R&D

Google phases out clean energy R&D in favor of deployment

Cross-posted from Climate Progress. Buried at the bottom of an innocuous “spring cleaning” post on Google’s blog yesterday, the internet giant made a very important announcement: It will stop funding its Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal (RE<C) initiative. But that’s not the whole story. And if you believe the headlines — “Google Abandons Renewable Energy […]

Dr. Grist’s four-part prescription for managing climate change

Dr. Grist fills in the blanks.We are not going to solve climate change. That’s not pessimism — it’s just not the kind of thing that can be “solved.” It’s already underway. There’s enough carbon stocked in the atmosphere to keep the temperature going up for decades even if we cease polluting entirely, which isn’t going […]

House Republican budget cuts would strangle innovation

This article was cross-posted from the Center for American Progress. President Barack Obama’s State of the Union on Jan. 25, 2011, waved the green flag for innovation and competition in the cleantech sector. He proposed a number of programs to speed the development and manufacturing of domestic energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors to help […]

Taxing carbon as part of responsible, progressive fiscal policy

Here's a progressive plan to cut the deficit while investing in the future (and taxing carbon). Can climate hawks and deficit hawks find common cause?

Carbon-pricing and technology R&D initiatives: Both are necessary, but neither is sufficient

Economists and other policy analysts have noted that policies intended to foster climate-friendly technology research and development will also be necessary, but likewise will not be sufficient on their own.

On attacking climate and energy in 'chunks'

President Obama is going to address climate change in "chunks" rather than in one comprehensive bill. Everyone seems to agree on that much. But what does that mean, exactly?