Energy and Environment News Roundup – 10.21.13
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
TRANSPORTATION
Shell predicts oil-powered cars will be “nearly” gone by 2070 (via Autoblog Green)
EMISSIONS
UK universities urged to cut fossil fuel funding (via RTCC)
In first vote, Columbia College students back fossil fuel divestment (via Huffington Post)
OIL
No oil from North Dakota spill seen in water sources (via Houston Chronicle/AP)
Oil found on Louisiana shore surges three years after BP spill (via Reuters)
RENEWABLES
Grid parity, low LCOE driving 34% global renewables capacity by 2030 (via CleanTechnica)
FERC report says solar leads all new US capacity except natural gas (via Solar Industry Magazine)
Clean tech VA investments crater, drop to pre-2006 levels (via GigaOm)
Study says most Americans would consider residential solar (via Solar Industry Magazine)
NRG buying 1.7GW of US wind (via Recharge)
Xcel get approval to add 750MW of wind power to Midwest grid (via Renew Grid)
New York State plugs solar farms (via Albany Times-Union)
Wind power gains favor in Ohio (via Springfield News-Sun)
Michigan PACE program growing rapidly, may soon add state’s largest county (via Midwest Energy News)
Arizona experiments with storing solar power (via National Journal)
NATURAL GAS/FRACKING
Which countries win and lose from US shale gas boom? (via Breaking Energy)
Britain looks to fracking as North Sea oil dwindles (via New York Times)
Study projects no long-term climate benefit from shale gas revolution (via Climate Progress)
California finds more instances of offshore fracking (via Phys.org/AP)
OPINION
Shell director: US has “overfracked and overdrilled” (via National Journal)
Reading renewable energy tea leaves in latest FERC report (via CleanTechnica)
How 9 major papers deal with climate denying letters (via Mother Jones)
Will fracking suck California dry? (via National Journal)
California’s energy and climate agenda: Visionary leader or cautionary tale? (via National Journal)