44 Articles found
Ensia Articles
-
What rural Alaska can teach the world about renewable energy
I flew into Unalakleet, Alaska, on a late fall day. With about 700 people, Unalakleet is large by rural Alaska standards and serves as a regional hub. The village is located on a sandy spit of land where a clear river meets the turbid water of the ...
-
Companies from Chanel to Ben and Jerry’s are benefiting from the new “carbon insetting” trend
Ten years ago, serendipity set Tristan Lecomte on his path to planting millions of trees around the world. Lecomte was CEO of the French organic and fair trade company Alter Eco, and his eco-conscious consumers were pressing him about his actions ...
-
What can blockchain do for the environment?
“A lot of crypto-currency proponents say that blockchains are going to save the planet. Well, I just can’t see it.” This is not the resounding endorsement you might expect from widely acknowledged blockchain expert Michael ...
-
How renewable energy advocates are hurting the climate cause
Overly optimistic reports of renewables’ success are not only misleading but also counterproductive In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, the proliferation of misinformation on social media is finally getting the attention it ...
-
As Global Demand for Electricity Grows, Geothermal Energy Heats Up
January 9, 2017 — At 2:46 p.m. local time on Friday, March 11, 2011, Japan was rocked by the largest earthquake ever to strike its shores. The 9.1 magnitude quake triggered a devastating tsunami that killed more than 15,000 people. It also ...
-
How to make hydropower more environmentally friendly
Hydropower provides 85 percent of the world’s renewable electricity, but comes with a hefty environmental price tag. Here’s what some are doing to fix that. Humanity got its first large-scale electricity thanks to hydropower. On Aug. ...
-
Burundi leads the world in renewable energy use — and other fascinating facts about population, environment and energy
Good news: more people across the globe have improved access to safe water and sanitation. Bad news: air quality is a growing problem in lower-income countries. The Population Reference Bureau’s 2016 World Population Data Sheet, released in ...
-
Ellen Williams: The future of energy innovation
As director of the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy, Ellen Williams plays a pivotal role in cultivating and guiding energy technology discovery and development in the United States. Ensia recently invited Williams to share her ...
-
Want to improve wind and solar power? Bring them together
By combining intermittent renewable energy sources through hybrid projects, developers are taking advantage of the strengths of each. What’s keeping solar and wind power from fully taking over the electric grid? For starters, the sun only ...
-
Africa’s green energy challenge: Mega projects, off-grid or somewhere in between?
South of the Sahara, getting electricity to 620 million people may require an all-of-the-above strategy. A 310-megawatt wind farm sprouting up in a remote, barren landscape near Lake Turkana in northern Kenya has the clean energy world buzzing ...
-
Wind power is about to get a whole lot cheaper
Wind energy is soaring around the world, thanks to technology advances and energy policies that have reduced its cost. And things are only going to get better — with prices dropping substantially by mid-century, according to a survey of ...
-
Why smart utilities are embracing distributed electricity
Power companies that take initiative now can position themselves for a bright future in tomorrow’s clean energy economy The growth of distributed energy generation, particularly in the form of solar energy, leaves the aging, monopolistic ...
-
23 countries just got energy efficiency report cards – and they’re almost all flunking
The most valuable tool we have to meet the world’s growing energy demand while reducing greenhouse gas production could be figuring out how to use energy more efficiently. Investing in energy efficiency can also save money, reduce pollution, ...
-
Imagine a podcast from a federal agency. Then listen to this.
The U.S. Department of Energy just jumped on the podcast train — and what it’s bringing on board just might surprise you. Far from a dry, self-promoting description of government-funded research or admonishment to buy energy-efficient ...
-
Can we bury the carbon dioxide problem?
Seriously — carbon capture and storage could be a game-changer. Mention “carbon capture and storage” — the process of trapping carbon dioxide produced in fossil-fuel burning or other industrial processes and burying it ...
-
How can we ensure the race for clean energy doesn’t leave the world’s poorest citizens behind?
As in other places around the world, Mexico’s wind boom runs the risk of bypassing the poor, which is why we need new global standards. Wind power is booming in Mexico. With more than 3,200 megawatts in operation, the country is on par with ...
-
New documentary showcases the promise of solar energy
What do an unemployed American worker, a Tea Party activist and a Chinese entrepreneur have in common? They’re all part of a new documentary film highlighting the growth of solar energy around the world. Directed by award-winning filmmaker ...
-
Can low-income housing be energy efficient and affordable?
Residents of low-income housing need energy efficiency more than others, but are less likely to be able to afford it. How to escape the Catch-22? In Ann Arbor, Michigan, the local housing commission is completing floor-by-floor renovations in the ...
-
Is nuclear power our energy future — or a dinosaur in a death spiral?
Identical data yield drastically different conclusions about the role nuclear will play in meeting climate goals. Nuclear power is dead. Long live nuclear power. Nuclear power is the only way forward. Nuclear power is a red herring. Nuclear power ...
-
A small island in the Indian Ocean offers big lessons on clean power
The Indonesian island Sumba is working to provide 100% renewable electricity to all 650,000 residents by 2025. As the sun sets on the small Indonesian island of Sumba, Danga Beru Haba begins weaving under the glow of a single incandescent ...