Energy Literacy Advocates Newsroom
Energy Literacy Advocates (ELA) is a non-partisan, non-profit, public education and advocacy group dedicated to improving the energy literacy of all sectors of our democracy in order to empower a comprehensive national energy policy that is responsible and sustainable. Stay tuned for updated energy news!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Saudi Minister Touts $75 As Optimal Price for Oil

Labels: energy sources, oil price, oil supply, oil supply/demand, peak oil, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 12:11 PM
0 comments
Monday, September 28, 2009
American Infrastructure: Short-Term Memory

Labels: automakers, efficiency, energy sources, oil supply
posted by Amanda Voss at 1:00 PM
0 comments
Friday, September 11, 2009
Renewable Energy Debate Offers Insights

Labels: electricity, energy sources, environment, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 12:23 PM
0 comments
Monday, August 31, 2009
Wyoming to Get New Wind Farm

Labels: electricity, energy sources, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 10:01 AM
0 comments
Monday, August 24, 2009
International Energy News: Power Europe via the Sahara?
The technology behind Desertec involves collecting energy from solar rays gathered in the Sahara desert and transmitting it via undersea cables to Europe. Supporters are promoting the project's non-carbon footprint and economic benefits for Northern Africa.
The project does face some opposition. Detractors are wary of investment in new technology in an unstable political region, and doubtful that intercontinental transmission of solar energy is more effective and efficient than local photovoltaic production.
To read more, click here.
Labels: climate change, electricity, energy sources, global warming, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 4:41 PM
0 comments
Monday, August 10, 2009
Vegas Hosts Alternative Energy Summit

Labels: economy, energy sources, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 10:23 AM
0 comments
Thursday, July 30, 2009
New Federal Loans Released for Renewable Energy
Labels: biofuels, energy sources, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 11:51 AM
0 comments
Monday, July 27, 2009
Developments in Alternative Energy: Harnessing the Power of the Sea

Labels: energy, energy sources, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 10:40 AM
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Friday, July 24, 2009
Hydrogen Cars May See Renewed Funding

Labels: energy sources, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:26 AM
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Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Some Big Oil Companies to Experiment with Biofuels

Labels: biofuels, energy sources, oil companies, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 10:26 AM
0 comments
Monday, July 20, 2009
In Search for Alternative Fuels, New Coal Gasification Plant Emerges
Emerson Process Management and Secure Energy are partnering on the deal.
The plant will serve as a template not on for coal gasification plants, but also for clean coal and carbon sequestration technologies.
To read more, click here.
Labels: efficiency, energy sources
posted by Amanda Voss at 10:08 AM
0 comments
Friday, July 17, 2009
New Study Evaluates Most Sustainable Renewables

Labels: efficiency, energy sources, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 12:00 PM
0 comments
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Investment Announcement Signals Shift for "Big Oil"

Labels: energy, energy sources, oil companies, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 10:55 AM
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Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Clean Energy Debate Exposes Regional Divides

Labels: efficiency, energy, energy sources
posted by Amanda Voss at 10:08 AM
0 comments
Friday, July 10, 2009
Congress Contemplates Support for CNG Vehicles

Labels: automakers, energy sources, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:03 AM
0 comments
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Nuclear Included in New Energy Profile

Labels: energy, energy sources, environment, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:12 AM
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Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Plans for World's Largest Wind Farm Halted

