The Energy Collective - The world's best thinkers on energy & climate

Raising the Efficiency of Solar Cells

namarchetti — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:14:52 +0000

There’s a cottage industry in solar research involving the manipulation of quantum dots. Solar cells using these tiny particles of semiconductors are much less expensive to produce than traditional ones, because they can be made using simple chemical reactions. And scientists for a number of years now have been drawn to their ability to harvest invisible, infrared light in addition to visible light.

Science, risk management or just politics?

DavidHone — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:55:56 +0000

An opinion piece that appeared in the Wall Street Journal (Europe) on Tuesday (a few days earlier in the USA) presented the views of sixteen scientists on the issue of climate change under the heading “No Need to Panic About Global Warming“. Unfortunately there isn’t much in the way of science discussed and the reality of the policy world is very different from the story they have written.

Audio Archive: The Future of Oil & Gas: Exploring New Innovation in Old-Fashioned Energy

Henry Spethmann — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:39:01 +0000

Thanks to everyone who listened to last week's The Energy Collective's webcast, which originally aired on January 27, 2012. For everyon who missed it, you can find the audio below, and explore the accompanying slide material.

Predicting the Top Sustainability Stories of 2012

GilFriend — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:35:50 +0000

Last month I offered my picks for the Top Sustainability Stories of 2011. Here are my predictions for the Top Sustainability Stories of 2012. (It's a rugged mix of bad news and good.)

India’s Solar Power Revolution Could Have Global Effect

energyrefuge — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:08:09 +0000

Photo: Ashden Awards/Flickr

How to Go Green Without Going Crazy

DailyEnergyReport — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:41:35 +0000

Utilities worry about a lot of things, such as keeping the lights on, earning a return for investors, and making regulators and customers happy with their service.Now there is a new worry: How can they protect customers from what one utility refers to as “mental fatigue?”

Detangling two fast moving stories about nuclear

Dan Yurman — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:22:26 +0000

A series of breaking news reports, followed by energetic denials, create confusion about the status of two new nuclear reactor projects

Cleantech Firms Paying the Price for Subsidies

Geoffrey Styles — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:18:00 +0000

In observing the recent struggles of various segments of the global cleantech industry, including renewable energy and advanced energy technology firms, a pattern is emerging. Today's Wall St. Journal reports "Wind Power Firms on Edge," as the US wind industry hunkers down pending the renewal or expiration of a key subsidy at the end of 2012.

Solar Energy Trade Battle Heats Up Again

cnunez — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:43:24 +0000

The group fighting SolarWorld’s bid for duties on Chinese-manufactured crystalline photovoltaic cells and modules on Monday released a report that claims protectionist measures would result in between 14,000 and 60,000 fewer American jobs than would otherwise exist by the end of 2014—but that wasn’t the only news in the solar trade battle.

Who to trust about climate change

SimonDonner — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:53:16 +0000

My sister is a neurologist. She's highly active in her field and is often asked by the media to comment about her particular area of expertise within the field of neurology.

Painkillers – the Real Drivers of Innovation for the Electricity Value Chain

Christine Hertzog — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:24:31 +0000

One of the largest US-based industry conferences for electricity, gas, and water utilities just wrapped up in San Antonio, Texas. The entire value chain for electricity was well-represented there – you could find products for generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption of electricity. These products modernize the grid – making it the Smart Grid. The profusion of products prompted me to think about what really drives innovation in the electricity value chain. In Silicon Valley, entrepreneurs know that successful new products or services have to be painkill

Carbon Capture Takes Center Stage In 2012

namarchetti — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:00:35 +0000

For two reasons, 2012 will be a milestone for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies, marking the beginning of its practical utilization.

Electric Cars & Overpopulation — R-Squared Energy TV Ep. 10

RobertRapier — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:11:45 +0000

In this week’s episode of R-Squared Energy TV, I answer questions on the future of electric cars, and the global population, which many feel is the root of so many problems. Some of the topics discussed are:

Black Swan theory and the anti-nuclear sentiment

BarryBrook — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:17:35 +0000

Are Republicans Turning Congress Into A Permitting Body?

FrancesBeinecke — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:57:15 +0000

House Republicans are once again talking about weighing down the tax relief bill with riders designed to force the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline and block clean air standards. But, even these lawmakers seem to recognize the public won’t like their political maneuverings.

D.C. Auto Show Focused on Efficiency

Geoffrey Styles — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:56:49 +0000

Last week I attended the media preview of the Washington Auto Show. With its dual focus on cars and energy policy, this is always a high point of the winter for me, even if this year's display lacked a draw of the magnitude of the pre-production Chevrolet Volt I drove at the 2010 show. Instead, I was pleased to find that the emphasis on fuel economy and technology in carmaker presentations was matched by a broad array of efficient and attractive new products.

The Value of Government Involvement in Standards Development

Dick_DeBlasio — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:11:22 +0000

Very early on, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognized the direct, cause-and-effect linkages among consensus-based standards development, seamless interoperability across the interstate electricity grid and the historic, far-ranging potential benefits of the Smart Grid:

Why Google invests in clean energy

MarcGunther — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:00:09 +0000

Last year, Google invested more than $915 million in clean energy projects–solar, wind and transmission.

PACE Solar Financing Shows Signs of Life

ChipGaul — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:36:04 +0000

Communities and homeowners have more reason to be optimistic about solar financing.

Smart Grid 2012 - Making Sense of All the Predictions

Gerry Runte — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:35:28 +0000

Over the last few days I collected 8 different sets of predictions for the smart grid market in 2012. No doubt there are more out there. These sets incorporate 51 different trends, some similar and some unique. I’ve identified the various authors at the bottom of this piece. Distilling these entries into more meaningful groups results in: trends with some consensus; trends common to more than one expert; unique perspectives; and conflicting opinions.