Energy

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    Early Sunset on Missouri Solar Utility Rebate

    The writing was on the wall; we knew it was coming.  In Missouri, the $2 per watt rebate being paid by investor-owned utilities (IOUs) was scheduled to be reduced to $1.50 per watt starting in 2014.  This reduction was designed to make the rebate last longer, since it represented as much as 2/3 of the…

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    Film Review: Uranium Drive-In

    The 22nd annual St. Louis International Film Festival, which ran from November 14-24, offered the typical variety of independent films.  I appreciated the chance to review a few of the movies featuring environmental issues. Uranium Drive-In highlighted a bleak situation in Colorado, illustrating an ongoing debate about nuclear power and the environment vs. jobs and…

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    Update on Missouri Solar Coaster

    Since writing my November Going Green column, a lot has happened.  Ameren Missouri, the largest utility in Missouri, filed a petition with the Missouri Public Service Commission stating that they had reached their 1% cost cap over which they could no longer offer solar rebates. In reviewing Ameren’s calculations, the PSC testified that some of…

  • Forecast for Missouri Solar Industry: Partly Cloudy

    In 2008, two-thirds of Missouri voters approved the Missouri Clean Energy Initiative, which required that investor-owned utilities in the state get at least 15% of their electric power from renewable resources like wind and solar by 2021.  Voters were promised that a 1 percent cap would be placed on utility costs to minimize impacts on…

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    Celebrate Energy Awareness Month

    In 2011, President Obama and the Department of Energy established October as National Energy Awareness Month.  Given the importance of energy to both our economy and environment, this month is a time to focus on how we’re using energy in our homes and businesses. Many of us grew up in an era of inexpensive energy,…

  • City Seeks to be “Solar Capital of the Universe”

    The sun is relentless in the high desert town of Lancaster, California.  This city, with a population of just over 150,000 people, is located about an hour north of Los Angeles in the Antelope Valley region.  It is the home of Edwards Air Force Base, where space shuttles have often landed long after the speed…