October 12, 2010 

Maryland's utility commission is bucking utilities and asking for proof that smart meters will pay off. Power companies in the state may have to absorb those costs unless they can engage customers and produce results.

Technology enthusiasts say that the decision is short-sighted and that government's role is to partner with industry to encourage promising new trends. But some consumer advocacy organizations that the commission got it right - that the ratepayers are not patsies for utilities that don't want to bear any risks.

October 11, 2010

The fast-track review of large renewable energy projects is starting to break the approval logjam. The California Energy Commission just approved the largest concentrated solar power project in the world, though a final sign-off by federal officials is pending.

The clock is ticking for federal stimulus money to jump-start renewable energy projects before key deadlines pass. But state and federal agencies have to sign off on these very same projects without short-circuiting their own processes or public involvement.

October 10, 2010

The path to prosperity begins with electrification. To that end, the United Nations has established a goal of bringing power generation to the under-developed regions so that they can improve their quality of life.

The foundation of any economy is the ability to access reliable energy so that goods and services can be produced and then transported. While many developing countries have made great strides in the effort to electrify their economies, billions of people go without power -- or by using solid fuels such as wood to stay warm in the winter. Such substandard lifestyles not only erode upward mobility but they are also damaging to human health.

September 21, 2010

Natural gas holds the keys until green energy glimmers. With the potential to now access deposits once thought unattainable, producers are getting increasingly pumped.

While coal will continue to maintain its market share for power generation, natural gas is expected to gain more and more ground. That's because it emits about half of the greenhouse gases that some say are responsible for global warming. To that end, the abundance of shale gas - a type of natural gas -- is central to the mission.

September 24, 2010

When a gas pipeline in Northern California exploded last month and killed 7 people, it triggered an outcry for reform.

Before the accident in San Bruno, Calif., there were others and ones that had similar catastrophic results. That prompted the Bush administration to clamp down on pipeline companies, which had previously taken the position that increased oversight was intrusive. While Congress last dealt with the issue in 2006, the thinking now is that those rules have to once again be strengthened, largely because the rate at which inspections occur is too slow.