http://pesd.stanford.edu/Recent news, events + publications from PESDen-usPublic domainhttp://pesd.stanford.edu/images/feed-icon-48x48.jpghttp://pesd.stanford.edu/60http://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1690Google's initiative RE < C seeks to develop sources of renewable energy that are cheaper than coal-fired power. David Victor speaks to an audience at Google's Mountain View, CA headquarters about the current status and future prospects for coal -- the right hand side of Google's equation.]]>Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1690http://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1691PESD affiliates and collaborators from China have used rural household survey data in Hubei province to explore patterns of residential fuel use, specifically the use of biomass and coal for cooking. The study shows that incomes may have to rise substantially in order for absolute biomass use to fall, that residential fuel use varies between regions within the province and that coal is the principal substitute for biomass, raising concerns about health.]]>Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1691http://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1683Energy traders have lately been villainized as the cause of high energy prices, but %people1% shows that the numbers don't support this logic.]]>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1683http://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1684In a climate of extremely volatile energy prices, OPEC is taking directions from the market, not calling the shots. %people1%'s analysis of OPEC's price targets and quotas illuminate the cartel's diminished influence.]]>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1684http://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1681In the face of pessimism about political solutions to global climate change, once marginal ideas about using geo-engineering to combat warming are gaining new attention.]]>Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1681http://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1658%people1% and %people2%'s recent work, %publication1%, addresses problems with the world's largest offset program, the UN's Clean Development Mechanism. Wara and Victor argue that much of the CDM investment doesn't actually meet the UN's crucial additionality standards, and they outline ways to fix the problem.]]>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1658http://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1663Income from carbon offsets has become French chemical manufacturer Rhodia SA's most profitable business. The WSJ estimates payouts to the firm from projects in Brazil and South Korea could total $1 billion over seven years, raising questions about the incentive structure of the CDM. %people1% argues that carbon markets are not sending the appropriate signals to the developing world.]]>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1663http://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1641California's plan to cut carbon emissions 10% by 2020 relies on offsets as a part of a cap and trade scheme. %people1% points out the challenges that face the state as it designs its offset program, and %people2% sheds light on difficulties faced by the world's largest offset program, the UN's CDM protocol.]]>Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1641http://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1640In a region popularly associated with monolithic states controlling secretive but effective national oil companies, Kuwait presents a surprising picture of bitterly divided government and a chaotic and fragmented oil sector. PESD affiliate Paul Stevens dissects the historical legacies and tangled webs of interaction with government that explain the current performance and erratic strategy of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation.]]>Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1640http://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1638The CDM Executive Board recently approved several gas-fired power plants under the UN's carbon offset scheme, opening the door for subsidizing coal generation and stoking controversy. %people1% questions the additionality of such projects and argues subsidies are better spent on other clean-energy development.]]>Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/news/1638http://pesd.stanford.edu/publications/22214PESD Working Paper,
PESD affiliates and collaborators from China have used rural household survey data in Hubei province to explore patterns of residential fuel use, specifically the use of biomass and coal for cooking. The study shows that incomes may have to rise substantially in order for absolute biomass use to fall, that residential fuel use varies between regions within the province and that coal is the principal substitute for biomass, raising concerns about health.]]>Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:27:36 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/publications/22214http://pesd.stanford.edu/publications/22205Council on Foreign Relations, October 2006
National Security Consequences of U.S. Oil Dependency, a report by the Council on Foreign Relations Independent Task Force on Energy, concludes that the "lack of sustained attention to energy issues is undercutting U.S. foreign policy and U.S. national security." The report goes on to examine how America's dependence on imported oil - which currently comprises 60 percent of consumption- increasingly puts it into competition with other energy importers, notably the rapidly growing economies of China and India.]]>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:20:56 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/publications/22205http://pesd.stanford.edu/publications/22200Foreign Affairs vol. 87, 07/2008
David Victor and Sarah Eskreis-Winkler argue for reforming the US government's managment of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.]]>Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:10:13 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/publications/22200http://pesd.stanford.edu/publications/22199PESD Working Paper #78, 07/2008
In a region popularly associated with monolithic states controlling secretive but effective national oil companies, Kuwait presents a surprising picture of bitterly divided government and a chaotic and fragmented oil sector. PESD affiliate Paul Stevens dissects the historical legacies and tangled webs of interaction with government that explain the current performance and erratic strategy of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation.]]>Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:32:05 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/publications/22199http://pesd.stanford.edu/publications/22196International Journal of Energy Sector vol. 2, 2008
Small scale power generation technologies (distributed generation) have the potential to significantly contribute to solving the rural electricity access problem in the developing world. This paper presents results from case studies in Brazil (part of a larger three country study) and shows that differences in business models and the influence of institutions are important factors for understanding success and failure in rural electrification and the contribution rural electrification can play in rural development.]]>Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:10:45 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/publications/22196http://pesd.stanford.edu/publications/22195Program on Energy and Sustainable Development Working Paper #77, July 8, 2008
India's Sagar Island is renowned among Hindu devotees for its pilgrimage sites and in the renewable energy community for its locally-managed solar and wind projects. Field work by PESD Researcher Sam Shrank corroborates some of the benefits of these off-grid electricity generators but suggests that the business model for running them is not as sustainable or replicable as the literature implies.]]>Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:12:13 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/publications/22195http://pesd.stanford.edu/publications/22191Program on Energy and Sustainable Development Working Paper #76, June 30, 2008
PESD researchers Varun Rai, Ngai-Chi Chung, Mark Thurber, and David Victor have released the PESD Carbon Storage Project Database, which tracks all publicly declared carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects worldwide. The database lays bare the slow pace of development of CCS projects relative to what is needed if CCS is to become an important wedge for fighting climate change.]]>Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:37:32 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/publications/22191http://pesd.stanford.edu/publications/22179The Aspen Institute, in "The Global Politics of Energy", 2008
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PESD scholars Michael Wara and David Victor suggest that a substantial fraction of the $12b market for international carbon offsets does not represent real reductions and that the market is unlikely to provide reliable cost-control for a domestic carbon market. Instead, they suggest that a broader array of strategies will be needed to make a real dent in developing world emissions and that more explicit cost control mechanisms be considered for a U.S. cap-and- trade market for greenhouse gases.]]>Mon, 12 May 2008 14:50:12 PSThttp://pesd.stanford.edu/publications/22157