Labels: energy sources, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:32 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
New Energy Horizons: Biodiesel Update
MSN serves up a quick synopsis of biodiesel. To learn more, click here!
Labels: efficiency, energy sources, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:03 AM
0 comments
Monday, June 15, 2009
"Clean" Coal Again in America's Energy Portfolio?
The government will offer 2 to 1 funding alongside private investors to create a prototype coal plant which captures the carbon dioxide it produces. Initial government funding estimates are over $1 billion for the joint research effort.
To read an opinion article about this policy reversal, click here.
Labels: energy sources, environment, global warming, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 12:02 PM
0 comments
Friday, May 29, 2009
New Federal Funding for Alternative Energy Released
"These centers will mobilize the enormous talents and skills of our nation's scientific workforce in pursuit of the breakthroughs that are essential to make alternative and renewable energy truly viable as large-scale replacements for fossil fuels," said Secretary of Energy Steven Chu.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado will receive part of that funding, and will be home to a new multimillion-dollar Energy Frontier Research Center, the U.S. Department of Energy announced Wednesday. NREL's center is expected to receive $4 million annually for five years.
NREL officials will also participate in research conducted by six other Energy Frontier Research Centers.
Labels: energy sources, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:14 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
EIA Releases Extended Energy, Pollution Outlook
While substantial growth is expected in the use of renewable energy sources such as hydropower, wind and solar, the EIA maintains that overall growth in demand will require continued reliance on fossil fuels, especially oil and coal.
The biggest increases in energy use will come from economically developing countries such as China and India.
To read more, click here.
Labels: energy, energy policy, energy sources, environment, global warming
posted by Amanda Voss at 12:37 PM
0 comments
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
G8 Calls for Continued Investment in Alternative Energy
With the global economic downturn and credit crunch, projects in both conventional and alternative energy sources have been halted.
“The current financial and economic crisis must not delay investments and programmed energy projects which are essential to economic recovery and sustainable prosperity,” ministers from the G8 and 15 other countries including Saudi Arabia, China and India said in their concluding statement yesterday after a three-day meeting.
To read the full article in Bloomberg, click here.
Labels: economy, energy, energy sources
posted by Amanda Voss at 10:13 AM
0 comments
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Expansion of Government Funding for Renewables Research
Obama's goal with these funds, Chu said, is to prepare the country to compete economically decades down the road, as well as meet the immediate challenges of climate change and energy demand.
In total, the stimulus package gave $39 billion to the Energy Department. The money is split between in grants, tax breaks and loan guarantees, with much of it going to renewable energy and conservation programs.
To read the full article, click here.
Labels: efficiency, energy, energy sources, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:00 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
The Next Big Energy Exporter: Kansas?
The study, run by Joint Coordinated Systems, calculated the state's maximum wind potential at 19 gigawatts by 2030 and projected 1 megawatt of power annually each from solar and bio-energy.
The study found tremendous potential to market Kansas energy to places such as Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana and Georgia. This alternative energy exportation could create $23 billion in cumulative economic impact and 12,000 jobs from now through 2030.
To read the full article, click here.
Labels: energy, energy sources, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:13 AM
0 comments
Monday, April 27, 2009
New Policy Ushering in Renaissance for Nuclear Energy?
Cap and trade could be a big win for nuclear power. The nation's 104 operating nuclear plants produce already 20 percent of its electricity, making them, by far, the largest source of electricity that does not result in greenhouse gas emissions. If a cap and a price are imposed on carbon dioxide emissions, these plants could be among the biggest winners in the vast economic shifts that would be created by greenhouse gas regulations.
While U.S. energy companies have already filed 17 applications with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for 26 new reactor operating licenses, demonstrating growing buzz around nuclear power, the future of the industry still hangs on the uncertain support of the Obama administration.
To read the full article, click here.
Labels: climate change, energy sources, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 7:43 AM
0 comments
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Obama heralds "new era of energy exploration in America" on Earth Day
