The path forward

Climate scientists who ostensibly agree on the scale and scope of climate change are at odds over the best solution to the problem. In particular, several scientists have adamantly debated the role of nuclear energy and renewable energy.

I put together a three-part series on this issue, looking at the case for nuclear energy, profiling a scientist who says we can save the world with just renewables, and examining why the debate has become so heated. 

A cooling tower at the Callaway Nuclear Power Plant in Missouri

Energiewende-wende

Germany is rolling back its vaunted feed-in tariff for renewable energy as the country sets records for solar and wind power generation. Legislators say that the policy has grown too expensive and now are developing other models to encourage renewable energy deployment. 

A wind turbine in Saerbeck, Germany

We Need Nukes

Legislators and Energy Department officials recently made the case to support nuclear power on Capitol Hill. Climate change popped up repeatedly as a key reason why the government should restructure policies to make nuclear power more competitive. 

Speicherung von Sonnenschein

On a side visit during a reporting assignment, I got to visit Germany's equivalent of NASA, DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, in case you were wondering). 

One of the big projects researchers there are working on is storing solar thermal energy. Instead of keeping electrons on tap, holding on to heat might prove more efficient and cost-effective for solar power generation. 

High Energy

Since the Obama Administration took office, the U.S. Department of Energy has grown in scale and ambition. The agency was once a backwater, but is now a major economic engine, investing in early state energy projects and companies with billions in taxpayer capital. In this article, I profiled one of the key administrators who made it happen and what it means for the fight against climate change. 

Hydrogen in, water out

Several automakers in China and the United States have their sights set on battery-powered cars and trucks. For Japan, hydrogen is shaping up to be their strategic bet. Companies in the resource-strapped island nation are building up infrastructure to import and distribute hydrogen, while major car companies like Toyota are bringing to fuel cell cars to their showrooms. 

Move the goalposts

Many researchers and policy makers agree that climate change is a problem, but are still debating the ultimate goal. International negotiations typically focus on keeping warming below 2 degrees Celsius, but some analysts argue that this goal leaves too much wiggle room.

Instead, they argue the objective should be to race to zero carbon emissions, a goal that compels everyone to act.