Articles Written by Clay Bedwell

Returning Guest Blogger Clayton Bedwell is co-founder of energy marketing firm The Betasource Group, an operator of PA Energy.Org, a free service to educate PA on ways save energy, money & planet. He shares the 411 on the New Energy Works Program here: Recently, Mayor Michael Nutter introduced the Energy Works program. The program is designed to provide residents and business owners with rebates and low interest loans for energy efficiency improvements. The program is funded by a $25 million Department of Energy grant and will serve residents in the following counties:

Clayton Bedwell is our expert on Wind, Solar & Alternate Energy. Check out his latest post: With domestic wind energy development down 71% percent this year, it seems like an odd time for the oil industry to kick the anti-wind spin machine into high gear, but that's exactly what's happening. Recently, The Wall Street Journal ran "Wind Power Won't Cool the Planet" where Robert Bryce argues that the technical accommodations necessary to integrate the variable generation of wind energy into the grid ultimately result in little to no carbon reductions versus the traditional power plants they are replacing. Considering the complexities of electricity generation and distribution in addition to the the havoc that variable generation technologies (wind and solar) can have on America's aging grid system (designed for the constant generation of traditional power sources) Bryce introduces an interesting and unintuitive thesis only to sink the article with the choice of some of his source and how he interpreted others. Greentech Media countered "Wind Power Won't Cool the Planet" with

Guest Blogger Clay gives Julie's nostalgic obsession alma mater a shout out & updates us on the PSU Energy Hub. Read more below! "End-use-efficiency improvements are the cheapest, cleanest, surest, most rapidly expandable energy option we have…the ultimate limits on this option are…the lack of knowledge by firms and consumers about the opportunities that exist and how to exploit them.” -John P Holdren, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Penn State University has successfully lead a campaign to secure $130 Million in grant funding over the next five years to start an Energy Innovation Hub at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The Energy Innovation hub will focus on

Guest Blogger Clay’s Recommendation: Gasland on HBO Written and Directed by Pennsylvania native Josh Fox, Gasland paints a bleak picture of a booming industry that exploits people and the environment to cash in on North America's natural gas reserves. Startled by the recent development of natural gas extraction in Pennsylvania, Fox heads

Guest Blogger Clay‘s Recommendation: Rocky Mountain Institute Founded in the 1980s by brothers Amory and Hunter Lovins, The Rocky Mountain Institute has since become a global thought leader in the efficient and restorative use of resources.  RMI prides itself on...

We wish we could report Copenhagen was a brilliant success, but unfortunately not so folks. Initiatives fell severely short of our hopes. Here's guest blogger Clay Bedwell's take: Years of anticipating a climate conference where the US was represented by anyone but a half-witted oil baby quickly faded away when Win Jabao of China eagerly took the roll of DoucheLord, stripping the deal of almost every meaningful goal. (Mark Lynas provides a spectacular first hand account of the negotiations.) Ultimately, like Bush at Kyoto, China chose the all mighty dollar over the environment, failing to understand that economic growth and sustainability are anything but mutually exclusive. To a certain extent though its clear that China understands the value of sustainability. They tout some of the fastest growing and most aggressively subsidized solar and wind industries in the world, and they have made their intention perfectly clear; one day they will supply the rest of the world with Chinese made renewable energy hardware. Whether this prophecy comes true or not, it's important to understand the distinction between renewable energy implementation and responsible renewable energy implementation. Not surprisingly, China has a preference towards

Copenhagen is all over the news this week... so what's the deal with the Climate Conference? This week our guest blogger, Clayton Bedwell, shares his expertise. With the largest and most anticipated global climate conference in history kicking off in Copenhagen, here are a few story lines that are shaping expectations: US & China Ready to Play Ball - Last Wednesday The Obama Administration announced they were ready to take a plan to Copenhagen that would reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions to 17 percent below 2005 levels, by 2020, and an 83 percent reduction by 2050. One day later China announced a plan to slow the growth of greenhouse gasses by 2020. Clearly the US and China have realized that the age of running from global climate reform has come to an end, but given how little both countries are willing to sacrifice in relation to their European counterparts, its hard to imagine that the Copenhagen Climate Talks will yield the profound results that was once expected. East Angelia University & The Emergence of "Climategate"

Are solar panels feasible for the common homeowner? This week our guest blogger, Clayton Bedwell, shares his industry knowledge on how to calculate financial incentives for solar installations. Over the last decade, growing concern over global warming has pushed federal, state, and local governments to legislatively encourage the implementation of clean and renewable energy sources. Pennsylvania - the Saudi Arabia of coal & natural gas - currently touts some of the most aggressive solar incentives in the country. However, these incentives won't stick around forever and aren't completely straightforward. Below are a few State and Federal incentives currently available - and how to easily calculate them.