Energy Collective
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What Germany’s nuclear phase-out did to emissions and coal
Germany shut down its last three nuclear reactors on April 15, 2023, and for most of the decade after Fukushima, the power nuclear used to supply went mostly to coal, not to wind and solar.
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What happened at Fukushima Daiichi, explained simply
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Japan's coast triggered a tsunami that knocked out power and cooling at Fukushima Daiichi, and the fuel in three reactors melted down within days.
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Is Biomass Carbon Neutral? It Depends on the Wood
Biomass energy can be carbon neutral, or it can be worse than coal. Which one you get depends mostly on what you're burning and how long you're willing to wait for the atmosphere to break even.
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Biofuels explained through ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel
Ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel are three different products made three different ways. Ethanol comes from fermenting starch or sugar. Biodiesel comes from a chemical swap called transesterification, and renewable diesel comes from a refinery process called hydrotreating that produces a fuel nearly identical to petroleum diesel.
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How geothermal energy works, and why EGS is finally taking off
A geothermal power plant makes electricity by pulling heat out of the ground and using it to spin a turbine, the same basic principle behind a coal or gas plant, minus the fuel and the smokestack.
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How Hawaii became the US leader in rooftop solar
Hawaii solar leads the US. Nearly half of Oahu's single-family homes have rooftop panels, and 92% of new Honolulu systems come with a battery.
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How much of US electricity comes from wind power
US wind power supplied about 10% of American electricity in 2025, and new capacity keeps coming through 2029, but the tax credit is on a deadline.
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Where natural gas vehicles are common, and why the US never caught on
Natural gas vehicles number in the millions in Iran, China and Pakistan but never caught on in the US, even with fuel that costs less than gasoline.
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How much wind and solar can the grid handle
How much wind and solar can a grid handle? The duck curve shows where the limit bites, and NREL modeling puts a reliable US grid at 60% to 80%.
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How big are fossil fuel subsidies in the US and worldwide
Worldwide fossil fuel subsidies hit $620 billion in 2023 under the IEA, or $7 trillion under the IMF, plus what US oil and gas tax breaks cost.
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China’s electricity generation by source
China electricity generation by source has shifted fast since 2013, and wind and solar capacity now tops coal's. See the current mix, and the US comparison.
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What the smart grid is and how utilities get paid
What the smart grid is in 2026, and how demand response and New York's Reforming the Energy Vision changed who pays to keep the power grid running.
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