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

Walmart publishes 2012 global responsibility report

Photo: Walmart

by Melissa Hincha-Ownby (MNN.com) On Monday, Walmart released its 2012 Global Responsibility Report (GRR). The 2012 report covers sustainability issues at the retail giant during fiscal year 2011, which began on February 1, 2011 and ended on January 30, 2012. Walmart is a large company with a strong global presence and that means that it has a massive, information-filled GRR report, in this case, over 120 pages of data. … Continue Reading

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

Is Solar Power Really too Expensive or Is that Just What Opponents Want You to Think

Example of a centralized solar plant model where everything would be controlled by the utility company - even price.

Recently I visited the west coast of the U.S. and being a resident of Florida for the past twenty-plus years I must say that I was totally exhilarated by what I saw in California, and totally disappointed with what I know to be the case in Florida. Over and over, I saw the rooftops of homes covered with solar panels. Compare that to what is the case in Florida where such a sight is barely nascent. The simple fact is that Florida (the Sunshine State) homeowners are virtually non-existent when it comes to distributive solar power or rooftop solar. How is this possible when you consider the following presumption… … Continue Reading

Coalition seeks to protect public lands, launches “Energy Democracy” sign-up

 By Ariele Johannson – (San Diego’s East County)–Driving through the southwestern deserts, I’ve long been impressed by the ocotillo, a cactus-like tree with straight branches angling upwards to the sun, ablaze with red blooms. This thorny desert tree is an apt metaphor for the ways different people view energy issues– especially proposed industrial solar and wind power projects in remote wilderness areas. Like the ocotillo, these programs and policies have a wide array of angles from which to be viewed. … Continue Reading