Energy and Environment News Roundup – 1.9.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
CLIMATE
Europe’s floods trump Haiyan as costliest natural disaster of 2013 (via RTCC)
Australia heat wave sets records across continent (via Huffington Post/AP)
Flooding could cost UK insurance industry £400 million (via RTCC)
US cold snap inspires climate change denial, while scientists see little room for doubt (via National Geographic)
White House says polar temperatures part of climate change (via The Hill)
Why some mushrooms may be magic for climate change (via Time)
OIL
Unforeseen US oil boom upends markets as drilling spreads (via Bloomberg)
US oil exports have been banned for 40 years – is it time for that to change? (via Washington Post)
Train carrying oil derails, catches fire in Canada (via Houston Chronicle/AP)
RENEWABLES
New German solar PV installations fall by half to 3.3GW in 2013 (via Recharge)
Austria adds record 309MW new wind energy capacity in 2013 (via Recharge)
Australia reaches two million small-scale solar systems (via Renew Economy)
US installed record 4.2GW solar PV in 2013 (via Recharge)
DOE’s $3 million clean energy incubator funding is very NIICE (via CleanTechnica)
CRS report outlines PTC phase-out allowing wind, gas parity (via E&E Daily)
New battery material could help wind power go big (via MIT Technology Review)
Wind aids grid as cold hits conventional power (via EarthTechling)
Thanks to wind energy, Texans didn’t lose power during polar vortex (via Climate Progress)
Solar gardens grow in Colorado (via CleanTechnica)
California leads clean energy patent pack (via Energy Manager Today)
Political activism at the grid’s edge: Ethical Electric scores $11 million (via Greentech Media)
SolarCity: Taking on and powering big companies around the world (via The Guardian)
Company pushing massive tar sands pipeline drops $200 million on Texas mega-wind project (via Climate Progress)
COAL
Wall Street backs away from Washington coal export facility (via Huffington Post)
GRID
FERC’s new “fast track” interconnection rules will make clean energy development easier (via Greentech Media)
Rural cooperatives: The next smart grid investment frontier (via Navigant Research)
As winter takes hold, plunging temperatures test utilities (via New York Times)
Cold knocks out 36.6GW of power generation in PJM, proving no power plant is 100% dispatchable (via Facts of the Day)
Energy storage company completes $55 million financing round (via Renew Grid)
EMISSIONS
Location, location, lifestyle determines global warming pollution (via Scientific American)
EPA publishes emissions rule to GOP’s dismay (via The Hill)
KEYSTONE XL
Former top Obama security aide endorses Keystone XL pipeline (via Washington Post)
ENVIRONMENT
China sets air particulate pollution reduction goals (via The Guardian)
Tree islands more effective way to replant the world’s forests (via Mongabay)
Can America’s grasslands be saved? (via Think Progress)
Celebrating deep freeze, insect experts see a chance to kill off invasive species (via New York Times)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Philips promises to halve commercial lighting energy use with new LED tube (via BusinessGreen)
Seattle’s latest benchmarking data shows where efficiency programs should focus (via Greentech Media)
Houston boosts energy efficiency in new homes (via Texas Tribune)
NUCLEAR
300 groups oppose top climate scientists’ call to embrace nuclear power (via Greenwire)
TRANSPORTATION
Aerodynamic trailer design more than doubles fuel economy (via CleanTechnica)
OPINION
Five reasons the clean tech industry is stronger than ever (via Renew Grid)
Four reasons California cap and trade had an extraordinary first year (via Forbes)
Oil trains: What you should be reading (via Sightline Daily)
Cap and trade throws a wrench into gears of green consumerism (via Energy Collective)