Apple’s iCloud data center will use 100% renewable energy by 2013

Apple’s main iCloud data center in Maiden, N.C., will be powered entirely by renewable energy by the end of this year with the construction of two solar array installations.

The feat will be accomplished with the construction of both new solar arrays around the existing North Carolina facility, Reuters reported on Thursday. Together, they will supply 84 million kilowatt-hours of energy per year.

The new solar installations will also reportedly rely on high-energy cells and an advanced solar tracking system. … Continue Reading

Climate change having ‘dramatic impact’ on national security

That's a lot of dirty fuel and money burned if it's not renewable and clean.

Climate change has had a direct effect on national security, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said this week.

Panetta told an audience at the Environmental Defense Fund that climate change has raised the need for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, hitting national security in the process.

“The area of climate change has a dramatic impact on national security,” Panetta said. “Rising sea levels, severe droughts, the melting of the polar caps, the more frequent and devastating natural disasters all raise demand for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.” … Continue Reading

DOE Aims to Attract More Women in Clean Energy Careers

The Energy Department announced on April 26 a three-part plan to help implement the Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) Women’s Initiative aimed at attracting more women to clean energy careers and advancing their leadership positions. The new program, in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Energy Initiative, is designed to translate the goals of C3E into action in the United States. … Continue Reading

Where will Gas Prices be in 10 Years?

The United States has the world's largest motor vehicle registered fleet, with almost 250 million vehicles.

With China and India at currently less than 10% of their citizens owning an automobile, yet they continue to grow and industrialize and push for more automobile ownership – where will gasoline prices be say 10-years from now? … Continue Reading

Should The U.S Have A Clean Energy Policy Or Not

• The Federal government has aggressively committed to supporting clean energy over the last few years.

• More importantly, based on early returns, this support for clean energy appears to have paid off handsomely.

• In spite of the success of these policies, many of them are about to vanish.

Experts from Brookings, Breakthough Institute and WRI released a report today with some insightful and thought-provoking conclusions.  In it, they quantify the amount of government funding provided to clean energy from 2009-2014 and the rate that funding will fall off post 2014 (from $44 billion in 2009, to $16.1 billion in 2012, to $11.0 billion in 2014), and the impact that will have on clean technology industries. The report then outlines a host of policy reforms that would improve the efficiency and functioning of our clean energy policy framework.  It represents a well-researched and well-intentioned attempt to start a conversation about energy policy reform that we really need to be having.

Do you think we should continue and thus have a Clean Energy Policy or should we just forget about it all together and stick with what we’ve been doing for the past 100-years -

What Do You Think…?

New Report Highlights Importance of Clean Energy Policy, as Well As Need For Reform

Talking about Nonsense, Ignoring the Necessary – Are We Doomed To Fail?

Hopefully the U.S. has not hit an iceberg several hours ago...

With all the political game playing, gamesmanship, ‘necessary part of the process’ going on in Washington, DC over everything from Renewable/Clean Energy to Secret Service Agents’ behavior to China, Afghanistan, Colombia, Canada’s XL Pipeline, etc…,

Is the country becoming the better or worse from all the stone-walling on issues that need resolution and hyping over the absurd (ie; SS Agents’ “playtime”)?

What Do You Think?

U.S. Clean Energy Policies Risk Losing Lead Over China

Alex Morales, Bloomberg News  – The U.S. government is creating a “boom and bust” in renewable energy investment that threatens to undermine its lead over China, the Pew Charitable Trusts said in a report.

U.S. investment reached $48.1 billion in 2011, largely in wind and solar power, the Washington-based research group said last night in a report based on Bloomberg New Energy Finance data. Those funds trumped the $45.5 billion China allocated to renewables, for lead for the U.S. since 2008. … Continue Reading