The Energy Collective

The world's best thinkers on energy and climate

  • Home
  • Post Here
  • Columns
    • Electricity Markets & Policy Group
    • Full Spectrum
    • Energy and Policy Developments
    • Game Changers
    • Energy for Human Development
    • Seeking Consensus
    • Green Growth
    • New Energy Voices
  • Fuels
    • Oil
    • Wind
    • Nuclear Power
    • Coal
    • Natural Gas
    • Solar Power
    • Renewables
    • Biofuels
    • Geothermal Energy
    • Wave & Tidal
    • Hydro Power
  • Environment
    • Carbon and De-carbonization
    • International Climate Conferences
    • Sustainability
    • Climate
    • Public Health
    • Water
    • Recycling
  • Grid
    • Smart Grid
    • Electricity
  • Tech
    • Cleantech
    • Green Building
    • Storage
    • Rare Earth Minerals
  • Business and Economy
    • Cap-and-Trade
    • Agriculture
    • Efficiency
    • Green Business
    • Utilities
    • Finance
    • Green Jobs
    • Subsidies
    • Risk Management
  • Politics
    • Environmental Policy
    • Energy Security
    • Communications and Messaging
    • China
  • Transport
  • Help
    • FAQ
  • Account
    • Login
    • Register

California Leads on Reducing Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations

February 8, 2016 by Leave a Comment

California Leads on Reducing Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations

California took a big step forward to reduce emissions of potent, heat-trapping methane pollution from the oil and gas industry. Joining states like Wyoming, Colorado, and Pennsylvania, California is proposing strong but sensible rules to control methane across the oil and gas supply chain - from production to transmission.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that oil and gas operations are responsible for about 30% of annual … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Carbon and De-carbonization, Climate, Energy, Energy and Economy, Environment, Environmental Policy, Fuels, Natural Gas, News, Oil, Politics & Legislation, Public Health, Risk Management, Sustainability, Tech, Utilities Tagged With: california, emissions reduction, methane leaks

Vehicle Emissions Testing Where the Rubber Hits the Road

November 25, 2015 by 1 Comment

Vehicle Emissions Testing Where the Rubber Hits the Road

  source ,  source , sourceWhat do pro cycling, education reform, and vehicle emissions standards all have in common?Cheating scandals is the flip answer. But a more fundamental connection is summed up by “Goodhart’s law” which predicts that, once a measure becomes a proxy for the purpose of enforcing a policy, it will cease to provide a good measure. Goodhart (an economist) had monetary policy in mind. But look … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Carbon and De-carbonization, Cleantech, Communications and Messaging, Energy and Economy, Energy Security, Environmental Policy, Finance, Fuels, News, Oil, Politics & Legislation, Risk Management, Tech, Utilities Tagged With: diesel fuel, scandal, testing, volkswagen

33 More Injection Wells Shut Down in California

October 22, 2015 by Leave a Comment

33 More Injection Wells Shut Down in California

Briana Mordick, Staff Scientist, San FranciscoThe California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) issued orders last Thursday requiring operators to shut down 33 of the more than 2,500 injection wells improperly permitted to pump potentially toxic oil and gas wastewater and other fluids into federally protected drinking water aquifers. Earlier this year, DOGGR admitted that poor communication, inadequate record-keeping, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Efficiency, Energy, Energy and Economy, Energy Security, Environment, Environmental Policy, Finance, Fuels, News, Public Health, Renewables, Risk Management, Sustainability, Utilities, Water Tagged With: california, injection wells, regulations

House Energy Bill Turns Partisan but Gives Utility Software-as-Service a Boost

October 14, 2015 by 1 Comment

House Energy Bill Turns Partisan but Gives Utility Software-as-Service a Boost

by Dylan Reed and Arvin GanesanStraight out of August recess, Congress wasted no time to make national headlines. The District was abuzz with votes on the Iran nuclear deal, a visit from Pope Francis, and a potential government shutdown – which the surprise resignation of Speaker John Boehner helped to avert. Despite all the attention of these events, the House Energy and Commerce committee continued its efforts to enact sweeping energy … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cleantech, Communications and Messaging, Electricity, Energy, Energy and Economy, Energy Security, Environmental Policy, Fuels, News, Politics & Legislation, Renewables, Risk Management, Sustainability, Utilities Tagged With: congress, Energy Legislation

Residential PACE on the Rise; Innovative Solar Financing

July 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Residential PACE on the Rise; Innovative Solar Financing

In 2010, the Federal Housing Finance Authority almost killed Property Assessed Clean Energy Programs (PACE) for residential properties. A lot can happen in five years, and what was once a program on the verge of foreclosure is now a booming market. Also, what a new financing model could mean for current solar consumers and producers.Residential PACE Growing Rapidly, Now Larger than Commercial PACEAfter years of frustration resulting from … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cleantech, Efficiency, Energy, Energy and Economy, Energy Security, Environmental Policy, Finance, Fuels, Green Business, News, Politics & Legislation, Renewables, Risk Management, Solar Power, Sustainability, Utilities Tagged With: property assessed clean energy (pace), residential solar

