Paris Climate Agreement Will be Ratified
The European Parliament approved ratification of the Paris Climate Agreement, taking us well past the threshold of nations and collective emissions needed. The agreement is not legally binding for 30 days. We are on a path to breathing cleaner air; our children are...
Renewable Retail
When you shop for food, clothes and everything else, you will be glad to discover that some of your retailers power with renewable energy. Big box retailers have taken the lead by being more energy efficient, using daylighting instead of constant lights, and by...
New York, Hawaii, California Race to 50 Percent Renewables
California and New York will meet 50 percent of their electricity demand with renewables by 2030. It is the law. Hawaii will exceed 50 percent by 2030 as it pursues its 2045 legal requirement of 100 percent. In all three states, it took a disaster to rethink their...
Zero-Net-Energy Schools
In the Marx Brothers comedy classic Duck Soup, Groucho as a nation’s president said, “Why a four-year-old child could understand this report. Run out and find me a four-year-old child. I can’t make head nor tail out of it.” When it comes to zero-net-energy (ZNE)...
Faster, Higher, Stronger: Let’s Celebrate the Urban Olympians
Billions are watching outstanding athletes from 200 nations compete in Rio. I was in awe when I attended the Olympics in Atlanta, Sydney, and Salt Lake. The Olympic motto is three Latin words: citius, altius, fortius – faster, higher, stronger. It is time to...
Coal-Free and Nuke-Free California
California will soon be coal-free and its last nuclear plant will be replaced with renewables. It is true that grid imported coal and nuclear power make up a small and declining part of total system power, but the percentage keeps falling with improved demand...
Good NEWS for our Renewable Energy Future
Our future is full of good NEWS: net zero, electric mobility, wind power,and solar energy. Net Zero Net-zero-energy buildings, campuses, and cities are the future. They are so efficient than in a year they generate as much renewable energy as their total energy...
Germany Will Use 80 to 100 Percent Renewable Energy by 2050
Germany’s Leadership in Wind and Solar Power By 2050, Germany will use over 80 percent renewables to meet all energy needs, including transportation. Buildings and cities will be smart and energy efficient. For decades, Germany has led in energy efficiency with green...
United States Renewable Energy 2050
Several U.S. states already produce over 80 percent of their energy with renewables including wind, solar, hydropower, and biofuels: Washington, Oregon, Maine, Idaho, Nevada, South Dakota, and Iowa. In economic growth and job creation, these states outperform the top...
Intelligent Energy Storage
Machine learning enables Google to present news tailored to your interests; Amazon, books that you want to read; and Netflix, movies that you love. IBM’s advances in machine learning enabled it to beat the world’s top chess masters and Jeopardy champions. Recently,...
Norfolk Virginia Confronts Flooding and Sea Level Rising
Last week, the East Coast was battered with severe storms and flooding. Millions huddled inside in the face of tornado warnings. In Virginia, a state of emergency was declared. At the mouth of Chesapeake Bay is Norfolk, Virginia, a historic city of 54 square miles of...