In West Texas, wind is the new oil, but this time around it is cleaner, renewable, and distributed, meaning that it generates revenue and opportunity for the communities in which it is installed. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a seminar on wind power in West Texas, where wind is [...]

The concept of a "photosynthetic ceiling" was first introduced in Jared Diamond's book Collapse. Though Diamond certainly did not pioneer the idea, as far as I can tell he was the first to use the easily digestible term "photosynthetic ceiling", often referred to in other studies as human appropriation of terrestrial [...]

Last night the President admitted: "America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world." The President went on to say that "the best way to break this addiction is through technology." According to President Bush, his proposed [...]

Projections of future renewable energy use are dismal. Yes, total renewable use will increase in the next 20 years, but so will total energy consumption. So we'll see more use of wind, solar, and biodiesel, while the fossil fuel market continues to expand to meet growing demand. According [...]

This post takes its name from an article in the Guardian written by columnist George Monbiot. The columnist illustrates this woeful futility by taking a similar stance to my own against biofuels. Monbiot, citing a Friends of the Earth report, explains that the European quest for a fossil fuel [...]