A Big Year in Energy by Bill Sweet In oh so many ways, it was an unedifying year: reaffirmation of U.S. political deadlock, an even worse political sclerosis in Europe, ghastly atrocities in Syria, a festering war in Afghanistan. But in energy, 2012 was a very, very good year indeed—at least if you were a U.S. citizen. This was the year in which it became clear not only that the United States has a real shot at energy independence—after 40 years of just talking about it—but that the U.S. strength in energy gives the country an economic edge across the board. For this blogger, the message first came through loud and clear at a New York Times energy conference, inspired by a new book from energy guru Daniel Yergin, The Quest. The implications, though vast, are not hard to list. Read more

A Big Year in Energy by Bill Sweet In oh so many ways, it was an unedifying year: reaffirmation of U.S. political deadlock, an even worse political sclerosis in Europe, ghastly atrocities in Syria, a festering war in Afghanistan. But in energy, 2012 was a very, very good year indeed—at least if you were a U.S. citizen. This was the year in which it became clear not only that the United States has a real shot at energy independence—after 40 years of just talking about it—but that the U.S. strength in energy gives the country an economic edge across the board. For this blogger, the message first came through loud and clear at a New York Times energy conference, inspired by a new book from energy guru Daniel Yergin, The Quest. The implications, though vast, are not hard to list. Read morehttp://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/fossil-fuels/2012-a-very-big-year-in-energy