News and Articles


Engineers can use the facility to simulate 20 years

World-Class Wind Energy Testing Facility Opens in South Carolina

Officials from Clemson University, Duke Energy, SCE&G, and the U.S. Department of Energy participated in the dedication of the SCE&G Energy Innovation Center on Nov. 21.

This Gamesa photo was taken at its wind turbine blade manufacturing plant in Cuenca, Spain. (Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica photo)

Companies Call for Ambitious 2030 EU Renewables Target

Eight European leaders in producing energy and renewable energy technologies announced recently they want a legally binding target of more than 30 percent of the EU energy mix to be renewables.

New Renewable Fuel Standards Proposed by EPA

Developed with input from the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Agriculture, EPA’s new proposal seeks public input on annual volume requirements for renewable fuels in all motor vehicle gasoline and diesel produced or imported by the United States in 2014.

Renewable Energy Data Book Now Available

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released a new renewable energy data book that assesses U.S. energy statistics for 2012, including renewable electricity, worldwide renewable energy development, clean energy investments, and data on specific technologies.

12 Offshore Operators Cited for Missing SEMS Deadline

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement announced that the companies either failed to submit initial audit plans by the Nov. 15 deadline or didn’t complete their audits by that date.

Water Protection and Reinvestment Trust Fund Act Introduced

Last week, U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., introduced the Water Protection and Reinvestment Trust Fund Act of 2013. It would provide a protected source of revenue to help states replace, repair, and rehabilitate critical wastewater treatment facilities.

Mercury Levels in Women of Childbearing Age Dropped by 34 Percent

A recent EPA report shows that blood mercury levels in women of childbearing age has decreased by 34 percent from a survey conducted in 1999-2000 to follow-up surveys conducted from 2001 to 2010. Additionally, the percentage of women of childbearing age with blood mercury levels above the level of concern decreased by 65 percent.

EPA Releases Draft Procurement Guidelines for Product Environmental Performance

They are criteria for assessing private-sector standards and ecolabels, considering factors such as how standards are developed and managed, as well as their environmental effectiveness

Study Reveals Low Rate of Frog Abnormalities on Wildlife Refuges

An unprecedented 10-year-study by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows encouraging results for frogs and toads on national wildlife refuges.

Bad News for Wind Farms

The Department of Justice announced Nov. 22 that Duke Energy Renewables Inc. pleaded guilty to violating the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act for birds killed at its wind projects in Wyoming.

Egypt's Largest Petrochemical Plant Gets New Water Technology

As part of a $4.8 billion Tahrir Petrochemicals Complex, the technology project is billed as the world's largest naphtha liquid cracker and will feature GE technologies.

New Report Explores Resiliency of Water and Electric Utilities

Thought leaders explore opportunities for transformational solutions to maximize resource efficiency.

Appeals Court Halts Nuclear Waste Storage Fees

As long as the federal government has no viable alternative to Yucca Mountain for storing nuclear waste, power plant operators should not be charged annual fees for the cost of that disposal, the judges ruled.

Active Volcano Rumbles beneath Antarctica Ice

Scientist says a staggering amount of energy needed to punch through the ice.

UN to Coal Industry: Radically Change and Diversify

Citing fiduciary responsibility to workforce and shareholders, UN’s Figueres urges coal industry “look past next quarter’s bottom line and see the next generation’s bottom line.”.

Small Monthly Fee Approved in AZ Residential Solar Showdown

The Arizona Corporation Commission voted 3-2 to approve a monthly charge by the utility Arizona Public Service Co. of 70 cents per kilowatt, on customers who install rooftop solar panels after Jan. 1, 2014.

Shreveport Agrees to $342 Million Sewer System Upgrade

"The key provisions of this settlement will eliminate overflows of raw sewage in neighborhoods that have for too long been subject to these contaminated overflows," said Acting U.S. Assistant Attorney General Robert G. Dreher.

Times Square Alliance Boosts Number of Recycling Stations for America Recycles Day

Times Square will be home to 46 solar-powered waste and recycling stations, helping divert 25 percent of waste to recycling.

Experts Agree Ocean Acidification Caused by Carbon Dioxide Emission from Human Activity

Change our behaviors or expect significant economic and ecosystem loss to our world’s oceans.

Nominee Tapped for EPA Office of Research and Development

President Obama has nominated Thomas A. Burke, Ph.D., MPH, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, to fill the vacant assistant administrator position.