Energy and Climate Change

Something very unusual has been happening to the U.S. electricity sector over the past three years.

Utah is getting in on the action with several projects slated to come online next year, and the Tooele Army Depot is soon poised to tap into the sun with a 1.5 megawatt project.

Utilities must spread their high fixed costs for things like repairing the grid over fewer kilowatt-hours, making solar power even more competitive and pushing more people to adopt it in a vicious circle.

Baucus, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, put out a plan to dump all 42 existing tax incentives for specific energy sources.

Through November, 2013 is the 4th-warmest year on record.

Powerslayer is a $75 phone/tablet charger designed by Motorola veterans whose goal is to end wasteful power consumption by "vampire devices."

The service will use a combination of solar panels, big batteries and advanced software to cut utility bills for clients. Those clients will pay for the service on a monthly basis, rather than buying the gear.

The units can be installed on high-voltage power lines, and will be able to capture excess energy produced by wind and solar sources so it can be sold back into the network when the demand for power exceeds the supply.

It’s going to get harder and harder to operate ski areas on the coasts and at lower elevations…

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a way to deliver power to moving vehicles using simple electronic components, rather than the expensive power electronics or complex sensors previously employed.