Policy

Just came across this. Washington State will be voting this November on a revenue neutral carbon tax. Washington Carbon Emission Tax (2016) - Ballotpedia Carbon WA | Yes On I-732

A good opportunity to strengthen Tesla's case and that of EVs in general along with alternative energy sources such as solar, wind and hydro power has come. New articles were just released warning of a possible catastrophic climate shift within the next few decades. More here: Scientists warn...

This is probably preaching to the choir here, but PBS running a program on Frontline soon exposing Saudi Arabia's brutality, "Saudi Arabia Uncovered". I think everyone who uses oil should watch this. "With undercover footage and on-the-ground reporting, FRONTLINE reveals what life is like in...

The state of Oregon will phase out coal fired electricity by 2030. Oregon says yes to coal-free electricity How long till the other 49 states get on board with this ?

A negative opinion : Massachusetts doesn't need Hydro-Quebec (The author is president of the New England Power Generators Association.) Hydro- Quebec's reply: The New England Power Generators Association should not be afraid of competition ... | Press releases | Newsroom | Hydro-Québec

Trying to figure this out... all the PV installers around here appear to be colluding or something... $5/w seems to be the popular price... It's ridiculous... the materials cost ~$1.20/w... even paying $100/hr only bumps the price to ~$3/w... what gives?

Lockheed Martin Energy has five core areas: energy management, energy storage, nuclear systems, ocean technologies and bioenergy. Since January, Lockheed Martin Energy has booked $150 million in new work. The company said Tuesday it won a $43 million contract to build a bioenergy plant in...

I am working on calculating my household's GHG emissions. Last year I put in solar panels and when calculating GHG emissions I am assuming that my solar panels offset the power generated from the grid. Here in Ontario our electricity comes from (1) Nukes, (2) Hydro, (3) Gas fired plants, and...

SMA Sunnyboy question, is 6kW panels on a 5kW 3 phase inverter OK? Hi, I've just received a quote for 6kW of panels on a 5kw 3phase SMA 5000TL Sunnyboy Is this OK, location 27.5° coastal

In 2014 Maine’s largest utility was not successfull in adding a grid-tie fee and increasing distribution costs and since then a study was commissioned, reported, and evaluated by the legeslature and now a bill is under consideration to end Net Metering and promote solar growth. bill summary...

Interesting article of how China is slowly abandoning the idea of base load...

Drove His Tahoe Into a Wall Big deal in the energy world, this guy was the best at leveraged growth in fracking wells. He basically placed our last horrendous governor in office for Pennsylvania's worst 4 year run in it's history. Major cuts to public education, massive unpaid bills, and of...

This is insanity: Oil industry sees Paris climate deal as chance to innovate - Business Insider If you believe in the tooth fairy and you are willing to tolerate the health effects. Can an organization (the MIT Energy Initiative) qualify for a Darwin Award?

Amazing talk: Al Gore: The case for optimism on climate change | TED Talk | TED.com Reminds me a lot of Elon's talk: Elon live now-cop21 Retweet if if you like: Ktowntslafan on Twitter:

Moody’s put Chevron (CVX) on review for a downgrade on expected negative free cash flow and changed Exxon Mobil‘s (XOM) debt rating outlook to negative, as lower capital reinvestment will likely haunt the oil major for the rest of the decade. The ratings agency predicts negative free cash flow...

Here’s How Electric Cars Will Cause the Next Oil Crisis

I'm having a hard time understanding the decision based on the fact that the power companies say everyone who does not have solar are paying for those who do. I paid to generate power from the sun, so I'm using less from the power company. So they are saying that some of my power I generate is...

Republican Governor Brian Sandoval of Nevada is apparently being considered by President Obama for the Supreme Court vacancy. He is a friend of Tesla Motors who was instrumental in getting the Gigafactory located in Nevada, and overturning the state’s requirement that new cars be sold through...

ThinkProgress has an interesting article by Joe Romm which has an interesting analysis which states that peak oil demand will be in 2030. It looks at trends in the transportation sector. Peak Oil Returns: Why Demand Will Likely Peak By 2030 | ThinkProgress OECD oil and coal consumption are...

#Merchantsofdoubt at it again: Fossil fuel funded report denies the expert global warming consensus | John Abraham | Environment | The Guardian The Heartland Institute has received funding from ExxonMobil, the Koch Brothers, Donors Trust, the American Petroleum Institute, and other fossil fuel...

Intel campus in Folsom unveils sprawling solar power carport | The Sacramento Bee Shaded parking spots plus free energy. Win for everyone. So proud of my former employer. Read more here: Intel campus in Folsom unveils sprawling solar power carport | The Sacramento Bee

This just into the news room.... The Journal of Accountancy says that the President has two budget proposals (among a host of others) concerning the oil, gas and fossil fuel industries. The first proposal is to eliminate $4,000,000,000 annually in subsidies to producers of oil and gas and...

I was reflecting on the dilemma that GM and the other auto manufacturers face in that they must cannibalize their current ICE lines and go EV or go bankrupt. We know that they have, and will, employ delaying tactic. One such delaying tactic: being instrumental in blocking manufacturers direct to...

If I bypass my Production Meter... is that stealing? Who am I stealing from? If there's a power outage... do I still have to pay for the solar energy that I produce? This nonsense has got to stop.

