Following economic liberalization reforms that began to take effect in 1991, passenger and freight traffic increased in step with a nearly 63.69% increase in GDP per capita between 1991 and 2013 (Ramachandra, & Schwetmala, 2009). From 1995-2005, gross domestic product nearly doubled, and the number of registered motor vehicles increased from… read more
China’s Game Changer: The Environmental Protection Law Amendments
Yesterday, the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress announced its first revisions to the Environmental Protection Law in 25 years, which will be implemented starting January 1, 2015. This game changer is the first product of Premier Li Keqiang’s “war on pollution,” mentioned in a previous blog post. Historically,… read more
Introduction to the Smart Grid, Pt. 2
What are the barriers to implementation? As with any other large-scale and highly disruptive, proposed change, smart grids have faced opposition throughout the nation. Challengers to the technology have cited a number of issues—in general, relatively valid issues—to back up their claims that the movement toward a smart grid society… read more