June 15, 2009

Despite a depressed world economy, renewable energy investments drew the majority of investment dollars that went into the global power sector last year. That enabled the green space to account for 40 percent of all additions to generation. As to be expected, wind and solar power garnered the preponderance of capital.

The principal factors that will drive future investment in sustainable fuels and technologies will be the global focus on climate change and energy security in combination with a more promising financial picture. Indeed, scores of countries are preparing for the next round of climate talks that are to occur in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December and which will take over once the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.

June 12, 2009

Renewable portfolio standards at the state level are likely to be a precursor of things to come on the national stage. Congress, in fact, is now considering mandating utilities to generate a fixed portion of their electricity from green energy.

Renewable energy tied to wind and solar would have difficulty penetrating markets unless government interceded and provided tax breaks or instructed utilities to provide some green offerings. The goal is to create demand, which in turn attracts providers to the field and ultimately leads to the development of newer and better products and services. The objective is to produce a cleaner environment while creating viable jobs.

June 10, 2009

Nuclear power's challenges are unending. At the heart of the issue now is whether the energy form is a cost-efficient alternative or whether it remains a black hole.

In the United States, some notable members of Congress are saying that the country needs to build 100 new nuclear reactors over the next 20 years, all to achieve energy independence and to meet the nation's clean air goals. That would in essence double the current output from 20 percent of the electric generation to 40 percent -- at a cost of about $700 billion.

June 08, 2009

Talk of intelligent utilities and smart meters is hot these days -- things that the American people never pondered before. And while the descriptions may be arcane, the purpose of the technologies is rather simple: to get consumers to use less energy and to minimize power outages.

How's that? Utilities that have adequate capacity generally concentrate on the tools to increase grid reliability while those with tight supplies focus more on trying to cut consumption. As such, many regulated utilities try to optimize their networks whereas several unregulated ones center on the meters that link right into homes.

June 5, 2009 

According to Whole Foods and Safeway, solar companies need to up their knowledge of potential solar customers. Hara Software must have had that information when it pitched to Coca-Cola. Solar companies shouldn't lose hope – even First Solar started out as a small fry.