Energy  

 

 

Technology

Xconomy Report: Charging Up


By Gregory T. Huang, Editor, Xconomy Boston
Can anyone make a battery that's better than the status quo? That might be the turnaround for struggling clean-tech company A123 Systems, which says it has a lithium-ion battery for electric cars.
Energy

Advocates Rally Outside Nuclear Commission


By Sarah Birnbaum & Kristina Finn
The protest brought together activists who object to the Pilgrim plant relicensing and Pilgrim workers who have been locked out.
Energy

From Food to Fuel


By Toni Waterman
A Rutland dairy farm's second "cash cow" is a food-to-fuel energy system that could be a model — especially as the state considers requiring all large companies to compost their food waste. Watch it in action.
Energy

Commission Relicenses Controversial Nuclear Plant


POWER STRUGGLE: THE FIGHT OVER PILGRIM NUCLEAR
By Cristina Quinn & Sean Corcoran
Opponents of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant expressed their anger after federal regulators voted to extend the plant's license for another 20 years.
Energy

Community Comes out for Cape Wind Hearing


SEAN CORCORAN'S CAPE WIND BLOG
By Sean Corcoran
Both sides of the issue were well represented at a public hearing to discuss NStar's proposal to buy and sell nearly a quarter of the energy anticipated from the Cape Wind project.
NOVA

Melting Glaciers Warn of Global Warming


NOVA: Profile of Lonnie Thompson
Called the Paul Revere of glacier melt, Ohio State professor Lonnie Thompson says, from what he has observed of glaciers melting, the Earth is experiencing rapid climate change.
Energy

State Aims to Slow Nuclear Plant Relicensing


By Jordan Weinstein
Attorney General Martha Coakley cited a expert report concluding the risks of severe accidents are greater than previously thought.
Energy

Power's Out? You Might Get Paid


By Sarah Birnbaum
The state Senate unanimously passed a measure that would compensate ratepayers for prolonged power outages.
Energy

Bill Seeks to Lower Your Electric Costs


PREVIOUS COVERAGE
By Sarah Birnbaum
The Massachusetts Senate plans to take up an omnibus bill this week aimed at controlling electricity costs by authorizing more frequent reviews of proposed rate hikes and requiring competitive bidding for green energy.
Government

This Week in State Politics: Gambling, Courts and Utilities


By Sarah Birnbaum
On Beacon Hill, judges make the case for more state funding for the trial courts, officials weigh the proposed NStar-Northeast merger and the final members of Massachusetts Gambling Commission are expected to be announced.
Energy

The Question of Green Jobs and Energy Costs


Sean Corcoran's Cape Wind blog
By Sarah Birnbaum
A bill aimed at lowering state electricity prices spurred a debate on jobs Thursday at a hearing of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Utilities and Energy. 
Energy

Will Rising Gas Costs Change Driver Behavior?


By Jordan Weinstein
Gas prices are up for the 11th consecutive week. But a new study says that might not make a difference in how much people drive.
Energy

Cape Wind Deal Done, Governor Says OK to Merger


WCAI CAPE WIND BLOG
By Sarah Birnbaum
Gov. Deval Patrick has agreed to sign off on a merger between NSTAR and Northeast Utilities, removing a major roadblock from the $17.5 billion deal. The state had been holding off while the utilities negotiated a side deal to buy renewable power from Cape Wind.
Physics & Mathematics

Not X-Ray Vision, Terahertz-Ray Vision


NOVA: Diamond Q & A with Butler
MIT News on Terahertz
Terahertz laser technolgy is a field still to be explored for its possible applications, especially in the field of security scanning.
Physics & Mathematics

Seaching for the Unexpected


NOVA: The Ghost Particle
Listen to David Wark, High Energy Physicist, talk about the search for interesting physics.
Innovation Hub

Innovation For An Energy-Hungry World

By Kara Miller
What it will take to generate the energy and fuel for a planet that just hit 7 billion and isn’t done growing? The old gas-and-coal-powered grid is changing. Germany now generates 20% renewable energy, but America has lagged — and our next guest says that’s got to change.
Energy

Home Energy Audits: Digging Deep On Efficiency


By Ibby Caputo
An energy efficiency expert finally convinced her dad to look into upgrading his own home. Then the complications began. 
Energy

Some Doubt State's Wind Turbine Safety Report


THE FALMOUTH EXPERIENCE: A WGBH SPECIAL REPORT
By Sarah Birnbaum
A panel of experts has issued a report saying that wind turbines do not pose serious health risks for residents. Opponents claim the report is biased.
Energy

Further Delay Predicted For Cape Wind


WCAI CAPE WIND BLOG
By Sean Corcoran
The region's wholesale electricity market overseer has determined that Cape Wind will not be ready to generate electricity within the next 3.5 years.
Energy

