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Information and analysis on the economics of solar and alternative energies

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Entries Tagged as 'Carbon Footprint'

A Case for Natural Gas CHP Systems

August 25th, 2009 · No Comments

A combined heat and power system (CHP) is the cogeneration or simultaneous generation of multiple forms of energy in an integrated system. CHP systems consume less fuel than separate heat and power generating systems. According to the Environmental Protection Agency in their Combined Heat and Power Partnership report, (EPA), CHP [...]

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Tags: Alternative Energy · Carbon Economics · Carbon Emissions · Carbon Footprint · Fuel Cells · Fuel Costs · Fuel Efficiency · Natural Gas Energy · Solar Energy

Solar Energy – Closer to Grid Parity?

March 31st, 2009 · 3 Comments

Last month First Solar (FSLR) achieved a milestone in the solar industry with its announcement of $1 per Watt reducing its production cost for solar modules to 98 cents per watt, thereby braking the $1 per watt price barrier.. While the achievement is great news for the solar industry some studies suggest [...]

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Tags: Alternative Energy · Carbon Economics · Carbon Footprint · Coal Energy · Energy Costs · Energy Economics · Hydrocarbon Fuels · Oil Energy · Solar Efficiency · Solar Energy · Solar Energy Economics · Solar Stocks · Wind Energy

Obama, Energy Efficiency and Lighting Retrofit

January 19th, 2009 · 4 Comments

As President Obama takes office, energy efficiency takes center stage. One of he fastest roads to energy efficiency is to reduce consumption and the simplest approach to energy conservation is to change a light bulb.
Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFL) recommended by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) offer substantial savings to homeowners. [...]

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Tags: Alternative Energy · CO2 Emissions · Carbon Economics · Carbon Emissions · Carbon Footprint · Carbon and Climate · Coal Energy · Energy Costs · Energy Density · Energy Economics · Solar Energy · Wind Energy

Vote the Economy by Voting for Energy

October 21st, 2008 · 1 Comment

Access to energy was instrumental fueling the Industrial Revolution. Over the last 200 years, industrial nations have migrated from wood to coal and now to oil as a source of energy. During the 1700’s, wood was used for just about everything from fuel to constructing houses and building wagons and even tools. [...]

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Tags: Alternative Energy · CO2 Emissions · Carbon Economics · Carbon Emissions · Carbon Footprint · Carbon and Climate · Energy Costs · Energy Economics · Energy Expenditures · Energy Independence · Energy Security · Fuel Costs · Global Warming · Historic Energy · Home Energy Economics · Hydrocarbon Fuels · Hydrogen Economics · Oil Energy · Oil Independence · Solar Energy · Solar Energy Economics · Transportation Energy Economics

Energy Crisis - What Can We Do

June 14th, 2008 · No Comments

As energy and food prices set new world records, what can we do at home to avert the crisis? Food prices are rising because corn is diverted from food production to producing ethanol for use as fuel in motor vehicles and is exacerbated by the recent flooding in the Mid West. Oil [...]

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Tags: Alternative Energy · CO2 Emissions · Carbon Emissions · Carbon Footprint · Carbon and Climate · Corn Ethanol · Energy Costs · Energy Economics · Energy Independence · Energy Security · Ethanol Energy · Fuel Costs · Global Warming · Home Energy Economics · Home Heating Costs · Hydrocarbon Fuels · Oil Energy · Peak Oil · Solar Efficiency · Solar Energy · Solar Energy Economics · Wind Energy

Oil Tax could Facilitate Alternative Energy Development

March 2nd, 2008 · 2 Comments

Oil continues to trade above $100 per barrel with the NYMEX CRUDE FUTURE closing at $101.84 on the last day of February 2008 and the US House of Representative passes legislation to raise $18 billion in new taxes for Big Oil to foster development of alternative energies. While President [...]

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Tags: Alternative Energy · CO2 Emissions · Carbon Economics · Carbon Emissions · Carbon Footprint · Carbon and Climate · Energy Costs · Energy Economics · Energy Expenditures · Energy Independence · Energy Security · Hydrocarbon Fuels · Oil Energy · Peak Oil · Transportation Energy Economics

Hydrogen Fuel Cells – energy conversion and storage

February 9th, 2008 · No Comments

World oil demand continues to rise despite efforts to limit demand. Renewable energies such as solar and wind have the potential to limit our dependence on hydrocarbon fuels, but one issue remains prominent - storing energy. While the sun provides radiation for solar and generates wind, when its cloudy or dark we are [...]

