Insights from our Editorial Team
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Mar 18, 2013 |
The Obama administration is linking improvements in the electrical grid with the increasing occurrence of aberrant weather patterns, all associated with climate change. To that end, it has recently released its “progress report” detailing the steps that it has made and will continue to make to achieve its goals.
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Mar 18, 2013 |
President Obama’s plan to expedite the development of alternative fuels is causing both sides of the aisle to wince. He would take $200 million a year for the next 10 years from federal oil and gas royalties and use that money to fund research for next-generation vehicles.
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Mar 14, 2013 |
Uncle Sam is well positioned to usher in a new era of renewable energy development, mainly through its land management activities. The Government Accountability Office says that it oversees tens of millions of acres and that Congress has directed the Department of Interior to facilitate the construction of at least 10,000 megawatts of green energy by 2015.
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Methane Hydrate Deposits are Huge, but ControversialMar 13, 2013 |
Two years after an earthquaked rocked Japan, scientists there are hitting back. They successfully mined “methane hydrates” from the Sea of Japan -- an effort that could supply the country with unconventional natural gas for decades to come. But it’s an expensive proposition that must now survive beyond the testing phase.
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Mar 12, 2013 |
Congress has been grappling with cyber security for months, and the executive branch is circulating an order calling for greater coordination among agencies.
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SoCal Edison and Mitsubishi Getting ScrutinizedMar 11, 2013 |
That troubled nuclear plant in Southern California may have some more problems. A key member of the U.S. Congress is asking security regulators to look further into whether Edison International knew of defects before they became public but chose instead to sit on the information.
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Mar 07, 2013 |
California’s economic fate may brighten if oil and gas developers could get access to vast reserves there. That’s the opinion of economic developers, who are saying that the state would then diminish its 9.8 percent jobless rate and provide a source of wealth for decades -- if environmentalists would compromise.
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Mar 05, 2013 |
Companies that practice sustainability may be getting good PR. But they are also achieving better returns for their investors. That’s the conclusion of one utility analytics firm that says the best managers are the ones who are looking beyond their fours walls and into the communities where they serve.
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Mar 04, 2013 |
The Boulder City Council just recently met and had concluded that full-scale municipalization is doable -- a move that the city’s voters approved in November 2011. But at the same time, those opposed to such a takeover of Xcel Energy have persuaded the proponents to at least engage the investor-owned utility to see if the voters' aspirations could be achieved without incurring the risks.
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Feb 28, 2013 |
Deployment of smart meters have now become commonplace in many parts of the United States. Approximately 33 percent of all U.S. households now have a smart meter installed. California and Texas have led these efforts with many other states expected to follow suit.
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