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Featured Columnist—Mike Cote
Mike Cote is the editor of Planet-Profit Report. E-mail him at mcote@planetprofitreport.com.
Most recent articles
When electric cars meet the suburban home
Canadian consultant says home builders and car makers need to collaborate
Ontario weans itself from coal and embraces nuclear
The province is subsidizing renewable sources, boosting parts of the energy industry but increasing costs for ratepayers
The coming electric car explosion
It all depends on gas prices
Popular Stories from Planet Profit
01.23.2012
Fight over Colorado River should heat up in 2012
Even on the heels of a record year, water planners in the West have no doubt been fretting about below-average snowpack throughout much of the Colorado River basin so far this winter. The West is always one drought year away from a crisis, and though recent precipitation has planners breathing easier, it’s likely that water supply
READ MORE01.16.2012
The year renewable investment aced out fossil fuels
Years from now, those interested in sustainable development will likely see 2011 as a tipping point. It was the year global investment in renewable energy technologies surpassed that of fossil fuels.
In late November, Bloomberg New Energy Finance team crunched the numbers and found that electricity from the wind, sun, waves
READ MORE01.16.2012
Warren Buffett’s big new solar farm
By Ucilia Wang, www.Gigaom.com
Warren Buffet’s power company, MidAmerican Energy Holdings, is jumping into solar power and plans to buy up a massive solar farm from First Solar. The planned 550 MW solar panel farm called Topaz is in San Luis Obispo County in central California.
The move is the latest step on the long road to
READ MORE01.16.2012
Energy Secretary Stephen Chu calls for an active federal hand in innovation
After responding to critics in Congress about the $534 million loan to bankrupt Solyndra, Energy Secretary Stephen Chu flew to Colorado in November to make the case for a active federal hand in energy innovation. His prime witness: PrimeStar Solar, a homegrown manufacturer of solar-film technology developed in a federal laboratory
READ MORE01.16.2012
Coal tax could cost Wyoming millions
By Jeremy Fugleberg, Casper Star-Tribune
As Wyoming coal producers spend more money to chase Powder River Basin coal seams that slant into the earth, their state severance tax rate climbs.
State legislators are taking a look at breaking that connection, a move lauded by the mining companies but one that will likely cost the
READ MORE01.23.2012
Barriers persist to low-carbon future
By Mark Golden, Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford
Save money, save the world. The promise and problems of getting people to stop wasting energy was the topic of a Stanford conference that gathered business people, government representatives and scholars from the United States and Australia. By Mark Golden
Former
READ MORE01.23.2012
How electricity pricing boosts solar
By John Farrell, energyselfreliantstates.org
What if electricity cost more when the sun was shining?
Many utilities are using new electronic "smart meters" to adjust the price of electricity as often as every 15 minutes, to reflect supply and demand. And charging more when electricity is in short supply can be good news,
READ MORE01.23.2012
Stanford-Singapore study looks at energy-saving off-peak commutes
By Dylan Loh, channelnewsasia.com
The National University of Singapore (NUS) and Stanford University will carry out a joint study which aims to encourage off-peak travel on the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit system.
The aim is to reduce peak period travel by 10 per cent. The researchers believe between 6.30 and 7.30am, or 8.30
January 29, 2012
Fight over Colorado River should heat up in 2012
Water will once again be in the headlines this summer as snowpack, Bureau research closely watched
By Bart TaylorEven on the heels of a record year, water planners in the West have no doubt been fretting about below-average snowpack throughout much of the Colorado River basin so far this winter. The West is always one drought year away from a crisis, and though recent precipitation has planners breathing easier, it’s likely that water supply will once again be a front-page story as the year goes on.
Aside from spring weather, the water
READ MOREHow electricity pricing boosts solar
An examination of San Francisco
By John Farrell, energyselfreliantstates.org
What if electricity cost more when the sun was shining?
Many utilities are using new electronic "smart meters" to adjust the price of electricity as often as every 15 minutes, to reflect supply and demand. And charging more when electricity is in short supply can be good news, making investments in distributed solar power pay off faster.