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Tags: Alternative Energy · CO2 Emissions · Carbon Emissions · Carbon Footprint · Energy Costs · Energy Economics · Energy Independence · Energy Security · Fuel Cells · Fuel Efficiency · Hydrocarbon Fuels · Hydrogen Economics · Hydrogen Energy · Oil Energy · Solar Energy · Solar Energy Economics · Wind Energy

The Economics of Energy – why wind, hydrogen fuel cells, and solar are an imperative

January 30th, 2008 · No Comments

From the Industrial Revolution we learned that economic growth is inextricably linked to energy and as a result, our future is dependent upon equitable access to energy. When the Stourbridge Lion made entry as the first American steam locomotive in 1829 it was used to transport Anthracite coal mined in nearby Carbondale, PA to [...]

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Tags: Alternative Energy · Automobile Fuel Efficiency · CO2 Emissions · Carbon Economics · Carbon Emissions · Carbon Footprint · Carbon and Climate · Coal Energy · Energy Costs · Energy Economics · Energy Expenditures · Energy Independence · Energy Security · Fuel Cells · Fuel Costs · Fuel Efficiency · Global Warming · Historic Energy · Hydrocarbon Fuels · Hydrogen Energy · Oil Energy · Solar Energy · Wind Energy · Wood Energy

Ethanol offers short-term solutions, but corn-based ethanol is not the answer

January 6th, 2008 · 1 Comment

Ethanol may emit less CO2 and help reduce the demand for foreign oil in the short term, but ethanol and in particular, corn-based ethanol raises food prices, is less efficient than gasoline, diesel, and biodiesel, and is not a substitute for oil.
According to research compiled by National Geographic Magazine , the energy balance of [...]

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Tags: Alternative Energy · Automobile Fuel Efficiency · CO2 Emissions · Carbon Economics · Carbon Emissions · Carbon Footprint · Corn Ethanol · Energy Costs · Energy Density · Energy Economics · Energy Expenditures · Energy Independence · Energy Security · Ethanol Energy · Fuel Cells · Fuel Costs · Fuel Efficiency · Hydrocarbon Fuels · Hydrogen Energy · Oil Energy · Solar Energy · Solar Energy Economics · Specific Energy · Switchgrass Ethanol · Transportation Energy Economics · Wind Energy

Solar and Hydrogen Energy - where vehicle fuel efficiency is headed

October 17th, 2007 · 2 Comments

Despite efforts that have enabled the U.S. to limit its demand for oil, world oil demand is up significantly. Advances in technology such as solar energy and vehicle fuel cell could help the world reduce its dependence on oil.
Figure 1 Oil and Gold Prices

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the [...]

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Tags: Alternative Energy · Automobile Fuel Efficiency · Biodiesel Energy · CO2 Emissions · Carbon Emissions · Carbon Footprint · Energy Costs · Energy Economics · Energy Independence · Energy Security · Fuel Cells · Fuel Costs · Fuel Efficiency · Historic Energy · Hydrocarbon Fuels · Hydrogen Economics · Hydrogen Energy · Oil Energy · Solar Energy · Transportation Energy Economics

A small investment produces huge savings on your electric bill

October 9th, 2007 · No Comments

My September electric bill arrived the other day and I was interested in comparing my energy savings after swapping 60 and 100-watt light bulbs for Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFL), as recommended by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Our progress in migrating to solar and wind energy is moving slower than expected. [...]

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Tags: CO2 Emissions · Carbon Economics · Carbon Emissions · Carbon Footprint · Carbon and Climate · Coal Energy · Energy Costs · Energy Economics · Fuel Costs · Home Energy Economics · Solar Energy · Wind Energy

The DOE’s Change a Light, Change the World campaign misses the bigger point.

