RMI Outlet Electricity stakeholders have long debated what makes for good rate design. There is a persistent drumbeat from many corners for wider adoption of time-based rates, and more recently, proposals are […]
EPA raises ethanol, biofuels mandates again
(Scott Olson/Getty Images) The Environmental Protection Agency wants refineries to put more ethanol and other biofuels into the gasoline supply next year . The annual announcement on next year’s standard again drew protest […]
As Feed-In Tariffs Wane, Auctions Are Enabling the Next Wave of Solar Cost Improvements
Last week, Dubai’s Electricity & Water Authority received a bid for 800 megawatts of solar at the rock-bottom price of 2.99 cents per kilowatt-hour. It is yet more evidence that auctions are […]
Stall speed – V2 still crashing
Confirmation that the rate of economic activity is deeply anemic. Willingness to lend and borrow are at a once in a lifetime low. If this continues, inflation stays low or goes lower, […]
Texas Moving Into Real-World Proposal Stage for Distributed Energy-Grid Integration
Last week, Texas grid operator ERCOT officially disbanded its Distributed Resource Energy & Ancillaries Market (DREAM) Task Force. That’s the group that’s been leading the discussion about how solar PV, batteries, demand response […]
A Cellulosic Ethanol Milestone
Have we entered the long-promised age of commercial cellulosic ethanol production? Not quite, but progress is being made. via Forbes – Energy http://ift.tt/1WowHEO
Small Turbines Can Outperform Conventional Wind Farms, Stanford Prof Says, With No Bird Kill
Arrays of small vertical-axis wind turbines, optimized to take advantage of each other’s turbulence, can outperform conventional wind farms, according to a Stanford University researcher—and they don’t kill birds. via Forbes – […]
EIA produces new maps of the Utica Shale play
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has produced new maps that show the structure, thickness, and geologic setting of the Utica Shale play and the location of production wells. Production of oil and […]
50% Of Proved Oil Reserves May Have Just Vanished
An extensive new scientific analysis published in Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy & Environment says that proved conventional oil reserves as detailed in industry sources are likely “overstated” by half.According to standard sources […]
Wind Generation Growth Slowed in 2015 as Wind Speeds Declined in Key Regions
U.S. wind generation grew by 5.1% in 2015, the smallest annual increase since at least 1999, as weather patterns in the Western half of the United States lowered wind speeds and dampened […]
Prometheus Institute 