Topic: Electric Utilities

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Where gas prices are highest

Gasoline is a very visible price, and closely watched by many drivers. Petroleum prices impact many products, from food to industrial production. While the cost of crude is the major factor in gasoline price volatility, some countries levy taxes on fossil fuels. Here are ten countries where high gas prices are the norm, according to British insurance firm Staveley Head.
Top 5 nations that use renewable energy

Here are the top users of renewables, not counting biofuels or hydroelectricity. Numbers indicate country percentage of total global renewable usage.
High gas prices: what presidential candidates say they'll do about it

Gas prices jumped 30 cents a gallon in February, and Republicans are blaming President Obama for not having a policy fix. Here's what Mr. Obama and the GOP presidential aspirants are saying on the campaign trail lately about their remedy for high gas prices.
China 'buying out' Africa: Top 5 destinations of Chinese money

On a quest to secure raw materials and energy resources to support the exponential growth of its economy, China has become the fastest-growing investor in Africa. Here are the top five destinations of Chinese capital, in order of estimated Chinese investment.
How home prices are faring in six 2012 swing states

Home prices are recovering in some regions, fluctuating in others, and stuck in the basement in still others. How they are faring may yet be an important factor in the 2012 presidential election. Here's how home prices in metro areas in six swing states compare with those at the housing market's peak in 2006.

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Where gas prices are highest

Gasoline is a very visible price, and closely watched by many drivers. Petroleum prices impact many products, from food to industrial production. While the cost of crude is the major factor in gasoline price volatility, some countries levy taxes on fossil fuels. Here are ten countries where high gas prices are the norm, according to British insurance firm Staveley Head.
NRC chairman resigns amid battle over lessons from Fukushima

In his three years as chairman, Gregory Jaczko wrangled with other NRC members over the direction of nuclear power plant safety regulations and over his leadership style.
Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks

Cybersecurity needs are not hypothetical, as the recent DHS warning of a cyberattack on the US natural gas industry shows. Why then was a post-9/11 initiative to secure US utilities dropped?
Japanese cheer unplugging of last nuclear plant

Japan switched off the last of its 50 nuclear reactors sending thousands of Japanese into the streets to celebrate Saturday.
Japan shuts down last nuclear reactor for tests. End of nuclear power?

If Japan survives the summer without power blackouts, citizens may pressure the government to make the temporary nuclear shutdown permanent.
Don't believe the headlines. Wind farms do not cause 'global' warming.

A recent study published in Nature Climate Change suggests that large wind farms could be pulling down hot air at night, raising the average temperature of the local region. The results of the study, however, have been widely misconstrued in the news media.
How wind farms could cause local (but not global) warming

The atmospheric turbulence caused by large wind farms could cause local temperature increases, a new study indicates.
America's Stuxnet? Weakness found in systems used by Pentagon, power grid.

An amateur enthusiast has found evidence that hackers could exploit a security vulnerability in the systems of a company that serves power plants and military installations.
Earth Day technology: the spray-on solar panel?

New firms are challenging conventional rooftop solar by using thin-film technology on windows and even indoors. On this Earth Day, conventional Chinese companies are the cost leaders. But US firms have the technical edge.
'War on women' rhetoric turns nuclear power spat radioactive

The head of the US nuclear power watchdog on Friday refuted allegations that he bullies women colleagues in a controversy that involves several political subplots.
Consumer Energy Report
Wind power: America's future?

Wind power is currently the largest nonwater source of renewable energy in the US, and its use has grown by 350 percent since 2006.
Germany's solar woes dim the promise of green jobs

Global competition and cuts to government subsidies have plunged Germany's solar-energy industry into disarray. As another manufacturer goes bankrupt, green job growth is in jeopardy.
Green Economics
Do energy restrictions raise electricity prices?

Do statewide mandates requiring a certain percentage of wind, solar, and other non-carbon resources be used as power sources drive up the cost for consumers?
World is ignoring most important lesson from Fukushima nuclear disaster

Fukushima's most important lesson is this: Probability theory (that disaster is unlikely) failed us. If you have made assumptions, you are not prepared. Nuclear power plants should have multiple, reliable ways to cool reactors. Any nuclear plant that doesn't heed this lesson is inviting disaster.
EPA issues new rule on greenhouse gas emissions: Where does that leave coal?

The EPA proposed the first-ever US curbs on power plants' greenhouse gas emissions, saying next-generation coal plants should meet the restrictions. But the coal industry slammed the new rule.
China subsidized solar panels, US finds. Are tariffs the right response?

A Commerce Department investigation found that Chinese government-subsidized solar panels were dumped in the US market, harming US manufacturers.
Top 5 nations that use renewable energy

Here are the top users of renewables, not counting biofuels or hydroelectricity. Numbers indicate country percentage of total global renewable usage.
Son of migrant workers, now solar CEO: Don't put tariffs on Chinese solar panels

The US government is considering special tariffs on solar panels that are imported from China. These tariffs could result in higher costs for solar energy components, endangering the vibrant US solar industry and derailing America's progress toward job creation and energy security.
Global News Blog
China's nuclear power plant review: 'problems in 14 areas' found

Should we be concerned? A nuclear official said in passing this weekend that problems in 14 areas need to be resolved. In the wake of Fukushima, a shade more transparency would be welcome.
After the tsunami, Japan may exit atomic age

A year ago, Japan depended on its 54 reactors for 30 percent of its electricity; only two of them remain open. Japan could become the first industrial society to enter the postnuclear age.
High gas prices: what presidential candidates say they'll do about it

Gas prices jumped 30 cents a gallon in February, and Republicans are blaming President Obama for not having a policy fix. Here's what Mr. Obama and the GOP presidential aspirants are saying on the campaign trail lately about their remedy for high gas prices.
Why the cyber security bill in Congress is getting big push from Pentagon

The bill would require US companies that run 'critical infrastructure' to buttress their cyber security and share certain information with the government. Critics say that's risky and unnecessary, but the Pentagon is all for it.
China 'buying out' Africa: Top 5 destinations of Chinese money

On a quest to secure raw materials and energy resources to support the exponential growth of its economy, China has become the fastest-growing investor in Africa. Here are the top five destinations of Chinese capital, in order of estimated Chinese investment.
Clean energy: Another solar firm lays off workers

Clean energy woes continue as US solar-panel company retools in the face of Chinese competition, despite federal clean-energy subsidies.
Latin America Monitor
A case of Big Wind bullying in Mexico?

Follow-up on a Monitor cover story: A local activist is arrested days before a planned confrontation with a Mexican wind power company.