Climate Energy

Koch Industries stands to profit off Keystone XL

Every step the Obama administration takes towards approving the Keystone XL pipeline means a step towards putting more money into the pockets of Koch Industries. Although the company has denied having an interest in the pipeline (it has "nothing to do with any of our businesses," company reps have told Rep. Henry Waxman's staff), Inside Climate News has uncovered documents proving that a Koch Industries subsidiary has a business interest in the approval of the pipeline.

Critical List: E.U. could ban tar-sands oil; solar industry ‘a real mess’

Yesterday, an E.U. commission got behind environmental standards that could keep tar-sands oil from being used in Europe.

Another nuclear reactor in Japan shut down.

Clean energy investments can only go so far in keeping China's emissions down. The country will meet its environmental goals in the short term, researchers say, but it’s growing too fast for its emissions to stay manageable for long.

German state minister: The Kochs are ruining U.S. renewables

Ever wonder why Germany has a robust renewables economy, while the U.S. keeps claiming it's not achievable? Here's a theory from Franz Unterskeller, German state minister for the environment, climate, and energy:

We don't have the situation like you have in the U.S., where you have this Koch brothers.

Wind power: a growing source of green manufacturing jobs the U.S. is trying to botch

Wind provides what everyone wants: high-skill, high-wage jobs with potential for huge growth. Why aren't U.S. policymakers doing more to support it?

World's second tallest structure will power 100,000 homes a day with hot air

If a clean energy project in the Arizona desert goes forward, the second tallest structure on Earth will be a 2,600-foot solar updraft tower, which could last 80 years and generate 200 MW of electricity each day -- using only hot air. (Insert your own joke about how we could power Cleveland with Bill O’Reilly.)

The tower works on the principle that hot air rises. In this case, it rises through the tower, turning turbines as it goes. The tower uses no water, and it works pretty much all the time, unlike wind and solar projects. (At night, the ground is still letting off the heat it captured during the day, so there's still hot air available to float upward.)
 

Coal energy drink keeps you going — until it all runs out

Brought to you by the comedians at the Renewable Energy Accountability Project.

Yes, EPA regs will cost jobs: heavily subsidized, value-destroying jobs

The latest line of attack from the dirty-energy caucus has been that "54,000 direct jobs" will be lost if, as expected, new EPA regulations lead to the shuttering of around 20 percent of the U.S. coal-power fleet. The key thing to remember is that these are some of the most heavily subsidized jobs in the U.S. economy.

Solyndra witch hunt halts world's largest residential solar project

The push to make government clean energy investments look bad after the Solyndra bankruptcy is hindering major job-creating solar projects development

A look at CHP markets across the country: Sometimes supportive policies aren't enough

This post was written by Anna Chittum, Senior Policy Analyst at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and a contributing author at the ACEEE blog. Here at ACEEE we love combined heat and power (CHP). CHP is a critical, affordable, and proven energy resource that can produce electricity and thermal energy at the same […]

Can the wind industry survive without federal tax credits?

The wind production tax credit, a key incentive for new wind energy projects, is set to expire at the end of 2012.