Great article about the grim future of oil..... As Oil Prices Gyrate, Underlying Trends Are Shifting To Oil's Disadvantage "In the 1850s, whalers—America’s fifth-largest industry—were astounded to run out of customers before they ran out of whales," he writes.

So..... my 'wonderful' utility has decided they need to charge me $0.036/kWh that I generate with solar. I do get net-metering (yay) but I only get paid ~$0.025/kWh for any monthly excess. Rate 59; Screwing people that have the audacity to generate their own power. Meanwhile... they've signed...

Target Audience - Libertarians and Conservatives - Assume they are unfamiliar with Solar PV - Climate Change not a concern (I don't plan to mention this at all) - Primary concerns are saving money and energy security if the grid fails Here's my outline so far; Objectives - Your energy needs...

New oil tax would fund additional green transportation spending. Obama to propose $10-a-barrel oil tax

Article published today from Bloomberg Business A Renewables Revolution Is Toppling the Dominance of Fossil Fuels in U.S. Power - Bloomberg Business

Hi guys, New on Tesla Motor Club, so hope you will enjoy my thoughts and Elon, I really hope you will find this thread, I probably will notice and if not if will try other channels, once it comes to present my idea in person, since Tesla is the first company I would like to give a chance to...

When I plug my car in overnight in California, what is the carbon emissions of the energy that comes on line to provide energy to my batteries? One can look up what the carbon emissions per MWh are for California where I live. but using that to talk about my car's emissions are a little goofy...

Log In - The New York Times Great opinion piece by Nobel Laureate Krugman in today's NY Times (2/1/16)

In Alaska we have a fairly sophisticated solar heat system. So sophisticated it doesn't work at all; not after its first several months - and that was some time ago. But this thread isn't about Alaska. Our rural Arizona home is set up like many and perhaps most that are not on a municipal...

Pretty crazy deal if anyone is looking for some solar panels...

I can't believe the stories about Flint's water. A country with the most powerful economy in the world with such humanitarian and infrastructure problems. Is the MSM making it out to be worse than it is?

Not sure this is the correct place for this but wanted to put this out there and find out how we can get our voice heard at the governor level. The power companies in California are trying there best to penalize solar installs. They have eliminate the most solar friendly rate schedule E7 and now...

We haven't heard from Aliens because they're all dead. I've always considered this one of the more plausible answers to the Fermi Paradox... This certainly highlights the importance of keeping our home in working order as well as the incredibly absurd insanity of continuing our dependence on...

Caveman poop in river. Downstream caveman hit pooper caveman in head. Government is born. Core function of government is to stop pollution. More generally, core function of government is to stop theft of life (including health) or things, and that includes ill health from pollution. Competition...

Texas Sets New All-Time Wind Energy Record - Scientific American Blog Network Nice!

Great news (if the republicans don't win the presidency in the next election [I typed that before I knew about or read the statement below by Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah]). U.S. Announces Moratorium On New Coal Leases On Federal Lands : The Two-Way : NPR

STRATEGIST: There's a decent chance the US government will bail out the oil industry - Yahoo Finance Are you freaking kidding me? There is absolutely no way this should happen. If Congress even considers sending a dime of bailout money to the Oil Industry, I will be calling and writing my...

Planet Money had a small article on an anticipatable, but fairly out of the spotlight, result of the decline of oil prices. Apparently, the lesser-value-added portion of the recycled plastics stream is something the recyclers have not been able to keep going. So-called 'plastic bags' - that's...

Just talked to Leilani. Tonight the Racing Extinction team (and Tesla 006, the amazing projection car) will be blasting Sacramento with images. I'd love to see a whole team of Teslas representing. I know it's short notice, but hey! I'll be there in my white Roadster. Hope you can make it, too...

When I reserved my Tesla MS, in 2011, oil was at nearly 140$ a barrel. Together with some tax incentives in Belgium, buying a Tesla made sense not only ecologically, but also economically (plus the fun/smart-factor, of course :-)), compared to, say, buying a similarly loaded BMW 5-series...

Here is a recent CNN interview with Fareed Zakaria "Why you should thank the government for your smartphone" where Mazzucato discusses the role of government investment in early stage R&D. http://edition.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/01/04/exp-gps-0103-mazzucato-intv.cnn "My recent book, The...

Well this is quite a development. I'm not sure I can even come up with appropriate commentary. Saudi Arabia is considering an IPO of Aramco, probably the world’s most valuable company Sell high and buy a small country somewhere before the whole thing comes crashing down. Good move.

Fracked Gas Wont Achieve Paris Climate Goals, But Empowering Communities Could

Hadn't heard this before - apparently Miami's already experiencing flooding. Miami Beach has been installing pumps and raising their roads to compensate. The Siege of Miami

Warning: If you are a supporter of Tesla, electric cars and alternative-energy vehicles, this report will upset you. OPEC is predicting that 94% of cars on the road will still be powered by oil-based fuels in 2040. OPEC bashes prospects for electric cars - Dec. 23, 2015

I can't believe there isn't a thread about this already. Mods, I checked Energy, Environment, and Policy and News and didn't see anything. Feel free to merge or delete if I missed something. A friend of mine who works for a local solar installer told about this last night over a beer...