renewable

10Aug

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ENVIRONMENT

Boosting Renewable Energy Use Can Reduce Harm To Low-Income People If Done Thoughtfully – And Can Happen Quickly

With many nations making efforts to transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy, SciLine interviewed Erin Baker, a professor of industrial engineering and operations at UMass Amherst. Baker discussed the technological, political and regulatory efforts needed for this transition, as well as ways that our fossil fuel-dependent system disproportionately harms poor communities and communities of color. The Conversation has collaborated with SciLine to bring you highlights from the discussion, which have been edited for brevity and clarity. How is our country doing at making the transition to renewable energy? Erin Baker: There has been amazing technological change over the past 15 years. Offshore wind costs 50% less than it did six years ago. Solar has had a sixfold decrease in ...

Moving To 100% Renewable Electricity – These 3 Energy Storage Technologies Can Help Solve The Challenge

3Apr

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ENVIRONMENT, TECHNOLOGY

Moving To 100% Renewable Electricity – These 3 Energy Storage Technologies Can Help Solve The Challenge

TECHNOLOGY Kerry Rippy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory In recent decades the cost of wind and solar power generation has dropped dramatically. This is one reason that the U.S. Department of Energy projects that renewable energy will be the fastest-growing U.S. energy source through 2050. However, it’s still relatively expensive to store energy. And since renewable energy generation isn’t available all the time – it happens when the wind blows or the sun shines – storage is essential. As a researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, I work with the federal government and private industry to develop renewable energy storage technologies. In a recent report, researchers at NREL estimated that the potential exists to increase U.S. renewable energy storage capacity by as m...

‘Renewable’ natural gas may sound green, but it’s not an antidote for climate change

3Apr

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IN OTHER NEWS, VIDEO REELS

‘Renewable’ natural gas may sound green, but it’s not an antidote for climate change

Natural gas is a versatile fossil fuel that accounts for about a third of U.S. energy use. Although it produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants than coal or oil, natural gas is a major contributor to climate change, an urgent global problem. Reducing emissions from the natural gas system is especially challenging because natural gas is used roughly equally for electricity, heating, and industrial applications. There’s an emerging argument that maybe there could be a direct substitute for fossil natural gas in the form of renewable natural gas (RNG) – a renewable fuel designed to be nearly indistinguishable from fossil natural gas. RNG could be made from biomass or from captured carbon dioxide and electricity. Based on what’s known about these systems, however, I belie...

Meet the Man Bringing Cheap Renewable Energy to His Hometown

29Jan

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

Journalism

Meet the Man Bringing Cheap Renewable Energy to His Hometown

When Highland Park, Michigan, a predominately Black city surrounded by Detroit, had its streetlights repossessed in 2011, because of a $4 million unpaid street lighting bill, Ryter Cooperative Industries L3C stepped in to help install solar-powered streetlights in the city’s neighborhoods. Energy cost inequality is a problem in many areas throughout the country. Low-income households spend 10% of their income on electricity—four times higher than the average household, according to a recent report. So while the median electricity bill in the United States in 2013 was around $114 a month, many low-income families paid more than $200 a month. Some renewable energy advocacy organizations have attributed the cost inequality to the lack of community engagement and awareness of renewable en...