"The nation that leads the world in creating new energy sources will be the nation that leads the 21st century global economy," Obama said.
To read the full article, click here.
Labels: energy sources, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:26 AM
0 comments
Friday, April 17, 2009
Government Releases New Report on Biofuels
The renewable fuel standard calls for Americans to use 36 billion gallons of biofuel by 2022, up from the current 9 billion today.
The biofuels report argues that the nation needs to increase the amount of ethanol blended into gasoline, as well as make it easier for biofuels plants and pipelines to get government permits and make it easier to transport ethanol.
To read the full article in the New York Times, click here.
Labels: biofuels, energy sources, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:08 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The New Frontier in Alternative Energy...From Outer Space?
In the few details revealed from the project, satellites in space will collect and store solar energy. Solar energy will later be beamed to Earth, where it will be collected by a station in Fresno, California. There it will be converted to electricity and distributed out on the power grid.
More details about the project are expected this summer.
Labels: energy sources, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 11:52 AM
0 comments
Friday, April 10, 2009
Corn-Ethanol May Not Be the Root Cause Behind Food Price Woes
While corn-based ethanol may have contributed 10 to 15 percent in the rise of food costs, the CBO said other factors, such as skyrocketing energy costs, had an even greater impact than ethanol on food prices during that period.
Roughly one quarter of corn grown in the United States is now used to produce ethanol, and overall consumption of ethanol in the country hit a record high last year, exceeding 9 billion gallons, according to the CBO. Nearly 3 billion bushels of corn were used to produce ethanol in the United States last year — an increase of almost a billion bushels over 2007.
Yet ethanol's impact on future food prices is uncertain, the report says, because an increased supply of corn has the potential to eventually lower food prices.
To read the full article, click here.
Labels: economy, energy sources, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 7:32 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Ethanol Producer Files for Bankruptcy
Chief Executive Ron Miller said in a statement that the company is challenged by a difficult market environment for an industry that suffers from poor operating margins.
To read an analysis done by The Wall Street Journal, click here.
Labels: economy, energy sources, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 11:33 AM
0 comments
Friday, April 3, 2009
Largest Public Utility Group Buys Into Renewables
The Tennessee Valley Authority board gave President and CEO Tom Kilgore authority to sign contracts totaling up to 2,000 megawatts of renewable and clean energy by 2011, with some of the power entering TVA's seven-state system as early as 2010.
To read the full article released in the Associated Press, click here.
Labels: economy, energy, energy sources, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:30 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Offshore Energy Regulation Settled
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar expressed relief at the settlement, which had threatened to entangle prospective renewable energy projects.
The FERC will have the primary responsibility to manage the licensing of wind, tidal and ocean current projects.
To read the full article in the Washington Post, click here.
Labels: energy sources, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 10:10 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Interior Secretary Salazar Reveals Department's Energy Agenda
Salazar cited offshore wind projects on the Atlantic coast as a key to meeting renewable energy goals in America.
Additionally, Salazar promised to review oil and gas exploration leases on public lands. So far this year, proposed tests to explore oil shale in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming have been sidelined by Interior Department rulings.
To read the full Associate Press release, click here.
Labels: election 2008, energy, energy sources, environment, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 10:34 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
L A Times: "Promise and Peril" of Energy Transition
"The stakes are high. If Obama succeeds, he could spark a domestic jobs boom and lead an international fight against climate change. If he fails, he could cripple existing industries and squeeze cash-strapped Americans with higher energy prices."
Comparing the efforts to transition America away from imported oil to the Manhattan Project and moon shot combined, the article offers an interesting comparison of the policy efforts to fast-track alternative energy in the U.S.
To read the article, click here.
Labels: election 2008, energy policy, energy sources, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 12:14 PM
0 comments
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Stimulus Plan Predicted to Bolster Green Energy
Short term projects include funds to "weatherize" 2 million homes by improving things such as insulation and leaky windows, while also improving the efficiency of 75 percent of federal buildings. Another provision would pay for 3,000 miles of transmission lines to move electricity from wind farms and solar installations, many in the West and Southwest, to consumers in the rest of the country.
