According to the ACEEE * : ” Changes in fossil fuel markets and updates to environmental regulations may result in the retirement of existing coal-fired plants, putting on the order of 40 GW of generation at risk of retirement.” ” The investments required for replacing or upgrading these plants would raise electricity rates for all …
Replacing old coal plants with energy efficiency Read More »
As Sustainable Business notes : ” As part of its new sustainability goals, 3M aims to improve its energy efficiency 25% by 2015. 3M’s 2015 Sustainability Goals build upon its record of environmental achievements, which go back to 1990. “ ” Since 1990, the company has cut greenhouse gases 72% and reduced solid waste indexed to sales by 66%. …
According to the NRDC : ” ten northeastern and mid-Atlantic states are working together to shift their energy dollars to cleaner, local, job-creating resources “ through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). ” RGGI is a “cap-and-invest” program whereby the states set a regional limit on carbon pollution, sell pollution permits, and invest most of the …
RGGI : A great American initiative on efficiency Read More »
Further to the Fukushima catastrophe in March, Japan has been decreasing in a massive way its electricity consumption. Indeed, only 17 nuclear reactors are bringing power to the grids out of the 54 existing ones. As the New York Times notes : ” Preliminary figures indicate that regions under conservation mandates have been able to …
To Clean Technica : ” Samsung has developed a new computer that is solar-powered! The Samsung NC215S netbook it will be the first computer of its kind. The power will come from a solar panel embedded in the lid. “ Still to Clean Technica : ” a team of researchers at Australia’s RMIT have demonstrated a new, …
As the world’s first energy consumer and greenhouse gases emitter, the People’s Republic of China is under closed scrutiny from energy analysts. Last week, not one or two but three different news caught my attention on this country. The climate situation there is dreadful as according to CNN massive floods forced 1.6 million people to …
More efficiency, wind power and nuclear for China Read More »
You know probably know it : America – and to be fair, many other countires – is giving a lot of subsidies to Big Oil and companies that are making billions of profits. This doesn’t make sense economically nor environmentally. You might also remember that I have been advocating changing this for years and have …
This week was published another new landmark report from the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This one is focusing on renewable energies as no less than 164 scenario where studied. You may have read it, one of them notes that energy sources like solar, wind and biomass could answer up to 77 % of …
You may perhaps remember it, the International Energy Agency is banking a lot on carbon capture and storage (CCS). Indeed, the IEA believes that it could account for 15 % of greenhouse gases emissions reductions. However, CleanTechnica got an interesting article on how this solution fails to deliver. One of the main reasons is that …
Have you heard about the Jevons paradox ? Or the rebound effect ? Neither of them ? However they both refer to an interesting fact related to energy, efficiency and conservation. In a nutshell : we have been using more and more energy since the Industrial revolution, centuries ago, however, appliances and processes are more …
