In 2009, then-Vice President Joe Biden was stumping for what was known as the stimulus bill. To paint a picture of the administration’s successes, he was championing a half-a-billion-dollar clean energy innovation project supported by the Department of Energy Loan Programs Office (LPO). That project was called Solyndra, and it promised a novel type of solar power generation. Solyndra...
Wind power is the leading technology of the energy transition in the UK. It is the basis for the transition shift championed by the Starmer government—and it is failing because the grid operator is having to pay hundreds of millions to wind turbine operators to turn them off. The reason: there is no way to...
As New York scrambles to transition away from burning fossil fuels, nuclear energy is in the spotlight. Last month, officials with the state energy authority, NYSERDA, announced the agency had begun gauging interest from companies who may want to develop nuclear power plants in New York. Weeks earlier, Governor Kathy Hochul noted that new nuclear...
Concerned about a loss of regional transmission organization independence, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday rejected proposals that would have given PJM Interconnection transmission owners more control over the grid operator’s transmission planning process. “We are concerned that these provisions violate the Commission’s independence requirement by providing a single stakeholder group, specifically, the PJM [transmission owners,]...
If you’re looking for hard problems, building a nuclear fusion power plant is a pretty good place to start. Fusion — the process that powers the sun — has proven to be a difficult thing to recreate here on Earth despite decades of research. “There’s something very attractive to me about the magnitude of the...
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced an investment of $17 million across 14 projects that will accelerate critical materials innovation while promoting safe, sustainable, economic, and efficient solutions to meet current and future supply chain needs. The projects, which span 11 states, are strengthening and streamlining manufacturing for high-impact components and technologies such...
Colorado River water conservation and drought-resistant agriculture are at the forefront of a groundbreaking study that could reshape farming across the Western United States. Led by Colorado State University researchers, the study examines three innovative alternatives to alfalfa: Kernza, sainfoin, and silflower. These crops have the potential to dramatically reduce water usage while supporting sustainable...
Demand for electricity is rising so quickly in the United States that even Exxon Mobil, the country’s largest oil and gas company, is planning to get into the power business. Exxon is designing a massive natural-gas fueled plant meant to directly supply electricity to data centers. The company says the plant will be fitted with...
The Biden administration recently set new tariffs on photovoltaic solar panels imported from Southeast Asia. Always a thorny issue, trade policy is expected to be especially controversial in 2025. Therefore, it’s worth understanding when tariffs might be appropriate and when they might carry more cost than benefit. The solar panel import issue is challenging because it isn’t...
Permitting reform has swiftly risen to the forefront in Washington as a pressing national security priority. The United States is grappling with the dual challenges of escalating energy demand and mounting global competition, particularly from China. Despite the critical role of our nation’s energy infrastructure, the U.S. is ensnared in a permitting process that can...
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