Obama Announces New Fuel Standards
On Friday, President Obama announced a new set of U.S. fuel standards. According to the announcement these new standards will save U.S. consumers an estimated $1.7 trillion dollars over the life of their vehicles by increasing teh fleet-wide average fuel economy to 54.5 miles-per-gallon. At the same time, these standards will eliminate 6 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution and save 12 billion... Read More
200 MW Solar Power Tower in Arizona
EnviroMission, and Australian company working in the US, will be constructing a 200 MW Solar Power Tower in Arizona. At a height of more than 800 meters, this tower will be twice the height of the Empire State Building. [Photo by afloresm - found using Creative Commons] Read More
Molecular-Level Energy Storage
This post was originally published on Scientific American’s blog, Plugged In on 7.25.11. When the sun dips below the horizon for the night, most solar panels become interesting roofing tiles, instead of valuable generation resources. During the day, a single cloud can quickly send residential solar power generators back to a fossil fuel-based grid for their electricity. This intermittency in... Read More
Re-use vs. Re-cycle (via The Daily Wogan & grist)
Is it enough that it involves less steps and uses less resources to create? Or, is the carbon footprint a better measure? Check out an interesting piece by TreeHugger on which is better – disposable, or reusable. Read More
EPA Chief, in Texas, Calls Pollution Rule “Not Onerous”
Originally published by Kate Galbraith, The Texas Tribune on 7/20/2011. Lisa Jackson, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, said a pollution rule adopted this month that has infuriated many Texas officials is “not onerous” and could be enacted “cheaply and efficiently.” Jackson visited Austin today, and after she emerged from an afternoon meeting with green energy... Read More
The Penalty for Early Withdrawals
Originally published on 7/18/11 on Scientific American’s blog “Plugged In.” This summer, U.S. gas prices have settled into the $3.50 to $4.00 range and we are feeling the pinch. The average American now spends 9% of their income on gas – with Mississippians topping the scale at over 14%. But, despite these high gas prices, there is significant opposition to releasing... Read More
Money Speaks – Alternative Energy Research vs. Weight Loss
From WellHome Energy Audits comes an interesting infographic that shows the relative amounts of money spent on alternative energy research versus non-essential products and services. Read More
Saving Water with Wind
The post below was originally posted on Wednesday 7/6/2011 on Scientific American’s blog Plugged In. This year, residents of Austin, Texas celebrated their 4th of July with plenty of beer and BarBQ – but there were no fireworks over Lady Bird Lake as a burn ban prohibited even sparklers from being sold in the area. Texas has just moved through its driest 8-month period on record.... Read More
Welcome to “Plugged In”
~ This past Wednesday I announced my new blog with Scientific American - Plugged In. While I will continue to post other pieces here on Global Energy Matters, I will also be mirroring my posts from my new blog (with a minimum 24-hour delay) for both archival and ease-of-access purposes. Below you will find out first group post from last Wednesday, which introduces each of four bloggers who will be... Read More
The Green Gym Generator(s)
Coming soon to Portland, Oregon – The Green Microgym – where energy spent is not energy lost. At this gym, when members jump on an elliptical machine or stationary bike, their sweat will make them into green gym generators that will supply electricity for the building. Between workouts and solar panels, the gym expects to generate about 36% of its own power needs. According to IEEE Spectrum,... Read More
