Storm Alert – We Are Getting Into Some Very Interesting Debate

Dr. Sened is a Professor of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis, and former chair of the Political Science Department at Washington University. His main interests are comparative theory of institutions, game theory and mathematical modeling. Dr. Sened teaches Undergraduate and Graduate level courses in the Political Science Department.

This coming Monday we will post a post by Murray Weidnbaum.  Everyone who knows who Murray Weidenbaum is, knows his political background at the heart of the Republican consecutive conservative administration of the 1970s and 1980’s.  We believe that posting his post and then a follow up directly discussion his claims is going to be really beneficial for us all.  So brace yourself for some heated debate starting next week.

Environmental Policy Through Energy Policy: A Perspective on the Use of Smart Grids in the Amelioration of GHG Emissions

Alex Bluestone is a junior undergraduate studying political science and environmental policy at Washington University in St. Louis. Before attending Washington University, Alex was a student of public policy at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University, where he first became interested in environmental policy. Alex also has a diverse work background in addition to his academic foundation, which includes internships at the White House Council on Environmental Quality and, somewhat surprisingly, at the nation’s second largest coal company. In addition, Alex was a delegate to the 2012 UN Climate Change Conference in Doha, Qatar. 

Comprising nearly 40% of all C0₂ emissions in the United States, the energy sector should be the place to begin in the concerted effort to mitigate climate change and the health effects of GHG emissions. After analyzing several policies that could potentially ameliorate said social problems, one emerged as the obvious best: the implementation of a smart grid strategy. Essentially, a smart electric grid would reduce inefficiency, save money, put consumers more in control of their consumption practices, and would allow for best method of transition to renewable energy. This should be viewed as a critical investment to our nation’s strategy to become more sustainable.

 

Some Good News For a Change

Dr. Sened is a Professor of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis, and former chair of the Political Science Department at Washington University. His main interests are comparative theory of institutions, game theory and mathematical modeling. Dr. Sened teaches Undergraduate and Graduate level courses in the Political Science Department.

We have some good news to report.  According to a recently released EPA report (p. 7): “CO2 emission rates have decreased by 10 percent and fuel economy values have increased by 11 percent from MY 2006-2011. Based on preliminary estimates, CO2 emission rates have decreased by 13 percent and fuel economy values have increased by 16 percent from MY 2007-2012.”  We think it is important to appreciate that environmental policy coupled with the right attitude of the private sector can make all of us better off and, as a by product, save the planet.  We believe that this is just one important example of a number of such policies that need to get more attention from all of us in this debate.

Uncertainty, Wind Power, and How the U.S. Fumbled Its Policymaking

Alex Christensen is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis. There, he was an economics and political science student who developed a keen interest in renewable energy, macroeconomics, and the role of institutions in public policy.  He has written for Americans for Energy Leadership and Minnesota 2020. Since graduating, he has worked for a Fortune 50 company and as a public servant. This fall, he will be pursuing graduate studies in economics at London School of Economics. If you're ever looking for a bassist in your band, Alex is also the guy for you.

For much of 2012, the wind power industry was in 'hurry-up-and-wait" mode. There was tremendous uncertainty over the future of the Production Tax Credit, which was set to expire on December 31, 2012. Not knowing the "rules of the game" for 2013 and beyond, wind investors and developers responded by curtailing their plans for growth in 2013. This is a classic example of institutional uncertainty on growing industries. For wind power in the United States, this is just the latest example of a longstanding detrimental institutional structure - and is responsible for the lag behind other developed nations in renewable energy adoption.

The Ostrich Just Got Its Head Out of the Sand: Can We Have a Word With Her Before She Buries Her Head in the Sand Again?

Dr. Sened is a Professor of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis, and former chair of the Political Science Department at Washington University. His main interests are comparative theory of institutions, game theory and mathematical modeling. Dr. Sened teaches Undergraduate and Graduate level courses in the Political Science Department.

Following the devastation of hurricane Sandy, a debate about how to protect New York City with sea barriers has opened up.  In this post we argue that as a solution to global warming this amounts to science fiction and suggest a rapid return to the more important debate: how do we get over our addiction to fossil fuels, which is the only way to protect the global sea shores wherever they are. When Ostriches get scared they bury their heads in the sand.  At least so the legend says.  When human get scared or just too frustrated they turn to science fiction.  This is very natural, but as the only highly intelligent living species on the globe we must be able to do better than that in light of imminent threat of global warming.

Global Clean Energy Market Summary

Ben Gottesdiener is a junior at Washington University in St. Louis, majoring in Political Science with minors in Legal Studies and Institutional Social Analysis. Ben currently is interning with the ISI Group in Homebuilding Equity Research, and will spend the summer with Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Global Research. 

 In this article, Ben summarizes the three major global clean energy indexes over the course of the past week, and looks at their performance in comparison to the overall markets.

Corn is Food, Not Fuel

Adam Klestadt is a senior at Washington University in St. Louis studying economics. He spent the summer of 2012 at the Environmental Defense Fund working on issues and models related to energy and environmental economics. He is pursuing a career in energy consulting or finance.

In this article, Adam Klestadt discusses the impracticality of corn-ethanol as a legitimate fuel source. Combined with the effects of natural occurrences such as drought, devoting corn to biofuel production causes unnecessary increases in prices felt by every American, particularly farmers themselves.

The Week Ahead

This week, we look forward to featuring two pieces of analysis from our writers.

On Wednesday, Adam Klestadt, a senior and Economics major at Washington University in St. Louis, will discuss Ethanol and its role as a source of fuel and why he feels corn should be limited to food and not fuel.

On Friday, Ben Gottesdiener will provide a recap of the Global Equity Markets in the Clean Energy sector and identify key trends and developments observed over the course of the week.  

Welcome to the Gottesdiener Sened Clean Energy Index

Dr. Sened is a Professor of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis, and former chair of the Political Science Department at Washington University. His main interests are comparative theory of institutions, game theory and mathematical modeling. Dr. Sened teaches Undergraduate and Graduate level courses in the Political Science Department.

The reason we decided to launch a new Clean Energy Blog is rather obvious but may not look that way at first sight.  On the surface, there is a lot of talk of green energy and its potential to literally save the planet from global warming and other public harm associated with the emission of CO₂ and other toxins in all processes of producing energy from fossil fuels.  Beneath the surface and away from the public eye, the pace of the implementation and spread of the use of clean energy is painfully slow.  The question is why?  If clean energy is so potentially beneficial why are we not replacing all fossil fuel based energy production with clean energy sources?  After all the leading potential energy sources, wind and solar, are readily available at almost no cost.  Our clean energy blog will be dedicated to tireless search for the truth on this matter.