Monthly Archives: May 2009
Unintended Consequences, Part II: Air vs. Water
I recently posted on the unintended consequences that often come along with energy technologies. An article by Forest Reinhardt in the Harvard Business Review 10 years ago presented a framework for making environmental strategy and investment decisions. It also provided … Continue reading
Filed under emissions, transportation, water
The Dumb Grid: Nigeria’s Appalling Electric Infrastructure
With all of the attention that “smart grid” technology is getting lately, the article a few weeks ago in the Wall Street Journal about Nigeria’s power sector was bracing. The article described a plan by the Nigerian government to spend … Continue reading
Filed under grid
Soda Machines Return $1 Million: Facts & Figures from a Green Conference
I attended a conference produced by Executive Council today in New York City entitled “The Green in Green.” Here are a few facts and figures I gathered from the discussion. Cost of Carbon Bob Stoffel of UPS said the company … Continue reading
Filed under carbon, emissions, illumination, sustainability
Hydrogen-Powered Cars Less Likely
The odds are tilting away from fuel cells and toward battery-powered vehicles, as the U.S. cuts off funding for automotive fuel cells. Continue reading
Filed under carbon, transportation
Biofuels Will be Huge–Or Tiny: WorldWatch
Still trying to get a grip on biofuels. I came across this assessment of their potential from WorldWatch: In the most optimistic scenarios, bioenergy could provide for more than two times the current global energy demand, without competing with food … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Energy Technologies and Unintended Consequences
All energy technologies–indeed all technologies–carry the baggage of unintended consequences. Continue reading
