How will we fund the transition to a clean energy future? (Part 2)
Even conservative estimates forecast that transitioning to clean energy will require trillions of dollars of investments. Where will all this money come from? For better or worse, most of it will come from traditional sources like banks and governments. But, even thought it’s relatively smaller, venture capital will play a critical, catalytic role by lowering the risks for every other type of investment.
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?
November Clean Energy Headlines
Clean energy headlines from November:
– New renewables pull ahead of coal in cost race
– MorningStar: Coal has an ugly future
– Midterm elections were also about clean energy and clean energy lost
– California utilities under a crushing legal assault
– A radical new approach to electrical storage.
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?
I learned the most important thing about wind power from climbing a turbine
I climbed a 250-foot wind turbine to learn firsthand how wind power is changing the landscape of global energy. But it wasn’t until I got to the very top that I embraced the most important truth of wind power – size matters.
Bill Nussey interviewed on Suncast podcast
My recent podcast interview with Suncast’s Nico Johnson covered a wide range of topics including the history of the grid and emerging business opportunities.
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.
Does nuclear power enhance or undermine America’s national security? (Part 5)
While a stable grid is essential for the well being of developed countries, nuclear power magnifies the risks and rewards of making electricity to a level of national security. Few types of power generation are more contentious and none have the potential to affect the well being of nations like nuclear power – as both defender and demolisher.
October Clean Energy Headlines
The biggest clean energy headlines of October:
* The US is about to surpass 1 million electric vehicles.
* The US Government has written off $500 million in “clean coal” research since 2010.
* The US is on track for record coal retirements in 2018
* California utilities are proactively creating blackouts to avoid more powerline caused wildfires.
* Chernobyl is once again generating power but this time it’s solar.
Keynote presentation at the Southern Solar Summit
I recently had the honor to keynote the 10th annual Southern Solar Summit. My presentation focused on two points. First, solar and battery will become the largest source of electricity sooner than people think. Second, Georgia is in a unique position to help lead the clean energy transformation.
The inevitability of a solar powered future
There are few more important questions for the 21st century than how we will power our electric grids. Literally trillions of dollars and are at stake, and possibly even the future of the planet. It’s a good bet that wind and solar will make up the majority of the future grid. But, wind and solar are not the same. Wind turbines benefit from economies of scale. As they get bigger, their costs go down; but only up to a point. By comparison, solar’s cost declines are driven by something even more powerful, economies of volume – the more you make of something, the cheaper it gets.
What are the biggest trends threatening to disrupt the power industry?
Nussey moderated a panel at the Center for Distributed Energy’s Leaders Symposium called Disruptions in the Energy Industry.
Nuclear power and the environment: carbon-free electricity vs the impact of nuclear waste (Part 4)
Nuclear power plants produce almost no greenhouse gases. If you want a huge amount of steady 24/7/365 electricity that has minimal impact on climate change, nuclear is your go-to option. But the environmental promise of minimal greenhouse gas emissions comes with an environmental cost: nuclear waste. Decades of nuclear power has resulted in 250,000 tons of accumulated waste.
Clean Energy Headlines for September 2018
* Utilities have a problem. The public wants clean energy and quick.
* New battery promises cost-competitive grid-level storage.
* Solar farms across North Carolina were unscathed by Hurricane Florence.
* ARPE-E goes on a quest for the holy grail of the grid – long-term energy storage.
What are the risks of radiation from nuclear power plants? Part 3
Radioactivity triggers a deep dread in most people. It is invisible and hard to detect. It is associated with birth defects. It can lie dormant in adults only to emerge as cancer decades later. But just how dangerous is it really? How harmful is the radiation from nuclear accidents?
Just how dangerous are nuclear power plants? Part 2
Nuclear power has a unique challenge. While it’s much safer than most people realize, it easily conjures up thoughts of meltdowns, sickness, and bombs. Decades of movies and the occasional nuclear disasters have kept these fears at the forefront of people’s minds. Up until recently, the future of nuclear power looked grim. However, the growing concern over greenhouse gases has put nuclear back in the spotlight as a possible source of carbon-free electricity.
Is nuclear power the climate’s salvation or a radioactive nightmare? (part 1)
While nuclear may be a greenhouse gas-free source of energy, it is far from the most cost-effective way of generating electricity.
What is the best way to make electricity?
Coal, nuclear, wind, solar, or natural gas? What criteria should we use when comparing various types of electricity generation, and which one comes out on top?
Clean Energy Headlines for August 2018
* Freeing Energy is on Facebook!
* The world reaches 1,000 gigawatts of wind and solar power.
* California is about to commit to 100% clean energy by 2045.
* “Big oil asks the government to protect it from climate change.”
* Wind energy is now at 2 cents per kilowatt-hour
* Facebook commits to 100% clean energy by 2020
A battle for clean energy: the Kit Carson coop story
That outdated business models, conflicting interests, and aging technologies hogtie today’s behemoth electric utilities is no more evident than in the picturesque rural community of Taos, New Mexico. It is there that an inspired and tenacious collection of local energy champions have upended the sluggish pace of change that is the “business as usual” of many utilities.