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The pace of global change accelerates with each passing year. Energy systems — which tend, even amid revolution (wood to coal, coal to oil, …), to change slowly — are struggling, globally, to adapt to how that pace of change is accelerating within them as well. Globalization combined with information technology reach combined with materials […]

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One of the most famous analytical quips: There are lies, damned lies, and statistics. Stephen Colbert’s addition of Truthiness to the English lexicon provides an umbrella concept for that old adage. And @TeamTrump’s and the @GOP base’s allegiance to #AlternativeFacts before reality is taking this to a whole new level. One aspect of such truthiness is to […]

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Government programs impact people’s lives in uncountable ways. These range from those most highly visible firemen on the streets to the semi-hidden code developments that lower year after year the risks of fire in our homes. The extent to which government programs have enabled American prosperity — whether standards or legal system or technological development […]

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This morning, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPAE) Energy Innovations Summit will begin. This annual three-day event brings together many of the world’s leading thinkers, scientists, tinkerers, business-process gurus when it comes to leap-frogging the United States (and the world) into a new (cleaner, efficient, effective, less expensive, …) energy future.  Not unreasonably, the conference […]

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Amid the (mounting) fears that @RealDonaldTrump has utter contempt for the Constitution and is intent on a drive toward an authoritarian Kakistocracy*, powerful voices are emerging. Below is a portion of an interview with one of these, Rep. Donald McEachin, VA-04, who was elected to the House of Representatives last November.  The more I get exposed to […]

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In its opening minutes, the Trump White House website went up. Should it surprise any that truth was one of the victims in this transfer from President Barack Obama to Team Trump? As part of that, science — in particular, climate science? Along with nearly 1,000,000 of my fellow citizens, I spent 21 January 2017 in […]

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A just introduced bill to the Wyoming Senate would, if passed, seem to outlaw the use of wind and solar resources to help power the state.  The Electricity Production Standard, introduced by “Senator(s) Hicks and Driskill and Representative(s) Baker, Blackburn, Clem, Edwards, Lindholm, Madden and Miller”, defines the specific energy sources that would be considered […]

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The Paris Accords are not a magical solution to the world’s ills. As a static document, what was signed will not solve climate change, will not prevent many degrees Celsius of warming.  They do, however, bring to the table every key nation with agreed-on commitments for action and, even more importantly, have a built ‘ratcheting […]

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For the past decade, Energy Smart Jeff Merkley has been one of the steadiest and most thoughtful voices on climate change. Not surprising that what might be the best Halloween fundraising email, certainly the most climate-oriented one, came from him as he warns us that “Swedish Fish [are] going extinct …” From: Senator Jeff Merkley […]

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Yom Kippur … the Day of Atonement. After the period of reflection and engagement with others between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, this is a moment to turn to internal considerations and the relationship between the individual and G-d. As part of the prayers for the Day of Atonement, the Vidui, the Al Cheyt or […]

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