Smart Grid
Under President Obama’s second term, energy industry officials and analysts are keen on the Administration’s priorities for the energy sector, envisioning regulatory reforms and policies to advance the nation’s energy and economic security. Key areas to watch include Keystone XL Pipeline talks, recognizing the primacy of states in regulating oil and natural gas development, and…...
Sequestration refers to a package of automatic $1.2 trillion across-the-board spending cuts that is a part of the 2011 Budget Control Act (BCA), passed in August 2011. The spending cuts would affect some 1200 government programs, including those that fund energy research and development initiatives. The cuts are scheduled to begin on January 2, 2013…...
On August 29, 2012 the Department of Energy (DOE) announced new investments for two university-led solar projects over a five-year period, under its SunShot Initiative. The investments amounting to $10 million are aimed at enhancing innovative technologies in concentrating solar power (CSP) systems. Such innovations can make solar power a practical energy option by increasing…...
According to a report released by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on August 27, 2012, applying a carbon tax at the rate of $20 per ton in 2013 and increasing it by four percent per year can raise $1.5 trillion over a span of 10 years. The report, which comes at a time when Congress…...
On June 13, the Obama Administration announced a number of new public-and private-sector policy initiatives for building the 21st century grid. The White House event, which featured high-level Administration officials, private-sector leaders, and innovators from across the nation, focused on how new federal initiatives can advance development and deployment of smart-grid technologies. The panel coincided…...