Time-of-use (TOU) pricing is a different
READ MOREBarriers persist to low-carbon future
But energy efficiency paves the way
By Mark Golden, Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford
Save money, save the world. The promise and problems of getting people to stop wasting energy was the topic of a Stanford conference that gathered business people, government representatives and scholars from the United States and Australia. By Mark Golden
Former Secretary of Defense William Perry, now a Stanford University professor emeritus of management science and
READ MOREStanford-Singapore study looks at energy-saving off-peak commutes
Cash will be used as a carrot
By Dylan Loh, channelnewsasia.com
The National University of Singapore (NUS) and Stanford University will carry out a joint study which aims to encourage off-peak travel on the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit system.
The aim is to reduce peak period travel by 10 per cent. The researchers believe between 6.30 and 7.30am, or 8.30 and 9.30am, would be ideal. Some $260,000 is also being pumped into a study that hopes to encourage
Coal tax could cost Wyoming millions
Legislature looks at giving miners a break
By Jeremy Fugleberg, Casper Star-Tribune
As Wyoming coal producers spend more money to chase Powder River Basin coal seams that slant into the earth, their state severance tax rate climbs.
State legislators are taking a look at breaking that connection, a move lauded by the mining companies but one that will likely cost the state millions of dollars in lost revenue over the coming years.
As the companies follow the coal
READ MOREWarren Buffett’s big new solar farm
Catching rays in California
By Ucilia Wang, www.Gigaom.com
Warren Buffet’s power company, MidAmerican Energy Holdings, is jumping into solar power and plans to buy up a massive solar farm from First Solar. The planned 550 MW solar panel farm called Topaz is in San Luis Obispo County in central California.
The move is the latest step on the long road to the solar farm actually getting built; it was originally owned by OptiSolar back in 2009. First Solar
READ MOREEnergy Secretary Stephen Chu calls for an active federal hand in innovation
He comes to Colorado to make his case
By Allen BestAfter responding to critics in Congress about the $534 million loan to bankrupt Solyndra, Energy Secretary Stephen Chu flew to Colorado in November to make the case for a active federal hand in energy innovation. His prime witness: PrimeStar Solar, a homegrown manufacturer of solar-film technology developed in a federal laboratory and then nudged into the marketplace with a small federal loan.
“The public and private sectors
READ MOREReaders Respond
- From the bottom up: The future of renewables
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great article
By Phil on 2011 11 30
- Western community college launches smart grid tech courses
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Kids these days just get smarter and smarter
By Phil on 2011 11 30
- Oil & gas versus renewables: A tale of two conferences
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Not a surprise to learn about this stark contrast. Should anyone wish to understand the very fundamental reasons why there is this difference in “energy levels” between the oil and gas industry and the RE industry, read “Power Hungry” by Robert Bryce for a very donw-to-earth assessment of what the future of global energy is for the next few decades.
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Hungry-Myths-Energy-Future/dp/1586487892
By Graham Russell on 2011 05 12
- What clean energy needs to succeed
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Did anyone mention alternatives to electricity for transmission, firming storage, and integration of diverse, stranded, renewable energy resources? Carbon-free gaseous hydrogen and liquid anhydrous ammonia fuels, via underground pipelines, distributed for transportation and combined-heat-and-power (CHP), mush as we now do with natural gas, are attractive alternatives.
By Bill Leighty on 2011 04 26
- Nuclear power: What we know now
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I am a complete layman when it comes to this conversation but I think I represent an average energy consumer nervous about nuclear. I love the lack of emissions but still do not trust the safety, despite the vast strides made. The repeated story is, “It’s safe. we don’t make those mistakes anymore”, which sounds just like what was said before the last big mistake. In this story, Mr. Graham refers to regulation and oversight as the reason it is impossible/not likely to have negative consequences. Regulation however depends on the administration in Washington and regulations get weakened for political reasons, and hence are not trustworthy when it comes to safety. Now, I can be convinced that nuclear can be safe, and while that day may or may not come, the arguments that we know so much more now, and that government regulation keeps us safe, do not hold much water with me. Thanks for the stories though—helpful in my learning process and informative.
By Steve on 2011 04 13
- Nuclear power: What we know now
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I think it is profoundly obsurd to think that ” industry and government regulations” is the justification for safety. When has the Government regulated anything to perfection. Mr. Graham has too much faith in Bureaucrats. More like a game of Rue let. What happens if they don’t comply or simply make a mistake?
By Robert on 2011 04 12
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