The Top 10 Energy Stories of 2012
Updated: 2012-12-31 19:02:49
Home About Contact Advertise Consumer Energy Report Banking Energy Biodiversivist Choke Points Econbrowser Editors' Corner Fueling Innovation Power Policy R-Squared Energy By Robert Rapier on Dec 31, 2012 with no responses The Top 10 Energy Stories of 2012 : Tags Top 10 Tweet Happy New Year’s to readers everywhere  Last week we posted a poll listing 15 of the major energy stories of 2012. Readers voted , and the Top 10 are presented below with a short narrative describing the . story 1. Revolution in US oil and gas production continues The fracking revolution in the US continued , with oil production at its highest level since 1998 and dry natural gas production at an all-time high . President Obama became the first president since LBJ to serve in office during four consecutive years of
The California Independent System Operator (ISO) maintains reliability and accessibility to one of the largest and most modern power grids in the world. Everyday it reports on the production of renewable energy in the Golden State as it strives to meets its target of 33 percent of electricity from renewable sources by the end of 2020. On Christmas
Home About Contact Tips Subscribe Donate Search this site : All Stories Climate Science Keystone XL Gas Drilling Nuclear Energy Clean Economy Breaking News Today's Climate All Topics December 31, 2012 Shell's Errant Oil Drilling Rig Adrift in Gulf of Alaska , Again Anchorage Daily News Gov . O'Malley Signs Executive Order on Flooding , Sea Level Rise The Star Democrat EPA Nominee Would Face Uncertain Path The Hill see all headlines December 31, 2012 Edison Snafu Skews Demand in First California Carbon Permit Sale Bloomberg Enbridge Buys Half Stake in Second Quebec Wind Farm Reuters Calif . Utilities Benefit in State Carbon Market Sacramento Bee see all headlines Clean Break : Germany's Switch to Renewables Slideshow Clean Economy News December 4 A Smart Grid Primer : Complex and Costly ,
Telegraph: The analysis of almost 3,000 onshore wind turbines -- the biggest study of its kind --warns that they will continue to generate electricity effectively for just 12 to 15 years.
The wind energy industry and the Government base all their calculations on turbines enjoying a lifespan of 20 to 25 years.
The study estimates that routine wear and tear will more than double the cost of electricity being produced by wind farms in the next decade.
Older turbines will need to be replaced more quickly...
Guardian: Sales of electric cars in Britain are expected to double in 2013 as cheaper models enter the market and the number of charging points increases.
Numbers of fully electric cars are expected to rise from 3,000 to 6,000, according to Ben Lane, managing editor of the website nextgreencar.com. He warned, however, that the switch to electric vehicles was still moving slowly.
Lane said: "The pricing is not yet quite right and the range is still not long enough. Very few people in 2012 were willing...
BBC: US energy companies are racing to install wind turbines before a federal tax credit expires at the end of this year.
Experts say that wind power has exceeded the construction of natural gas plants in recent months.
However the financial incentive for wind could be lost as congress struggles to avoid financial deadlock.
Even if the credit is extended it is expected that new installations will decline in 2013.
According to industry analysts, the federal government's production tax credit...
SciDevNet: African scientists urgently need to build more evidence on the impact of climate change on the continent, a conference has heard.
A joint statement issued at the eighth Annual Meeting of African Science Academies last month (12--14November) in Nigeria, notes that Africa lacks much home-grown data about the impacts of extreme weather events and sea level rise.
It says: "Actions required of science include contributions to the development of risk assessments and mapping for various anticipated...
New York Times: Over the last three years, with its economy in tatters, Ireland embraced a novel strategy to help reduce its staggering deficit: charging households and businesses for the environmental damage they cause. The government imposed taxes on most of the fossil fuels used by homes, offices, vehicles and farms, based on each fuel’s carbon dioxide emissions, a move that immediately drove up prices for oil, natural gas and kerosene. Household trash is weighed at the curb, and residents are billed for anything...
New York Times: I recently attended a Manhattan screening of "Promised Land," a new feature film written by and starring Matt Damon and John Krasinski that aims to examine America`s natural gas drilling boom as a case study in "what happens when real people and real money collide," as Krasinski explained in publicity materials.
The film opens Friday in New York City and Los Angeles and then expands to more theaters in early January. My sense is that it will not satisfy many people - either as a drama or a potential...
As we prepare for another year of publication (and the celebration of our 10th anniversay), we're taking a look back at what topics and posts did well during 2012.
At the close of each year, we like to take a look back to see which stories made an impact on our readers. This year's most read articles show the many twists and turns that the industry took this year and reveal interesting trends for us as editors and for other industry insiders. Have a look at our most popular articles below. And if there was a story that particularly struck you, please let us know what it was in the comment section below. Happy New Year!
