technology posts, articles, and infographics

Energy Subsidies in a Free Market

November 17, 2011 by John Wilson
with 639 views

Bob Inglis’ call to “simultaneously eliminat[e] all subsidies” for energy is another way that he believes we can use the “power of free markets” to make better choices about energy use. Although “subsidies” are often discussed, it is a concept that is hard to pin down. The World Trade Organization definition of a subsidy amounts to, “... [read more]

Energy Innovation 2011 Coming To DC

October 13, 2011 by Breakthrough Institute
with 224 views

At Energy Innovation 2010, clean energy advocates, policy experts, and public officials moved the clean energy policy debate in a new direction: an innovation strategy is required to develop the transformative technologies we need to address climate change, achieve energy independence and reap potentially vast economic benefits.This... [read more]

What Is Your Energy Philosophy?

August 31, 2011 by Barry Brook
with 417 views

People seem to like to infer motives. (Perhaps it’s an inherent evolutionary trait, allowing anticipation of your prey’s or predator’s next move?) I find that a lot of people get me wrong about my position on energy and sustainability — often deliberately so, I suspect. So here’s a post to clarify my position, and allow you to let others... [read more]

Why Do Malthusians Ignore The Sun?

August 16, 2011 by Alex Trembath
with 336 views

This article at the Energy Collective on "plastic trees" got me thinking about something that doesn't come up too often here at Energetics, though it should: geoengineering. From the article:The idea employs biomimicry by deploying small-scale units of “trees” to soak up more CO2 than real trees, wherever you might need them. “You can... [read more]

It’s Not About Efficiency…. It’s About the $$$$

August 16, 2011 by Don Madden
with 95 views

Converting America’s commercial and industrial base to a higher standard of energy efficiency is not going to happen because it is “the right thing to do.” Frankly, if businesses are going to adopt new energy technologies projects are going to require both excellent ROI and virtually no impact on cash flow. The market is full of... [read more]

Japan: TEPCO Using Realtime Feedback To Help Customers Reduce Energy Consumption

July 29, 2011 by Tom Raftery
with 254 views

TEPCO, the Japanese power company who own the Fukushima nuclear power plant, are in an unenviable position. Their Fukushima nuclear power plant is the site of one of the world’s worst industrial accidents, they have been accused of not just incompetence but of falsifying safety records and yet they have to continue to... [read more]

Technology To Meet The Energy Challenge

June 10, 2011 by John McDonald
with 1,724 views

As this community knows all too well, the demand for energy is rapidly increasing. Over the next 20 years, the world population is expected to grow by 20 percent – meaning there will be over 8 billion neighbors on earth by 2030. Every part of the energy system – companies that find and produce energy, consumers seeking low cost... [read more]

Weighing In On The Gas Tax Debate

May 5, 2011 by Breakthrough Institute
with 181 views

By Jesse Jenkins and Sara Mansur Kevin Drum's recent post on the low price elasticity of demand for oil has reignited an old debate over gas taxes and energy innovation. Drum draws our attention to some "eye popping" figures for price elasticity of demand for oil from the IMF. According to Drum, these elasticities mean that, in the... [read more]

Let’s Messe It Up! Why The US Needs To Host An Industrial Summit

April 13, 2011 by Amelia Timbers
with 182 views

I spent last week in Hanover -an industrial city of half a million people in Northern Germany- and it was the place to be. Never heard of it? Not surprising if you're in the US. Although unknown to many US readers, Hanover is home to Hanover Messe, or Hanover Fair- the world’s largest industrial conference. The Hanover Fair started... [read more]

Deus Ex Machina

March 29, 2011 by Michael Tobis
with 195 views

Science Magazine has the story of a potentially huge technological win, an "artificial leaf" made of cheap materials via MIT that uses ambient sunlight to catalyze the production of hydrogen and oxygen from water. If this works out, the "hydrogen economy" will suddenly be back on the table.It won't solve all of our problems by any means... [read more]

Report: A Carbon Price Won't Get You Breakthrough Innovation

March 28, 2011 by Breakthrough Institute
with 123 views

Carbon prices won't drive the level of energy innovation required to mitigate climate change and fuel sustainable global development, according to a new report by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). One of the most influential pieces of conventional wisdom in the energy and climate debate is that a price on... [read more]

WEBINAR TODAY 3pm: Smart Grid + The Customer Experience - Critical Questions for Utilities

March 20, 2011 by Amelia Timbers
with 378 views

The transition to a smart grid represents a fundamental change in customer relationship management. Suddenly, utilities’ relationships with their customers will dramatically increase in complexity. Utilities will have access to customer data rivaled in sensitivity only by banks and hospitals. They will be able to control customers’... [read more]

Innovation Conservatism

January 4, 2011 by Breakthrough Institute
with 954 views

Bucking the conventional wisdom that newly empowered conservatives are out to cut government spending at all costs, an influential group of conservative voices has emerged to urge Congressional Republicans to take a more measured approach toward federal programs and challenge them to increase federal investment in science and technology... [read more]

China is More an Opportunity Than a Threat for the PEV Industry

December 30, 2010 by James Greenberger
with 978 views

The federal government needs to remember that trade is a good thing. Cutting a deal in the bazaar leaves both parties better off than before. We should not hesitate to cut deals with our new, and potentially best, trading partner, China, in the areas of PEV’s and PEV-related technology. Just keep in mind that China has few thousand years head start on us in the tactics of the bazaar. Let’s not be tourists. [read more]

U.S. Must Triple Investment in Energy Technology: President's Science Advisors

November 30, 2010 by Breakthrough Institute
with 898 views

The United States should more than triple federal investments in the development of cutting edge new energy technologies to accelerate the transition to a low carbon energy system, according to President Obama's top science and technology advisors. Joining an increasingly broad and consistent set of voices, from academia, policy... [read more]