Energy

Strip-mining the Moon: Bad idea, or the worst idea?

As a millennial, I don't share boomers' enthusiasm for the power of science to solve all problems. So when someone says that strip-mining the Moon for rocks rich in helium-3, heating the rocks to harvest the helium, and using that helium for nuclear fusion will solve the world's energy problems, I am inclined to say, “Ha! You power-mad old person, you are living in a science fiction story.” But that, in fact, may be the direction humanity is heading in, moon-wise.

Sarah Laskow Energy

What does the volatile past of natural gas tell us about its future?

Natural gas is on the rise, partly because it's cleaner than other fossil fuels. But do the climate benefits justify the costs of fracking?

Michael Aylward Energy

In dimwitted move, GOP set to repeal lightbulb standard that saves billions

Republican lawmakers want to repeal the Energy Independence and Security Act, which saved consumers money by setting lightbulb efficiency standards.

Stephen Lacey Energy

Exxon vs. state government: Yellowstone clean-up now has dueling command centers

A week after an ExxonMobil pipeline burst under Montana's Yellowstone River, spots of oil have been found more than 80 miles downstream from the original spill. Exxon is on the clean-up case; more than 500 Exxon clean-up workers are on the scene, and the company has put down 8,000 feet of absorbent booms and 150,000 pads to soak up the oil. But the company is also being so sneaky in their proceedings that Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and his team huffed out of the incident command center and set up their own clubhouse.

Sarah Laskow Energy

Dirty-money shills lie about renewables — here's the truth

Robert Bryce, who has made a career out of saying things that are popular with the petroleum industry, is a lying liar who lies, most recently in the pages of The New York Times. In a recent op-ed piece he claimed, basically, that natural gas is greener than renewables because he says so.

Christopher Mims Energy

The U.S. gets more power from renewables than from nuclear

A new report from the Energy Information Administration shows that in 2011, renewable power in the U.S. surpassed nuclear for the first time. In the first three months of the year, renewable energy plants -- including geothermal, biomass, wind, water, and solar -- were responsible for about 12 percent of the country's energy production, while nuclear produced only 2 percent.

Jess Zimmerman Energy

Should California adopt the German solar model?

When it comes to luxury cars, beer, chocolate, and solar power, we should just acknowledge that Germans do it better. But if sunny California adopts their tariff system, they could pay even less for solar energy than cloudy Deutschland.

Paul Gipe Energy

Anatomy of a solar PV system

Solar photovoltaic gets a lot of attention compared to other forms of clean energy, but the attention is deserved.

Stephen Lacey Energy

Nuclear power is fine — it's corporate power that's dangerous

In the Guardian, George Monbiot argues that nuclear power was the least of Fukushima's problems. Sure, the nuclear industry is corrupt and regulation-resistant -- but name a power industry that isn't. When it comes to health threats, says Monbiot, the conscienceless scumbags in the nuclear industry are miles ahead of all the other conscienceless scumbags.