Smart Grid for Good: How the Texas PUC is Putting Money Back into the Pockets of Texans

June 16, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Smart Grid for Good: How the Texas PUC is Putting Money Back into the Pockets of Texans

Texas has a legacy of pioneering smart grid initiatives. Since 2007, Texas has installed over seven million smart meters, an achievement that helped it rank first on GridWise Alliance’s “2013 Grid Modernization Index” (tied with California, a state also thought of for its forward-thinking energy policy). Texas was one of the first states to invest in an online portal for residents to access their energy data, regardless of their electric utility. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cleantech, Efficiency, Electricity Grid, Energy and Economy, Energy Security, Environmental Policy, Finance, Fuels, News, Smart Grid, Storage, Tech, Utilities Tagged With: smart meters, texas

What’s Good for the EV Is Good for the Utility

June 4, 2015 by 3 Comments

What’s Good for the EV Is Good for the Utility

Could electric vehicle charging be part of the answer to the existential challenge that increasingly faces power utilities across the U.S., namely how to maintain revenue while electricity demand is essentially flat or in decline?  Last month Washington State passed a law that could help utilities in that state to enter the EV charging market, and simultaneously give impetus to an EV charging network that holds the promise of making the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Electricity, Electricity Grid, Politics & Legislation, Transportation, Utilities Tagged With: electric vehicles, ev charging stations

Is Vaclav Smil a Pessimist or Voice of Uncomfortable Truths?

June 2, 2015 by 3 Comments

Is Vaclav Smil a Pessimist or Voice of Uncomfortable Truths?

Last week a mantra (by some) stood out to me: that Vaclav Smil is a “pessimist" because of his recent article titled 'Revolution? More like a Crawl'. Admittedly, the title doesn't reek of optimism, but the article itself fully acknowledges the advances being made in today's energy landscape, yet refrains from turning that reality into an overhyped, oversimplified narrative of solving climate change, which too many lazily fall into the trap of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Carbon and De-carbonization, Cleantech, Climate, Energy, Energy and Economy, Energy Security, Environmental Policy, Finance, Fuels, News, Renewables, Utilities Tagged With: future energy planning

Will Natural Gas Generation Slow Progress on Climate and Renewables?

June 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Will Natural Gas Generation Slow Progress on Climate and Renewables?

The Stockholm Institute has released a provocative report that examines the longer term implications of relying on natural gas as a ‘bridge technology’ to a lower carbon economy.  The environmental think tank’s report addresses the question of whether, by turning to natural gas to replace coal fired generation in the near term, we might be limiting our ability to minimize carbon emissions further into the future.  At a fundamental … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate, Electricity Grid, Environment, Natural Gas, Renewables, Solar Power, Wind Tagged With: carbon budget, stockholm institute

EIA Details Utility Sector Impact of Clean Power Plan

May 28, 2015 by Leave a Comment

EIA Details Utility Sector Impact of Clean Power Plan

The Environmental Protection Agency will release details of its Clean Power Plan this summer, putting into action the first ever national effort to reduce carbon emissions and slow the advance of global warming, the effects of which have been on display this week with unprecedented rain and flooding in Texas and Oklahoma.  We’ve known the overarching goal of the CPP for some time. EPA wants carbon emission to fall 30% below 2005 levels by … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Carbon and De-carbonization, Coal, Efficiency, Electricity Grid, Natural Gas, Renewables, Solar Power, Utilities, Wind Tagged With: carbon pollution (epa), clean power plan

Obama’s Climate Agenda Is in Trouble: Here’s How to Save It

April 17, 2015 by 4 Comments

Obama’s Climate Agenda Is in Trouble: Here’s How to Save It

By Abigail Barnes and Brian H. PottsLast month, the coal companies fighting President Obama’s climate agenda got some really good news. The names of a randomly selected three-judge panel were released in a case called Murray Energy Corp. v. EPA, which is currently pending in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.  Former President George W. Bush appointed two of the three judges on the panel, Brett Kavanaugh and Thomas Griffith, and his father … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coal, Environmental Policy, News, Politics & Legislation Tagged With: barack obama, climate change, court ruling

The High Cost of Solar Financing

March 27, 2015 by 3 Comments

The High Cost of Solar Financing

The solar industry recently attracted attention from two of Silicon Valley’s cornerstone tech giants: Apple and Google. Apple announced an $850 million solar procurement for its offices in Cupertino, CA, marking the largest procurement to date by a company that isn’t a utility. Soon after, Google announced a $300 million investment in 25,000 SolarCity rooftop power plants in return for tax equity from the systems financed by the deal.Apple’s and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cleantech, Efficiency, Energy, Energy and Economy, Energy Security, Finance, Fuels, News, Risk Management, Solar Power, Sustainability, Tech, Utilities Tagged With: apple, google, investment risks, return on investment (roi), solar financing

