Energy & Sustainability

Last week the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) released a report highlighting the rapid growth in the use of solar energy by American businesses.  According to the study, the top corporate solar users now operate 1,686 solar systems producing 907 MW of electricity, enough to power more than 158,000 homes. 

With climate change front and center on the world stage as a result of the ongoing U.N. Climate Change Conference in Paris, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and a group of other business leaders used the opportunity to make several prominent announcements pertaining to climate change and energy technology funding.

Last week U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz awarded $125 million in funding for 41 cutting-edge energy technology projects under the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program.

America’s 10 year energy resurgence exhibits the difficulty of prediction. Unexpected global events, from the persistence of the U.S. fracking revolution to the impact (or lack thereof) of low natural gas prices on the business case for renewable exergy, have fundamentally transformed America’s energy standing.

In a headline grabbing move, last week President Obama rejected the Keystone XL Pipeline, ending a seven year waiting period. The pipeline would have carried 800,000 barrels of oil each day from Canada’s tar sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast.

Join the Mintz Levin team at the New England Women in Energy and the Environment (NEWIEE) Annual Meeting and Fall Fête on November 17, 2015 from 4:30 – 9 p.m. at the Algonquin Club of Boston. 

Tom Burton, Chair of Mintz Levin’s Energy Technology Practice, has published a weekly installment providing insight into the challenges and possible solutions that, if implemented, promise a bright future as clean energy moves America forward. In this series, Tom included one challenge per week and the potential solution(s). This is the sixth and final installment of the series.

Earlier this month, U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz released a report presenting the Department of Energy’s (DOE) assessment of expected regional energy sector vulnerabilities to climate change. 

On Wednesday, September 23, the Northeast Electrochemical Energy Storage Cluster and North Shore InnoVentures co-hosted the 2015 Clean Energy Storage Finance Forum at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC). The event kicked off with storage company pitches moderated by Tom Kinneman, Vice President and COO of North Shore InnoVentures.

In Washington this week, the energy and climate front was packed with hearings, proposals, and negotiations in preparation for several happenings at the end of the year.

On September 29, 2015 the Department of Energy released the 2014-2015 Offshore Wind Technologies Market Report, assessing the nation’s offshore wind potential and planned projects through June 30, 2015.

Tom Burton, Chair of Mintz Levin’s Energy Technology Practice, will publish a weekly installment providing insight into the challenges and possible solutions that, if implemented, promise a bright future as clean energy moves America forward. In this series, Tom will include one challenge per week and the potential solution(s). This is the fifth installment of the series.

Curious what the future holds for global energy? Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post with highlights from Paul Dickerson’s speech at the 40th Annual Interarab Cambist Association (ICA) Conference taking place on October 22-24 at the JW Marriot in Cairo, Egypt. Paul is the former Chief Operating Officer at the US Department of Energy, a current attorney with Mintz Levin, and a contributor to our Energy Technology Matters blog.

As Congress comes back into session next week, tax provisions are at the top of the agenda from now through the end of the year. While Republicans are looking to make some tax extenders permanent and eliminate others, Democrats are negotiating hard to make renewable energy credits permanent or at least secure long sunsets.

Are you looking to attend a clean tech event packed with lectures, workshops and networking opportunities? Join the Mintz Levin team at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) Cleantech Global Showcase, GloSho’15, on October 21 – 22, 2015 in downtown Los Angeles.

Tom Burton, Chair of Mintz Levin’s Energy Technology Practice, will publish a weekly installment providing insight into the challenges and possible solutions that, if implemented, promise a bright future as clean energy moves America forward. In this series, Tom will include one challenge per week and the potential solution(s). This is the fourth installment of the series.

Tom Burton, Chair of Mintz Levin’s Energy Technology Practice, will publish a weekly installment providing insight into the challenges and possible solutions that, if implemented, promise a bright future as clean energy moves America forward. In this series, Tom will include one challenge per week and the potential solution(s). This is the third installment of the series.

Regulation A+ went into effect in June 2015 to allow private US and Canadian based companies to raise equity — up to $20 million under Tier I and up to $50 million under Tier II from both accredited and nonaccredited investors, subject to certain limitations.

After meetings last week with Pope Francis and Xi Jinping, this week President Obama continued his environmental push with a visit to the UN General Assembly and an interview in Rolling Stone. On Capitol Hill, Senators and Congressmen are dealing with energy tax extenders among a host of other issues, including avoiding a government shutdown.

Tom Burton, Chair of Mintz Levin’s Energy Technology Practice, will publish a weekly installment providing insight into the challenges and possible solutions that, if implemented, promise a bright future as clean energy moves America forward. In this series, Tom will include one challenge per week and the potential solution(s). This is the second installment of the series.