In my last blog I discussed the electricity paradox – electrodox is the term I used – that is disrupting the European electrical generating utilities as increasing amounts of renewable generation sources are developed. Perhaps the most dramatic summary of the impact of the European electrodox was the statement by Moody's in November, 2012 that [...]

If you’ve ever looked at the elements that create the images in a kaleidoscope, they are unremarkable: pebbles, beads and bits of colored glass, all mixed together. But when seen through the viewing end of the device, this mixture creates the illusion of pleasing, colorful and multiple identical designs where, in fact, there are [...]

The California Energy Commission approved grants of $18,690,000 for the building of 7 new hydrogen fueling station plus a few other hydrogen infrastructure upgrades. The major players, who must put up matching funds for the hydrogen fueling stations, include Linde LLC, Hydrogen Frontier Inc., Air Products and Air Liquide.

Here is the breakdown: “Linde, LLC, [...]

The Roen Financial Report closely covers the universe of almost 30 alternative energy Mutual Funds (MFs) and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). We use a proprietary ranking method to pick the best funds, looking at measures that include fees, risk, tax liability, and the financial health of individual holdings within each fund. To download your complimentary [...]

The name of the popular American television series “Mad Men” comes from the nickname given to those who worked in New York City’s advertising agencies in the 1950s. The nickname came from the advertising profession itself whose members felt that one had to be a little mad to work on Madison Avenue, the center [...]

The 2013 Season Kicks Off

2012 WISE Interns on Capitol Hill

Some readers may remember that I once wrote a post about a technology policy internship program called the Washington Internships for Students of Engineering.  The acronym for this program, conveniently, is WISE, and so the interns often call themselves the “WISE guys.”

When I [...]

The Gitane Alter Bike by Cycleurope is said to be the first of its kind in the world. The hydrogen fuel cell e-bike uses a combination of fuel cell and lithium-ion batteries for power. The fuel cell hybrid bike’s advantages over regular electric bikes is short recharging times, longer range and no plugin infrastructure will [...]

When it comes to renewable energy and efficiency, a double-dip in the dish is a great deal. The latest in solar dish technology that does what solar installations do—converts sunlight into power—but with an added twist: it generates clean water. The efficiency of the typical solar installation ranges from 10 to 20 percent, with the [...]

Its time for another of those blog posts that is a bit “out there”.  In this case I would like to propose a new use for an ancient technology.

I recently returned from a vacation in France and while there I saw a few things that came together in my mind as a possible source of base-load [...]

The famous Danish physicist Niels Bohr once humorously observed, “Predictions are very difficult, especially about the future.” And so, as the world considers yet another rosy oil supply forecast, this time from the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA), it is worth reviewing the agency’s record.

Back in the year 2000, the IEA divined [...]