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Program Manager
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The high-profile and controversial collapse of Solyndra and Beacon Power has led critics to question the integrity and merit of DOE’s loan guarantee program. Energy Secretary Steven Chu was asked to respond to these criticisms before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on 11/17/11. Rep. Stearns (R-FL), chairman of the subcommittee, said “it is readily apparent that senior officials in the administration put politics before the stewardship of taxpayer dollars” [NYT]. Dr. Chu denied this, arguing that a tough global market was to blame, that struggling loan recipients “got caught in a very, very bad tsunami.” He defended the value… [more]
View InsightNote: Synopsis drawn from report’s executive summary. Synopsis intended solely for purposes of generating discussion. The Future of Natural Gas: An Interdisciplinary MIT Study By the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative Natural gas has moved to the center of the current debate on energy, security and climate. This study examines the role of natural gas in a carbon-constrained world, with a time horizon out to mid-century. The overarching conclusions are that: Abundant global natural gas resources imply greatly expanded natural gas use, with especially large growth in electricity generation. Natural gas will assume an increasing share of the U.S.… [more]
View InsightNote: Synopsis based on OurEnergyPolicy.org review. Synopsis intended solely for purposes of generating discussion. How a Limited and Direct Approach to Energy Innovation Can Deliver Clean, Cheap Energy, Economic Productivity and National Prosperity By Steven F. Hayward, American Enterprise Institute Mark Muro, Brookings Institution Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger, Breakthrough Institute Fossil fuels have undeniably been critical to American prosperity and development, but we can gradually move toward cleaner, healthier, and safer energy sources. Our goal today should be to make new clean energy sources much cheaper so they can steadily displace fossil fuels. If we structure this transition correctly,… [more]
View Insight[Note: The statements below are intended solely to stimulate discussion among the Expert community, and do not represent the position of OurEnergyPolicy.org. Text in italics indicates clarification or expansion.] There is a question what carbon policy is most suited to the U.S. The question boils down to the best way to force GHG emitters to spend enough money on reduction of CO2 and other GHG. Several policies have been discussed or tried around the world: Cap and Trade Cap and trade is a popular yet problematic solution. Firstly, it hasn’t produced the expected significant change in places it has… [more]
View Insight[Note: The statements below are intended solely to stimulate discussion among the Expert community, and do not represent the position of OurEnergyPolicy.org. Text in italics indicates clarification or expansion.] A significant amount of U.S. electricity is consumed by our water supply. For example: 7-8% of California’s energy use is for large water systems. If California’s consumer end usage is included, it reaches 19% of electricity load and 39% of natural gas! National data on energy consumption for water supply is not readily available! Our water supply systems are very inefficient. Significant percentage of the water is leaking from the… [more]
View Insight[Note: The statements below are intended solely to stimulate discussion among the Expert community, and do not represent the position of OurEnergyPolicy.org. Text in italics indicates clarification or expansion.] Coal is the main workhorse of electricity generation (49%). It is still the cheapest and is expected to stay so for the foreseeable future. It is also a national resource (we are the “Saudi Arabia of coal”). It is also one of the most polluting and one of the greatest emitters of GHG. There is no way to meet our electricity demands in the next 40-50 years without coal. It… [more]
View Insight[Note: The statements below are intended solely to stimulate discussion among the Expert community, and do not represent the position of OurEnergyPolicy.org. Text in italics indicates clarification or expansion.] The U.S. will be moving to electricity based short-haul transportation at a rapid pace. The transition is in its early stages and will grow exponentially starting in 2010. The electric battery car will be the vehicle of the 21 century. It is highly likely that within 15-20 years every new car will be electric. Cheap electricity is a critical component of U.S. competitiveness. Worldwide energy prices will continue to rise.… [more]
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