Citizens Energy Gets Political With Latest Ad


By Phillip Martin
While Citizens Energy — headed up by former U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy — has run ads and public service announcements for years, there’s something different about this one. 
Energy

Pilgrim Nuclear Turns Back On


POWER STRUGGLE: THE FIGHT OVER PILGRIM NUCLEAR
By Sean Corcoran
The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth, Mass. is returning to service after replacing a leaking safety relief valve, a spokesman said on Dec. 30.
Energy

Utility Gets Go-Ahead To Purchase Cape Wind Power


WGBH/WCAI CAPE WIND BLOG
CAPE WIND MULTIMEDIA
By Sean Corcoran
The Mass. Supreme Judicial Court has no problem with the state-sanctioned power purchase agreement between Cape Wind and the utility National Grid, ruling that the deal is in the public's interest. 
Energy

Nuclear Plant Shut Down For Second Time In Two Months


POWER STRUGGLE: RELICENSING PILGRIM NUCLEAR
NPR: NO EASY FIX AS NUCLEAR PLANTS AGE
By Sean Corcoran
The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Mass., was shut down on Dec. 26 because a safety relief valve was leaking steam. The reactor was also shut down in mid-November due to mechanical concerns.
Business

State's Innovation Economy Draws International Deals


By WGBH News
Gov. Deval Patrick is finishing his nine-day trade mission to South America excited by new collaborations with countries there.
Energy

Judges Deny Request To Suspend Nuclear Plant Relicensing


POWER STRUGGLE: COMPLETE SERIES
By Sean Corcoran
Federal regulators will not halt a review of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant's bid to extend its operating license. WGBH News reported on the Pilgrim controversy this November.
Energy

Power Struggle, Part 3: The Emergency Plan


POWER STRUGGLE: COMPLETE SERIES
By Sean Corcoran
Officials say there is no plan for how Cape Cod could be evacuated in the event of a radiation release — and they estimate only 10,000 people have potassium iodide pills to protect against radiation in a disaster.
Energy

Power Struggle: The Fight Over Pilgrim Nuclear


By Sean Corcoran
The owners of the 39-year-old Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth have applied for a 20-year extension. Opponents question its safety, especially after its sister plant experienced explosions and likely meltdowns this year in Fukushima, Japan. In a three-part series, WGBH News reports on the controversy.
WGBH SPECIAL REPORT

Power Struggle, Part 2: Burning Out On Fuel Rods


POWER STRUGGLE PART 1: RELICENSING
By Sean Corcoran
At Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, about 3,000 spent fuel rods sit in a pool designed to hold one-third that amount. In Fukushima, some rods stored in similar pools melted down.
WGBH SPECIAL REPORT

Power Struggle, Part 1: Relicensing Pilgrim Nuclear


By Sean Corcoran
The owners of the Plymouth Nuclear Power Station are asking for it to be relicensed for another 20 years of service. But the landscape surrounding nuclear power has changed since the disaster in Fukushima, Japan. As regulators consider the request, the debate in the community is heating up.
Energy

Energy In The Ether?


By Bob Seay
Wireless electricity offers the promise of a life free from the worry of losing one's phone charger — or maybe even losing power after a storm.
Energy

Electric Exec. Defends Response To Storm


AFTER STORM, ACCUSATIONS AND AN INVESTIGATION
GREATER BOSTON
By WGBH News
After finally restoring power to all its Mass. customers, National Grid defended its response to the snowstorm that hammered the state in late October.
Boston

Bill Aims To Seal Natural Gas Leaks


By Sarah Birnbaum
A Massachusetts lawmaker is raising concerns about potential natural gas explosions. She's calling for new laws regulating the thousands of known gas leaks around the state.
Business

Former State Environmental Chief Gets Into Business


EARLIER: BOWLES STEPS DOWN
By Andrea Smardon
Former Massachusetts Energy & Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles is heading into the private sector. He left his post as the state's top environmental official at the beginning of this year, and is now starting a new consulting firm with three other colleagues from the state.
Nova

Power Surge


WATCH A PREVIEW
Can technology fix our energy problems? Are we finally on the brink of a clean energy revolution? Nova investigates.

