Blog

21Oct

An Energy and Emissions Reality Check from Candidate Biden

In a townhall last week, Joe Biden sought to distance himself and his energy plan from the Green New Deal. “The difference between me and the new green deal is they say, automatically, by 2030 we’re going to be carbon free. Not possible,” Biden said. He continued, making a case for investment into carbon capture, […]
14Oct

Policy Crippled California’s Grid. Is Yours Next?

The rolling blackouts that stunned California this August were caused by extreme heat and poor planning according to a new report from the three organizations in charge of the state’s supply of power. The “root-cause” report, which outlines a range of failures, should be setting off alarms with regulators, lawmakers and consumers across the country. […]
08Oct

Missing the Mark, Again

This column has often highlighted The New York Times’ aggressive attempts to deify the prior administration, overlook facts and vilify coal. And The Times’ latest piece on the industry, the challenges it’s facing and the administration’s response, is no exception. The Times was hardly the first outlet this election cycle to cover the subject, but […]
01Oct

Preparing for an Electrified Future

The electrification of America is not only happening, it’s picking up speed. Just last week, Tesla announced its ambition to slash the cost of lithium-ion batteries and produce a $25,000 mass-market electric vehicle (EV). Two days later Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California will mandate a shift to EVs and the phase out of internal […]
24Sep

Balance is Good! Dispatchable Fuel Diversity to the Rescue this Winter

Just imagine the outcry if there was an energy price spike during this unprecedented economic crisis. What if the price at the pump jumped to $5 per gallon or electricity prices suddenly jumped by 50%? With the nation already reeling and tens-of-millions of families barely staying afloat, spiking energy prices would likely be the straw […]
17Sep

The Urgency Continues to Build for U.S. Leadership on CCUS

The clean energy technologies we will need tomorrow hinge on innovation today. That is the bottom line of a new International Energy Agency (IEA) study that analyzes what is needed to achieve global emissions reduction goals. What’s abundantly clear from IEA’s analysis is that the favorite technologies of American climate hawks – namely wind and […]
09Sep

Mandating Higher Electricity Rates

It’s no secret that consumers across the country – particularly in the midst of an economic crisis – can’t afford to pay more for electricity. But higher electricity costs are coming as states, utilities and potentially the federal government push increasingly ambitious plans to rapidly move away from baseload power. Duke Energy’s recently announced Integrated […]
02Sep

The World Still Desperately Needs Coal

Energy poverty and energy access remain the foremost energy challenges for much of the world. Great progress has been made over the past decade: the United Nations reports that the number of people without access to electricity has declined from 1.2 billion in 2010 to 789 million in 2018. But a new report finds that […]
26Aug

The More Expensive, Less Reliable Solution

In the wake of California’s rolling blackouts, there has been a deluge of explanations, excuses and suggested remedies for what went wrong and what needs to happen to ensure there isn’t a repeat. There are calls for demand response, a nationally integrated super grid, an over-build of renewables and energy storage on an unprecedented scale. […]
19Aug

When Warnings Become Blackouts

This was not part of the plan. In fact, some might wonder if there was a plan. In the midst of a heatwave, California can’t keep the power on. To ensure the grid for the entire Western U.S. doesn’t collapse, California’s grid operator has been forced to cutoff power for millions of people for hours […]