Energy and Environment News Roundup – 12.3.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
UN CLIMATE TALKS
What to expect in Lima: An overview of the 2014 UN climate negotiations (via Center for American Progress)
Lima climate talks: One in three countries not sending ministers (via RTCC)
ENERGY POLICY
EU, US present Russian with united sanctions, energy front (via Reuters)
Brazilian companies cut output, sell power instead in weak economy (via Reuters)
U.S. nuclear plants squeezed by cheap gas, uranium costs (via Bloomberg)
First utility receives B Corp certification (via Environmental Leader)
RENEWABLES
Canada’s green energy sector employs more people than tar sands (via Climate Progress)
9% of solar homes are doing something utilities love – will others follow? (via Outlier)
DOE to fund $9 million in solar module technology R&D (via Recharge)
AWEA warns job cuts begin in January without PTC deal (via Recharge News)
Utility-scale PV O&M: A crowded vendor landscape (via Greentech Media)
Abengoa’s 280MW California solar plant begins operation (via Bloomberg)
Could Kansas be the next state to kill its renewable energy target? (via Greentech Media)
CLIMATE
2014 set to be world’s hottest-ever year (via The Guardian)
Antarctica losing Mt. Everest worth of ice as melt triples (via Bloomberg)
The next big climate question: Will India follow China? (via New York Times)
Volcanoes may be responsible for much of the global surface warming slowdown (via The Guardian)
Keystone antagonist steps down as head of climate group 350.org (via Bloomberg)
NATURAL GAS
Number of natural gas customers participating in customer choice programs is increasing (via US EIA)
GRID
Ontario pumps millions into smart grid projects (via Renew Grid)
Utilities are building the infrastructure for California’s shift to EVs (via Greentech Media)
OIL
Cheap oil is hitting these countries the hardest (via Houston Chronicle)
Green groups sue DOT over oil-by-rail regulations (via Houston Chronicle)
Oil from Deepwater Horizon spill is still trapped in Alabama beaches, finds study (via Huffington Post)
TRANSPORTATION
Workplace charging doubles in two years, 90% of charging stations full (via Green Car Reports)
Nissan battery breakthrough to double Leaf EV range within a few years (via Autoblog)
Audi plans electric crossover to take on Tesla in U.S. (via Bloomberg)
Tesla Model S leads Consumer Reports satisfaction survey (via San Jose Mercury News)
COAL
Germany targeting coal plants to reach 2020 climate goals (via Reuters)
Find out which state wants to bail out big coal (via EcoWatch)
EMISSIONS
Emissions reduction fund passed by Australian parliament (via Breaking Energy)
U.S. sees voluntary emissions cuts as key to climate change accord (via Los Angeles Times)
Nike, IKEA join 221 companies in backing EPA climate rule (via The Hill)
OPINION
How much coal will be squeezed out of Germany’s grid by 2019? (via Renewables International)
Here’s a cool way to visualize carbon emissions (via Grist)