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Norway Wrestles with Costly EV Subsidies (world leader at a crossroads)

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#a_brooks">Allen Brooks</a> -- June 27, 2017

“What happened in Denmark was similar to the experience in Georgia, where the state’s legislature voted to end its nation-high EV incentive program of $5,000 per vehicle, and to add a tax to EVs to account for road wear and tear. After the incentive was eliminated effective July 1, 2015, car dealers couldn’t give EVs away.”

“It appears from all the EV data we have examined worldwide that no country has crossed that gap from early movers/EV advocates to mass market appeal. It is all about battery costs, range anxiety, and subsidies. Until there are  significant technological breakthroughs, government subsidies cannot be abandoned.”

Norway is approaching its next election on September 11, 2017, when the 169 members of the legislative body, the Storting, will be chosen for new four-year terms. One of the issues at play in the election campaign is the cost of the country’s generous electric vehicle (EV) subsidy program, which has been a central tenet of the government’s efforts to shift its transportation sector from fossil fuels to electricity.…

‘No Left Turns’ (self-interested conservation at UPS)

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#a_brooks">Allen Brooks</a> -- March 8, 2017

“UPS engineers found while studying the performance of its truck fleet that left-hand turns were a major drag on efficiency. Turning against traffic resulted in long waits in left-hand turn lanes that wasted time and fuel, and it also led to a disproportionate number of accidents.”

“The [Mythbusters] program sent a truck out to deliver packages following a normal route and one employing the left-turnless UPS route. They found the UPS approach saved gas but took a bit longer.”

While it is hard to believe that you can drive longer and go farther and actually save gasoline, United Parcel Services Inc. (UPS), the ubiquitous package delivery service famous for its brown trucks and drivers’ uniforms, has proven this scenario to be true.

Back in 2004, UPS announced it would begin a policy of planning its delivery routes in such a way as to avoid making left-hand turns. …

US Offshore Wind: Tax Machines Offset Bad Economics

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#a_brooks">Allen Brooks</a> -- February 28, 2017

“While the ITC option eliminates the uncertainty of performance, it is also consistent with the view of Warren Buffett, considered one of the outstanding investors of all-time. He has said, ‘[O]n wind energy, we get a tax credit if we build a lot of wind farms.  That’s the only reason to build them. They don’t make sense without the tax credit.’”

“Responding to his critics about the economics of Deepwater Wind, CEO Jeffrey Grybowski said: ‘We’re building clean energy for the next generation here. And I think there are always small-minded opponents who like to find conspiracies.’ But I doubt most Rhode Islanders consider themselves either ‘small-minded’ or conspiracy-theorists.”

America’s renewable energy industry recently opened a new chapter with the official startup of the Block Island Wind Farm located 3.8 miles off the coast of Block Island in Rhode Island state waters.…

What If the World Enters a New Global Cooling Period? (while EPA fights against wood stoves in Alaska)

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#a_brooks">Allen Brooks</a> -- February 22, 2017

LED Highway Lighting: Quality Issues (new AMA warning)

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#a_brooks">Allen Brooks</a> -- December 20, 2016

Canada: More Pipeline Export Capacity Needed

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#a_brooks">Allen Brooks</a> -- November 16, 2016

Energy Obstructionism Can Be Not-So-Green

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#a_brooks">Allen Brooks</a> -- October 6, 2016

Green Energy Shock: Canadians Confront Climate Policy

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#a_brooks">Allen Brooks</a> -- September 14, 2016

Offshore Wind’s $0.24/kWh: Deepwater Project Nears Launch (states, ratepayers take note)

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#a_brooks">Allen Brooks</a> -- August 31, 2016

ExxonMobil, Climate Change And Free Speech: Down from Climategate

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#a_brooks">Allen Brooks</a> -- July 27, 2016