Energy Matters  is a weekly publication of the American Energy Society.  Here are some bits of energy news covering the past month . The new director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory ( NREL ) in Golden, Colorado from 1October2025 will be Jud Virden. Has a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Washington.  Is known for his strong record in forging public-private partnerships and advancing grid resilience and energy technologies. Lots of luck with  President Donald Trump , who yesterday, in a one hour speech to the UN General Assembly, called climate change and green technology the greatest con job ever perpetuated...and a scam.  Further:   All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong.  They were made by stupid people . Plus: “They said global warming will kill the world, but then it started getting cooler. So now they could just call it climate change, because t...

I have no favorite hotels in Europe, Africa, Middle East, Oceania, South America and North America.  I guess the term favorite for me is one I look forward to someday again returning.  There are many worthy hotels: Chais Monnet  in Cognac, France.  I don't ever want to land in Paris again, so coming back would be difficult.   Read my posting of 8July2025 .  Our tour of Remi Martin was truly memorable.   This special wine tour was in 2019 , where one stop was dropping by  Chateau Lafite Rothschild for their prized Bordeaux .  Did you know that every bottle of cognac comes from this town, and nearby region?  Same for champagne, which is produced only in the region of Champagne, France. Another one is the  Marriott Marquis on Times Square, New York City .  However, I'm not coming back here because it is too expensive.  Actually, Google AI says the typical cost is around $350/night, which is very reasonable for a pro...