Finally, additional funds channeled to green energy industry are expected to put 460,000 Americans to work on energy projects and double the amount of alternative energy produced over the next three years.
To read the full NPR article, click here.
Labels: efficiency, energy, energy sources, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:27 AM
0 comments
Friday, January 23, 2009
Energy Attachment to Stimulus Bill Clears House Panel
Other measures, like spending for power lines, efficiency projects, and a program to insulate low-income homes, are also included. Additionally, the measure would provide $8.4 billion in renewable energy loan guarantees, renewing and extending some existing programs.
The energy provision is a portion of the $825 billion economic stimulus measure. The broader legislation includes $550 billion in new government spending and $275 billion in tax cuts.
To read the full article, click here.
Labels: efficiency, energy policy, energy sources, environment, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:25 AM
0 comments
Monday, January 19, 2009
Search for Automotive Energy Solutions Likened to Race to the Moon
"I will play a keystone role in helping to craft the energy agenda," Salazar told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, according to Politico.com. "I would not have taken this job if I was not given the assignment to help craft the energy moon shot that we will take." While Salazar has conceded increased use of traditional fuels, including the expansion of oil shale and offshore drilling, he anticipates the era of the electric car and advanced hybrid batteries.
Meanwhile, Obama foresees change and sacrifice coming to the automotive industry. Obama met with the editorial board of the Washington Post and said the auto industry restructuring will require "everybody, from labor to management to creditors to shareholders, giving something up."
Policy watchers are anticipating a further unveiling of the new administration's energy plans during Obama's inaugural speech on Tuesday, January 20.
Labels: automakers, election 2008, energy policy, energy sources, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:17 AM
0 comments
Friday, January 16, 2009
Nominee Salazar Touts Energy Agenda as Secretary of the Interior
Salazar emphasized the need for a balanced yet innovative approach to energy issues, promising to consider numerous options for energy independence, including offshore oil drilling and, under the right conditions, oil shale development on government lands.
While offering moderation on points like offshore drilling, Salazar emphasized his aggressive stance on energy independence for America. Renewable energy development -- a cause he championed as senator -- remains a main goal for Salazar, who also promised a balanced approach to energy and land-use policy.
Labels: election 2008, energy policy, energy sources, environment, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:29 AM
0 comments
Monday, January 12, 2009
Analyzing Popular Consumption of Renewable Energy: New York Times and NREL Reports
Among trends revealed in the report are that decisions to buy green power for homeowners are founded upon an “emotional” response or commitment, where corporate America opts for green power as a business decision. Additionally, green power may be more expensive than traditional utilities for now, but for businesses it offers a key advantage: the ability to predict the price of electricity.
To access the full NREL and Applied Materials report, click here.
To read the New York Times article and summary of these findings, click here.
Labels: economy, energy sources, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:35 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Florida To Add Nuclear Power to Energy Mix
When completed, the reactors are projected to generate enough electricity to power more than 1.3 million Florida homes.
While proponents tout nuclear power as a reliable and clean energy source which lessens American dependence on foreign oil, the project has fallen under criticism due to security concerns, both from terrorism and from the hazardous nature of nuclear materials.
Labels: energy, energy sources, National Security
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:02 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
A View from the Other Side: Energy in the Tehran Times
In response to the negative effects of low oil prices, the article reported, "Moreover, lower oil prices are likely to impede the massive investment needed to meet rising demand by 2030, delay introduction of energy-saving technologies, and make alternative fuels less competitive. The tight credit environment will also make it more difficult for energy firms to obtain the necessary funding for financing the capital-intensive growth in production capacity, especially necessary for expensive and difficult offshore production, exploration and development, and heavy oil, oil sands, or oil shale production."
The article also discusses the growing threat of energy nationalism, the future supply crunch, and the sleeping giants of China and India.
To read the full article, click here.
Labels: energy policy, energy sources, oil price, oil supply/demand, peak oil
