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Europe: +44 (0) 207 198 1634 Equities and the Economy Good morning. I return from my vacation with the dubious distinction of having to report that panic struck the equity markets yesterday with U.S. stocks suffering their worst selloff in 2015. It was a broad-based rout with the S&P 500 losing 44 points (2.11%) to 2,036 and posting its biggest one […]
There are three important things utilities need to know about wind right now. The first is what the U.S. Energy Information Administration concluded about wind’s role in Clean Power Plan (CPP)-imposed greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reductions. The second is how to compare today’s record low natural gas prices with today’s record low wind prices. And […]
Researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology have developed a system that has the potential to kill two birds with one stone: large colourful noise barriers for highways that also generate solar energy. “They are basically large luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs),” Michael Debije, from the university’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, told CNBC via […]
Global temperatures in July vs. 1951-1980 average. Via NASA. NASA reports this was the hottest July on record. So we are now in “bet the mortgage” territory that 2015 will be the hottest year in NASA’s 125-year temperature record. In fact, 2015 is likely to crush the previous record — 2014 — probably by a wide margin, […]
The cost of solar power is at a record low. A typical solar home can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year on their electricity bill. But, as a volunteer with the Boston-based solar program Solarize Massachusetts and a solar homeowner myself, I’ve always been surprised at how many people I encounter who […]
Source: EIA, based on Electricity Reliability Council of Texas Note: Data for 2015 are preliminary. During the recent heat wave in Texas, the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the operator of the electric grid covering most of the state, set a new record for electricity use when demand for electricity reached 69.8 gigawatts (GW) between 4:00 p.m. […]
What is the Clean Power Plan? Since June 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, has been proposing a plan, the Clean Power Plan, to reduce carbon pollution from existing and future power plants. The main purpose is to cut greenhouse gas pollution and protect the environment while at the […]
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on Lindoe Offshore Renewables Center In July, American offshore wind developer, Deepwater Wind, installed the first foundation for what is expected to be the first offshore wind farm in the United States. The project will be located three miles southeast of Block Island, Rhode Island. With five turbines totaling […]
An alert calling for electricity conservation was issued Thursday to help protect the stressed Texas electric grid. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is asking electric consumers to limit their electricity usage today during the peak hours of 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The string of 100-degree-plus days led to record-setting power demand on three […]
Please note: This will be the last Morning Energy Blog until August 21st. I will be on vacation with my two teenage daughters trying to do some bonding, if that’s even possible with teenagers. Equites and the Economy As I mentioned yesterday, the global equities market got hit with a tsunami yesterday when Monday night […]
