Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
A recent data roundup by renewable energy industry analyst Paul Gipe shows that variable renewables are meeting much larger percentages of grid power than previously thought possible in some European countries.
The sun is waiting to be tapped for clean, cheap energy if we can get our heads out of the sand.
“We’re fifteen to twenty years out of date in how we think about renewables,” said Dr. Eric Martinot to an audience at the first Pathways to 100% Renewables Conference held April 16 in San Francisco. “It’s not 1990 anymore.”
There is one segment of U.S. industry that ought to be cheering for expanded U.S. natural gas exports–though I doubt that its leaders will be offering their support in anything above a whisper. The renewable energy industry would benefit from higher natural gas prices.
A common refrain, from skeptics to allies alike, is that renewable energy is a great idea, but not feasible because oil, gas, and coal will always be cheaper. Leaving aside the fact that fossil fuels are a finite resource and are the primary driver behind a warming planet, is it really true that renewable energy is more expensive?
Community Renewable Energy is the first webinar in the new SELC series for planners, policymakers, and sharing economy change makers.
Facing limits to sun-powered renewable energy. Latest in a series.
•Small-town mayors: the cutting edge of climate action •How are communities raising serious money for green energy projects? •Is 70 Percent Renewable Power Possible? Portugal Just Did It For 3 Months •Germany’s Energy Transition Experiment •London’s cooking waste to fuel power station •Lessons From Thailand: Mobilizing Investment In Energy Efficiency
As soon as we begin using the word “farming” again, all of the implicit associations with farming begin to reemerge in our shared thoughts and language
A picture is worth a thousand words. This graph compares the price history of solar energy to conventional energy sources. The comparison is striking. This is what a disruptive technology looks like. While conventional energy prices remained pretty flat in inflation adjusted terms, the cost of solar is dropping,fast, and is likely to continue doing so as technology and manufacturing processes improve.
Resilience has recently become a recurrent term in the urban design debate, predominantly in connection with climate change and natural disasters.
Energy conservation is our best strategy for pre-adapting to an inevitably energy-constrained future. And it may be our only real option for averting economic, social, and ecological ruin.