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:48 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Radical Change in Energy Department Predicted
Currently, the bulk of the $24 billion Deparment budget goes to mitigating issues surrounding nuclear weapons: maintaining the nation's nuclear weapons stockpiles, cleaning up sites used to produce those weapons, or dealing with non-proliferation issues. Only $4 billion is allocated for energy research and development, with only $650 million put towards renewable fuels.
While its role in supervising nuclear affairs will never be abandoned, the new agency is likely to reverse current spending trends, expanding the R&D budget, with particular focus on renewable fuels, while also focusing on greater conservation efforts. Additional agenda items will likely be laying out a role for the Department in curtailing greenhouse gas emissions.
To read the full article, click here.
Labels: biofuels, election 2008, energy policy, energy sources, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:44 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
What a Depression Means for Alternative Energy
While alternative energy meant big business in the first half of 2008, with over $13 billion invested, investments and large-scale projects have dwindled in the final quarters, according to New Energy Finance, a market research firm based in London. Some fear that the decline in oil prices, coupled with a staggering economy, could doom alternative energy in a way reminiscent of the 1970s.
Yet observers say there are strong reasons for optimism about the alternative energy industry. Geopolitics has made clean energy and energy security a national priority in many countries, including the United States. The government has a host of support mechanisms for the nascent industry, including state and federal mandates for alternative-energy use, as well as subsidies and tax credits. Alternative-energy technologies are now much better, and hold more demonstrable promise, than in the 1970s. Alternative energy also has the support of science and agencies, demonstrated by the latest World Energy Outlook report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), which suggests that oil production could decline more rapidly than previously thought.
In the end, alternative energy groups are facing the same challenges as other businesses during this tough economy, but unlike the 1970s, this time the experts are betting on green.
To read the full MIT Technology Review article, click here.
Labels: biofuels, economy, energy sources
posted by Amanda Voss at 1:43 PM
0 comments
Practical Applications in Our New Energy Future: Garbage to Ethanol Plant
The gasification/fermentation process that will be used at the facility was purchased by Powers Energy One, and has already demonstrated results at the INEOS Bio pilot-scale facility in Fayetteville, Ark., for five years. According to Powers, this level of technological demonstration was a major selling point to members of the Lake County Solid Waste Management District.
The county hopes that their new approach will alleviate two societal crises - energy security and environmental damage linked to human consumption.
Labels: efficiency, energy sources
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:06 AM
0 comments
Friday, May 30, 2008
Tipping Point for Consciousness is Economic
Columnist Jeffrey Ball attributes Europe's energy consumption patterns - where the average resident consumes less than half as much oil each year as the average American - to high energy taxes, rather than environmental awareness. These economic penalties make conservation rational and not just virtuous.
For the full text of this article, click here.
Labels: economy, energy sources, environment, oil price, oil supply/demand
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:51 AM
0 comments
Monday, May 19, 2008
Michael Klare's New Energy Order
So begins Michael Klare's article chronicling the end of the energy world as we know it. Klare identifies intense competition over energy sources among economic powers, insufficiency of existing energy supplies, the delay in developing alternative energy sources, migration of wealth and power to energy-rich nations and a growing risk of conflict as factors shaping our new energy reality.
For the full text of this article, click here.
Labels: energy, energy policy, energy sources, oil price
posted by Amanda Voss at 4:10 PM
0 comments
Monday, March 24, 2008
U.S. Air Force Mulling "Green" Fuel Options
Tests in 2006 demonstrated that synthetic fuels can perform at high altitudes, prompting the Air Force to begin seeking a supplier. Proponents of coal-to-liquid technology hail the Air Force's strategy as a jump-start to the industry.
To read more about these developments, click here.
Labels: energy sources, National Security
posted by Amanda Voss at 2:13 PM
0 comments
Friday, March 21, 2008
The Joule Standard
Read the article.
Labels: energy sources
posted by Jamie Lang at 1:36 PM
0 comments
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Winds of Change: Corporations Lend Names to Wind Farms
For the full article on this green corporate trend, click here.
Labels: economy, energy sources, environment
posted by Amanda Voss at 12:30 PM
0 comments
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Oil From a Stone
Read the article here...
Labels: economy, energy policy, energy sources
posted by Jamie Lang at 3:52 PM
0 comments

