News & Commentary

The United States has taken the lead yet again, but this time, we may not be so proud. We have surpassed every nation, including China, in the category of energy waste. Yes, our country wastes the most energy in the world. The US. has an energy efficiency of 42 percent, which means 58 percent of all the energy we produce is wasted! How can this happen?!

The damaging effects that result from burning coal may soon be nonexistent.  It took scientists from Ohio State University 15 years and $5 million, but the clean coal technique has finally been developed.  They have discovered a way to obtain the energy from coal without actually burning it, eliminating nearly all of the pollution. 

The UN climate change negotiations in Doha, Qatar last week did not result in any strong international treaties to curb carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions or reform the way the world generates and uses energy, but some minor progress was made that can impact climate change. Most notably, the 25 members of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition agreed to reduce the emissions of three other greenhouse gasses: black carbon, ozone (O3) and methane (CH4). These pollutants are known as short lived climate forcers (SLCF) because they only last in the atmosphere for a short period of time. CO2 has a lifespan in the atmosphere of about 100 years, whereas SLCFs live in the atmosphere anywhere from a few days to a maximum of only a few years. This means that the world could potentially see a decrease in climate change in a shorter period of time by decreasing emissions of SLCFs in addition to CO2.

As governments across Europe slash subsidies for small-medium scale renewable energy generators, the industry needs to rethink its approach to communications strategy if solar PV is to continue to shine, says Kate Garratt, head of energy at Aspectus PR.