October 19, 2010

It's not exactly "Drill Baby Drill." But it's now okay to start looking again for oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico. The Obama administration has removed the ban on deepwater drilling, saying that BP-like disasters are far less likely.

With the November mid-term elections right around the corner, some want to turn this into a political move - a decision to try and win-over voters concerned about jobs. But what is forgotten in this whole mess - literally - is that the Obama administration has said from get-go that it would configure a comprehensive off-shore energy policy involving oil and gas exploration as well as more wind farms.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES, WITH THEIR POTENTIAL for gasoline savings and emissions reductions, are generating significant consumer and political interest, particularly in the wake of the recent Gulf of Mexico oil leak. However, given the sizable amount of electricity they require for charging, EVs are also generating concern among utilities tasked with supplying that electricity on the nation's aging grid.

The next two years are expected to bring a significant shift in the electrification of transportation as nearly 20 automakers introduce battery-powered EVs or plug-in hybrid EVs. With consumer pre-orders for the vehicles already in the tens of thousands and researchers expecting millions of EVs to be on the road by 2020, utilities must act now to develop a strategy for integrating EVs.

Wed 10/13/10 6:34PM

Planning work for a wind turbine at Pioneer Bluff Apartments in Ishpeming began in 2005.
City residents have been waiting since then, through lawsuits and financial problems, and then a new company taking over the project.

But now that new company has the funding it needs to wrap things up and get the turbine prototype into production.

The U.S. Department of Energy has just given Clean Green Energy, LLC a grant of more than $750,000 to finish the turbine.

October 14, 2010

ISHPEMING - The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded more than $760,000 to Clean Green Energy LLC, one of the companies involved in the construction of the wind turbine at the Pioneer Bluffs Apartments, to commercialize and mass produce similar turbines.

Bryan Zaplitny, president and CEO of both Clean Green Energy and MTI Energy Management, said the Ishpeming turbine is continuing through its testing phase, with the possibility of being operational by the end of the year.

October 14, 2010

Nearly a year after the Copenhagen summit to reduce the global carbon footprint, advocates for change feel they have the momentum. Round two of the conference is to begin in Cancun, Mexico in November.

To prepare for the climate change meeting, the United Nations has gathered about 300 companies that are urging their respective governments to enact limits on greenhouse gas emissions as a way to encourage innovation and reduce environmental harm. The businesses that include multinational corporations are seeking aggressive actions - 50 percent reductions in carbon emissions by 2020.