• CCL Launches Carbon Pricing Education Series

    ByAdmin

    CCL kicked off an ambitious six-part education series on carbon pricing, with the first session held September 3. This article will be updated monthly with materials from each event, so you can catch up if you missed one. Recordings, transcripts, AI summaries and slides will be posted below.

    Why Now? Carbon pricing is not just another policy proposal CCL supports. It has long been the central, sometimes the singular, focus of our advocacy. In the early 2010s, it was CCL’s first major proposal.  During the 2010s, support built and peaked in 2019 with the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2019 (EICDA), which garnered 86 co-sponsors, including 1 Republican, …

  • |

    Victor Joecks Errs Again

    ByAdmin

    Victor Joecks posted a column in the Las Vegas Review-Journal today: Las Vegas heat wave shows futility of fighting the weather

    This post outlines the factual errors and mischaracterizations in the op-ed for use in follow-up discussions or oral arguments.  I’ll bypass the easy target of attacking Victor Joecks ad hominem by pointing out and linking to contradictions in his past editorials, in which he denied climate change and dismissed the alarmism he now suggests we should accept. The blatant hypocrisy of those positions, in my opinion, weakens his credibility.  That said, let me engage as if he is making the arguments in good faith.

  • |

    Humboldt County well shows big promise for geothermal power

    ByAdmin

    Pumpernickel shows limited surface signs of geothermal activity and, while it was briefly explored in the past, the site had mostly been ignored until now….It could be the state’s largest geothermal power facility, supplying reliable, carbon-free electricity to the grid within three years.

    … Zanskar believes there are a lot more conventional geothermal systems that haven’t been discovered in Nevada — geothermal upwellings that don’t reach the surface, he said. “The only way to really discover them is to drill,” Holcomb said.

    … Experts at Zanskar use artificial intelligence to expedite and increase the accuracy of the company’s predictions related to areas for exploration and temperature, DeReuil said.

  • Sen. Cortez Masto on Critical Minerals, Climate Policy, and the Technology of the Future

    ByAdmin

    Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, a Democrat who sits on the Senate’s energy and natural resources committee, expressed frustration with the Trump administration rolling back policies in the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act meant to support critical minerals companies. “If we want to, in this country, lead in 21st century technology, why aren’t we starting with the extraction of the critical minerals that we need for that technology?” she asked.

    At the same time, Cortez Masto also seemed hopeful that the Senate would move forward on both permitting and critical minerals legislation.

  • |

    NCF Meeting: Data Centers in Nevada – Dec. 10th, 2pm

    ByAdmin

    Data centers are coming to Nevada owing to our low cost electricity, tax incentives and a favorable regulatory environment. Join a discussion by leading governmental planning officers, academic researchers, legal strategists, and NGOs (WRI, Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club). No need to register in advance; just copy this link into your calendar for Wednesday, Dec. 10th at 2:00 PM.

    The arrival of data centers can provide jobs and revenues to governments. This development may also negatively impact water supplies, electricity rates and reliability, and …

  • Tapping the Heat Beneath Our Feet

    ByAdmin

    EcoTech Note:  Geothermal power may be a breakthrough clean energy story of the next decade—but only if it survives the gauntlet ahead. In this essay, associates at a venture capital fund connect the dots: costs to build and operate geothermal are dropping fast, pioneers are struggling through the financing “Valley of Death,” and smarter public policy—especially streamlined permitting or strategic incentives—could tip the balance and unleash a new wave of clean, reliable power.

    As 2024 wrapped, reporters declared it a breakout year for next-generation (“next-gen”) geothermal and the year of enhanced geothermal’s rise. In 2025, the momentum continues, with geothermal deemed …

  • |

    TDK Ventures Invests $38m Series A In new geothermal pilot plant

    ByAdmin

    TDK Ventures has invested $38m in a Series A fundraising for Rodatherm, a startup with a new closed-loop geothermal technology.  The money is earmarked for a pilot plant in Utah that will demonstrate Rodatherm’s patented approach to harvesting geothermal heat using refrigerant fluids instead of water flowing through a “closed-loop system.”  A closed-loop system is composed of pipes running down to the hot rock, across the hot rock, and then back up.   By not having the working fluid ever leave the closed-loop piping, Rodatherm can use fluids that they claim transfer heat more efficiently and avoid any fluid losses due to leakage.

  • Oil Giant Saudi Arabia Is Emerging as a Solar Power

    ByAdmin

    The world’s ultimate petrostate is turning to solar power.

    Saudi Arabia is building some of the world’s biggest solar farms, along with giant arrays of batteries to store their electricity till after dark. The rapid rollout is making the country into one of the fastest-growing markets for solar power from a near-standing start.

    The kingdom is betting that sunshine can transform its economy and bolster its coffers. It needs electricity for new tourism resorts, factories and AI data centers. Green energy could also squeeze more value from the fossil fuels that made the kingdom rich. Saudi Arabia burns oil to generate electricity; embracing alternatives frees up barrels for export.

  • Nevada Homeowners: Act Now on Energy Tax Credits

    ByAdmin

    The “Save on Better Appliances” campaign by Rewiring America is helping homeowners take advantage of valuable energy tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act before they expire. The campaign highlights tax credits for:

    • Heat pumps
    • Weatherization and insulation
    • Rooftop solar and battery storage
    • Electric vehicles (EVs) and chargers

    Rewiring America encourages homeowners to act quickly, as many of these federal tax credits are set to expire. The organization has a savings calculator to help you determine your eligibility and potential savings.

  • Emerging geothermal startups advance 24/7 clean energy

    ByAdmin

    When congressional Republicans took a sledgehammer to the Inflation Reduction Act last summer, advanced geothermal startups were largely spared. Drilling for renewable energy appears to be one of the few things that engenders bipartisan support.

    Now, with the uncertainty settled, geothermal companies are announcing deals that promise to pave the way for broader deployment of their technology.