Energy Innovation

A recent Bloomberg article by Christopher Martin points out that a majority of states that currently have Renewable Portfolio Standards (16 of 29 states) are considering legislation to weaken or repeal these standards.  The efforts are being spearheaded by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which believes that 2013 will “be the most active year [...]

This morning, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists published an op-ed by Hal that discusses the best urban design principles to deal with China’s new and expanding cities. In the article, titled “Paying for the great urbanization of China,” Hal emphasizes four realms that must be addressed in order to create sustainable Chinese cities: urban layout, [...]

In April, Hal taught a mini course on energy policy at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. The course comprised four interactive lectures that covered today’s energy situation and offered energy policy solutions for building a sustainable future. The lectures discussed: large-scale renewable energy integration, natural gas, urbanization in china, and best [...]

In a recent article, Rocky Mountain Institute’s Co-founder, Chairman, and Chief Scientist, Amory Lovins, describes Germany’s transition to a high share of renewable energy and the policies the country has put in place to achieve its ambitious energy goals. Despite its relatively cool and cloudy climate, Germany has managed to nearly double the share of [...]

Michael Liebreich, chief executive of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, recently wrote an article on the changing energy system and the future needs of energy businesses.  Liebreich argues that the energy system is complex and interconnected, like an ecosystem, such that the value and promise of any one technology is dependent on many other technologies and [...]

California Governor Jerry Brown is currently in the middle of a two-week trip to China, during which he intends to create stronger economic and trade relationships between China and California, as well as make a joint commitment to solving climate change. In his speech at Beijing’s Tsinghua University last Wednesday, Brown highlighted the crucial role [...]

Hal recently delivered a speech at the 2013 MIT-Stanford Game-Changers Workshop about the policies and practices that are needed for success in energy R&D. These include great national labs, collaboration between government and the private sector, a steady demand signal (no on-again, off-again policies), and a tolerance for failure. He also emphasized that technological innovation [...]

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) held their annual Energy Innovation Summit from Feb. 25-27. The summit provides an opportunity for ARPA-E awardees, finalists, and other select energy companies to demonstrate their cutting-edge energy research and technologies. It also features speeches by technologists, financing experts, and politicians on the state of the energy sector. The [...]

Today, the American Energy Innovation Council (AEIC) released three case studies that illustrate the various ways in which the federal government has played a productive and necessary role in energy technology innovation. Staff research on unconventional gas exploration & production, advanced diesel internal combustion engines, and low-emissivity windows examine the mechanisms that the federal government [...]

A new report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) makes six recommendations for tax reform that will promote energy efficiency and boost the domestic economy. ACEEE argues that its reform recommendations will remove barriers to efficiency investments, help all energy sources compete on a level playing field, allow U.S. businesses to better [...]