Two degrees Celsius. It seems like such a minuscule amount. But if the average global surface temperature rises more than that, say scientists, the worst effects of climate change will be upon us and more importantly, irreversible. At the 2008 G8 summit, world leaders agreed to this sobering assessment, but frustratingly have not arrived at a legally
Tag:
Renewable Energy
In the video below, the young CEO of a high-tech start-up called Amprius, Chinese-born Yi Cui, talking about his background (Ph.D. from Harvard, currently a professor at Stanford), but, more importantly, providing a summary of his passion: batteries built around nanotechnology and other concepts in cutting-edge materials science. His command of
Seahawks vs. Broncos: Sustainability Highlights for the Teams and Super Bowl XLVIII
written by Walter Wang
With the Seattle Seahawks getting ready to play the Denver Broncos this weekend in Super Bowl XLVIII, here at ENN, we are not only focused on the game, but we are also interested in the sustainability efforts of the stadiums and the teams.
As for this year’s Super Bowl, MetLife Stadium
The growth of solar power is attracting some unlikely supporters and creating some unusual alliances. Conservatives, Tea Party activists, and free market libertarians are joining with progressives and environmentalists to address economic issues raised by the increasing adoption of solar power.
Researchers have created a new kind of generator that uses bacterial spores to harness the untapped power of evaporating water. Scientists from Harvard and Columbia universities have created small, prototype generators by coating a sheet of rubber with a soil bacterium, Bacillus subtilis, that greatly expands and contracts with changes in humidity.
Patent law has a dirty history. A legal mechanism refined in the industrial revolution, patent law has sought to encourage manufacturing and industry – the ‘Progress of Science and the Useful Arts’. Patent law has provided incentives for research and development for a wide range of polluting technologies, such as oil, coal, gas.
Here’s a good article, selected from the ton of them I see, on how to analyze the value of Tesla Motors. The author argues, as many others have before, that those who ridicule Tesla’s astronomical market cap are missing the point that Tesla is more than just a “car company.”
For what it’s worth, I agree – for all the reasons laid
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development announced yesterday funding totaling $41 million in concessional loans for renewable energy projects in six developing countries: Ecuador, Sierra Leone, the Maldives, Mauritania, Samoa, and Mali.
For more than 5 years, Vote Solar and our partners have tirelessly advocated for big, bold solar policy in New York State. Today, we’re thrilled to see that vision becoming reality! Just last week, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) petitioned state regulators to extend the state’s landmark NY-Sun Initiative
According to recent data from the French Ministry on Environment, both solar energy and wind power pursue their progression, albeit more slowly than in the past.
Regarding wind power, At the end of September 2013, the total wind power capacity in France was of 7,971 MW. This has to be compared with the 8.4 GW in the United Kingdom, 22.7 GW in Spain or the massive 31.3 GW in Germany (2012 figures from the EWEA, European Wind Energy Association)
The installed capacity in the first three quarters of 2013 were of 348 MW. This represents a 39 percent cut compared to the same period in 2012. In 2012, 815 MW of capacity had been installed. This is below the levels of installed capacity in 2009 ( 1,138 MW), 2010 ( 1,255 MW) and 2011 (830 MW).
Wind power produced in the three first quarters of 2013 10.1 TWh of electricity, a six percent increase over the same period in 2012. This represents a 2.8 percent share of the total electricity consumed in the country.
The installed capacity could double rapidly as around 500 onshore wind farm projects totaling around 5,500 MW and eight offshore projects totaling over 3,000 MW are to be installed within the next few months or years.
Regarding solar PV, the total capacity at the end of September 2013 was of 4,478 MW. This has to be compared with over 7,700 MW in Italy or 32,000 MW in Germany. (IEA data for 2012)
The situation is far from the boom witnessed between 2009 and 2011. In the first three quarters of 2013, only 420 MW of capacity were connected to the grid. This is a 59 percent cut compared to the same period in 2012.
This has to be compared to 300 MW in 2009, 800 MW in 2010, a massive 1,800 MW in 2011 and 1,100 MW in 2012. Over 70 percent of the installed capacity in 2013 comes from large projects of over 250 kW or intermediary-sized ones.
Overall, solar photovoltaic produced 3.7 TWh in the first nine months of 2013, amounting to one percent of the total electricity consumed in France.
Unsubsidized Renewables Now Cheaper Than Subsidized Fossil Fuels in Australia
written by Walter Wang
A study by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) in Australia has discovered that renewable energy is cheaper to produce than the old conventional fossil fuel sources, and that is without the subsidies.
The study shows that electricity can be supplied from a new wind farm at a cost of AUD 80/MWh
New Jersey’s Energy Master Plan (EMP), last revised in 2011, sets out the Garden State’s strategic vision for the use, management, and development of energy in our state over the next decade.
The EMP puts an emphasis on keeping energy costs down and continues to promote clean, alternative energy production and preparing for a challenging
Here’s a good article that discusses a few different vicious cycles in which the investor-owned utilities (IOUs) find themselves. As more people install solar (or whatever) on their properties, the infrastructure by which power is generated, transmitted, and distributed must be amortized over a smaller base,
Norwegian hydropower stations could be linked to wind farms and serve as giant “batteries” to even out power supply fluctuations, a Scandinavian research organization says.
A major hurdle for renewable energy suppliers is intermittent power production — sometimes too much