Brian McCowan, Zondits staff, 2/21/2023 “The battle has just begun. Stay tuned.” What’s that about? The 2024 election? Spy balloons? Vaccines? Heck no, it’s about how we choose to heat our homes. That statement comes from a consultant with the National Oilheat Research Alliance. There is a battle brewing over the growing heat pump market … Read more
Matt Montalbano, Zondits guest, 2/8/2023 Global investments in low-carbon energy technology topped $1 trillion for the first time in 2022 and equaled global investments in fossil fuels. A recently published report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BloombergNEF) calculates the total investment in clean energy in 2022 to be a record-breaking $1.1 trillion. “Our findings put … Read more
Brian McCowan, Zondits staff, 1/26/2023 The recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is helping to expand the production of photovoltaic (PV) panels in the U.S. and ease the tariff-related tensions regarding the growth of solar electric energy worldwide. The South Korean PV manufacturer Qcells has announced a $2.5 billion expansion of their facility in Georgia … Read more
GianGabriel Masoni Dobles, Zondits staff, 12/6/2022 Cryptocurrency has long been criticized for the outsized energy usage involved in verifying transactions and the generation of tokens. In what essentially amounts to an ongoing civil war between radically different approaches to blockchain architecture, one can read volumes on the distinction between proof-of-stake versus proof-of-work for building consensus. … Read more
Brian McCowan, Zondits staff, 12/6/2022 Cryptocurrency has long been criticized for the outsized energy usage involved in mining new coins and verifying transactions. But now CNBC and other news outlets are reporting that one of the largest cryptocurrency operations, Ethereum, has adopted new algorithms that dramatically decrease energy consumption. The revised system for minting new … Read more
Lindsay Keane, Zondits guest, 11/4/2022 Lowering energy costs and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in hard-to-reach (HTR) communities are key goals of the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The bill includes $9 billion for consumer home energy rebate programs, $60 billion for environmental justice (EJ) initiatives in underserved communities, and consumer tax credits for … Read more
Brian McCowan, Zondits staff, 10/13/2022 Wind energy is often criticized as being intermittent and unpredictable. Large-scale energy storage is just as often touted as the solution to that problem. According to a piece published on CNBC’s website, the British firm Centrica is teaming with US-based General Electric to replace an old decommissioned natural gas-fired power … Read more
Brian McCowan, Zondits staff, 10/3/2022 Canadian producer of fuel cell systems, Ballard Power Systems, has reached an agreement with Medha Servo Drives to provide hydrogen fuel cells for commuter trains operated by India Railways. Eight fuel cells will be incorporated in the retrofitting of two locomotives that are currently powered by conventional diesel engines. The … Read more
Brian McCowan, Zondits staff, 7/18/2022 Toyota has been under increasing criticism for not moving as fast as other manufacturers in developing and marketing EVs. Once considered a leader in cleaner automobiles with the introduction of the hybrid Prius in 1997 followed by a plug-in hybrid Prius, climate-conscious consumers have increasingly turned their attention toward 100% … Read more
Matt Montalbano, Zondits staff, 7/14/2022 Coal mining has long been associated with the state of Virginia. But the state’s coal production has been in decline and Virginia is looking to stimulate and diversify its economy. InvestSWVA is a public-private campaign looking to assist the region’s transition away from coal and tobacco and toward new high-tech, … Read more