Jim Pierobon is Founder and principal writer of The Energy Fix. He is a policy, marketing and social media strategist who has reported on, testified and consulted about smarter grids, cyber-security as it affects the power grid, fossil fuel shortages, price spikes, energy efficiency and the rise and fall -- and the rise again of nuclear and renewable energy sources.Bids to Repeal Renewable Energy Standards Getting Traction in AZ, NC, OH & TX, Not in KS
A bid by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the Heartland Institute to roll back or repeal state Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requirements is getting traction, including in Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. But not in Kansas. The Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) Marita Mirzatuny calls their tactics “sneaky.” Heartland’s energy senior fellow, James [...]
Boone Pickens: focus energy innovation more on cheap, plentiful natural gas made in the U.S.
You may have heard it before from Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens about the potential for natural gas produced in the U.S. But featuring him at this year’s ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit Tuesday near Washington, DC put a new spin on the benefits of America becoming more energy self-sufficient on the backs of the lower-emitting [...]
‘Energy Security Trust’ concept provides glimmer of bipartisan cooperation-but check the details
To hear Republican Lisa Murkowski, the ranking Republican on the U.S. Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee, agree with President Barack Obama on a major plank of blueprint initially outlined by a forward-thinking coalition of business and military leaders — the Energy Security Leadership Council — could lead one to think maybe a rock peeled [...]
Energy and climate portion of President Obama’s 2013 State of the Union address
To save you time searching for the energy and climate portion of Obama’s February 12, 2013 State of the Union address, which occurred not quite half way through the speech, here it is, courtesy of ABC News: “After years of talking about it, we are finally poised to control our own energy future. We produce [...]
QUICK QUESTION: In post-Bode era, what’s next for AWEA?
No sooner did we here at The Energy Fix tip our hats last week to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and its President Denise Bode for offering a plausible extension of the wind Production Tax Credit (PTC), the very next day she resigned. AWEA faces a difficult future as do many renewable energy trade [...]
Phase-out of wind production tax credit could help secure its extension
Amid the lame-duck rush to conclude the 112th Congress, the proposed extension of the 10-year wind energy production tax credit, or PTC, is one of the two big energy issues President Obama has to juggle as he prepares for his second term and tries to keep the U.S. economy from falling off the ‘fiscal cliff’. [...]
FAST FIX: How the Smart Grid can save households almost $600 per year
If you need to quickly grasp the potential and benefits of the emerging smart grid in the U.S., this infographic is the best effort yet. It comes courtesy of the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative and its 90+ member utilities, technology companies, non-profits, regulators and consumers advocates. Increasing the power grid’s efficiency by 9% equates to [...]
With Obama’s win, cleaner energy has another chance, but these questions loom
Just because President Obama won four more years, doesn’t mean the next four will be any easier. Sure, it’s now his legacy he is beginning to focus on. But there are tall hurdles even the election results will do to change. Renewable energy developers and suppliers have a few rays of sunshine and a more [...]
Culture, talent, focus and customer service propelled Maryland’s Astrum Solar to #2 on Inc. list
Inc. magazine is out with the 2012 version of its fastest growing private U.S. companies. Astrum Solar of Annapolis Junction, Maryland landed the #2 spot by creating a culture, recruiting the talent, establishing a customer focus and securing utility capital to sell and lease solar electric systems to homeowners as good, or better, than any [...]
Shale gas helping reduce carbon & overall emissions – but by how much?
The results are adding up. It’s hard to ignore how the surging deployment of natural gas for industrial uses and power generation is reducing the growth in U.S. carbon and other harmful emissions and possibly lowering overall emissions. Two recent studies draw from different data sets so one should be careful not to jump to [...]