Energy Politics

We have seen many Olympic Games but didn’t bother to check about the green quotient of the games, till now. What is most talked about is always the performance of the athletes. But slowly the scenario is changing. People are becoming aware of the green factor of the games and United Nations is taking active interest in making the games clean and green. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Russian Olympic organizers. According to this MOU, UNEP will help and advise them on making the Sochi Olympic Games environmentally friendly. Sochi Olympics will be held in 2014. There is more need to pay attention to Sochi and its flora, fauna and environment because Sochi is situated between the gentle shores of the Black Sea and the snow-capped Caucasus Mountains in Russia's Krasnodar Region and is renowned for its pristine setting. 1 Comment

President Barack Obama is known as a staunch supporter of green energy. His stimulus plan has raised new hope for the environmentalists and economists alike. On the occasion of Earth Day, President Obama declared that developing renewable energy is crucial to America's prosperity. He also declared that his administration will for the first time lease federal waters for projects to generate electricity from wind as well as from ocean currents and other renewable sources. Obama also emphasized the need for action on global warming and preserving vast and beautiful natural resources of USA. 11 Comments

With its windy coasts, untapped rivers and huge tidal and wave resources, Alaska can quickly become a national leader in producing alternative energy. Although Alaska is the second-largest oil producing state in the country, the citizens have had to pay very high electricity bills recently; oil is no longer easily available for producing and generating power. 2 Comments

We are experiencing the effects of economic recession remotely or directly. Our political leaders are trying to assuage the situation on several levels. United States House and Senate members reached an agreement last week on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. President Obama is about to sign economic stimulus package. President Obama has already anticipated the future of solar energy and other renewable energy sources. He has clearly emphasized this by stating, "the country that figures out how to make cheaper energy that's also clean, is going to win the economic competition of the future." 4 Comments

As much as possible people are trying to choose clean and green technology for their energy need. They understand the gravity of pollution and its implications in the near future. People of Carson City, Nevada have presented a great example of environmental awareness to follow. They have started a private-public initiative called Team Nevada. It will look into renewable energy matters by drawing attention of businesses and supporting renewable energy technology. Team Nevada will register its presence at the Renewable Energy World Conference & Expo North America on Mar. 10 to 12 in Las Vegas. 5 Comments

Last year many alternative energy investors suffered huge losses when several prominent stocks fell by 70% or more. But they have not lost hope in alternative energy stocks and their future. According to a new survey investors are pinning their hopes on alternative energy industry this year. Waggener Edstrom Worldwide report states that investors and analysts participating in the survey anticipate alternative energy stocks to surpass the broader markets. "Despite a deeply challenging business climate, the financial community continues to view alternative energy stocks with measured optimism," Lev Janashvili, vice president of Waggener Edstrom’s global corporate communications practice, said. No Comments

Alternative Energy & Carbon Footprinting: International Survey Reveals Business Attitudes. Companies’ attitudes towards alternative energy and carbon footprinting are revealed in the results of an international research study. The survey was conducted by the independent market research company Harris Interactive on behalf of Dow Corning Corporation. 1 Comment

India is facing an acute energy scarcity which is hampering its industrial growth and economic progress. Setting up of new power plants is inevitably dependent on import of highly volatile fossil fuels. Thus, it is essential to tackle the energy crisis through judicious utilization of abundant the renewable energy resources, such as biomass energy, solar energy, wind energy and geothermal energy. Apart from augmenting the energy supply, renewable resources will help India in mitigating climate change. India is heavily dependent on fossil fuels for its energy needs. Most of the power generation is carried out by coal and mineral oil-based power plants which contribute heavily to greenhouse gases emission. 21 Comments

Barack Obama has been elected as the 44th President of the USA and with his election, Solar Integrated Technologies rose by 30% yesterday after increases of 22% by Renewable Energy Corporation and 16% by the wind turbine maker Vestas. Barack Obama promised to spend $150 billion over the next 10 years developing alternative energy. Promises like these leave a legacy for future generations to imitate. Clean technology and green energy stocks have registered a new high as City analysts anticipate a major boost from the incoming president. The US election result has provided a much-needed encouragement at a critical time and that too for an industry which is still in its nascent phase. And this sector is threatened by the banking crisis and emerging economic recession. Some companies had seen their share prices halve in the turmoil that began in September. Reduction of carbon level, a cushion against fluctuating oil prices and creation of more jobs in economic slowdown would be the natural offshoots of this policy. 9 Comments

Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), is a mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol for promoting technology transfer and investment from industrialized countries to the developing world for projects focused on mitigating emissions of greenhouse gases. It provides for industrialized countries to invest in emission-reducing projects in developing countries and to use the resulting Certified Emissions Reductions (CER) credits towards their own compliance with the emission limitation targets set forth by the Kyoto Protocol. 4 Comments

