photo: San Luis Obispo County In The New York Times on Thursday, I wrote about a United States Department of Energy official affiming that loan guarantees for nuclear power projects would continue in the wake of the Japanese reactor disaster. He also said loans for a “significant” number of large renewable energy projects would be [...]
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
DOE nuke funds to continue, big green energy loans on way
Posted in nuclear energy, renewable energy, solar energy, solar power plants, Uncategorized, tagged Jonathan Silver, United States Departmetn of Energy loan programs office on March 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Schwarzenegger calls for Tunisian-style green revolution
Posted in Uncategorized on March 2, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I wrote this story for Grist, where it first appeared. The people want to topple the petro-energy regime. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday all but called for a Tunisian-style revolution to overturn the United States’ old energy order. “It is breathtaking to see: people by the hundreds of thousands who want change … [...]
Solandia: Another solar startup to build Oregon factory
Posted in Uncategorized on February 21, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I wrote this story for Grist, where it first appeared. Another Silicon Valley startup is planting a tree in Portlandia’s solar forest, thanks to a United States Department of Energy loan guarantee. SoloPower, a San Jose, Calif., company that makes thin-film photovoltaic models, on Thursday snagged a $197 million federal loan guarantee to build a [...]
Google launches mapping tool to monitor climate change
Posted in Uncategorized on January 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I wrote this story for Reuters, where it first appeared on December 2, 2010. Google unveiled a powerful new mapping tool at the Cancun climate talks on Thursday that allows scientists to monitor changes in the Earth’s environment as climate change accelerates. The search giant’s philanthropic arm, Google.org, calls the new Google Earth Engine “a [...]
Fabio goes green in electric car vs gas ads
Posted in Uncategorized on January 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I wrote this story for Reuters, where it first appeared on December 2, 2010. Fabio has gone electric? The long-maned Italian model appears in a new commercial promoting electric cars that spoofs Apple’s Mac v. PC ads of years past. “Hello, I’m an electric,” says a hip young actor in the spot made by Plug [...]
California reinstates Tessera solar project approval
Posted in Uncategorized on January 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I wrote this story for Reuters, where it first appeared on December 1, 2010. Dec 1 (Reuters) – The California Energy Commission reinstated approval for a controversial $2 billion solar power plant to be built by NTR’s (NTRb.CO) Tessera Solar that opponents had said was wrongly licensed. Last month, the commission withdrew its decision granting [...]
Green consumers to spend less this holiday season
Posted in Uncategorized on January 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I wrote this story for Reuters, where it first appeared on December 1, 2010. So what will the environmentally conscious consumer be buying this holiday season? Not much, according to a new survey by BBMG, a New York brand innovation firm that focuses on sustainability. Environmentally conscious consumers in the United States “are spending less [...]
NRG to acquire SunPower solar farm for $450 million
Posted in environment, NRG Energy, renewable energy, solar energy, solar power plants, SunPower, Uncategorized, tagged NRG Energy on January 20, 2011 | 2 Comments »
I wrote this story for Reuters, where it first appeared on November 30, 2010. A subsidiary of NRG Energy on Tuesday said it will invest up to $450 million in a 250-megawatt photovoltaic power plant to be built by Silicon Valley’s SunPower on the central California coast. The New Jersey-based power provider, which operates a [...]
How the recession reshaped U.S. electricity production
Posted in Uncategorized on January 15, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I wrote this story for Reuters, where it first appeared on November 24, 2010. Electricity generation in the United States fell 4.1 percent in 2009, the biggest drop in 60 years, according to a new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The survey offers a snapshot of the impact the recession had on energy [...]
Cities start to adopt climate change survival strategies
Posted in Uncategorized on January 15, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I wrote this story for Grist, where it first appeared on Novembrt 24, 2010. As it becomes ever more clear that Congress has retreated from climate change legislation faster than a Greenland glacier, cities and states are starting to focus on adapting to the inevitable. A report released this week by the California Adaptation Advisory [...]
