Commentary
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Sep 13, 2012 |
The United States needs fundamental tax, spending, and entitlement reforms to grow and sustain its economy and restore fiscal discipline. As the next President and Congress deliberate such reforms, a carbon tax should be at the top of their list because it will stimulate investment, innovation, and economic growth and make the U.S. more competitive. -
Aug 21, 2012 |
Nearly all players in the US energy sector -- from utilities and independent power producers to regulators and government agencies -- agree that demand for electricity is intrinsically tied to economic growth. Evidence of such a link has certainly been seen during the post-2008 recession period; consumption has grown about one percent per year over the past three years. -
Aug 09, 2012 |"The Truth About Oil" is the title of a long and fairly useful article that was published in the April 9 (2012) issue of Time. I think that I can -- and in reality often have -- done a lot better, but the author of that article (Brian Walsh) has performed almost as well as I could if I encountered a fanatic crew of Time subscribers and/or devotees at a conference, or perhaps even in a seminar room.
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Aug 07, 2012 |
Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is a surprisingly controversial topic. Coal interests and climate change deniers insist, predictably, that it is unnecessary and would create an intolerable drag on the economy. But CCS is also opposed by some militant environmentalists. -
Aug 02, 2012 |
Everyone knows the new construction market will concentrate in Asia in the next decade, but it is also a rapid growing place for smart buildings. From a latest report published by BSRIA, the smart building market will grow from the current size of US$ 427 billion to US$ 1,036 billion in 2020, creating vast opportunities for advance building technologies and services. -
Jul 31, 2012 |
In part 1, we looked at the likely impact of the recent EPA rules for greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants. We also looked at some of the technology options for carbon capture from new coal-fired plants, and how they might affect the cost of compliance.
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Jul 24, 2012 |
he EPA recently issued a plan that would impose limits on emission of greenhouse gases from new power plants. The proposed limit for CO2 is 1000 pounds per megawatt-hour (MWh) -- a value easily met by natural gas power plants but impossible for traditional coal-fired plants without carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).
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Jul 19, 2012 |
Saudi Arabia is once again the biggest producer of oil in the world, surpassing Russia to regain its title. Saudi Arabia happens to be one of the most repressive and undemocratic regimes in the world. The Economist magazine ranked Saudi Arabia 161st out of 167 countries in their most recent Democracy Index. -
Jul 12, 2012 |
When we hit the economic downturn of the late 2000s, electric usage declined in most developed regions such as Europe, Japan, and the U.S. One of the big debates in today's electric business is what to expect for future load growth. -
Jun 26, 2012 |
At more than 2,000 pages in length, the Dodd-Frank Act is the US government's extensive and wide-ranging response to the financial crisis. From debit card transaction fees to exchange-traded derivatives, there is almost no aspect of financial activity that has escaped its attentions.
