It’s the Gophers vs. the Flickertails

Brian McCowan, Zondits staff, 7/18/2023 “America is a bifurcated country. Half the people don’t want anything to change — ever — while the other half want everything to change, especially if change means eliminating the use of fossil fuels.”  So begins an article in CleanTechnica, an online independent journal covering technical and policy issues affecting … Read more

500 Mile SunZia Renewable Energy Transmission Project to Break Ground

Brian McCowan, Zondits staff, 7/11/2023 Zondits has published several articles regarding the difficulty of expanding U.S. electrical transmission and distribution networks to facilitate the rapid growth of large-scale solar and wind renewable energy projects. However, some encouraging news is coming out of the American Southwest.  The Associated Press and multiple Southwest U.S. news outlets are … Read more

The Custom Conundrum: Accelerating Building Electrification

GianGabriel Masoni Dobles, Zondits staff, 6/27/2023 Valerie Nibler, Zondits contributor Energy efficiency efforts have made a significant shift toward building electrification in recent years, as the transition to clean renewable energy sources has moved front and center. For single-family homes, the effort has focused on heat pumps for space and water heating as well as … Read more

Pew Research – Climate Change is Not a Top Priority for Most Americans

Brian McCowan, Zondits staff, 6/13/2023 If you listen to National Public Radio (NPR) or watch public TV, you likely have heard of Pew Research, as they are regular sponsors of educational programming. Public opinions on energy and environmental issues are regularly tracked by Pew. Their research results have a mix of good and bad news … Read more

Aging Transmission Grids are a Major Bottleneck for Renewable Energy Expansion

Brian McCowan, Zondits staff, 5/9/2023 CNBC’s fourth installment in their series on the U.S. power grid reports that renewable energy projects are waiting in lines longer than those for a Taylor Swift concert. According to the article, wind and solar project wait lines are often years long as power grid infrastructures struggle to accommodate the … Read more

Renewable Energy is Booming in China – But so is Coal

Brian McCowan, Zondits staff, 4/4/2023 China is leading the world in the completion of renewable energy projects. In 2022, China added almost as many renewable energy projects to the grid as the rest of the world combined, according to the Global Energy Monitor (GEM). GEM is a non-profit organization that tracks energy projects and fuel … Read more

Now You Can Use Your Renewable Energy Credits to Buy Gasoline Gift Cards

Brian McCowan, Zondits staff, 4/1/2023 Gasoline and diesel retailer Finite Fuels, LTD has introduced a gasoline gift card that can be purchased with renewable energy credits. The card, which is available in $25 and $50 denominations, can be used at thousands of gasoline stations that sell Finite Fuels’ generic brand products. Francis Fable, the CEO … Read more

“The turbulence in the energy market does not dramatically alter the decarbonization pathway towards midcentury.”

Remi Eriksen, Group President and CEO of DNV said, “The turbulence in the energy market does not dramatically alter the decarbonization pathway towards midcentury. The strongest engine of the global energy transition is the rapidly reducing costs of solar and wind energy, which will outweigh the present short-term shocks to the energy system.”  Read more … Read more

CNBC Publishes Series on the Need for a National Macrogrid

Brian McCowan, Zondits staff, 3/9/2023 In a clear sign that power grid issues are becoming a concern to more than just “energy wonks,” CNBC, the widely read internet journal and broadcast network is publishing a multi-part series on problems associated with the grid and the nation’s climate change goals.  The series titled, Transmission Troubles, makes … Read more

“The solution is making the grid bigger than the weather.”

Michael Goggin, Vice President of Grid Strategies, said as part of the ACORE report, “the solution is making the grid bigger than the weather.” With severe weather events typically “relatively geographically constrained,” regions could help each other meet demand. Read more here: ‘Modest’ transmission buildout would have yielded millions in benefits in December storm: ACORE … Read more