Energy and Climate Change

A new process that simultaneously combines the light and heat of solar radiation to generate electricity could offer more than double the efficiency of existing solar cell technology.

Based on the information the council has gathered and the public testimony it has heard, it has identified two possible pieces of biomass legislation that it wishes to propose during the 2011 session. They are:

"While we feel that large-scale development of bioenergy is a necessary component of our domestic energy future, we should also promote local and small-scale developments that meet the needs of rural Western communities. Along these lines, we recommend that the USDA broaden its focus to include outreach and deployment of alternative energy projects through existing programs."

The buzz surrounding electric transportation has never been louder, while the biofuel industry struggles to regain momentum after two brutal years.

The technology could open up all kinds of opportunities for attackers, researchers say.

In a “historic crossover,” the costs of solar photovoltaic systems have declined to the point where they are lower than the rising projected costs of new nuclear plants, according to a paper published this month.

The goal is nothing less than to create superalgae, highly efficient at converting sunlight and carbon dioxide into lipids and oils that can be sent to a refinery and made into diesel or jet fuel.

The rate structure paves the way for NorthWestern to pursue aggressive energy-conservation programs, without worrying how that might affect the company’s bottom line, supporters of the proposal say.

New high-tech electric meters are supposed to help save energy. As states let utilities roll out smart meters, however, consumers are complaining that their costs are going up rather than down.

Oil and methane bubbling uncontrollably from the sea floor, the collapse of the upper atmosphere, and an increase in global energy consumption and pollution do not bode well for the future. If we can’t change our intransigent, self-serving politicians, a largely head-in-the-sand awareness of the consequences, and the continuing wrong-headed approach to simply meeting the demand, we are literally toast.