Wednesday, April 20, at 9pm on WGBH 2/HD.
CLIMATIDE

Feds Approve Cape Wind's Construction Plan



By Heather Goldstone
A federal agency has approved a construction plan for a wind farm off the Massachusetts coast, clearing the way for work to begin on the nation's first offshore wind farm as early as this fall.
The Emily Rooney Show

AG Coakley Warns Federal Government of Nuclear Storage Risks


RENEWED FOCUS ON NUCLEAR REACTOR AT MIT
By Ben Taylor
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is calling on the federal government to help find alternative storage for spent fuel rods at the state's Pilgrim nuclear plant and Vermont's Yankee plant.
89.7 WGBH

Ferry Company Reverses Course On Cape Wind


By Sean Corcoran
A prominent Cape Cod ferry company has reversed course and says it no longer opposes the plan to install 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound, and instead will look to conduct "eco tours" of the Cape Wind turbine site.
WGBH SPECIAL REPORT

The Falmouth Experience: Complete Series


By Sean Corcoran
Some residents of Falmouth, Mass. say they're suffering headaches, insomnia and depression because of a 400-foot tall town-owned wind turbine that began operating there last year. Most scientists say wind turbines don't cause health problems, but the experience of residents has strengthened anti-wind sentiment in the region.
CLIMATIDE

The Falmouth Experience


READ CLIMATIDE
By Sean Corcoran
Complaints about a turbine in Falmouth are raising the possibility that one bad experience could jeopardize Patrick’s state-wide push for wind energy.
WGBH SPECIAL REPORT

The Falmouth Experience: The Green Debate


LAWMAKERS RENEW PUSH FOR SIMPLER TURBINE PERMITTING
By Sean Corcoran
The effort to install land-based wind turbines on Cape Cod has slowed, largely because of opposition to a 400-foot tall turbine that was installed last spring in Falmouth.
Energy

The Falmouth Experience: Flickering Light


PART 2: SICK FROM THE NOISE
By Sean Corcoran
Residents in the town of Falmouth say that a nearly 400-foot wind turbine has severely impacted their quality of life. They talk about noise issues, but sound isn’t the only thing generating discontent. There also are complaints about a phenomenon called ‘shadow flicker’.
WGBH SPECIAL REPORT

The Falmouth Experience: Sick From The Noise



By Sean Corcoran
Some residents of Falmouth say they’re feeling sick from the sounds coming from a large, town-owned wind turbine. While turbines are not silent, those claims are often controversial.
WGBH SPECIAL REPORT

The Falmouth Experience: Life Under The Blades



READ THE STORY ON CLIMATIDE
By Sean Corcoran
Some residents of Falmouth say a wind turbine installed last year has changed their lives — and not for the better. This week, WGBH’s Sean Corcoran explores all sides of the issue in a special series, The Falmouth Experience: The Trouble with One Town’s Turbine.
Energy

In Lexington, Solar Is Coming


By Andrea Smardon
One of the state’s largest alternative energy companies, Evergreen Solar, is in the process of closing its manufacturing plant in Devens. But the landscape for solar manufacturing in Massachusetts isn’t all bleak. A solar startup in Lexington, 1366 Technologies, is looking to open a new plant in Massachusetts.
Economy

Lawmaker Wants To "Claw Back" State Aid


By Jess Bidgood
Evergreen Solar is closing its Massachusetts manufacturing plant, terminating 800 jobs it was given $68 million in state aid to create. One lawmaker is filing legislation that would help the state get its money back when companies fail to deliver on state aid.
Energy

With Two Final Permits, Cape Wind Cleared For Development

By Sean Corcoran
Cape Wind is good to go: After a final pair of permits last week, project developers are cleared to begin installing the 130 turbines that will generate electricity off the shore of Cape Cod.
Energy

Officials May Lease More Local Waters For Wind Farms


CLIMATIDE: OFFSHORE WIND TOPS 2010 HEADLINES
By Sean Corcoran
The state and federal governments are testing the waters for interest in erecting more wind turbines off the islands of Martha's vineyard and Nantucket.
Energy

Cape Wind Vs. Deepwater Wind



MORE CLIMATIDE
By Heather Goldstone and Sean Corcoran
A side-by-side comparison of two proposed offshore wind projects in our backyard: Cape Wind and the Deepwater Wind Energy Center, which would be the largest offshore wind farm inthe U.S.
ENVIRONMENT

State's Top Environmental Official Will Step Down


By Sean Corcoran
Ian Bowles, the state's top environmental official and a key player in Gov. Deval Patrick's first term in office, is stepping down from his position as secretary of energy and environmental affairs.
Energy

State Approves National Grid Purchase Of Cape Wind


READ SEAN CORCORAN'S CAPE WIND BLOG
By Sean Corcoran
The state's Department of Public Utilities Monday approved an agreement that will allow power distributor National Grid to buy half of the electricity generated by the Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound.
CLIMATIDE

Slideshow: The Face Of Energy On Cape Cod


READ CLIMATIDE
By Heather Goldstone
All electricity generation comes with costs. A brief tour of power sources on and around Cape Cod highlights some of the financial, environmental, and public health concerns.
Now

Power Struggle


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Why the green energy dream may not happen.

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