Coal began as dead plants that fell to the bottom of vast swamps millions of years ago. Which countries have the biggest reserves and which burns the most? Read More
How is coal formed?
Ever wonder why we use so much coal? America was built on it.
From old steamboats to the mines of Appalachia, to World War II, to the oil crisis of 1973, coal has played an easily overlooked but surprisingly foundational role in building America and the world. Read More
How much coal does it take to power a 100 watt lightbulb for a year?
If you want to get a visceral sense of how much coal it takes to power our world, you can start by calculating the amount that is required to power a single lightbulb. Read More
How much CO2 and pollution comes from burning coal?
How much CO2 and other kinds of pollution would be released if we powered a 100-watt lightbulb for a year using electricity from a coal plant? Let’s dig in. Read More
Four steps to take your house off-grid
Taking your house or business entirely off-grid and powering it with clean energy isn’t easy today but these four steps are 100% achievable with current technology. And, before we know it, going off-grid will be as easy as installing a new air conditioner. Read More
Why does the cost of renewable energy continue to get cheaper?
The price of solar cells has dropped 300-fold over the last four decades. What is driving this incredible decline and what does it predict for the years to come? Can solar really become the least expensive source of electricity in the long run? Read More
How solar and batteries will unlock the electric monopolies and create a clean energy renaissance
The shift from fossil fuels to clean energy may prove to be the largest and most disruptive energy transition in history. Solar and batteries will unlock the century-old electric monopolies, unleashing a new era of innovation, entrepreneurship and customer choice. Read More
How venture investors lost $10 billion in the cleantech collapse of 2011 (Part 1)
Clean energy is one of the largest business opportunities in history. But, in 2011, the US venture capital industry lost over $10 billion betting on it. What led to this cleantech collapse? And what did we learn as funding for cleantech is on the rise again? Read More
The bottom line on nuclear power – high costs and safety concerns darken its future (Part 7)
Nuclear power is the most divisive and debated of all electric generation solutions. Critics say Fukushima and Chernobyl prove it is too dangerous. Supporters say there is no other proven way to generate huge amounts of carbon-free, baseload electricity. So, what is the answer? Should we step up our adoption of nuclear power or shut it down altogether? Read More
Can next-generation nuclear plants save the nuclear industry? (Part 6)
For nuclear power to achieve its promise as a source of global-scale, rock-steady, emissions-free power, new approaches are needed. To understand how nuclear power can rise again, we need to take a look at fusion, small modular reactors, traveling wave reactors and more. Read More
