoption of electric cars is the need for infrastructure to support charging them on the road. On the west coast, the Department of Energy has teamed up with utilities and transportation departments in several states on a project called the West Coast Electric Highway. [Read more…] about An electric highway
The many faces of biofuel
Biofuels are broadly defined as fuels derived from plants or plant material. They are often thought better than fossil fuels, because as plants grow, they remove carbon dioxide from the air. When we burn them, we return carbon dioxide to the air, but the net effect can be close to zero. [Read more…] about The many faces of biofuel
Offshore wind and marine life
The growing number of offshore wind farms is starting to provide real-world data on the effects of these installations on marine life. Long a source of concern among wind power opponents, the impact of offshore turbines on birds, sea mammals, and various undersea creatures is being carefully monitored at various installations. [Read more…] about Offshore wind and marine life
A grid for the 21st century
We are all familiar with the vulnerabilities of our power system. Events like Hurricane Sandy, the 2011 San Diego blackout, and other widespread outages are all-too common. Our power system depends on centralized generation and long-distance transmission— making it susceptible to massive failures. On an average day, nearly a half million Americans spend at least two hours without electricity. Brownouts and blackouts cost the country up to $188 billion annually. [Read more…] about A grid for the 21st century
Energy from the deep earth
As one digs or drills into the Earth’s crust, temperatures increase at an average rate of about 25 C per kilometer or 60 F per mile. This heat stems from the molten conditions in the deep Earth, where magma is derived from Earth’s formation 4.6 billion years ago. [Read more…] about Energy from the deep earth
Energy poverty
A new report by a group of international agencies headed by the World Bank concludes that bringing electricity to all of Earth’s citizens by 2030 will require doubling or tripling the current annual spending of $400 billion a year. [Read more…] about Energy poverty
Vehicle-to-Grid
As the number of electric and plug-in hybrid cars starts to increase, people are thinking about ways to make use of a new potential power resource. Vehicle-to-grid or V2G is a system in which plug-in electric vehicles can communicate back and forth with the power grid in order to deliver electricity into the grid when it is needed and cut back their charging rate when it is scarce. [Read more…] about Vehicle-to-Grid
Geoengineering our planet
For years there has been public debate on whether human activity is the cause of global climate change. The consensus view now is that we have changed the climate, but doing so was not our intent. [Read more…] about Geoengineering our planet
Where do greenhouse gases come from?
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Greenhouse gases are responsible for our planet having the mild temperatures that make life as we know it possible. The most important ones – water vapor and carbon dioxide – have historic stable levels that are a result of a fine balance among various environmental processes on land and sea. [Read more…] about Where do greenhouse gases come from?
Effective carbon pricing
Many arguments consider the best way to reduce greenhouse gas or carbon dioxide emissions and to limit the effects of global warming. Some promote a cap-and-trade system, in which limits are set for those that emit CO2. If they do better than their allocation, they can trade excess credits; if they do poorly, they must buy credits on the open market. [Read more…] about Effective carbon pricing
Habitats from offshore wind
One of the criticisms of offshore wind farms is the potential for disruption of natural habits for wildlife, namely sea creatures and birds. As a result, environmental impact studies are a big part of the wind permitting process. [Read more…] about Habitats from offshore wind
Green power leaders
More and more businesses and households in the US are embracing renewable energy. In fact, some of the biggest companies in the nation have adopted green power in a major way. [Read more…] about Green power leaders
Offshore Wind Moves Ahead
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Despite a decade of controversy and dispute, offshore wind technology is moving ahead in the United States. [Read more…] about Offshore Wind Moves Ahead
Living big by living small
Cohousing is a type of living arrangement that is strongly focused on community. Families live in their own privately owned homes. But typically, a common house and shared outside spaces ensure that neighbors get to know each other, through community meals and outdoor activities like gardening and recreation. [Read more…] about Living big by living small
A weight loss program for the planet
