17Apr

Batteries: Great Promise, Even Greater Hype

Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere. From our smartphones, computers and tablets to electric vehicles, we are in the midst of a battery revolution. But for all the promise of batteries, there are limitations. There are physics problems that dictate how batteries can be used, or should be used, that need to inform our energy policy. Unfortunately, […]
16Apr

Utilities Warn of Threat to U.S. Power Grid

Via The Rockland Times: What’s more valuable: a brand new sports car or an old sedan? Obviously, the sports car. But what if that sports car has an empty gas tank? Suddenly, the perspective changes. Yes, the car may be “valuable,” but it’s not “useful.” It’s a simple analogy. But what if we extend the […]
16Apr

WV Coal Industry Looking to Recover After Decade of Production Downturn

Via WVNews: While much of the focus has shifted to West Virginia’s oil and gas industry in recent years, industry experts say coal still plays a big role in the Mountain State. The industry reached a production peak in 2008, when nearly 158 million short tons were mined. Over the next decade, production levels slowed […]
15Apr

Reader’s View: Lignite Coal Can Help Meet Carbon Goals

Via The Duluth News Tribune: I recall in 2008, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama campaigned on clean coal to get elected. I believe lignite coal is just that: clean coal. (This is in reference to the “Statewide View” column in the March 29 News Tribune, headlined, “Lignite coal can help meet carbon-free goals.”) In 2015, my […]
15Apr

Factories, Coal Mines Bring Income Relief to Some States

Via PewTrusts.org: High-paying blue-collar jobs lifted incomes in West Virginia, New York and Illinois last year, even though the states lost residents, while farmers and government workers shared the pain of more stagnant income in Nebraska, Maryland and Washington, D.C. The new per capita income numbers show how national policies and international markets directly affect […]
12Apr

Wisconsin Faces Challenges Posed by Clean Energy

Via The Cap Times: The election of Tony Evers as Wisconsin’s new governor heralded a clear shift in state politics. And Gov. Evers’ subsequent push to make utilities 100 percent “carbon-free” by 2050 would make Wisconsin a key state for renewable energy. But is his “clean energy” plan truly feasible? Right now, Wisconsin generates roughly 55 percent […]
10Apr

Department of Energy Announces $87 Million for Coal Research and Development Projects

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $87.3 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development (R&D) projects for advanced coal technologies and research. DOE Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steven Winberg announced this R&D funding at the Annual Project Review Meeting for Crosscutting, Rare Earth Elements, Gasification, and Transformative Power Generation […]
10Apr

When the Market is the Problem

“Allow the market to work” has been the catchphrase rebuttal to any suggestion that the accelerating loss of baseload, fuel-secure power plants threatens grid reliability. Renewable and natural gas advocates have sung it from the rooftops like a lost verse of “Baby Shark.” What their dismissal assumes – what their unshakeable faith in the market […]
09Apr

A Rush to Renewables Overlooks Practical Concerns

Via The Morning Consult:  An interesting thing is happening in America’s energy markets right now. At the same time that advocates of wind and solar power are pushing to transform the nation’s electricity portfolio, others are warning of danger signs on the horizon. Renewable energy advocates are urging a rapid deployment of wind and solar […]