I didn’t start out to be an energy reporter. Back in 2005, I was a beat reporter at The Desert Sun, covering a town called Palm Desert -- about 12 miles east of Palm Springs -- when the city launched ambitious and, at the time, innovative energy efficiency and solar programs. I quickly got hooked and ultimately became the paper’s first energy reporter, covering wind, solar and geothermal development in the California desert. I came back East to D.C. in 2014 to become communications manager at the Smart Electric Power Alliance, a nonprofit working to accelerate the U.S. energy transition through cross-industry collaboration. What I learned there, among other things, is that utilities and regulators are lousy at telling their own stories, and that the energy transition is one of the most misunderstood, underreported and compelling narratives of our time. Before the pandemic, when I was not geeking out on cleantech stories, I could often be found at D.C.’s storied 9:30 Club, listening to very loud indie bands or at the local rep houses watching indie films and documentaries. Guilty pleasures include superhero movies, the Fast & Furious franchise and, of course, John Wick.
About 20% of all vehicles sold worldwide this year will have a plug ― either battery electric or plug-in hybrid ― with sales predicted to rise to one-third by 2027.
A new report from Schneider Electric says the U.S. could ramp up the electrification of heavy industry by 50% by focusing on easy-to-abate, individual processes.
The new federal funding is aimed at building market confidence that the U.S. nuclear industry will be able to incorporate the lessons learned at Vogtle to deliver a new round of safer, more efficient SMRs on time and on budget.
After 23 years at Southern California Edison and eight as a consultant at ICF International, Gene Rodrigues was four months into retirement in 2022 when he got a call from the Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity.