Advanced Energy Perspectives

This week we saw reports of a U.S. “solar surge” as several major utility-scale CSP projects go online in the Southwest deserts. Renewable Energy World compares to the effort to “building a massive Hoover Dam” of solar energy, crediting a Department of Energy loan guarantee program.

The Center for the New Energy Economy recently held it’s third annual “Natural Gas Symposium – Doing Energy Right” Conference. Kicking off the conference was a discussion moderated by former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter with CEO of GE, Jeffrey Immelt and Noble Energy CEO Chuck Davidson.

On October 16, Hemant Taneja, board chairman of AEE and managing director of General Catalyst Partners, took the stage twice at GreenBiz’s VERGE Conference in San Francisco. Focusing on the “21st Century Electricity System,” Taneja delivered a “VERGE talk” in the morning and moderated a panel in the afternoon – both drawing on AEE’s invitation-only forum series on the same topic.

This week we saw eight states commit to putting 3.3 million new zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025. Governors from California, Oregon, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont signed an agreement on Thursday to adopt numerous measures to accelerate the spread of advanced vehicles. The agreements included upgrading building codes to make for easier installation of EV charging stations and a commitment to include zero emission vehicles in public fleets. The agreement would also support development of other alternative fuel vehicles, including hydrogen fueling stations.

The federal government reopened last Thursday after a last-minute deal was reached to fund agencies through mid-January and raise the $16.7 trillion debt limit. Though Congress reached the critical Treasury Department deadline with one day to spare, lawmakers stress that the economy did not go unscathed and cannot continue to face these moments of crisis. Ultimately, the deal is only a temporary solution, and these issues will continue to be debated in coming months through FY 2014 appropriations and yet another debt limit increase.