Energy and Environment News Roundup – 6.23.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
ENERGY POLICY
France launches €5 financing plan for clean energy transition (via Reuters)
Utilities unsure of future as environmental regs loom (via St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Yieldco returns in high demand from energy sector (via Financial Times)
Beyond the bank: A new peer-to-peer financing model connects investors to projects (via Greentech Media)
California wrestles with emerging energy business models (via Navigant Research)
EMISSIONS
Australia’s Abbott revives proposal to scrap carbon-price levy (via Bloomberg)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
European Union mulls cutting energy use 35% by 2030 (via The Guardian)
RENEWABLES
Off-grid, clean energy access market valued at $12 billion (via Energy Collective)
India power ministry seeks to reverse solar dumping duties (via Bloomberg)
Japan domestic solar shipments more than doubled in fiscal 2013 (via Bloomberg)
Australians want renewable energy target retained by 72% majority (via The Guardian)
Italy’s planned solar subsidy cuts risk scaring off investors (via Reuters)
Solar tariffs to boost prices of Chinese solar panels 14% (via Bloomberg)
Drifting off the coast of Portugal, the frontrunner in the global race for floating wind farms (via The Guardian)
U.S. water stress may drive shift to renewable power (via RTCC)
Renewable power initiative is stalling in San Francisco (via San Francisco Chronicle)
Solar at grid parity in Utah, a coal state with no renewable standard (via Greentech Media)
SolarCity’s acquisition of Silveo spurs rise in solar stocks (via CleanTechnica)
Despite funding setback, Lake Erie offshore wind project pushes ahead (via Midwest Energy News)
NATURAL GAS/FRACKING
Pressure builds against France’s fracking ban (via Los Angeles Times)
LNG rally fading on new supply as nukes set to restart (via Bloomberg)
Higher U.S. natgas price needed to boost shale growth, says economist (via Reuters)
Pennsylvania ordered its health workers to never discuss fracking (via Grist)
CLIMATE
Waves in the atmosphere fueling extreme weather (via Climate Central)
U.S. summer temperatures have risen up to five degrees since 1970 (via Yale e360)
U.S. mayors to use nature in climate change fight (via AP/ABC News)
COAL
Rising German coal use imperils European emissions deal (via Bloomberg)
North Carolina residents worry over coal ash ponds (via USA Today)
ENVIRONMENT
Fears of EPA land grab create groundswell against water rule (via The Hill)
The White House wants to save America’s bees (via Time)
As California drought worsens, water use dips slightly (via Los Angeles Times)
OIL
IEA: Unconventional oil boom to spread beyond North America by 2019 (via Houston Chronicle)
Russia needs U.S. technology to unlock $8.2 trillion oil trove (via Houston Chronicle)
TRANSPORTATION
Tesla is world’s most important automaker, says Morgan Stanley (via Los Angeles Times)
Tesla prepping Supercharger network for big growth across Europe (via Autoblog Green)
Tesla looks to fuel a battery revolution (via Navigant Research)
GRID
Texas turns into testing ground for energy storage (via Texas Tribune)
NERC’s Summer Reliability Assessment highlights regional electricity capacity margins (via U.S. EIA)
OPINION
The United States of drought (via Washington Post)
The RFS is broken and E85 is no solution (via Breaking Energy)
What the SolarCity-Silveo acquisition could mean (via CleanTechnica)
POLITICS
Inside the vast liberal conspiracy (via Politico)
Democrats use climate change as wedge issue on Republicans (via San Francisco Chronicle)
Julian Castro is Obama’s newest climate denizen (via National Journal)