Latest Articles

Shipments of geothermal heat pumps grew 33 percent in 2006

Baseload geothermal power gets all the attention because it has such enormous potential for delivering low-carbon 24/7 power. But geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) are every bit as deserving of attention because they are the most energy efficient form of heating and cooling a building over much of this country [click on figure at right to […]

Obama favored by Exxon employees, but McCain has gotten more oil money overall

Barack Obama put out an ad earlier this week accusing rival John McCain of being “in the pocket of Big Oil,” and the Democratic National Committee launched Exxon-McCain 2008, a website to promote the idea that the Republican candidate is in bed with the oil industry. But as Grist noted previously, Obama himself has received […]

Nuclear storage spending at Yucca jumps 38 percent to $96 billion

New nuclear power plants aren’t cheap. Neither is storing their waste. E&E News ($ub. req’d) reports on at Yucca Mountain: DOE has spent $13.5 billion since 1983, and figures to spend $54.8 billion on construction, operation and decommissioning of the repository; $19.5 billion for transporting the waste — including building the canisters for holding waste; […]

Climate change will increase extreme rainfall, says study

Photo: Ali Nishan Climate change will likely lead to more powerful rainstorms, says a new study published in Science. Computer models may “substantially” underestimate the number of heavy rainfalls that will occur in a warming world, say scientists who researched naturally occurring weather events during El Niño patterns between 1987 and 2004. “A warmer atmosphere […]

Brownstein on land use

It’s time to link climate and energy policy to land-use policy. We won’t be able to reduce emissions and escape fossil fuels if we keep building communities that require massive amounts of driving. That’s practically a truism among greens, but I’m not sure it’s really entered the political bloodstream, so it’s nice to see a […]

What green careers do you want to learn more about?

Last week, I answered a reader question about wind power jobs. I’m interested to know what other careers you’d like me to investigate. Take this handy poll (below the fold) to help pick my future column topics!

Coal electricity prices: the new gas prices

In the next few years, Americans who have grown accustomed to some of the cheapest power in the world will start to see their rates rise, sharply, mainly because coal is rapidly getting more expensive. Here’s a preview: COLUMBUS, Ohio — American Electric Power said Thursday it must raise electricity rates 45 percent for its […]

Aussies should fight climate change by eating kangaroo, says study

Australians who want to make a dent in climate change just need to eat more kangaroo, says a new study in the journal Conservation Letters. The methane-producing burps and farts of sheep and cattle contribute 11 percent of Australia’s annual greenhouse-gas emissions. Kangaroos, however, emit little methane. Researchers say that 175 million kangaroos could produce […]

The five transport energy solutions and one imperative

This is the second in a series on how we can build an energy future based on our best science and no longer critically dependent upon exhaustible and polluting fossil fuels. The Five Transport Energy Solutions and One Imperative There are five fundamental options to move into a post-oil, post-natural gas energy world and one […]

Crow Tribe strikes $7 billion deal for coal-to-liquids plant on reservation

The Crow Tribe on Thursday agreed to host a massive new $7 billion coal-to-liquids plant on its reservation land in Montana. The plant would produce about 50,000 barrels a day of diesel fuel when it opens, and eventually up to 125,000 barrels a day. Coal for the plant would come from a yet-to-be-developed mine on […]