Energy and Environment News Roundup – 1.14.15
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
EMISSIONS
China calls for local targets to curb coal use, cut pollution (via Bloomberg)
Carbon pricing set to cover 80 percent of Canada’s economy (via RTCC)
White House methane plan takes aim at oil and gas industry (via Houston Chronicle)
Goddard College becomes fourth Vermont school to divest from fossil fuels (via Huffington Post)
Harvard invests tens of millions in fossil fuels despite divestment campaign (via The Guardian)
Top 10 carbon market predictions for 2015 (via TriplePundit)
RENEWABLES
Deutsche Bank predicts solar grid parity in 80% of global market by 2017 (via CleanTechnica)
Mexico to build 2.3GW wind capacity by 2019 (via Recharge)
Green bond market hits record $36.6 billion in 2014 (via BusinessGreen)
Utilities push back as solar industry booms in Japan (via Forbes)
Google’s clean energy capacity passes 2.5GW with latest solar investment (via BusinessGreen)
Report: Solar is cheaper than the grid in 42 of 50 largest U.S. cities (via Greentech Media)
U.S. homes fitted with PV attract higher prices, says report (via PV Tech)
As North Carolina solar industry booms the region takes notes (via Environmental Leader)
Ohio renewable energy policies spurred growth, now driving away business, says report (via Cleveland.com)
NREL enzyme could help offset fossil fuel dependence (via Energy Manager Today)
GRID
India’s faulty grid presents a transmission opportunity (via Navigant Research)
Moody’s and Navigant offer conflicting views on economics of solar-plus storage (via PV Tech)
CLIMATE
Developing cities hold big key to climate action (via Climate Central)
Melting glaciers imperil Kathmandu, perched high above rising seas (via Bloomberg)
Moisture shortfall, heat threaten Southwestern forests (via Climate Central)
Climate change is laying waste to water supplies, warns Farm Bureau (via Grist)
OIL
Record oil imports take China closest ever to passing U.S. (via Bloomberg)
Commodity traders exploit crude crash to make oil storage king (via Bloomberg)
Poll: Majority of voters oppose more oil exports (via The Hill)
EIA forecasts temporary peak in U.S. oil output in May (via Reuters)
Some on Wall Street see oil plunging to $40 and below (via Houston Chronicle)
Keystone-oil export ban sought by Senator backing pipeline bill (via Bloomberg)
Tool shows how taxpayer money could be spent instead of subsidizing Big Oil (via EcoWatch)
TRANSPORTATION
China to cut subsidies for non-electric vehicles (via Bloomberg)
United Kingdom emergency services in front line of government EV rollout (via BusinessGreen)
Honda announces all-electric and PHEV model while debuting FCV concept (via Inside EVs)
Musk: Tesla can make a few million cars a year by 2025 (via GigaOm)
Nissan CEO: Chevy Bolt “not a surprise” - Nissan has competing, long-range EV in development (via Inside EVs)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Annual revenue from fuel cell systems is expected to reach nearly $57.8 billion by 2023 (via Navigant Research)
Reverse net metering? California penalizes certain types of energy efficiency (via Forbes)
ENERGY POLICY
Worries about consumers cutting utility ties are overblown, say Moody’s analysts (via Greentech Media)
Top 50 green American schools, as Stanford faculty calls for fossil fuel divestment (via CleanTechnica)
ENVIRONMENT
The 25 billion-dollar weather disasters of 2014 (via WeatherUnderground)
POLITICS
Senate to vote on whether climate change is happening (via The Hill)
Two ways Obama can win on Keystone even if Republicans triumph (via Slate)
Ted Cruz oil export amendment difficult vote for some GOP senators (via National Journal)
The greenest governor in America tells Grist about his big climate plan (via Grist)
Massachusetts’s governor appoints controversial new energy team (via Boston Globe)