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DOE

Forgetting Someone, Mr. Secretary?

The DOE's new hydrogen car initiative won't get very far without electric utilities.

Secretary Spencer Abraham announced that the DOE and the nation’s carmakers would create a public-private partnership to promote hydrogen as a primary fuel for cars and trucks. He didn't mention how much the program would cost, how long it would take, or define what infrastructure the government would develop to support hydrogen transportation.
Byline: 

Richard Stavros

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Frontlines

Enron holds court on electric restructuring, exposing deep industry divisions and the polarization of views.

Frontlines

An Invitation From Ken Lay

 

Byline: 
Richard Stavros
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Nuclear and Coal: Rebirth on the Horizon?

An analysis of the business opportunities behind coal and nuclear plant expansion.


 

An analysis of the business opportunities behind coal and nuclear plant expansion.

Electric power industry trade publications and the popular media have noted a growing interest in the rebirth of both nuclear power and coal-fired generation. These technologies would be a supplement to, or an alternative to, the natural gas fired generation that appears to be the predominant fuel and technology for new power generation facilities in the coming decade.

Byline: 
Mark Hand
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Wind Power, Poised for Take Off?

A survey of projects and economics.

Wind Power: Poised for Take Off?



 

A survey of projects and economics.

The amount of electricity generated from wind in the U.S. is expected to surge this year - owing in large part to hydropower shortages out West, natural gas price volatility across the country, and high capacity factors for wind turbines, which help to offset the intermittent nature of wind energy generation.

Byline: 
Christine Real de Azua
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The Bush Plan and Beyond: Toward a More Rational U.S. Energy Policy

Any plan to reduce energy consumption should rest on economics — not ideology.

In addition to increasing total U.S. gas consumption to 34.7 Tcf in 2020, it would take another 11.3 Tcf/year to convert existing coal-fired U.S. steam-electric capacity to gas-fired combined-cycle units operating at the same load factor. Clearly, that is a tall order. Nevertheless, we must face the fact that there are few alternatives other than backing out coal-fired generation that would reduce global carbon emissions to a total of less than 870-990 million metric tons between 1991 and 2100. The logical endpoint will be electrification of most stationary energy uses with high-tech renewable or essentially inexhaustible energy sources, and the use of hydrogen from non-fossil-fuel sources as the dominant transportation fuel.
Byline: 

Henry R. Linden

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Frontlines

How to price energy during a stage 3 alert?

Frontlines

Très Riches Heures

 

How to price energy during a stage 3 alert?

You know the painting. Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. You probably saw it first in Janson's "History of Art", in a college survey course.

Byline: 
Bruce W. Radford
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The Gas-fired Future: Boom or Bust?

Last year brought prices not seen for decades. So consumers will buy less gas, just as before, and send the forecasts out the window.

1 For examples of the degree to which buildings have conservation features such as multiple glazing and exterior or interior shading and awnings the reader is referred to "A Look at Commercial Buildings in 1995: Characteristics, Energy Consumption and Energy Expenditures," DOE/EIA - 0625 (95), October 1998. For information on conservation practice in the residential sector see "A Look at Residential Energy Consumption in 1997," DOE/EIA - 0632 (97), November 1999.

Byline: 
John H. Herbert
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