This section archives articles on topics that don't quite fit into the other categories. They include articles on high-mileage vehicles, chain-reaction accidents, our neighbors, Tule fog, and . . . well . . . other subjects.
Paul Gipe
Since the introduction of the Feed-in-Tariff in 2011 in Japan, the demand for Solar PV has risen for industrial and business purposes. . . Countries like India can follow this model to beat the...
“It’s clear that we’ve made real progress. But the energy sector is constantly evolving, especially as energy consumption habits and economic conditions change. So our Long-Term Energy Plan must also...
"There are no technical barriers for a future without oil, gas or coal", Martin Faulstich, Chair of the German Advisory Council on the Environment, said in his speech for the WRF Energy Conference,...
Inter-annual Wind Variability Less than that of Hydro--Steady Growth of Non-Hydro Renewable Penetration in European Markets--US Renewable Energy Penetration: Little Progress Since 1983 . . .[more]
Over the past two years, Renewables International has repeatedly argued that there will be no shift to coal power as a result of the nuclear phaseout. So it's nice to see that other independent...
The study finds that the peak fossil fuel risk will start to be critical by 2020. If however the future growth rate of wind and solar energy production follows that already achieved for the world...
The Energy Transition is becoming a fashion item! Painted fingernails are a popular adornment for women of all ages. Kirsten Hasberg announced the launch of her crowd-sourced venture...
Germany has doubled the renewable share of its total electricity consumption in the past six years to 23% in 2012. It forecasts nearly a redoubling by 2025, well ahead of the 50% target for 2030, and...
At 2030 technology costs and with excess electricity displacing natural gas, we find that the electric system can be powered 90%e99.9% of hours entirely on renewable electricity, at costs comparable...
Every new solar panel installed on European rooftops chips away at power utilities' centralized production model. Unless they reinvent themselves soon, these giants risk becoming the dinosaurs of the...
For the Amount Spent on the Iraq War the US Could be Generating 40% to 60% of its Electricity with Renewable Energy[more]
Increasingly countries and regions are leapfrogging timid renewable targets and moving toward full 100% integration of renewables into electricity supply. Some thought leaders, politicians, and...[more]
Yet, in absolute terms, the top three subsidizers across the world are the United States (US$ 502 billion), China (US $279 billion) and Russia (US$ 116 billion). . .
You can see some arguments in favour of a 'Fixed' Feed-in Tariff on the FOE website, http://www.foe.co.uk/blog/energy_bill_will_give_more_38654.html, and a report I wrote for Friends of the Earth on...
The city’s Department of Water and Power, the nation’s largest municipal-owned utility, will phase out the electricity it imports from the Navajo Generating Station in Arizona and Intermountain Power...
Apparently my article last October documenting the growth of renewables in Germany while nuclear generation continues to decline got under the skin of pro-nuclear bloggers. So at the request of a...[more]
Dismissing this as one of the "flakier arguments" in the renewables debate, Smith points to a recent analysis National Grid undertook for the Scottish Parliament. It concluded that over an 18 month...
Just Because a Better Mousetrap is Known Doesn’t Mean it will be Used When There’s a Vested Financial Interest in the Status Quo . . .[more]
Presentations at the Japan Renewable Energy Foundation's International Conference
Whether it is Climate Change or Feed-in Tariffs for Renewable Energy . . .[more]
Overall, the total amount of lignite power production capacity in Germany fell from 19,100 megawatts in 2012 to around 17,800 megawatts at present. The IWR therefore expects power production from...
A decade ago, cities, regions, and businesses aiming for 20% renewable energy were on the cutting edge. Few believed that a higher target in a few decades was an achievable goal. Anyone even...
An unpublished briefing paper drawn up by the European Climate Foundation (ECF) takes a look at charges of a "coal renaissance" in the EU and confirms our recently published findings for Germany,...
As solar and wind energy grow in market share, electricity markets will need to change.
Since the long-term targets are in place – the big question remaining to be answered is how to accomplish these goals. Namely, how to manage the transition from a fossil nuclear system to a mainly...
Yes, you read that right. At the current rate the US will meet 100% of its electricity demand within 170 years--give or take a few decades. . .
Germany is currently in the forefront of this transition - their Energiewende - but this was not always the case. Only a few short decades ago, it was the United States who was leading the world away...