Flanders, a region of Belgium, boasts the highest waste diversion rate in Europe. Decades of planning and policy making have made a huge difference in the region's ability to approach zero waste.
A very happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Joyous Kwanzaa, or whatever greeting works for you, to all of our readers from sustainablog!
Danielle Nierenberg and Ellen Gustafson, founders of new organization The Food Tank, share their ideas for improving the global food system in 2013 and beyond.
Welcome to Solar Fred's annual solar marketing wish list, 2013 edition. If you missed my previous years' wishes and still want to make them come true, bless your solar marketing heart. See 2010 here, 2011 here, and 2012 here. This year’s theme, “Stand out and educate,” is familiar to anyone who’s received an email from me, since it’s a quote in my
For our last Hangout of the year, we'll discuss last-minute gift ideas that don't suck... for the recipient, or the environment.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation figured out how to save big on their utility bills: a solar power purchase agreement with SunEdison.
In Mumbai, India, a zero waste plan also supports the economic empowerment of impoverished women "waste pickers." This program also makes innovative use of biogas production facilities in dealing with organic wastes.
Turn autoplay off Turn autoplay on Please activate cookies in order to turn autoplay off Jump to content s Jump to site navigation 0 Jump to search 4 Terms and conditions 8 Edition : UK US Sign in Mobile Your profile Your details Your comments Your clippings Your lists Sign out Mobile About us About us Contact us Press office Guardian Print Centre Guardian readers' editor Observer readers' editor Terms of service Privacy policy Advertising guide Digital archive Digital edition Guardian Weekly Buy Guardian and Observer photos Today's paper The Guardian G2 features Comment and debate Editorials , letters and corrections Obituaries Other lives Sport EducationGuardian Subscribe Subscribe Subscribe to the Guardian iPhone app iPad edition Kindle Extra Guardian Weekly Digital edition All our
A number of Governments, including the United Kingdom and the United States, are granting licences to extract shale gas from beneath the earth’s surface. It’s a relatively new energy source, and many see it as an alternative to renewable energy such as wind power, at least in the short term. But don’t be fooled. Extracting [...]
Ready to build that outdoor pizza oven, rather than just think about it? Consider attending a workshop at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage for hands-on training.
Following the ‘Small ZREC Tariff Program: Applicants Informational Meeting’ held on November 27, 2012, United Illuminating Company (“UI“) and Connecticut Light & Power (“CL&P“) initially announced that the small ZREC program was set to open on December 21, 2012. However, the December 21st date has now been officially changed to January 8, 2013, as UI [...]
It’s bad news for the new reactor under construction at Flamanville, France. Costs have risen dramatically and the delays are close to unacceptable. Originally it was scheduled to be completed this year for a cost of €3.3 billion, but the cost of the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) doubled in 2011 to €6 billion and completion [...]
The surge in shale oil production shows that new technologies can convert formerly uneconomical oil resources into oil reserves, so it isn't out of the realm of possibility that this could also be the case with kerogen.
Turn autoplay off Turn autoplay on Please activate cookies in order to turn autoplay off Jump to content s Jump to comments c Jump to site navigation 0 Jump to search 4 Terms and conditions 8 Edition : UK US Sign in Mobile Your profile Your details Your comments Your clippings Your lists Sign out Mobile About us About us Contact us Press office Guardian Print Centre Guardian readers' editor Observer readers' editor Terms of service Privacy policy Advertising guide Digital archive Digital edition Guardian Weekly Buy Guardian and Observer photos Today's paper The Guardian G2 features Comment and debate Editorials , letters and corrections Obituaries Other lives Sport Film music Subscribe Subscribe Subscribe to the Guardian iPhone app iPad edition Kindle Extra Guardian Weekly Digital edition
The solar industry’s top executives and most influential voices gathered in the nation’s Capital for Maryland-D.C.-Virginia Solar Energy Industry Association’s (MDV-SEIA) 6th Annual Solar Energy Focus conference last week. There was a palpable energy among the CEO-studded crowd of over 250 people in the growing industry, reinvigorated by the results of the recent election. Even [...]
: Turn autoplay off Turn autoplay on Please activate cookies in order to turn autoplay off Jump to content s Jump to comments c Jump to site navigation 0 Jump to search 4 Terms and conditions 8 Edition : UK US Sign in Mobile Your profile Your details Your comments Your clippings Your lists Sign out Mobile About us About us Contact us Press office Guardian Print Centre Guardian readers' editor Observer readers' editor Terms of service Privacy policy Advertising guide Digital archive Digital edition Guardian Weekly Buy Guardian and Observer photos Today's paper The Guardian G2 features Comment and debate Editorials , letters and corrections Obituaries Other lives Sport Subscribe Subscribe Subscribe to the Guardian iPhone app iPad edition Kindle Extra Guardian Weekly Digital edition All our