General
Valuation of Renewable and Distributed Resources: Implications for the Integrated Resource Planning Process
Over the last two decades, traditional integrated resource planning (IRP) has proven to be avaluable tool for evaluating the tradeoffs between supply-side generation and demand-sideefficiency resources. However, there has been increasing focus on the incorporation ofrenewable, distributed, and demand-side resources into utility planning, which requires newmethodologies to assess the value…
For the Least Among Us: New Approaches to Refugee Care
Environmental degradation has created millions of refugees around the world. These refugees are disproportionately located in developing nations. Cameron Burns argues that continuing desertification of sub-Saharan regions, climate change and rising sea levels, ongoing resource shortages and the violence resulting from such shortages—not to mention natural disasters—will all be felt…
Nuclear Power: Economics and Climate-Protection Potential
This paper makes an economic argument against the use of nuclear power. Despite strong governmental support, nuclear power is unfinancible in the private capital market. Nuclear power worldwide has less installed capacity and generates less electricity than its decentralized no- and low-carbon competitors—one-third renewables (excluding big hydroelectric dams), two-thirds fossil-fueled…
How America Can Free Itself of Oil—Profitably
In this article from Fortune magazine, Amory Lovins argues that it will cost less to replace the oil needed by the U.S. than to buy it. He also argues that within the next few decades the U.S. can end its oil dependence. Lovins argues that by applying the past two…
Twenty Hydrogen Myths
This peer-reviewed white paper offers both lay and technical readers a documented primer on basic hydrogen facts, weighs competing opinions, and corrects twenty widespread misconceptions. Some of these include the following: a hydrogen industry would need to be developed from scratch; hydrogen is too dangerous for common use; making hydrogen…