Tag Archives: Obama

NRDC Report: Replacing Coal with Renewables and Energy Efficiency Can Lead U.S. to Cleaner Energy Future WASHINGTON (March 2, 2017) – It’s cheaper and cleaner to replace retiring coal-fired power plants with wind and solar power and energy efficiency upgrades rather than to saddle the nation with more costly and climate-polluting natural gas plants, according to a report released today …

by Andrew Light Confirmation hearings over the past two weeks for Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator nominee Scott Pruitt and Secretary of Energy nominee Rick Perry provided an early opportunity to publicly question three members of President Donald Trump’s prospective cabinet who will set the course for the next administration on climate change.   These …

Cements partnership with State of California on onshore, offshore clean energy development; Approves two transmission lines to deliver energy across Southwest WASHINGTON – As part of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan to cut carbon pollution and create clean energy jobs, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today announced new steps with Western states to encourage the development of renewable power, …

The Government of Saint Lucia has a target of generating 35% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. This pristine island currently depends on dirty diesel generators for power, but has ambitious goals to revolutionize its economy with solar, wind, and geothermal energy. Solar represents the easiest attainable resource, and Saint Lucia is already famous for its sunshine, which draws visitors from around …

Interior Department, State of California Announce Innovative Strategy for Renewable Energy and Conservation on Public Lands in California Desert Renewable energy milestone continues to advance Administration’s clean energy goals in push toward Paris climate discussions  U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and California Secretary for Natural Resources John Laird today announced the final environmental review of an innovative landscape-scale …

A massive grid cyberattack may sound like the stuff of an apocalyptic movie. But for insurance giant Lloyd’s the prospect carries enough probability to carefully weigh the financial risk. The cost? As much as $1 trillion if hackers take down just 50 generators out of 700 in 15 states within the Eastern Interconnection, according to a new study by Lloyd’s …

The power flickered off four times in the 2 ½ hours that Darren Hammell waited at Cuba’s Santa Clara airport for his return flight to the United States last month. This departing experience underscored what he had learned on his trip: There is work for U.S. energy companies in the Caribbean’s largest island. But how quickly that work materializes remains …

— Ability to capture up to 90 percent of carbon emissions with a scalable solution — Performance milestones reached for coal and natural gas power plant carbon capture — Cost per ton of carbon captured below U.S. Department of Energy target of $40/ton — Added benefit includes destroying smog-producing nitrogen oxide (NOx) DANBURY, Conn., March 5, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — …

#492467289 / gettyimages.com CLEAN ENERGY FINANCE TAKES CENTER STAGE AT 25th ANNUAL SRI CONFERENCE; LEADING ENERGY FINANCE EXPERTS TO KEYNOTE World-renowned Energy Expert and Physicist Amory B. Lovins and Bloomberg New Energy Finance Founder Michael Liebreich to Address Largest Annual Meeting of SRI Professionals; Separate Panel on Utilities to Examine Distributed Power Generation SRI has taken on new meaning for …

For many states struggling to reduce their carbon emissions, solar can be a real game-changer. With the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set to announce new air quality standards for coal and natural gas-fired power plants on Monday, June 2, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) today released a comprehensive report, “Cutting Carbon Emissions Under §111(d): The case for expanding solar …

In his State of the Union address, President Obama pledged to make 2014 a year of action. And today, we announced new ways we’re taking action to advance clean energy and create opportunity for hardworking Americans. The Obama Administration has made historic investments in the research, development, and deployment of clean energy. And these investments are paying off; solar power …

It’s never a bad thing to have the leader of the free world in your corner. And President Barrack Obama made clear again last week that he’s with energy efficiency. At a Walmart in Silicon Valley, Obama laid out his next round of green energy expansion plans. Sexy solar got much of the play in the media coverage. But staid …

Though the first official assessment that climate change was caused by human activity came in 1988, with NASA scientist James Hansen’s famous testimony to the U.S. Congress, the “carbon neutral” concept, which refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions, is a relatively new one. The non-profit Climate Neutral Network, which developed the Climate Neutral Certification, was incorporated in 1999; the …

Light-absorbing, water-repellent material could quell neighbors’ solar panel spats   All that’s gold does not glitter, thanks to new work by UC Irvine scientists that could reduce glare from solar panels and electronic displays and dull dangerous glints on military weapons. “We found that a very simple process and a tiny bit of gold can turn a transparent film black,” …

This chart shows the production tax credit at its most recent level (dashed lines). The credit is currently worth 2.3 cents per kWh for ten years, or about 1.6 cents per kWh when levelized over the 20-year life of a typical wind contract.    The costs of using wind energy and natural gas for electricity are virtually equal when accounting for …

There is nothing like a blast of frigid weather – and an energy shortage – to wake up the US consumer to the economic value of energy efficiency. We were caught almost napping this winter, drowsy in the confidence that we are awash in plenty of oil and natural gas. True, the US is in the middle of an energy …

Commercial building owners have been lamenting the loss of a popular energy efficiency tax break that ended with the New Year. But it turns out they still may be able to use it. Section 179D of the Energy Policy Act, (EPACT) offers up to $1.80 per square foot for energy efficiency improvements to building envelope and lighting, along with heating, ventilation …

Reacting to today’s presidential memorandum requiring the federal government to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, SEIA President and CEO Rhone Resch released the following statement: “This is a landmark moment in our nation’s history. Today, climate change is a real and growing threat to America and the rest of the world. It’s indisputable. Sea …

Combined heat and power, or CHP, continues to be one of those great ideas that can’t seem to get traction. In fact, the technology has lost ground, according to a recent energy efficiency report. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy found that CHP installations fell 1.5 percent at industrial facilities from 2010 to 2011 in the July 2, 2013 …

A pretty big wad of money – $40 billion – is hiding somewhere inside the lights, AC, thermostats, furnaces and fans of our offices, stores, hospitals and schools. That’s the amount of money the federal government estimates we can save annually by reducing energy use in commercial buildings 20 percent by 2020. To achieve the goal, the Obama administration in …