If the threat is as dire as some believe, we cannot wait for policy changes to take effect. Realistically, tax and regulatory policy cannot bring about the type of innovation revolution needed. Taxes discourage growth and regulation restrictions action. While restriction may be worthwhile when it prevents and holds back…
This blog series is laser-focused on innovative technology that can improve the damage prevention process. While this particular series only discusses one technology – Electronic white-lining (EWL)– we have covered its manifold benefits, including public safety, damage reduction, and communications value. Electronic white-lining has multiple advantages, but here we focus…
The current push to electrify the U.S. transportation sector along with homes and businesses means that massive amounts of raw material will be needed to build out a more robust and smarter grid, deploy new renewable technology, and facilitate power storage. This electrified future that many long for will require…
Thriving society requires energy. The source of that energy can come from an array of natural resources and technological processes to convert light, heat, and motion into power. Energy development must, of course, be reconciled with environmental protection to minimize negative externalities. As innovators and public officials seek a sustainable…
Washington, D.C, January 26, 2021 — The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) on Wednesday released its newest report, A Sustainable Energy Model: Ensuring Robust Energy, Resilient Infrastructure, and Climate Balance. The report offers a new model to move beyond the energy and environmental status quo. In the report, also…
If Gregory House, MD has taught us anything it is that people lie and people have bias. On a topic as politically charged as climate change, we can chalk lies up to rhetoric and framing of an issue. But the more interesting and pertinent issue is bias. When starting a…
Green energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries help facilitate emissions-free energy to the U.S. power grid. While the promise of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction directs attention to these technologies, the inputs required to build them do not receive as much recognition. With the current supply chain crisis…
The state of South Carolina is no stranger to extreme weather. South Carolina is especially vulnerable to flooding hazards with its subtropical climate, low-lying topography, severe thunderstorms, numerous rivers, and large coastal zone. As of 2020, the state had experienced six major flood-related disasters in five years, resulting in the…
Climate, ESG, sustainability, resilience – these themes dominate the culture from boardrooms to academia and even confront us through our televisions and social media platforms. The most consistent thread of all these concepts is the emphasis to mitigate, remove, and reverse atmospheric emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases….
Massive oil spills, natural gas explosions, produced water leaks, and train derailments are environmental and human tragedies. These rare but terrible events grab headlines and linger in the public memory for years or even decades. The extent of these issues are often difficult to conceptualize – and that is part…
Carbon-free gasoline sounds like an oxymoron. Gasoline from refined petroleum remains one of the primary emissions sources across the world due to widespread utilization of diesel and gasoline-powered automobiles. Innovators in the energy sector have not only worked to reduce the harmful pollutants that come from burning gasoline, but now…
This blog series Technology Highlight explores some of the ways that investments in innovation lead to better outcomes for infrastructure and public safety. When technology advances, it often becomes cheaper, more widely available and accessible, and helps facilitate faster, safer, and greener projects. This series has highlighted many of…
Most Americans know hydrogen as being a key ingredient in water, H2O. Of the many chemical elements on the periodic table, hydrogen is the lightest element, while it’s also estimated to comprise up to 90 percent of the visible universe. With its simplicity and unfathomable abundance, might hydrogen be an overlooked…
Since oil was first discovered near Titusville, Pennsylvania over 100 years ago, petroleum has become arguably the most essential natural resource for the United State’s economy past and present. From its development as an energy source, fuel for vehicles, and as a key component in everything from plastics and tires to…
The solar energy striking the Earth at a given moment is more than the entire world’s energy usage in a year. Solar power’s massive energy potential has opened the door to to utility-scale electricity generation all the way down to rooftop power for individual homes. Yet solar panel efficiency and…
