April 10, 2009

The dark clouds will subside and give way to blue skies. But the city of San Jose, Calif., isn't waiting. It's taking concrete steps now to prepare for a sustainable future -- a proposition that it says includes creating 25,000 new clean technology jobs and receiving all of its electrical power from renewable energy sources, all within 15 years.

While the city has attributes that most American jurisdictions do not, some of the techniques that it is employing can be applied elsewhere -- and soon will be, as a result of the federal stimulus program. San Jose, though, could be a model as the Silicon Valley, where it is located, is hosting dozens of solar-tech companies, a large solar testing site and is right between well-known national universities. And with a plethora of entrepreneurs and highly educated workers, the city can take on such lofty goals.

April 08, 2009

It's a crime. And it can lead to jail time and civil fines. But it can also cause death and destruction. It's about stealing electricity -- an offense that recently triggered a blaze in a Philadelphia row home that killed a young mother and her small child, all by circumventing the meter and plugging right into the abuser's circuit box.

Hard times and high prices tempt people. But power theft is unsafe and illegal. It can impact corporate financials and the resources that utilities would allocate to the delivery and generation of electricity, affecting entire communities. And if that message doesn't sink in, then effective prosecution will.

April 06, 2009

Solar panels on rooftops are one version. But commercial-scale solar facilities are another. To this point, most of the attention has been on progressive homeowners who make their homes solar friendly. Some key companies, though, are working hard to provide electricity to large blocks of people.

Growth in the sector won't be quick. But concerns over air quality along with government mandates are giving manufacturers the certainties they need to make expensive investments, and to ultimately prosper. That's behind the recent wave of innovation and the proposed build-out of new solar systems throughout the sunny southwest.

April 03, 2009

The Obama administration may clip the wings of mountaintop mining. Long a highly contentious issue, the White House is parting ways with that of its predecessor by ordering its Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review all of those pending permits -- a matter that clearly pits economic and environmental interests against one another.

At issue are roughly 200 applications that seek to get at underlying low-sulfur coal beds that rest inside the Appalachian Mountains. Mining operators must now shear off the tops of those mountains and put the resulting refuse aside, typically in the streams and valleys below. It's a mining form that divides the coal-rich region and now one that could be outlawed under federal legislation.

Below are a few letters received at EnergyBiz Insider on topics that appeared in the past few weeks. They capture the essence of how many readers say they feel.

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