Demand for wind turbine blades in Europe has slipped, apparently, so a British company that makes them, Vestas, has plans to let go 625 workers (or, in the formulaic language of British news reports, “axe 625 jobs“). So some of those being “axed” have decided to barricade themselves into the factory, in the unorthodox but apparent hope that this will stimulate demand.
What is perhaps most interesting about this story is not so much what it reveals about the impermanence of…
On behalf of my distinguished colleague Iain Murray, who is busy speaking at a very important press conference this morning, let me present his prepared remarks on the impending stimulus bill:
Remarks of Iain Murray, Director of Projects and Analysis, Competitive Enterprise Institute
Good morning. Others have already told you what an unutterable waste of money this so-called stimulus package is. I just want to make two points. First, that the American people have been misled about the nature of the bill, and…
It’s not often I disagree with Ron Bailey, but his article about the “Smart Grid” today glosses over the main reason why electric companies aren’t investing in it now.
It’s not because they’ll be selling less electricity and that means reduced profits. One of the main points about a smart grid means that you can charge more when there is a strain on the system caused by peaking and less when there isn’t. So your income stream takes on a different character.…
Apparently, global warming is now irreversible. Or, at least, it is if you don’t consider any of the policy options that might, you know, reverse it. As Roger Pielke Jr points out, the study didn’t examine the potential for geoengineering:
Geoengineering to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere was not considered in the study. “Ideas about taking the carbon dioxide away after the world puts it in have been proposed, but right now those are very speculative,” said Solomon.
Then only…
I’ve spent a while crunching the numbers relating to energy and environment spending in the stimulus bill. The bill will spend about $80 billion on energy and environment, which can be broadly broken down into the following categorizations:
Electricity infrastructure/efficiency - $35.6 billion
Renewable projects - $11.95bn (mostly $8bn in loan guarantees and $2.4bn for clean coal)
Climate science/general energy academic research - $9.3bn!!! (including $1.9 for nuclear research)
EPA programs (Superfund cleanup etc) - $12.2bn
Other environmental (National Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau…
From today’s Greenwire:
NEW YORK — The crisis roiling Wall Street is threatening to choke financing for green energy projects. Venture capitalists and private equity firms could fill the void as traditional financing options dry up. Indeed, private equity fund managers say the current turmoil could turn into a net positive for them: As debt markets turn their backs on green energy companies, many will look to venture capital and private equity to get backing for new projects or expansions. But…
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