Dems Webb & O’Malley Take the Soapbox

Joanna Schroeder

Democratic hopeful presidential candidates Jim Webb and Martin O’Malley both appeared on the Des Moines Register’s Presidential Soapbox yesterday afternoon speaking to hundreds of Iowans attending the Iowa State Fair. They have some fundamental issues in common, including both the need for better education and to bring the American dream, aka the economy, back to Americans. While Webb’s plans to …

Agribusiness, Audio, biofuels, Clean Energy, Ethanol, Iowa State Fair, Nuclear Energy, Renewable Electricty Standard (RES), RFS, Wind

Renewables “Rock” U.S. Energy Growth

Joanna Schroeder

The SUN Day Campaign’s Ken Bossong, has noted once again that renewable energy sources are dominating the new energy landscape according to the latest “Energy Infrastructure Update” report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Office of Energy Projects. The reports shows wind and solar accounted for all new generating capacity placed in-service in April. For the month, two “units” …

biomass, Electricity, Geothermal, Hydro, Natural Gas, Nuclear Energy, Oil, Renewable Energy, Solar, Wind

Renewables Outpacing Nuclear

Joanna Schroeder

According to a recent Vital Signs, renewable energy is outpacing nuclear electricity expansion even though renewables still have a long way to go to catch up with fossil fuel power plants. Michael Renner, senior researcher with Worldwatch Institute writes that nuclear energy’s share of global power production has declined steadily from a peak of 17.6 percent in 1996 to 10.8 …

Electricity, Nuclear Energy, Renewable Energy, Solar, Wind

Consumer Attitude About Renewable Energy Rebounds

Joanna Schroeder

According to a new consumer survey from Navigant Research, favorable attitudes toward a number of clean and renewable energy concepts, particularly solar energy, wind energy, hybrid vehicles and electric cars, have rebounded significantly from their 2012 levels. The survey finds the average favorability rating for 10 concepts, which fall under the categories of clean energy, clean transportation, smart grid, and …

biofuels, Clean Energy, Electric Vehicles, Natural Gas, Nuclear Energy, Research, Solar, Wind

OSU Spinoff NuScale Goes Nuclear

Joanna Schroeder

Oregon State University (OSU) spinoff NuScale Power has been awarded up to $226 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The company is developing a new form of nuclear power and is a spinoff company based on the pioneering research of OSU professor Jose Reyes. Today Reyes has become one of the international leaders in the creation …

Energy, Nuclear Energy, Research

World Energy Use to Rise by 56 Percent

Joanna Schroeder

According to the International Energy Outlook 2013 (IEO2013) report released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), over the next three decades, world energy consumption is projected to increase by 56 percent. This will be driven by growth in the developing world. Clean-fuel technology is also playing an important role in the outlook, with renewable energy and nuclear power expected …

Alternative energy, Energy, International, Nuclear Energy

Energy Exec Survey: Energy Independence by 2030

Joanna Schroeder

According to the 11th annual Energy Industry Outlook Survey conducted by the KPMG Global Energy Institute, 62 percent of energy executives believe the U.S. can attain energy independence by 2030, eliminating dependency on foreign oil. The survey polled more than 100 senior energy executives in the U.S. and found that this is a 10 percent increase from last year’s survey. …

Alternative energy, biofuels, Natural Gas, Nuclear Energy, Oil, Solar, Wind

Solar PV Grid Parity Could be Reached in 2013

Joanna Schroeder

Solar power is expected to reach grid parity when solar panels can be produced for under $0.70/watt with a total system cost under $2.00. As solar PV costs have been trending downward, grid parity could be reached as early as 2013 if the trend continues. This is according to a new free white paper, “Investing in the Power of the …

Electricity, Energy, Natural Gas, Nuclear Energy, Solar

Schools in Japan Complete Solar Projects

Joanna Schroeder

Sometimes good things really do come out of something bad.  The Great East Japan Earthquake devastated schools, businesses, homes and lives. But this week, the Japan Reconstruction Fund held a ceremony at Shinchi Elementary School to commemorate the completion of several solar facilities in four public elementary and junior high schools in the town of Shinchi in Soma-gun, Fukushima Prefecture. The solar …

Education, Energy, Environment, Nuclear Energy, Solar, Wind

Book Review – Last Summer at the Compound

Joanna Schroeder

This weekend I read the fiction book “Last Summer at the Compound,” by JH Bartlett.  The story takes place outside of Boston, near the aging Pilgrim nuclear power plant with the same design as Fukushima (the plant that was hit by the tsunami). Taking place a year after the Fukushima disaster, there are fears surmounting in the community and in one …

book reviews, Nuclear Energy