What do we do with coal? It provides cheap and reliable energy around the world, but is also the main cause of the most serious problem facing the world, writes Allan Hoffman. According to Hoffman, there are no easy answers, but we have no choice but to move to a clean energy society as quickly as possible. … [Read more...]
US desperately needs a national energy policy
The US - and indeed the world - is at a crossroads when it comes to the choice on how we want to provide energy services in the future, writes US energy expert Allan Hoffman. According to Hoffman, the US desperately needs a national energy policy that recognizes the importance of moving to a renewable energy future as quickly as possible. Without such a policy, economic growth, the environment and national security will suffer. … [Read more...]
How Scotland finances its renewables revolution
Scotland has a 100% renewable electricity goal for 2020. Allan Hoffman explains how the Scottish government supports the achievement of this goal financially. He concludes that Scotland may "prove to be an example to the rest of the world as we leave the fossil fuel era and move into the new era of renewable energy". … [Read more...]
The exciting changes taking place in Scotland’s energy system
Scotland, despite having some of the EU’s largest fossil fuel reserves, is moving rapidly to an energy system based predominantly on renewable energy, notes energy expert Allan Hoffman, a former senior official at the U.S. Department of Energy, who lives in Scotland part of the time. Renewables are already the biggest single source of electricity – and “there is no reason requiring conventional fossil and nuclear generation in Scotland” in the … [Read more...]
The vulnerability of our electric utility system to cyber attacks
As our electric utility system is moving from dumb and centralized to smart and decentralized, it is becoming increasingly vulnerable to cyber attacks. Are utility executives paying sufficient attention to these serious new risks? Energy expert Allan Hoffman, a former senior official at the U.S. Department of Energy, says the SONY hacking case should serve as a wake-up call to the energy industry. … [Read more...]