October 4th, 2007 · 1 Comment

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is quite correct in suggesting that if every household in the U.S. substituted a 100-watt standard light bulb for a Compact Fluorescent Light bulb (CFL), it would eliminate an amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent to one million automobiles. However, it is the bigger picture that matters, - [...]

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Tags: Alternative Energy · Automobile Fuel Efficiency · CO2 Emissions · Carbon Economics · Carbon Emissions · Carbon Footprint · Carbon and Climate · Coal Energy · Energy Economics · Energy Independence · Energy Security · Fuel Efficiency · Global Warming · Oil Energy · Transportation Energy Economics

With choices like Biodiesel and Ethanol, what’s the best fuel for your vehicle?

October 3rd, 2007 · 1 Comment

With the rapid growth in vehicle use around the world, it would be nice to know what are the most efficiency, economic, and least carbon emitting fuels. The number of motor vehicles on the road is increasing rapidly. The number of cars and trucks in China is up over 3,600 percent in the [...]

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Tags: Alternative Energy · Automobile Fuel Efficiency · Biodiesel Energy · CO2 Emissions · Carbon Economics · Carbon Emissions · Carbon Footprint · Carbon and Climate · Energy Density · Energy Economics · Energy Independence · Energy Security · Ethanol Energy · Fuel Cells · Fuel Efficiency · Hydrocarbon Fuels · Hydrogen Energy · Natural Gas Energy · Oil Energy · Propane Energy · Solar Energy · Specific Energy · Transportation Energy Economics · Wind Energy

Solar Energy: The Security Perspective

September 12th, 2007 · 2 Comments

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s $23.6 Billion Spending Plan for FY’07 calls for $1.5 billion for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy where spending includes $28 million in solar, $16 million for thin-film photovoltaic manufacturing equipment to reduce the cost of solar panels, $23 million for researching ethanol, and [...]

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Tags: Alternative Energy · Carbon Economics · Carbon Emissions · Carbon Footprint · Energy Costs · Energy Economics · Energy Expenditures · Energy Security · Fuel Costs · Fuel Efficiency · Home Energy Economics · Hydrocarbon Fuels · Oil Energy · Solar Energy · Solar Stocks

Ethanol: Benefits and Issues

September 6th, 2007 · No Comments

There are several studies evaluating ethanol as fuel for transportation that offer both positive and negative impacts from ethanol. On the positive side there is less CO2 emitted from ethanol than conventional hydrocarbon fuels, domestic producers gain economic value from employment and purchasing power, and there is less dependence on foreign oil. Other [...]

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Tags: Alternative Energy · Automobile Fuel Efficiency · CO2 Emissions · Carbon Economics · Carbon Emissions · Carbon Footprint · Energy Costs · Energy Economics · Ethanol Energy · Fuel Costs · Fuel Efficiency · Hydrocarbon Fuels · Oil Energy · Solar Energy · Transportation Energy Economics

How vulnerable are we to energy shocks?

September 4th, 2007 · 1 Comment

The second category 5 hurricane to hit Caribbean in two weeks leaves uncertainty in the energy market as oil prices head higher. While it is hard to draw the direct correlation between global warming and hurricanes strength, the fact is the oil production in the Gulf of Mexico accounts for 32% of our total [...]

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Tags: Alternative Energy · CO2 Emissions · Carbon Economics · Carbon Emissions · Carbon Footprint · Carbon and Climate · Energy Costs · Energy Economics · Fuel Costs · Global Warming · Oil Energy · Solar Energy · Wind Energy

How to measure fuel efficiency, energy costs, and carbon emissions for home heating

August 27th, 2007 · 1 Comment

To measure the efficiency of conventional hydrocarbon fuels, we need a common measure of energy. The Kilowatt-Hours (KWH), the billing quantity of electric usage, serves as a useful measure of energy because we can equate KWH to engine horsepower performance, heat energy of a fuel, and compare energy costs on a common level. [...]

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Tags: CO2 Emissions · Carbon Economics · Carbon Emissions · Carbon Footprint · Coal Energy · Energy Costs · Energy Economics · Fuel Costs · Fuel Efficiency · Home Energy Economics · Home Heating Costs · Hydrocarbon Fuels · Natural Gas Energy · Oil Energy · Propane Energy · Wood Energy