Mediterranean Union was launched by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy in concurrence with the European Union. This new international organization will include sixteen non-EU states from around the Mediterranean and all the twenty seven EU countries will be its member too. But why are we discussing political unions in an alternative energy site? Because Mediterranean Union will not only tackle various issues such as regional upheavals, trade, counter terrorism, security immigration pollution etc. but the organization will take up the energy issue too. 6 Comments

We all are familiar with the current scenario of the conventional sources of energy. Oil prices are rising and sources of conventional energy are depleting fast. They are not going to last forever. Conventional energy sources come with heinous side effects. We are paying dearly for playing with the eco-balance and situation will not improve with a magic wand. These circumstances are forcing the humankind to look for alternative sources of energy. Common people and companies are looking for alternative sources of energy for fulfilling their needs that don’t leave a heavy carbon footprint for the present and future generations. We can derive non conventional energy from wind, water, sun or earth (geothermal). Currently wind energy is emerging as the most popular non conventional source of energy. No Comments

All three presidential nominees for the upcoming 2008 US elections are promising that they can end America's addition to oil through the research and development of green energy technologies. They claim that developing alternative energies will create jobs and turn the economy around, while helping to stop global warming and the national security issues caused by dependence on foreign oil imports. While their platforms sound appealing, politicians often say what we want to hear in order to get votes... so who do you trust is most likely to follow through on these promises? Are their claims even realistic? We gathered a few YouTube clips of each candidate speaking on the topic. Scroll down to cast your vote and leave your comments. 3 Comments

According to a study by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the recent and rapid increase in large-scale liquid biofuel production in third world countries could marginalize rural women by threatening their livelihoods. Traditionally, small farmers (women in particular) have had limited access to the large-scale plantations that are required for the production of biofuels like bioethanol and biodiesel. These include land and water, chemical fertilizers and pesticides. 13 Comments

Our recent polls on biofuels and solar energy have shed some interesting light on the public's opinion of these energy sources. So far, it looks like a majority people believe solar energy has great potential as an energy source, while opinions about biofuels are split almost 50/50. If you browse through our articles you'll notice many more opinion polls posted at the bottom of each of our articles on topics like tidal energy and more controversial issues like geo-engineering. While all of these polls are great, we thought we'd dedicate a post to finding out just which energy technologies people are most excited about. 27 Comments

I was watching the television on Saturday night and would you believe there was a commercial about alternative energy? I was amazed. Alternative energy education right at home in my living room! As I sat there on the couch staring at what I believed was most likely the next neo-liberal campaign for conservatism, and not a truly educational 30-second bit, I was surprised by the ending comment and commercial sponsor: Chevron. Yes, one of the biggest names in fossil fuels is talking about anything but! 17 Comments

Phil Lampert, Executive Director of the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, responds to a recent health report about the potential health and pollution risks of e85 ethanol. The report warns of possible cancer and ozone-related health consequences of a large-scale conversion from gasoline to ethanol, comparing the effects of gasoline vehicle emissions with those from ethanol fuel. Lampert argues that the report's negative conclusions are unrealistic and he maintains that the NEVC will continue to support the use of e85 as a fuel source, along with all other fuel alternatives like biodiesel, propane, compressed natural gas, electricity, hydrogen and other yet-to-be defined fuels. No Comments

The Sustainable Energy Blueprint was originally prepared by a number of the member groups of the Sustainable Energy Coalition (not formally affiliated with the Sustainable Energy Network). To date, 190 organizations and businesses - representing 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico - have endorsed the document. It outlines a plausible strategy and timeframe for rapidly expanding the use of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies to enable a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gases while simultaneously phasing out nuclear power and ending most energy imports. No Comments

2007 is likely to become a boom year for alternative energy. The rising popularity of alternative energy technologies will attract venture capital funding, legislative incentives and support, and growing investment from the small business sector. A recent survey conducted by the National Venture Capital Association is predicting an overall increase in alternative energy companies and the internet and media sector. Congress is also expected to put high priority attention on the development of renewable energy sources in 2007. 2 Comments

China is gaining speed as a world leader in the development of renewable energy technologies. Its booming population is straining the energy infrastructure and putting ever increasing pressure on the government to allow research into alternative energy solutions. The majority of China's current energy needs are met by non-renewable sources such as coal. The country's lack of natural resources and growing need for fuel and electricity are giving rise to a new Chinese industrial revolution in clean energy. A new energy market is opening in China which will provide alternative energy investors with the opportunity to invest in renewable energy companies there. 4 Comments