Tag Archives: renewable energy
Bittersweet in the Bakken
The Bakken fracking boom is a testament to the innate ingenuity of the human mind. Who thought just a few short years ago that application of new technology on old oil fields would turn North Dakota into America’s 2nd largest … Continue reading
County OKs wind turbine for Wal-Mart distribution center
Made the local newspaper today. They didn’t spell my name right, but they got the gist of the story straight. Fairfield Energy Partners proposed to build a single 2.5 MW direct-drive wind turbine on an 80-meter tower, at the Wal-Mart … Continue reading
Recycling Pumps Up Waste To Energy Efforts
Hey, another US EIA brief fits into “real work”. More recycling raises average energy content of waste used to generate electricity Most municipal solid waste (MSW) used to generate electricity contains both biogenic and non-biogenic components. As consumers recycle or … Continue reading
US Energy Information Administration
At this month’s Western Planner Conference, I noticed a lot of the presenters (more than one) used a lot of data and graphics from the US Energy Information Administration, when they were talking about energy development. Now, I pride myself … Continue reading
Western Planners Get Smart About Energy, Revitalization and Transportation
Energy development, smart growth and transportation planning were the topics of choice at the 2012 Western Planner Conference in Billings, Montana. Western Planner brings together professionals from just west of SRDC’s borders to Alaska, many of whom work in small … Continue reading
GreenStep Cities
[v=AcJJhhf5GS4] Minnesota GreenStep Cities is a voluntary challenge, assistance and recognition program to help cities achieve their sustainability goals through implementation of best practices. These actions are tailored to all Minnesota cities, focused on cost savings and energy use reduction, … Continue reading
FourSquare for Your Square
FourSquare for Business webinar, Thurs 10 Nov, Noon CST. The information superhighway was supposed to knock down the barriers of distance, putting rural communities on a level playing field with our urban brethren. And it has… except where it hasn’t. … Continue reading
Beacon Power Pulls the Plug
It may be darkest just before the dawn, but it doesn’t seem like there’s much of any light shining out of the US Department of Energy’s Energy Policy Act loan guarantee program. First solar energy manufacturer Solyndra went lights out in September. … Continue reading
The Junk Science of Ethanol-Food Price Pressure
With harvest wrapping up here in the Upper Midwest, I wanted to share this Op-Ed from Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture, Republican Bill Northey. It came out last spring, but is still timely this fall. Rising Food Prices: Don’t Blame Ethanol … Continue reading
Post-Solyndra Solar Looking Up
Fast Company magazine offered an upbeat rejoinder this to the post-Solyndra solar funk that I should have included in that post: The solar industry has been in the post-Solyndra dumps. But here comes a timely ray of light: news that solar companies … Continue reading
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