Tag Archives for solar
The 100 Percent Renewable Dream: A Problem of Physics and Scale
The drumbeat of press about the declining costs of installing wind and solar generators has led most of the public and our policy-makers to believe that an energy transition from fossil fuels to wind and solar is just around the corner. However, this belief overlooks the fundamental physical limitations of producing electricity from wind and solar. There is a wide gulf between using wind and solar energy for marginal electricity production, as we are doing now in many places, and relying on it for the majority of our electricity.
In this piece, we will elaborate on the two biggest challenges of generating electricity from wind and solar – energy storage and energy density – and explain why making the energy transition a reality is not just a problem of technology but primarily one of physics and scale. Continue reading
Clean Energy Has A Dirty Secret
By Greg Walcher “Governments should temporarily provide funding for new energy technologies so that they can become market competitive with traditional energy resources.” So the Global Energy Network Institute and other renewable energy advocates have been saying for decades. Taxpayers … Continue reading
Coal projected to be US’ top generating fuel in 2017: EIA
Houston (Platts)– Coal is projected to provide the majority of US power generation in 2017, retaking the crown from natural gas, according to the US Energy Information Administration’s monthly Short Term Energy Outlook released Tuesday. The agency projects coal will … Continue reading
US coal shows strength after production increased 6.6% from 2015
https://www.snl.com/InteractiveX/article.aspx?CDID=A-38515950-11566&KPLT=4 SNL, 11/29/2016 According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, total U.S. coal production for the week ended Nov. 19 picked up 6.6% year over year to 17.2 million tons, from 16.2 million tons during the same period … Continue reading
Fact Check: Missoulian – “New solar jobs far outpace coal”
A March 28, 2016 Missoulian article titled, “GEORGE OCHENSKI: New solar jobs far outpace coal” recently caught my attention as the author goes to great lengths to disparage coal-fueled electricity and to compare the relative competitive capabilities of coal vs. solar, … Continue reading
National Renewable Electricity Standard
Why raise electricity prices? Steve Goreham, Climate Science Coalition of America Last month, Representatives Jared Polis (D Colorado), Ben Ray Luján (D New Mexico), and Ann Kuster (D New Hampshire) introduced the National Renewable Electricity Act of 2013 (RES Act),into the U.S. … Continue reading
Thoughts on the CEA “Coal Peak” Report
ACC’s Jason Hayes weighs in on the future of coal production Jason Hayes, The American Coal Council I recently had a call from a reporter at the Boulder Daily Camera. He was seeking comment on a just-published Clean Energy Action (CEA) … Continue reading
Solar-powered protest fail
Solar energy can’t even handle an anti-fossil fuels blow up toy. This protest presents the world with a powerfully ironic statement on what happens when you expect renewables (even with battery backup) to provide reliable power. The video is funny and … Continue reading
Earth-friendly?
Deroy Murdock’s recent NRO article on the ‘green-ness’ of so-called green energy takes renewable energy head on. His article demonstrates, once again, that all forms of energy have impacts on the environment. It is, therefore, the job of the energy industry, … Continue reading