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Articles on energy technology

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Transportation is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases by sector. Converting the U.S. fleet to cleaner electric vehicles would likely take decades. AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Why meeting the Paris climate goals is an existential threat to fossil fuel industries

What if the world really got serious about meeting global climate goals? Doing the math on current emissions and the pace of energy transitions shows how quickly fossil fuels need to be phased out.
Coal power has long been a mainstay of the electricity system but has lost share as natural gas prices have gone down. John Fowler

Do coal and nuclear need a helping hand? 5 essential reads

The Department of Energy’s review of the electricity grid finds natural gas, rather than renewables, has hurt coal and nuclear power. But that’s only half the story of the changes underway.
Lessons from the Lone Star State: A surge in wind power on the Texas grid didn’t cause reliability problems (and brought down electricity prices) because regulators improved the efficiency of wholesale electricity markets. Sarah Fields Photography/Shutterstock.com

Are solar and wind really killing coal, nuclear and grid reliability?

Energy Secretary Rick Perry wants to know if wind and solar are compromising the reliability of the grid and hurting coal power. The answer lies in his home state of Texas.
Wind turbines require massive structures that are polluting to produce and can harm ecosystems, but these impacts compare favorably with those of fossil alternatives. www.shutterstock.com

Does ‘green energy’ have hidden health and environmental costs?

No energy source is perfect, but solar and wind have a much lower health and environmental footprint than fossil fuels, a study finds. Biopower, though, is a mixed bag.
Americans like big vehicles – a serious challenge to reducing emissions. chrisgold/flickr

Will cheap gas at the pump stall progress on car emissions?

American consumers just aren’t prioritizing fuel efficiency in a time of low gasoline prices. Is there a way to reverse the trend and make progress on climate change?
The U.S. oil industry is in the doldrums, but there’s not much the next (or current) president can do about it. www.shutterstock.com

How much can the next president influence the U.S. energy system?

The next president will have little power to slow the growth of renewable energy, sliding oil prices or coal’s decline.
‘Decarbonizing’ the energy system is above all an infrastructure problem. m-i-k-e/flickr

How fast can we transition to a low-carbon energy system?

Dealing with climate change will require countries to ‘decarbonize’ their energy infrastructure. The history of infrastructure suggests this could happen quickly once the transition starts.
The Supreme Court will decide a case that will have a big effect on distributed energy technology, including batteries. Tesla

Will the Supreme Court kill the smart grid?

The Supreme Court hears a case that will decide whether homes and businesses can earn money from distributed energy technologies, including demand response and home battery systems.

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