Climate Energy

Germany to substantially increase geothermal feed-in tariffs

Higher payments should boost distributed generation, doing for geothermal energy what Germany has already done for wind, solar, and biogas.

Kentucky coal companies remind us why we really, really need the EPA

The latest episode in the saga known as Big Coal's Watergate began Tuesday when environmental and citizen groups filed a second notice of intent to sue the two largest mountaintop-removal mining companies in Kentucky.

Bill McKibben: Blame Canada!

Bill McKibben has it in for Canada. In a new article in The New Republic, he calls it "one of the earth's most irresponsible nations," admonishes liberals that they need to find a new country to dream of emigrating to, and stops just short of calling Canadians (and Americans, but what else is new) giant hypocrites.

What's pissing McKibben off? Tar sands, of course.

Will wind power blow the Earth out of orbit?

YES. YES IT WILL.

More radioactive water leaks at Fukushima

Japan's damaged Fukushima plant is now holding oceans of contaminated, radioactive water in its storage tanks, and that water keeps leaking out. Today, the country's Nuclear Industrial Safety Agency said that fifteen tons or so of water had leaked.

Feds running a high-voltage gravy train for power transmission

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gives bonus incentives for outdated and costly systems of energy transmission at the expense of ratepayers.

Taking sides in the latest natural gas battle

The New York Times has been running a series on natural gas. Here's David Roberts' take on the controversy behind natural gas fracking.

Value of solar power far exceeds its cost

Solar power has a monetary value as much as 10 times higher than its energy value.

GE’s ironic new slogan: 'Natural gas. It’s hot stuff.'

Nobody involved with General Electric's ad campaign understands the irony, that natural gas is one of the most potent heat-trapping greenhouse gases.

Even Republicans and climate skeptics support fuel efficiency and clean energy

Regardless of how they felt about global warming -- from "alarmed" to "dismissive" -- nearly everyone in this 2009 survey supported increased fuel efficiency standards. Even the ones who dismissed the threat of climate change weren't very strongly opposed. What's more, 90 percent of people think clean energy should be a priority for the president, including 85 percent of Republicans. And more than 80 percent support increased funding of renewable energy research.