The commonly accepted wisdom in the energy industry is that the grid could only draw something like 20 percent of its power from wind and solar resources before encountering major reliability problems. But the new power flow simulation (.pdf), presented for the first time this week at the American Geophysical Union meeting, shows that, at least in California, the power grid might be able to handle three times that much renewable energy without encountering major trouble pushing electrons around the state.

The Minister for Energy, Eamon Ryan and Transport Minister, Noel Dempsey have announced the Government’s plans for a mass fleet of electric vehicles in Ireland. A a target of 10% of all vehicles in Ireland are to be powered by electricity by 2020. Details set out in the Electric Vehicle(EV) Plan: Tax incentives for business wishing to purchase electric vehicles Businesses will be able to write off 100% of the cost against tax under the Accelerated Capital Allowance Scheme €1 million set aside by Sustainable Energy Ireland for the research and development of vehicles nationally Guidance for individuals who wish to purchase an electric vehicle – the SEI is to publish a “Buyer’s Guide” and a “Cost of Ownership Calculator”

Agreement has been reached on the European Union Renewable Energy Directive that could paved the way for the economic bloc to achieve its plans for a 20% renewables contribution to total energy demand and a 20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, the so-called 20:20:20 plan. The deal, between the European Parliament, the French Presidency, on behalf of the Council, and the European Commission, means that more than one third of EU electricity must come from renewables by 2020.

Failure is not an option, they say. But Polish veto threats, Italian resistance, and German insistence that it will not jeopardise jobs to help save the planet, suggest that the action plan will be diluted. The risk is the EU will draw withering criticism from climate campaigners and signal weakness and indecision to the US, China, India and other key players in the global warming fight.

Will financial chaos turn America and the world away from environmental concern yet again? Or will refocusing on our energy and environmental problems restructure the way the world does business? We'll know soon enough. Maybe this time, green will help get us out of the red.

One of the most interesting parts of the book is the chapter “Tools for the Transition” Greer has a most interesting discussion of the merits of the slide-rule over the pocket calculator, and explains why it is infinitely more suitable to a low-energy world:it is durable- a solid aluminum slde-rule could last nearly geological time-scales-, independent, dependable and perhaps most significant of all its use of transparent- a future archeologist would be able to work out exactly how to use it. I have never actually used a slide-rule, but this discussion has inspired me to get one, and even teach its use on permaculture courses as an example of durable technologies. There are many other insightful observations Greer makes in this chapter, including comments on salvage and organic agriculture, and what will endure into the post-collapse world.

Ahead of the European Council meeting on 11th December, which will discuss EU energy policy, leading economist Ruth Lea warns in a new briefing paper for the TaxPayers' Alliance and Global Vision that the proposed EU Renewables Directive would drive up electricity costs, harm the economy and increase fuel poverty. In a comprehensive survey of research on the issue by the British Government, the House of Lords and leading think tanks and energy consultancies, she concludes that the potential costs of the Directive will be unsustainably high for consumers, businesses and the economy as a whole.

Amerigon Incorporated , a leader in developing and marketing products based on advanced thermoelectric (TE) technologies, today announced that its subsidiary, BSST LLC, will partner in a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) project to develop a highly-efficient thermoelectric heating and cooling system for automobiles that will substantially reduce energy consumption, engine load and ultimately greenhouse gas emissions. The goal of the 36-month, up to $8.4 million project is to create a zonal heating and cooling system for automobiles that heats or cools the vehicle occupants, rather than the entire cabin and its components, thereby reducing the energy consumed by existing heating/cooling systems by one third.

n aluminum can costs about a cent. Almost worthless, so it’s easy to toss it in the trash. It's like a magic trick, if you think about it. The thousands of stages in the manufacturing process, the material costs and the human stories, disappear into the air when we only have to spend a cent.   It’s how environmental catastrophes happen. We can’t see how unsustainable some products really are - because when they come in packs of 10 for a buck, who would be crazy enough to sell our planet off so cheaply? Separating price and value requires a shift in perspective. Things are often cheap because companies have figured out ways to externalize their true costs. Here's a look at what it really takes to make 10 everyday items we all use.

Water and energy providers say the issue of figuring out how to manage resources could dominate their work for the next 20 or 30 years. The seven Colorado River states have made the water-energy connection their focus at annual meetings in Las Vegas next week. Arizona utilities have turned their attention to finding a sustainable balance.

Any capacitor large enough to run the bus, would presently be many times the size of the actual bus, thus the capacitors would need to be in a string of trailers behind the bus to power it and leave room for the passengers. If such a capacitor-powered bus was ever designed, then consider how damaging the energy stored in the capacitor/s, if a sudden short circuit developed - it would demolish several city blocks in the resultant explosion. By comparison, energy stored in chemical form is far safer, small volume for large energy storage, easy to control.

There is no reason to wait until 2016 for the EuP eco-design requirements to phase out the modestly efficient C class halogen “look-alikes” that are expected to replace today’s clear incandescent lamps. These should be replaced by more efficient B Class lamps sooner than 2016, the European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy claims, based on a new report commissioned by the organisation.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have unveiled an updated energy efficiency action plan for state policy makers and utilities.