100,000 coal jobs have disappeared since 1980. Where did they go?
Were coal jobs the victims of a political war on coal or the result of over-zealous regulation? The real reason may surprise you.
The earth gets more solar energy in one hour than the entire world uses in a year
Earth’s continents receive 23,000 terawatt hours of solar energy each year, compared to the 18.5 terawatt hours used by all of modern society each year.
June Clean Energy Headlines
The biggest clean energy news and analysis from June 2019
* Solar has a new way to duck Trump’s tariffs: two-sided panels
* A radical idea to get a high-renewable electric grid
* Renewables to see $10 trillion in investments through 2050
* Trump administration finalizes revamp of Obama-era coal rule
* More Headlines
Podcast #015: Marc Perez: Can we capture more sunshine and save big on energy storage?
Host Bill Nussey talks with Marc Perez of Clean Power Research about their groundbreaking research for creating a simpler, cheaper clean energy grid that also dramatically reduces the requirements for battery storage.
There are more US jobs in solar than all fossil fuels put together
With all the attention on coal employment, you might think that coal has the biggest share of energy jobs, right? Not by a long shot. Data from United States Energy Employment Report and the Solar Foundation tell a very different story.
What can you do with a megawatt-hour?
A megawatt hour, like it’s little sibling, the kilowatt hour, is a measure of electricity. But just how much is it? How long will it light a bulb? How far can it drive an electric car?
Podcast #014: Finn Findley and Will Arnold – Quest Renewables: Can 1 Billion Parking Spots Help Power The US?
In our latest podcast, host Bill Nussey talks with Steve Kalland and Autumn Proudlove, from NCCETC, about the 50 states of solar, EV, and grid regulations that are setting the pace for the transition to clean.
If you’re interested in clean energy, you should check out these three books…
If you want to understand the transition to clean energy, there are three books you need to read. While they aren’t necessarily about clean energy explicitly, they are crucial for understanding the industries that clean energy seeks to upend.
Podcast #013: Steve Kalland and Autumn Proudlove: The Fifty States of Solar, EVs, and Grid Modernization
In our latest podcast, host Bill Nussey talks with Steve Kalland and Autumn Proudlove, from NCCETC, about the 50 states of solar, EV, and grid regulations that are setting the pace for the transition to clean.
May Clean Energy Headlines
*The US tops 2 million solar installations
* Renewables to top coal generation for first time in April/May
* Floating solar panels excel where land is scarce
How is coal formed?
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?
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.
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.
Podcast #012 – Dr. Deepak Divan: The century-old grid is evolving. How will we manage it?
Host Bill Nussey interviews Dr. Deepak Divan, the head of the Center for Distributed Energy at Georgia Tech, on how power electronics are quietly enabling the grid to become decentralized, distributed and much smarter.
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.
Podcast #011 – Jeff Chamberlain: Are batteries the final puzzle piece for a clean energy grid?
Host Bill Nussey interviews Dr. Jeff Chamberlain, the CEO of venture capital firm Volta, about the exciting path to incredibly safe and low-cost batteries.
Five trends that will lead to the end of fossil fuels
There are five trends driving the replacement of fossil fuels with clean energy from the sun and wind, and none of them require sweeping new legislation or technology breakthroughs.
April Clean Energy Headlines
* Clean energy generation tops coal in Spring 2019
* Batteries are a clean energy technology that both political parties can love
* Explosion at Arizona grid storage project
Podcast #010 – Andy Klump: Inside China’s impact on the global renewable energy business
Host Bill Nussey interviews Andy Klump, CEO of Shanghai-based Clean Energy Associates about China and its increasing prominence in the renewable energy business.
The top TED talks on clean energy
Over my 20 years attending TED, there have been a handful of mind-blowing talks on clean, renewable energy. A few of the talks were so powerful, they became catalysts on my own journey into this amazing new industry.