Elisa Wood and I were doing blogs and podcasts about energy and never imagined where this work would lead. Read on to learn more…
Superstorm Sandy was an event Elisa Wood would never forget. The huge, destructive hurricane in 2012 left millions on the East Coast without power – but not everyone. “There were massive power outages everywhere, except for …
I just launched a new blog, Clean Energy Conversations (aka Nerding Out About Clean Energy), which shares clean energy enthusiasts’ stories about adopting solar, wind, energy storage, electric vehicles, hydrogen and other forms of clean energy. The goal is to help others learn from the stories and make decisions about deploying renewable energy and electric vehicles.
The first blog was …
When climate-change caused disaster strikes–knocking out power–clean, distributed energy can create electric sanctuaries that are sometimes life-saving.
Solar, energy storage, wind and other renewable resources can power hospitals, keep medical devices charged, ensure food stays cool and provide for air conditioning or heat.
As a co-founder and editor of the news site Microgrid Knowledge, I’ve been covering the ways that …
By Lisa Cohn
This summer, tens of thousands of Oregon residents had their power shut off when high winds and hot temperatures threatened to ignite fires from electrical equipment such as utility poles. This was by far the largest series of “public safety power shutoffs” implemented by Oregon utilities.
During such events, homeowners and businesses tend to fire up …
Along with my business partner, Elisa Wood, I have written a few editorials about clean energy. In addition to the one below, our editorials include pieces for the Oregonian and the Portland Tribune.
In this story for the second largest newspaper in Oregon–located in sunny Bend–we argue that it’s important for utilities to pay people for lending their clean energy …
By Lisa Cohn
Here’s a story I wrote for PDX Parent Magazine about kids feeling anxious about climate change. It provides some tips for dealing with kids struggling with eco-anxiety.
I love writing about clean energy, in part because I meet passionate people who are helping others. Oscar Ruiz is one of them. Here’s a story about how he helped out during the most recent energy crisis in Texas, a crisis that left more than 3 million people without power, and in some cases, water. This story is for Microgrid …
Explosion Fears, Hostile Strangers and Other Hazards of a 1,600-Mile Tesla Journey
By Lisa Cohn
Before I drove my new Tesla from Portland, Ore. to Whitefish Montana, I tried to travel in a Volkswagen e-Golf.
I impulsively leased a Volkswagen e-Golf in 2015 after learning that leases were going for low rates.
The modest and zippy e-Golf, it turned out, …
By Lisa Cohn
My good friend Elisa Wood and I are editors and founders of a news site that focuses on distributed energy. Here’s an editorial we wrote for the Oregonian about why Oregon and states across the country need to take action by installing more distributed energy.
Power Outages, Climate Threats Should Spark Oregon Action on Off-Grid Alternatives…
Can renewable energy sources cost less than fossil fuel generation? And are they as reliable?
Two recent studies say the answer is yes. The studies focus on how renewable energy, coupled with distributed energy resources, can be less expensive than and just as reliable as power from fossil fuel plants.
This story includes references to distributed energy …