In an increasingly technology-dependent society with growing energy needs as we seek a higher quality of life, disturbances in electricity supply and quality can have severe implications daily. They can cause significant losses of information, efficiency and productivity as interruptions crash computers and the critical services reliant upon them, such as life support systems, or…
A newly proposed Senate bill would establish the State Energy Race to the Top program aimed at doubling the nation’s energy productivity by 2030. On June 20, 2013, Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduced a bill to establish a state grant program of federal incentives to boost energy productivity. The bill…
A new report identifies NYC’s potential for combined heat and power deployment and suggests potential solutions to overcome regulatory and technical barriers. On May 30, 2013, the Columbia Center for Climate Change Law and Modi Research Group released a report examining the potential for combined heat and power (CHP) development in New York City. Based…
Energy tax reform proposals released by the House Ways and Means Committee outline potential modifications to federal tax code for fossil fuel production, renewable energy tax credits, and energy efficiency provisions. On May 6, 2013, the House Ways and Means Committee released the Joint Committee on Taxation report detailing tax reform suggestions to 11 Tax…
NY Energy Highway Task Force has initiated actions towards implementing the state’s $5.7 billion electric grid modernization plan, allowing participants to move forward with assigned tasks. On April 30, 2013, the New York (NY) Energy Highway Task Force announced a progress report of assigned tasks and actions to move forward with the state’s $5.7 billion electric…
The revised Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act would allow renewable energy projects to access financing and tax advantages that are currently available only to fossil fuel energy projects. On April 24, 2013, a group led by Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) introduced an expanded version of the Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act introduced in 2012 to…
An updated bipartisan energy efficiency bill aims to overcome Congressional barriers to drive energy efficiency in buildings and industrial facilities, and ensure adoption of efficiency measures by the government. On April 18, 2013, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) revealed an updated version the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (S 1000). First…
U.S. and China have committed to take cooperative action to combat climate change using practical emissions reduction measures and low-carbon initiatives, setting a powerful example to the rest of the world. On April 13, 2013, the U.S. State Department announced the U.S. and China will launch a Climate Change Working Group, recognizing the need for…
In his FY 2014 budget proposal, President Obama increases spending on clean energy development, seeking to expedite R&D and boost cost-competitiveness and deployment of clean energy technologies. President Barack Obama’s FY2014 budget plan released on April 10, 2013, proposes increases in spending for clean energy production and deployment. The budget aims to support cost-competitiveness…
In his Saturday Keynote speech at the 2013 MIT Energy Conference, Bill Richardson, former Governor of New Mexico, stressed the importance of connecting science and politics to fill the climate change knowledge gap, and proposed a macro-regional American collaboration to promote energy innovation and renewable energy diffusion. In the presence of recently appointed energy secretary Dr. Ernest Moniz, MIT…
On Friday, March 1st, 2013, NRG Energy President & CEO David Crane took the stage at the MIT Energy Conference to offer the Friday Keynote Address to a packed theater. MIT Energy Initiative Executive Director Melanie Kenderdine moderated the Friday Keynote in a one-on-one Davos-style conversational interview. In it, she asked Crane to offer his…
At the 2013 MIT Energy Conference opening plenary panel, a group of energy industry experts explored opportunities of innovation in the present political and economic scenario. From the two oil price shocks in the 70s to increasingly frequent superstorms, the energy industry has shown a great capacity of innovation during periods of crises. In times of…
