Renewable Energy’s Future is Blowin’ in the Wind

 Multiple sources of renewable energy are being developed around the world as countries try to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. For the generation of electricity in particular, depending on the locale, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, and wind energy are all being used. Of all the forms of renewable energy under development, I think wind has perhaps the most immediate promise. … Continue Reading

Renewables future left blowing in the wind

Ireland has the potential to produce three times the country’s energy needs using renewable resources.

Ambitious plans to capitalise on renewable opportunities in Ireland appear to have stalled and it remains to be seen if the Government can get things back on track, writes JOHN REYNOLDS

THE GOVERNMENT’S jobs action plan talks of building upon our Emerald Isle image and capitalising on opportunities, particularly in renewable energy, to “green” the economy. But has the dream faded? … Continue Reading

EBay And GOP Lawmaker Score Clean Energy Win In Utah

Ebay's Utah data center

by Mindy Lubber, reposted from Forbes

When eBay, the world’s largest online marketplace, built its first-ever data center in South Jordan, Utah, it wanted to not only design and build the site to LEED Gold standards, it wanted to use clean energy to power much of the sprawling facility. This wasn’t simply part of eBay’s company-wide commitment to sustainable operations, it was a bottom-line business decision: sourcing renewable energy would stabilize and reduce long-term energy costs and minimize environmental impacts in a state that gets 94 percent of its electricity from coal. … Continue Reading

Renewable Energy Rises 27% Since Obama Took Office, But Clean Car Policy Isn’t Working

Since President Obama entered office three years ago, renewable energy production in the US has climbed 26.9%, according to the Energy Information Agency’s (EIA) latest “Monthly Energy Review.”

For the three years ending November 30, 2011, domestic oil production has also risen, by 13.7%, natural gas production grew 13.4%, nuclear power decreased by 2.8% and coal production plummeted by 7.3%.

For the first 11 months of 2011, renewables accounted for 11.76% of domestic energy production, up from 10.83% for the same period in 2010.

In terms of actual production, renewables rose 13.4% in 2011, with hydropower supplying 34.9%, followed by biomass (26.6%), biofuels (22.0%), wind (12.7%), geothermal (2.4%), and solar (1.3%). … Continue Reading

Why America Is Failing in its Energy Independence and Security Needs

At our current rate do Americans really expect to be “in-charge” of the world for much longer? At its heart, the U.S. is a place for all those who seek freedom. A place where through capitalism, one can achieve a great financial wealth through enormous opportunities. Yet because of politics, and maybe even because of the system we so dearly strive to maintain, we are coming apart at the seams. … Continue Reading

Amory Lovins Lays Out His Clean Energy Plan

For four decades, Amory Lovins has been a leading proponent of a renewable power revolution that would wean the U.S. off fossil fuels and usher in an era of energy independence. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, he talks about his latest book, which describes his vision of how the world can attain a green energy future by 2050.
Amory B. Lovins is fond of referring to the Rocky Mountain Institute, where he serves as chairman and chief scientist, as a “think and do” tank, and it’s clear that to Lovins the doing is every bit as important as the thinking. Hardly lacking in confidence or ambition, Lovins — in conjunction with his colleagues at the institute — has published Reinventing Fire, his step-by-step blueprint for how to transition to a renewable energy economy by mid-century.

Amory Lovins

Impressive in both its scope and detail — Lovins discusses everything from how to redesign heavy trucks to make them more fuel efficient to ways to change factory pipes to conserve energy — the book lays out a plan for the U.S. to achieve the following by 2050: cars completely powered by hydrogen fuel cells, electricity, and biofuels; 84 percent of trucks and airplanes running on biomass fuels; 80 percent of the nation’s electricity produced by renewable power; $5 trillion in savings; and an economy that has grown by 158 percent. … Continue Reading

President Obama Announces an “All-out, All of the Above Strategy” for Energy Security

President Obama made the case Tuesday night for producing more of the United States’ energy supplies domestically in pursuing an “all-of-the-above” approach to further bolster the economy and national security.

President Obama used his State of the Union address last night to again call on Congress to deliver a bill for a Clean Energy Standard. This happens to be the case in the many developed countries around the world. He stated a more effective energy policy that ends subsidies to the oil industry, bolsters US energy security, and steps up support for clean and renewable energy would create thousands of American jobs. … Continue Reading

Worldwide Renewable Energy Investments Rose to Record $260 Billion in 2011

World map of Renewable Energy

In contrast to what the press led most Americans to believe, 2011 was a strong year for the renewable energy industry.

Despite a sluggish economy and a painful squeeze on manufacturers, investments in renewable energy rose 5% from 2010 to $260 billion.

That’s a new record and almost five times the $53.6 billion spent in 2004. … Continue Reading