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.Updated draft rules for hydraulic fracturing deserve the chance to work
Complaints by both sides over the Obama administration’s newly updated draft rules regulating the hydraulic fracturing of shale natural gas and oil on public and Indian lands signals the Interior Department has found enough common ground to raise the bar — albeit slightly — on drilling operations. Because the updated draft rules would only apply [...]
To export LNG or not? If so, how much is prudent?
President Obama is preparing to decide how much liquified natural gas (LNG) from the the U.S. boom in shale natural gas production it makes sense to export. Economically and geo-politically a LOT hangs in the balance. If Obama’s first term on energy was mostly about incentivizing renewable energy, his second term is all about whether [...]
Bloomberg to natural gas industry: stop resisting sensible regulations, join with renewables
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg used the 2013 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit near Washington, DC to prod the oil and gas industry to stop resisting efforts to forge “sensible” regulations. “We need sound regulation and we need it soon,” he said. While he’s been on the bandwagon for enabling responsible hydraulic fracturing for natural [...]
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 [...]
If half of U.S. consumers don’t know what a ‘smart meter’ is, how are they supposed to engage?
That is perhaps the most interesting question raised by the latest “Consumer Pulse” research by the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative. In its third survey by the Collaborative of at least 1,000 consumers throughout the U.S. since 2011 reflecting the U.S. demographics, 54% of Americans who are heads of households and at least 18 years old [...]
New sensible efforts are raising the bar for safer, more transparent hydraulic fracturing
The ‘voices’ in the moderate center that have been drowned out in the increasingly inflammatory debate over the hydraulic fracturing of shale natural gas are getting a growing cadre of credible allies. And with them may come a sensible way to prudently capitalize on the enormous deposits of shale gas throughout parts of the U.S. [...]
Fuel Cell Backers Are Tackling Infrastructure Challenges; Research Showing Potential for NGVs
Here’s another game-changer in the making brought to you by America’s burgeoning supplies of shale natural gas: alternative fuel vehicles and distributed power generation using fuel cells. Emboldened by low prices and booming supplies of natural gas in the U.S , the American fuel cell industry is clawing its way back from the brink. The [...]
How the U.S. Dept. of Energy is raising the bar in green buildings
How can the sustainability world best brand more energy-efficient buildings without focusing solely on cost savings? That is the quintessential challenge of the recently launched Better Buildings Challenge by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). After its first year, the initial 60 participating organizations appear to be off to a smooth start; but using 20 [...]