Itron supplies technology to manage energy use to thousands of utility companies around the world. In China, where improving energy efficiency over the next decade is critical, it’s just getting started.
Officials from the U.S. and China hope that marrying such high-tech solutions with pressing energy needs will help the two countries solve environmental problems while benefiting both economies.
China’s energy planners got a first-hand look at the technology last weekend during a visit to Itron’s headquarters near Spokane. It was part of an effort to showcase the Northwest’s innovations as government …

Participants from more than 100 countries concluded their discussions on Thursday at the three-day Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC 2008), pledging to promote renewable energy. More than 2,800 delegates from 119 countries, along with nearly 3,000 other participants came to discuss ways their countries could develop renewable energy, promote sustainable development, and reduce greenhouse emissions.
The meeting launched the Washington International Action Program (WIAP). By the end of the conference, countries, sub-national authorities, private-sector and non-government organizations made more than 100 pledges of …

As the world spends more to meet growing energy needs, nations seeking cleaner alternatives to fuel their expanding economies will have to spend much more.
Even though the world will spend over $1 trillion a year on energy projects over the next two decades, governments and industry will have to dig deeper to switch to newer, cleaner energy if the worst effects of global warming are to be avoided, according to one expert.
“Current federal energy R&D programs are not commensurate in scope and scale with the energy challenges and opportunities the …

President Bush said Wednesday that the United States has to “get off oil” to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers and declared “it should be obvious” that high demand is creating painful gasoline prices.Bush’s assessment was at odds with that from the 13-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which said before he spoke that it would not put more oil on the global market because crude supplies are plentiful.
OPEC President Chakib Khelil told reporters in Vienna, Austria, that the problems in the U.S. economy were a key factor in the cartel’s …

Delegations from more than 100 countries descended on the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) Tuesday, vowing to push forward the development of renewable energy sources to combat climate change and ensure energy security. “Our task is to develop the policies, incentives, and forms of international cooperation that will realize the full benefits of renewable energy in order to ensure adequate supplies of energy for all economies, large and small, in the future; to exercise responsible stewardship of the environment; and to promote …

Delegations from more than 100 countries descended on the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) Tuesday, vowing to push forward the development of renewable energy sources to combat climate change and ensure energy security. “Our task is to develop the policies, incentives, and forms of international cooperation that will realize the full benefits of renewable energy in order to ensure adequate supplies of energy for all economies, large and small, in the future; to exercise responsible stewardship of the environment; and to promote continued growth of the …

Top crude oil consumer United States said it is ”imperative” to expand the use of renewable energy such as wind power and biofuels to reduce its dependence on foreign oil and slow global warming.
A senior Bush administration official sounded the call at the opening of the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference, or WIREC 2008 on Tuesday.
The conference gathered representatives from more than 10 governments, corporations and non-governmental organisations.
”Renewable energies will alleviate some of the most pressing energy security dilemmas faced by many nations,” Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said …

Amid a drop in solar company stocks and concerns over a green-tech investment bubble, Sanford Bernstein analysts issued a report on Tuesday that takes the long view on alternative energy, arguing that the sector is a relatively safe bet.

Persistently high fossil fuel prices and environmental regulations mean that alternative energy technology companies are poised for growth in the coming years, the investment firm said in its report, one of several over the past two years to analyze the changing energy business.
During a teleconference, analysts said there is no end in …

Serbia cemented its ties with Russia Tuesday, allowing Moscow a major role in its economy through an agreement with energy giant Gazprom to develop the Balkan country’s oil and gas industry.The move, which follows a similar deal last week between Russia and Bulgaria, was widely seen as increasing Moscow’s energy presence in the region and confirming Serbia’s Russian links.
“The government of Serbia adopted … the draft Agreement with the government of Russia on cooperation in the energy and gas field,” a government statement said.
The deal covers a pipeline to be …

Thousands of renewable energy jobs could be lost unless a tax credit set to expire at the end of this year is extended, industry trade groups said Tuesday.Tax breaks for various clean energy industries, including wind and solar, along with language requiring investor-owned utilities to generate 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources were left out of the energy bill President Bush signed last month.
About $20 billion in investments yielded nearly 6,000 megawatts of new renewable energy in 2007 along with tens of thousands of jobs nationwide that are …