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Thursday, December 28, 2006

Energy Sustainability

A Series

The Energy Challenge

Articles in this series will periodically examine the ways in which the world is, and is not, moving toward a more energy efficient, environmentally benign future.

No Perfect Solution
It’s Free, Plentiful and Fickle
By MATTHEW L. WALD
Wind, almost everybody’s best hope for big supplies of clean, affordable electricity, is turning out to have complications. (Dec. 28, 2006)

Global Trades
Outsize Profits, and Questions, in Effort to Cut Warming Gases
By KEITH BRADSHER
A fast-growing climate plan that pushes foreign companies to clean up third-world factories has revealed hidden problems. (Dec. 21, 2006)
Graphics: Cleaning Up

Fossil Fuel Economics
The Cost of an Overheated Planet
By STEVE LOHR
It is increasingly clear that there is a considerable cost to carbon dioxide emissions, especially to future generations. (Dec. 12, 2006)
Graphics: Hungry for Power | Carbon’s Possible Future

A Terrible Thing to Waste. Or Try This.
By JEREMY W. PETERS
The nation’s energy excesses may be politically dangerous, but the federal government isn't rushing to produce a public service campaign. Three advertising agencies give it a shot. (Dec. 10, 2006)

The Research Shortage
Budgets Falling in Race to Fight Global Warming
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
In the U.S., annual federal spending for all energy research and development is less than half what it was a quarter-century ago. (Oct. 30, 2006)
Graphics: What Matters Most | Declining Investment in Energy R&D
Related: British Government Report Calls for Broad Effort on Climate Issues
Q&A With Andrew C. Revkin

Clearing the Air
California, Taking Big Gamble, Tries to Curb Greenhouse Gases
By FELICITY BARRINGER
California’s decision to impose stringent demands on suppliers even outside its borders is but one example of the state’s effort to remake its energy future. (Sept. 15, 2006)
Graphics: Green and Getting Greener | An Energy-Thrifty State
Video: A California Solar Subdivision

Driving the Ethanol Corridor
Fill Up on Corn if You Can
By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO
Even in the Midwest where ethanol is most popular, its success as an alternative fuel is far from assured. (August 31, 2006)
Graphic: Driving on E-85
Graphic: Where to Find E-85
Audio Feature: Ethanol Flows at a Trickle

The Nuclear Choice
Slow Start for Revival of Nuclear Reactors
By MATTHEW L. WALD
Utility executives are sharply divided over whether nuclear power offers an attractive choice as they seek to satisfy a growing demand for electricity. (August 22, 2006)
Graphic: New Plants on the Way?

Liquid Coal
Search for New Oil Sources Leads to Processed Coal
By MATTHEW L. WALD
Illinois alone has more energy than Saudi Arabia, but turning coal into fuel for consumers has a big catch. (July 5, 2006)
Graphic: Changing Black Rock to Black Gold

Exotic Visions
How to Cool a Planet, Maybe
By WILLIAM J. BROAD
The fight against global warming has largely focused on reducing greenhouse gases. But what if ... ? (June 27, 2006)
Graphic: Science Fiction? Maybe Not.

A Modern Day Gold Rush
Boom in Ethanol Reshapes Economy of Heartland
By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO (Reported by Alexei Barrionuevo, Simon Romero and Michael Janofsky)
Small towns are becoming flashpoints in the ethanol bonanza that is reshaping rural America's economic base. (June 25, 2006)
Interactive Graphic: Fuel On-the-cob
A Range of Estimates on Ethanol's Benefits

The Not So Good Earth
By DAVID BARBOZA
Thousands of acres of land in northern China are sinking because of the ravages of underground coal mining. (June 23, 2006)
Audio & Photos: Victims of a Coal Boom

Sooty Future
Europe's Image Clashes With Reliance on Coal
By MARK LANDLER
Europe likes to think of itself as beyond its sooty past, yet it still depends on a cheap, plentiful fuel. (June 20, 2006)
Graphic: Generating Electricity and Emissions

The Cost of Coal
Pollution From Chinese Coal Casts a Global Shadow
By KEITH BRADSHER and DAVID BARBOZA
Coal is China's double-edged sword — the new economy's black gold and the fragile environment's dark cloud. (June 11, 2006)
Video: China's Dark Clouds
Graphic: Future Shock

Extra Credit
The Greener Guys
By JAD MOUAWAD
Americans are increasingly identifying global warming as a serious problem, and a few companies are taking special steps to curb carbon emissions. (May 30, 2006)

Green, at a Cost
2 Industry Leaders Bet on Coal but Split on Cleaner Approach
By SIMON ROMERO
Coal is poised to once again become the nation's favorite fuel, but its role in global warming causes concern. (May 28, 2006)
Interactive Graphic: A Closer Look at Coal
Audio Slide Show: The Return of King Coal

Turf Battles
A Greener Way to Cut the Grass Runs Afoul of a Powerful Lobby
By FELICITY BARRINGER
Lawn mowers lack catalytic converters, but the dominant engine manufacturer vigorously opposes adding them. (April 24, 2006)

Turning to the Sun
Forget Computers. Here Comes the Sun
By JOHN MARKOFF
The fledgling solar-cell industry uses just about as many silicon wafers as the chip industry does, but the resemblance ends there. (April 14, 2006)

Horsepower Wars
Automakers Use New Technology to Beef Up Muscle, Not Mileage
By MATTHEW L. WALD
For two decades, automakers have been concentrating on making vehicles bigger and faster instead of improving efficiency. (March 30, 2006)

Tips

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posted by Joe Paris @ Thursday, December 28, 2006