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Energy

A program designed to help low-income people pay for heating faces the need to pay for AC

by Samantha Fields
May 17, 2022
The climate crisis has made it a necessity.
States are increasingly using LIHEAP fund to buy air conditioners for low-income families as heat waves and high temperatures become more common.
James Andrews/Getty Images
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Energy is getting more expensive. More middle-income families are struggling to pay.

by Samantha Fields
May 16, 2022
Between a quarter and a third of U.S. households are said to be energy insecure, and many don't qualify for aid.
Energy costs should take up about 6% of household income, energy experts say. But many low- and middle-income families are spending multiple times that.
Photo illustration by George Frey/Getty Images
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Should utilities rethink the power transmission model?

by Andy Uhler
May 9, 2022
Some say lawmakers are trying to solve 21st century problems with 20th century solutions.
Electricity providers in some parts of the country with hot weather are warning consumers that demand may outpace supply.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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A Warmer World

What does the current energy crisis mean for the clean energy transition?

by Kai Ryssdal and Richard Cunningham
Apr 28, 2022
The war in Ukraine is forcing the U.S. to reconsider its dependence on oil.
"We have seen this scenario time and time again, where oil is proving to be an unstable factor in our economy," said Mark Brownstein at the Environmental Defense Fund. "And now we have the opportunity to move to a different future."
David McNew/Getty Images
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War in Ukraine could affect food and energy prices through 2024, World Bank says

by David Brancaccio , Alex Schroeder and Rose Conlon
Apr 28, 2022
Wheat prices could increase more than 40% and energy more than 50% this year, according to the bank's president, David Malpass.
Commodity prices are rising, and "it’s hitting people in the poorest countries hardest," World Bank President David Malpass says. Stagflation is also a risk.
Louai Beshara/AFP via Getty Images
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A Warmer World

Coal, the dirtiest of the fossil fuels, is in high demand

by Lily Jamali
Apr 26, 2022
While coal is having a resurgence as a fuel source, the spike in its use may not last.
People line up for ice cream in Cheswick, Pennsylvania, near a coal-burning power station. Existing coal plants in the U.S. are being used more, though that’s likely only temporary.
Jeff Swenson/Getty Images
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I've Always Wondered ...

Why do oil companies call themselves “energy” companies? 

by Janet Nguyen
Apr 22, 2022
Over the past several decades, several corporations have tried to distance themselves from being known as oil and gas companies.
A view of a Chevron gas sign in Houston, Texas.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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Cryptocurrency mining and the environment

Crypto miners use natural gas "stranded" in wells to power energy-hungry rigs

by Andy Uhler
Mar 25, 2022
Usually the gas is burned off at the well. Environmentalists say using it for mining incentivizes more drilling.
If natural gas from oil wells can't be used or sold, it's sometimes flared, as above, or vented into the air. Some cryptocurrency miners see it as a potential energy source.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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A Warmer World

As Lake Powell's water level drops, some in the West must turn to more expensive energy sources

by Savannah Peters
Mar 23, 2022
Hydropower is a diminishing resources in a megadrought.
"The way that we're defining this...is not just about those water volumes, it's also about water quality, and also about access to water for the poor," Pacific Institute President Jason Morrison said about the business-led Water Resilience Coalition.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Cryptocurrency mining and the environment

Crypto miners came to upstate New York for cheap energy. Some regret letting them come.

by Lily Jamali
Mar 11, 2022
The miners have blown through one town's allocation of cheap power, while another has put a moratorium on new mining operations.
Coinmint is using an old aluminum smelting plant as a cryptocurrency mining facility. The plant comes with its own electrical substation with direct hookups to the grid.
Lily Jamali/Marketplace
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