July 12, 2010

Long before carbon cap-and-trade or renewable energy mandates became part of the utility lexicon, California was out in front developing green energy. California is still way out in front in one important way, but there are plenty of followers, with utilities everywhere building and buying renewable energy assets from coast-to-coast.

With mandates for renewable energy in 29 states (called a renewable portfolio standard, or RPS), California is the leader with a target of 20 percent by the end of this year and 33 percent by 2020. The state is at a pace that's way ahead of everybody else's, but the significance is diminished when so many others are doing the same thing, though at lower levels. There's an expectation in the industry, even today after climate legislation became bogged down in Congress over the past year that some form of carbon regulation is inevitable. And with big-ticket nuclear still a few years away and new coal construction at a virtual standstill, utilities are in the renewables game, whether they like it or not.

July 07, 2010

The BP oil spill could give biofuels the bump they need to fuel America's automobiles and hit the road running. Ethanol advocates are saying that they are ready to step up production, although others are cautioning against the move.

Federal policies already favor ethanol production as a way to lessen the dependence on foreign oil and as an innovative to way to clean the air. Critics say that such as strategy is not working, however, pointing out that because most of today's ethanol is made from corn, it is causing food shortages. They are also saying that it is not as clean as it purports to be. Greening the transportation sector, they argue, centers for now on electric cars.

June 28, 2010

Green investments are good for the wallet. That's the conclusion of some financial advisors, who are saying that the technologies that underscore such endeavors will become increasingly accepted and part of everyday life.

Allocating capital to those businesses with an eye to cleaning the environment or releasing fewer emissions had once been considered "feel-good" operations. Now, though, it has become an integral strategy among many money managers. The goal is not just to make a difference but to also earn respectable returns.

June 23, 2010

Notions of green energy are breezing their way throughout the country. But incorporating those ideas into practice is still encountering plenty of obstacles. If the nation is to reach a goal of supplying 20 percent of its power from wind by 2024, then it must begin constructing the necessary infrastructure.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is saying that such a lofty goal is technically feasible but that it cannot happen unless there is an expansion of the transmission system. Otherwise, wind's growth would be stunted and the nation's dependence on fossil fuels would increase.

June 16, 2010

Electric vehicles are on course to make their debut this fall. But they got an unexpected boost in the wake of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has just sponsored legislation to advance the cause.

This country's voracious appetite for oil is adding to pollution rates as well as aiding countries unfriendly to its interest. By encouraging the use of electric cars, policymakers are attempting to address the issues of oil addiction and air emissions, although it is unclear just how successful they will be at either one.