Where I live in the US, utility bills surged during the winter, and someone I know who is a Republican blamed renewables. However, the state I live in has the largest number of data centers of all US states, and electricity consumption from data centers is what drove up the … [continued]
Something most people still don’t know is that the US solar power and storage industry has gotten quite large. The US solar industry employs about 280,000 people. The energy storage industry employs another 80,000 or so. These are a significant economic engine for the United States. However, they could be … [continued]
The US startup Rivian has secured a $4.5 billion loan from the US Department of Energy, in support of its plans for producing EVs at scale in Georgia in 2028 (cropped, courtesy of Rivian).
Much of the news about electric vehicles tends to be about the vehicles themselves, but there’s very little about the people who make them. However, a couple of days ago, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker shared many details and comments about investing in innovation and jobs, with specific information about Rivian. … [continued]
As the global auto industry rapidly shifts toward EVs, new analysis warns that Europe risks forfeiting a major industrial opportunity. Scaling back EU car climate rules would put a potential 34 Northvolt-sized battery factories at risk. That’s according to a new T&E report which models the ‘industrial opportunity cost’ of weakening EU … [continued]
Ireland’s energy poverty problem is not an electricity access problem. Almost every Irish household is connected to electricity. The problem is whether households can keep a warm, healthy home without cutting back on food, medicine, transport, or other essentials. That makes Ireland different from countries where the main energy poverty … [continued]
Apparently the United States can manage aircraft carriers, satellites, nuclear submarines, stealth bombers, hypersonic missiles, cyber commands, and a colossal defense budget, but it now needs emergency protection from farmers leasing land for wind turbines. That is the story Washington is asking Americans to take seriously. The Trump Administration has … [continued]
The tractors and trucks outside Ireland’s Whitegate oil refinery in April were not just a protest about pump prices. They were a stress test of Ireland’s rural energy model, and that model did not look resilient. Reuters reported that blockades by farmers, hauliers, and contractors disrupted Whitegate, ports, roads, and … [continued]
Chatgpt generated editorial image of future competition between high-speed rail, highways, and short-haul aviation in Canada.
Canada’s revived high-speed rail (HSR) proposal deserves a serious hearing. It also deserves an outside-view assessment grounded in the history of rail megaprojects, not just the aspirations of sponsors and advocates. The current Alto proposal for a high-speed line between Toronto and Québec City is the most concrete Canadian version … [continued]
The useful way to understand U.S. wind energy in 2026 is to start with a contradiction. In physical terms, it remains one of the largest and most important wind markets in the world. In policy terms, it has become less stable and less predictable in a short period. The dichotomy … [continued]
Ontario’s return to renewable procurement is the clearest sign that one of Canada’s largest electricity markets has accepted a reality it spent years resisting. The timing is propitious as I prepare to provide an update to a global audience on North American wind energy through the World Wind Energy Association. … [continued]