Europe’s Major Challenges: Looking at Renewables Beyond 2020

February 19, 2015 by 2 Comments

Europe’s Major Challenges: Looking at Renewables Beyond 2020

Earlier this year the European Union announced that its member countries will soon reach their emissions targets for 2020. The news comes six years ahead of schedule and with even greater reductions expected by the deadline. The announcement certainly helped pad Europe’s reputation as a world leader in renewables adoption, but was met with reserved optimism from energy critics. While the achievement is positive news, critics have long been … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Carbon and De-carbonization, Cleantech, Efficiency, Energy and Economy, Energy Security, Environmental Policy, Fuels, Future Energy Fellows, News, Politics & Legislation, Renewables, Risk Management, Utilities Tagged With: EU emissions targets, european union, future energy planning

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 148
  • Next Page »

The Energy Collective Columns

Full Spectrum: Energy Analysis and Commentary with Jesse JenkinsEnergy and Policy Developments with John Miller
Game Changers column badgeEnergy for Human Development Column
Seeking Consensus with Schalk CloeteGreen Growth with Silvio Marcacci
New Energy VoicesMore coming soon...

Latest comments

  • Randy Dutton on Climate Change Optimism: Five Years of Change Megaquakes (8.5 and higher) impact global warming. According to NOAA, a six megaquake cluster has re (April 20, 2018 at 10:00 PM)
  • EngineerPoet on Closing Nuclear Reactors in Ohio and Pennsylvania Will Thwart Climate Goals Ontario already closed its last coal plant. (April 20, 2018 at 8:47 PM)
  • BobMeinetz on Closing Nuclear Reactors in Ohio and Pennsylvania Will Thwart Climate Goals Of course, Bas. Look at all the pretty red dots on the right side of your graph, where NPPs powered (April 20, 2018 at 6:08 PM)
  • Bas Gresnigt on Closing Nuclear Reactors in Ohio and Pennsylvania Will Thwart Climate Goals So those NPP's are happy to pay ~€60,000/hour*) each in order to get rid of their production... ___ (April 20, 2018 at 5:44 PM)

Advisory Panel

About the panel

Scott Edward Anderson is a consultant, blogger, and media commentator who blogs at The Green Skeptic. More »


Christine Hertzog is a consultant, author, and a professional explainer focused on Smart Grid. More »


Elias Hinckley is a strategic advisor on energy finance and energy policy to investors, energy companies and governments More »


Gary Hunt Gary is an Executive-in-Residence at Deloitte Investments with extensive experience in the energy & utility industries. More »


Jesse Jenkins is a graduate student and researcher at MIT with expertise in energy technology, policy, and innovation. More »


Jim Pierobon helps trade associations/NGOs, government agencies and companies communicate about cleaner energy solutions. More »


Geoffrey Styles is Managing Director of GSW Strategy Group, LLC and an award-winning blogger. More »


Featured Contributors

Rod Adams

Scott Edward Anderson

Charles Barton

Barry Brook

Steven Cohen

Dick DeBlasio

Senator Pete Domenici

Simon Donner

Big Gav

Michael Giberson

Kirsty Gogan

James Greenberger

Lou Grinzo

Jesse Grossman

Tyler Hamilton

Christine Hertzog

David Hone

Gary Hunt

Jesse Jenkins

Sonita Lontoh

Rebecca Lutzy

Jesse Parent

Jim Pierobon

Vicky Portwain

Willem Post

Tom Raftery

Joseph Romm

Robert Stavins

Robert Stowe

Geoffrey Styles

Alex Trembath

Gernot Wagner

Dan Yurman

 

 

 

Follow Us

32-linkedin 32-facebook 32-twitter 32-rss

Content for personal use only. Distribution prohibited. Republication in part or in whole is strictly prohibited. © All rights reserved Energy Central © 2018

Recent Comments

  • Randy Dutton on Climate Change Optimism: Five Years of Change
  • EngineerPoet on Closing Nuclear Reactors in Ohio and Pennsylvania Will Thwart Climate Goals
  • BobMeinetz on Closing Nuclear Reactors in Ohio and Pennsylvania Will Thwart Climate Goals

Recent Posts

  • What ALA’s Most Recent State of the Air Report Reveals About Oil and Gas Air Pollution in the Western U.S.
  • UK Will Legislate Net-Zero Carbon Emissions Target, Says Minister
  • Why EPA’s U-Turn on Auto Efficiency Rules Gives China the Upper Hand

Useful Pages

  • Terms of Use
  • Comments Policy
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • Help
  • About and Contact Us
Copyright © 2018 Energy Central. All Rights Reserved
This site uses cookies, for a number of reasons. By continuing to use this website you accept the use of cookies. Find out more.