You step up to the register, the cashier asks if you've found everything ok and then the inevitable question is asked: "Will it be paper or plastic?" What decision did you make? Was it an informed choice? Was it the best ecological choice? Well, to answer that, we need to start at the beginning and review each option and its impact on the environment.

August 13, 2007

With the public's demand for green energy growing and favorable tax policies in place at least through the end of next year, wind energy's upward draft shows no sign of abating. In fact, in its first-quarter 2007 market report, the American Wind Energy Association projected another 3,000 megawatts of capacity being built this year and thousands of megawatts remain on the drawing board in the ensuing years.

August 10, 2007

The whole idea stinks. But generating heat and power from livestock manure is appealing. The compost is placed into an oxygen-free machine that separates the methane gas and then uses it to create electricity to power farms or transport over the grid.

The technology is an important component in the fight against climate change. Normally, farms store the waste in a lagoon and then later use it as a fertilizer. But, that natural decomposition creates methane, which is actually 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide when it comes to affecting the Earth's temperature. The ability to capture that gas and then reuse it in an environmentally friendly manner not only lessens greenhouse gas output; it also reduces the need for other types of fuel sources.

July 11, 2007  By Salvatore Salamone, Guest Editor

New demand for distributed power generation and clean energy are causing a renaissance in fuel cells. Government agencies and other groups are funding a variety of efforts to make fuel cells more efficient and to bring the cost per kilowatt to produce electricity down to levels that are on a par with other generation technologies.

And while not directly related to the electric utility industry, there are many government and automotive industry efforts under way to improve fuel cells for use in hybrid and clean-fuel cars. Any developments or breakthroughs from these projects potentially could be applied to fuel cells used by power companies.

July 30, 2007

New York's Marriot Marquis has seen the light. It has upgraded the lighting infrastructure inside its nearly 2,000 room, 50 story hotel to cut energy consumption by 790,000 kilowatt-hours per year.

Commercial and industrial sites are often some of the most voracious users of energy. Because a lot of industrial facilities are old, for example, they may be using antiquated equipment that is not energy efficient. Many companies are realizing that they can save big bucks if they implement some sensible conservation features and apply new operating procedures. Business can't control the price of energy. But they can manage how much power they use. Going green is, indeed, paying off.

July 23, 2007

The Japanese nuclear industry is under fire. The sector there has been attacked for years for documented lax safety procedures. But it was a 6.8 magnitude earthquake that set off radiation leaks and flames that is prompting the latest surge of scrutiny.

A central question is whether the recent malfunctions and cover-ups in Japan will have an affect on the nuclear renaissance that is underway in the United States. It's unlikely. Certainly, the accident gives opponents the ammunition they need to continue to wage battle against the industry. But it also gives proponents some fodder. Notably, despite being hit with a huge quake, little damage was suffered and certainly not enough to cause danger to the environment or to human life.

August 6, 2007

While parts of the Middle East are racked with turmoil, other areas are peaceful and inviting. Private interests are becoming major suppliers and building new power-related facilities. Though incremental, the openness is essential if countries there are to meet their expected future need for electricity.

Open borders may seem ironic given the war now taking place in Iraq and the current hostilities with Iran. But the majority of Middle Easterners and North Africans know that outside investment is critical and that their nations must work to build more attractive economic models. As a result, those countries have largely dispensed of the notion that foreign investors are imperialistic.