An 80% reduction in Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions is achievable by 2050, according to the Trottier Energy Futures Project (TEFP)’s review of low-carbon scenario research from eight industrialized...
More on the changes brought by the closure of our local grocery story. . .[more]
All the provinces coal-burning power plants will be shuttered by 2014, making the Canadian province the first coal-free jurisdiction in North America . . .
“In announcing the closure of Lambton and Nanticoke, by the end of this year Ontario will become the first jurisdiction in all of North America to shut down its coal fleet. . .
For the first time ever, power production from PV and CSP were separately reported in December for California. French energy expert Bernard Chabot took a look at the figures, especially to determine...
As French energy expert Bernard Chabot explains, December was a strong month for wind power in Germany, and in the last week of the month, when power demand was low because of the holidays and...
Comments on the closing of our local grocery store. . .[more]
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) issued a long-delayed report this past summer on Geothermal FIT Design. . .[more]
When we think of geothermal energy we immediately have visions of Old Faithful Geyser or the modernistic geothermal power plants of Iceland. But our view doesn't have to be so limited. . . [more]
Over the past decade, Germany has successfully boosted renewable energy resources which today power 25% of all electricity demand. . . “The Energiewende is a bottom up switch that is driven by...
We were returning to San Francisco from the World Wind Energy Association conference in Bonn this past July. As we boarded the plane we met Hans-Josef Fell. Fell was the reason we had to get back to...[more]
I touch on the fact that Germany, which in 2011 had 7,090 digesters, is the leading country for both the quantity of plants and the amount of installed capacity of 2,394 MW of electricity. Most of it...
Since 2000, Germany has converted 25 percent of its power grid to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass. The architects of the clean energy movement Energiewende, which translates...
According to preliminary figures not yet published by the BDEW, an association representing power and water providers, Germany exported 12.3 terawatt-hours of electricity in the first 9 months of...
The Japanese government believes that the country has more than 20 gigawatts of energy potential in terms of geothermal energy. The country already boasts of 17 geothermal power plants, which...
On Aprill 11 and 12, 2008 teams from highschools, colleges, and universities from across the continent were scrambling in the garages at the Fontana raceway preparing their cars for the Shell's...[more]
The following op-ed was originally posted on July 4, 2005 and then appeared at Renewable Energy Access.com on July 11, 2005. This version has been updated with current figures for the cost of...[more]
George W. Bush has violated his oath of office to faithfully enforce the country's laws. He has admitted to illegal domestic spying on Americans, itself a felony. His administration has condoned...[more]
An unprovoked attack on Iraq would be un-American, and a disgrace to fallen American soldiers who gave their lives fighting the Axis powers after an unprovoked attack December 7th, 1941.[more]
I began writing as a way to explore the world, learn something new, and make a difference. It has been that-and more. I've been more or less freelancing since the mid 1970s when I published an exposé...[more]
Lupe knocked at the door yesterday. Lupe's our postman. If anyone knows what's going on in our neighborhood, it's Lupe. Lupe was concerned that a reclusive neighbor hadn't picked up her mail, nor...[more]
You've read about those massive chain-reaction accidents. Miles of mangled vehicles on Germany's autobahn, Italy's autostrada, New Jersey's Turnpike, or California's I-5 in the San Joaquin Valley....[more]
New Zealand could become the world's first nation with a sustainable energy system based on renewable resources.[more]
(From Systèmes Solaires ~1999-2000) L'industrie éolienne aux Etats-Unis est aujourd'hui en pleine ébullition. En termes de puissance installée, le développement est comparable a celui que l'on a...[more]
Having been disparaged as a "Cassandra," I was reluctant to read a book on the topic, especially one with a subtile about optimism. "Oh no," I thought, "another enviro bashing book catering to...[more]
The World Renewable Energy Congress hailed long-time wind energy advocate Paul Gipe as a "pioneer in renewable energy" at its recent international conference in Florence, Italy. The designation, one...[more]
A Review of Land of the Living by Paul Gipe A Dutch colleague, Rinie van Est, referred me to a fascinating book by American anthropologist Steven Borish. The book, Land of the Living, is based on...[more]
Jules Verne's long lost novel "Paris in the 20th Century" contains an interesting passage on windmills by the father of science fiction. Set in the 1960s, a mere 100 years into the future when Verne...[more]
