52 Articles
Official
Green energy on track to overtake coal in Germany by year end

Power industry wants the automotive sector to do its part

Power industry wants the automotive sector to do its part.

Green
An electric cargo ship is delivering coal in China

The 2,000 ton capacity ship is powered by 1,000 lithium batteries.

Isn't it ironic, don't you think?

Green
EVs are greener than ever, thanks to renewable energy

At least, according to a study by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Based on where they've been bought, the average EV's emissions are about equal to a 73-mpg car.

Fire sale on stuff that burns: Oil, natural gas, coal down

It seems whatever can be burned to power a car, heat a home or make electricity, or ship people and goods is being sold at bargain basement prices.

ETC
Rolling Coal: America's political divide reaches the roads [w/videos]

Jason Mendelson was driving his Toyota Prius in the right lane of Interstate 64 near Richmond, Virginia, when a white pickup truck with two protruding smokestacks cut into the lane ahead.

Rollin' Coal: A Dirty Subculture Among Diesel Truck Owners

Dirty engines used to harass pedestrians, other drivers

The owners of these trucks already love their diesel engines, but for their bad boy reputation.

Official
Despite coal's dominance, renewables making gains in US

For electric vehicle drivers concerned about "dirty coal" taking away the environmental benefits of electrified transportation, we've found some good news. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has just released its annual report on sources of new energy capacity for domestic electric power plants. Renewable energy accounted for 37.16

Official
New EPA clean coal plant rules would cut CO2 emissions in half

This summer, President Obama called for cleaner coal power plants and started what critics called the "War on Coal." Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made it official by proposing new pollution standards for new power plants under the Clean Air Act. The agency also announced it would take steps to make old plants cleaner, but that's much less defined. The EPA's proposal i

Read This
Forbes columnist says Tesla Model S is a 'great coal car'

Every party has a pooper, and in this case it appears to be Forbes columnist Alex Epstein. Amid near-universal praise for the Tesla Model S electric vehicle, Epstein attempts to pop that balloon by calling the Model S a "great coal car," pointing out that about two-thirds of the world's electricity pro

President Obama calls for cleaner coal plants, which will make EVs cleaner

We forget where we heard it first, but we've always liked the argument for plug-in vehicles that they are able to get cleaner over time. Whether it's through installing solar panels on your roof or taking advantage of Tesla's solar-powered Superchargers, with an EV it is possible to make the electricity you use to power your EV cleaner. It's much harder to do with with a gas guzzler – and that's why an announc

Report
Beijing scrapping dirty, old clunkers to reduce "heavily polluted" air

Air pollution in China's capital city is reaching sobering levels. The World Health Organization warns that levels for fine airborne particulates that pose the greatest health risks should go no higher than 25 for 24-hour exposure on the PM2.5 scale. On January 22, the official Beijing government reading near Tiananmen Square reached 258 at 4 a.m. The city rates it as "hea

Study
UCS: no matter where you live, driving electric can save money, emissions

It's easy to understand that, if you power your vehicle with electricity, you don't need to use as much gasoline. But, how much do you actually save, in terms of fuel costs and greenhouse gas emissions if you plug in instead of gas up?

Study
EVs in China create more pollutants than gas-powered cars

The University of Tennessee has just come up with a theory about China electric vehicles that may have some believing that there was a little too much of the local whiskey involved in the process.

Why alternative energy has a hard time: fossil fuels get 250 subsidies

If you think ending the ethanol subsidy puts all fuel sources on an equal footing, think again. While there has been a great deal of vitriol directed toward subsidies for alternative energy and plug-in vehicles, very little has been heard about the ways in which fossil fuels are

Report
Nissan on coal-powered EVs being dirtier than gas cars: Bullsh*t

Few electric vehicles are actually "zero emissions," but calculating the exact carbon footprint of an EV can be daunting. Not only do different utilities each use a different mix of coal, nuclear, hydro, wind, and solar, many areas also offer individuals the opportunity to buy "greener" power. These deals don't actually guarantee the source of the electrons arriving at your home, but they can help ensure that your utility expands or purchases power from sources that are more environmentally frie

How gas cars use more electricity to go 100 miles than EVs do

File this one under "ammunition for future debates."

Report
Solar energy could match coal's price by 2015 in China; globally by 2020

A new report from the Chinese government notes that the cost of solar power in that country could drop below 0.80 yuan (12.5 cents) per kilowatt-hour by 2015. At that price, solar matches up favorably with the current go-to source for cheap energy, coal. How? Well, China already expects to double its solar-electric capacity by the end of the year and is providing incentives for further growth.

EPA Cross-State Air Pollution Rule will force some dirty coal plants to shut down

Utility companies across the U.S. will shut down and retire aging coal-fired power plants following the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) announcement of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAP). This rule is intended to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide at coal-fired power plants and makes it incredibly costly for utility companies to modernize aging facilities to meet the stringent emissions standards.

Study: Electric vehicles are way too dirty in China

Operating an electric vehicle in China today emits more greenhouse gases than simply driving a gasoline-fueled equivalent, according to emissions expert Juerg Gruetter of Gruetter Consulting. The reason is that, despite the country's push to promote electric vehicles, China's power grid is so overwhelmingly fed by dirty coal that recharging the battery-powered rides will release far more emissions than just putting gasoline in the tanks of the nation's 200-plus million registered vehicles.

Massive shutdown of U.S. coal plants expected within 5 to 8 years

Back in December of 2009, Sustainable Business reported that no new coal-fired power plants were erected that year. In fact, SB indicated that 26 coal plant proposals had been either "defeated or abandoned." Well, it appears that the trend to shift away from coal power will continue.

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