October 26, 2013
Is the U.S. Air Force the answer to Nigerian pirate attacks?
Analysis by the RAND Corporation suggests that the U.S. Air Force could provide security for strategically valuable Nigerian oil.
Stories by David Wogan
David Wogan is an engineer and policy researcher who writes about energy, technology, and policy.
David's academic and professional background includes a unique blend of technology and policy in the field of energy systems. Most recently, David worked at Austin Energy, a Texas municipal utility, implementing a Department of Energy stimulus grant related to energy efficiency. Previously, David was a member of the Energy & Climate Change team at the White House Council on Environmental Quality for the Obama Administration.
David holds two Master's degrees from The University of Texas at Austin in Mechanical Engineering and Public Affairs. While at UT, David was a researcher in the Webber Energy Group, where his research focused on advanced biofuel production to offset petroleum use in the transportation sector. David holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, where he researched nuclear non-proliferation measurement technology.
David is a 2013 Aspen Institute Journalism Scholar, joining a select group of journalists from Slate, ABC News, and The New York Times.
David lives in Austin, Texas. Follow along on Twitter or email him at david.wogan@me.com.
October 25, 2013
China enveloped in smog, as seen from space. Again.
Heavy smog that paralyzed eastern China is visible from space in this satellite image from NASA.
October 23, 2013
Sealing leaky homes could save Americans $33 billion a year
Americans can shave nearly 4% off their total energy consumption through weatherization measures.
October 22, 2013
No shenanigans here, U.S. carbon emissions are down
U.S. energy-related carbon emissions are down in 2012 according to the Energy Information Administration: Now there are several ways to say that carbon emissions are down.
October 22, 2013
Meet the super efficient Lego® brick-like solar panel
Solar panels can be made more efficient by adding nanoscopic aluminum studs to trap light.
EnvironmentOctober 21, 2013
Vanadium Flow Batteries Could Become a Cost Effective Solution for Balancing Texas’ Power Grid
An emerging technology called a vanadium redox flow battery could become a cost-effective solution for balancing electric grids.
EnvironmentOctober 19, 2013
Another oil train derails in Canada
Posting here primarily to document the stresses and constraints associated with North America’s newfound oil and gas wealth (via Wunderground): Canadian National spokesman Louis-Antoine Paquin said 13 cars — four carrying petroleum crude oil and nine loaded with liquified petroleum gas — came off the tracks around 1 a.m.
EnvironmentOctober 18, 2013
Ask an engineer: grid-level batteries
We’re holding a live Ask Me Anything (AMA) on Twitter right now with Robert Fares, PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at UT Austin, about his research in grid-level battery storage.
EnvironmentOctober 16, 2013
Drown your town: what does your hometown look like with sea level rise?
A Google Maps hack provides a sneak peak at sea level rise.
EnvironmentOctober 16, 2013
What we really mean is energy security
We can't insulate ourselves from global oil markets, but we can have more control.
EnvironmentOctober 16, 2013
Will oil companies become carbon capture ones?
I pose this question in the larger context of “how we will get from here to there” (that is, from a carbon-intensive economy to a more efficient, low-carbon intensity economy).
October 10, 2013
What if the Chinese consumed as much oil as Americans?
China has an opportunity to leapfrog the oil-intense Western lifestyle. Will it?
October 10, 2013
China is now the world’s largest oil importer – in one graph
China is leading the United States in... net oil imports!
October 7, 2013
Duke study finds radium and elevated salinity in treated oil and gas wastewater; highlights need for revised water quality regulations
A Duke University study of treated oil and gas wastewater finds that current water quality regulations are inadequate to prevent accumulation of radioactive material in surface waters.
October 5, 2013
Surplus fossil fuels make it even harder to stay within our carbon budget
A scarcity of fossil fuels won't drive a shift to a lower carbon future.
October 2, 2013
When David always beats Goliath
Perhaps I’m just out of touch or a just new school environmentalist, but I don’t agree with beating up on fossil fuels just because it’s the convenient thing to do.
September 30, 2013
Choose your own (climate) adventure
The climate system has a carbon budget of one trillion pounds. How quickly we spend that is up to us.
EnvironmentSeptember 26, 2013
Throwback Thursday: drilling for oil in 1950s Texas
The 1950s oil boom represented economic mobility and opportunity for many Texans.
EnvironmentSeptember 25, 2013
A reminder that prices matter
Coal takes advantage of rising natural gas prices, highlighting the elasticity of substation for fuels.
EnvironmentSeptember 25, 2013
Market forces have been hurting coal long before the EPA’s CO2 rules
War on coal? Not really. More like climate policy tai chi by the EPA.
September 20, 2013
Don’t just blame the EPA – coal exports are down, too
It’s important to understand that not all of the bad news for the coal industry is coming by way of the EPA. While the CO2 limits for new coal and gas plants complicates domestic power generation, the global market for U.S.
September 20, 2013
Running the numbers on EPA’s new CO2 regulations: combined cycle stacks up well
Existing technology like combined cycle generation could be used to meet EPA's stricter CO2 emissions limits
September 18, 2013
On environmentalism and ‘frackademia’
It’s sad that the biggest takeaway from the UT Austin/Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) study on methane emissions from upstream shale gas production has been the involvement of industry.
September 17, 2013
EPA “got it right” on more stringent methane regulations
One of the big takeaway from the big UT Austin/Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) methane leakage study released today is emissions rates are actually lower in some parts of the production process than initially thought.