Average daily power prices in the Northeast and Midwest from the beginning of November 2011 through the first week of February have been unusually low. The driving factor is warm weather. Warm […]
Overinvesting in energy efficiency, on purpose
Let’s briefly review what we’ve covered so far in my rebound series: Climate change means we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a lot, beginning immediately. There are two ways to reduce […]
Coal Powered Electric Cars – Fact and Fiction
“The electric car doesn’t do any good because it’s just powered by coal” gets repeated by the oil industry, by news pundits who ignore fact checking, and even by some environmentalists. In […]
Munich Re Sees $658 Million in Renewable Energy Insurance Sales
Feb. 15 (Bloomberg) — Munich Re, the world’s largest reinsurer, may generate 500 million euros ($658 million) in annual revenue within five years from insuring renewable energy projects, including protecting against the […]
China Shale Delay to Boost LNG Imports in Boon for Exxon: Energy
Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) — China’s ambitions to unlock the natural gas trapped in shale rocks are likely to take longer than planned, boosting the nation’s reliance on overseas suppliers from Exxon Mobil […]
Hawaii Asks Some Big Questions About Solar Penetration

In an annual report to the Public Utilities Commission, Hawaii’s utility Hawaii Electric Company (HECO) noted there were increased costs to ratepayers as the result of a net metering policy put in […]
How Distributed Solar Can Reduce Electricity Prices
What if installing more solar could reduce electricity prices? It’s already happening in Germany, world leader in solar power, and it’s likely to happen in the U.S., too. Right now the idea […]
Cap and Trade Curbed Acid Rain: 7 Reasons Why It Can Do The Same For Climate Change
A candidate for president emphasizes the environment on the campaign trail. He promises to update the Clean Air Act to address a grave and growing pollution threat. He wins. Three weeks after […]
Lights Out for Some Coal Plants
First there were six. Now there’s three more. What’s going on in the coal-fired utility business? FirstEnergy of Ohio plans to close by September those 9 units, which supply as much as […]
Advice To President Obama: Yes We Can, But Will We?

The post below shares Nate Hagen’s timeless address to President Obama about the importance of energy in our society, written in January 2009. It goes into how energy ties into our economic […]