Green Energy

Green Energy initiatives in Dem Infrastructure Bill infinitely Cheaper than a gradualist phase-out of Fossil Fuels

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The green energy proposals in the $3.5 trillion Democratic Party infrastructure bill now being heatedly debated have been attacked from the Right and even the center as “costly.” That is wrong, wrong, wrong. The faster we put in solar panels and wind turbines, the more money we will save, to […]

Climate Crisis

Why We Need Electric Cars: Climate-driven Hurricane Ida Knocked out Gulf Oil Production, 1/5 of US Refinery Capacity

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Louisiana’s petroleum refineries are out of action in the wake of Hurricane Ida. Refineries run on electricity, and electricity has been knocked out in New Orleans and environs, perhaps for another couple of weeks. Here’s the kicker: Louisiana refineries account for nearly 1/5 of America’s refining capacity. Raw crude oil […]

Climate Change

Will the move to Solar-Wind-Battery Accelerate as Natural Gas Spikes 1000% in Europe with long term price rises expected?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Anna Shiryaevskaya, Stephen Stapczynski and Ann Koh at Bloomberg.org report that natural gas prices have risen 1,000 percent in Europe since the pandemic crash of May, 2020. Other parts of the world with more natural gas of their own also saw price increases over the past year, though not on […]

Featured

Under Pressure from Biden, Japan pledges to double target for Renewables in energy mix by 2030, to 38%, and to Slash Emissions

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The importance of having a U.S. leader like Joe Biden, who has come to believe in the necessity of drastically cutting the emission of greenhouse gases, was demonstrated Wednesday when Japan announced that it was doubling its proposed cuts to carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. This according to Reuters. Japan […]

Climate Crisis

California is planning floating wind farms offshore to boost its power supply – here’s how they work

The Conversation

By Matthew Lackner | – ( The Conversation ) – Northern California has some of the strongest offshore winds in the U.S., with immense potential to produce clean energy. But it has a problem. Its continental shelf drops off quickly, making building traditional wind turbines directly on the seafloor costly if not impossible. Once water […]

China

Shanghai leads way in China’s carbon transition, but Does not have Much Time to Act

China Dialogue

By Shi Yi | – ( China Dialogue ) – Many Chinese cities and provinces are working on plans to hit peak carbon before 2030. Shanghai, China’s most developed city, is set to lead the way. Somewhere on the eastern side of Shanghai’s Chongming Island, 300,000 solar panels lie over rows and rows of aquaculture […]

Australia

Tasmania Reached 100% Net Carbon Zero; now it is going for 200%

The Conversation

By Rupert Posner and Simon Graham | – Getting to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and 100% renewable energy might seem the end game for climate action. But what if, like Tasmania, you’ve already ticked both those goals off your list? Net-zero means emissions are still being generated, but they’re offset by the same amount elsewhere. […]

Green Energy

The Good News with Green Energy is the end of Struggles for Oil; the Bad news? Struggle for Lithium

Michael T. Klare

(Tomdispatch.com ) – Thanks to its very name — renewable energy — we can picture a time in the not-too-distant future when our need for non-renewable fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal will vanish. Indeed, the Biden administration has announced a breakthrough target of 2035 for fully eliminating U.S. reliance on those non-renewable fuels […]

Climate Crisis

Biden Plans for US to Jump into Electric Vehicles with Both Feet, in a Hurry

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The White House issued a fact sheet Thursday on how President Biden intends to move the US vehicle fleet to electric in short order, using money already appropriated for his jobs plan. Biden is ahead of world trends in his ambitions. The UN’s International Energy Agency predicts that the current […]