Energy and Environment News Roundup – 9.22.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
CLIMATE
U.S.-China rifts on hacking, spying put aside for climate collaboration (via Bloomberg)
U.S. will not commit to climate aid for poor nations at UN summit (via The Guardian)
Three decades until carbon budget is eaten through (via Climate Central)
“Largest-ever” climate change march rolls through NYC (via USA Today)
Denying climate change “will cost us billions of dollars,” warns U.S. budget director (via Climate Progress)
Climate protesters pledge risking arrest during Wall Street sit-in (via Reuters)
RENEWABLES
European nations increasing electricity generation from no-carbon sources (via U.S. EIA)
China named most attractive renewables market; U.S. falls to #2 (via Solar Industry Magazine)
India to raise solar power goal to 15GW by 2019 (via BusinessGreen)
Middle East and Africa pipeline swells to 12GW (via PV Tech)
Brazil state solar auction to impose domestic content restriction (via PV Tech)
Citigroup sees 2.2GW Australian solar market by 2020 (via Renew Economy)
Coal India said to plan $1.2 billion in solar projects (via Bloomberg)
Barclays pledges £1 billion Green Bond investment (via BusinessGreen)
Abengoa offers first green bond to raise $642 million (via Bloomberg)
New cost analysis shows unsubsidized renewables increasingly rival fossil fuels (via Greentech Media)
Solar capacity increases sharply at U.S. schools (via Solar Industry Magazine)
Big factories go to work on biofuels (via New York Times)
Five states leading the distributed energy revolution (via Greentech Media)
Every SolarCity customer will get battery backup within 5-10 years (via CleanTechnica)
CalSTRS to triple clean energy investments to $3.7 billion (via Reuters)
Charting solar’s spotty rise in the Sunshine State (via EnergyWire)
New York City to build 100MW of solar PV (via Recharge)
LA launches streamlined solar permitting system (via Los Angeles Times)
COAL
The move to peak coal in China by 2016 (via Renew Economy)
China’s appetite for coal has likely peaked (via Bangkok Post)
The biggest loser: Bleak outlook for thermal coal (via Renew Economy)
EMISSIONS
China, US, India push world carbon emissions up (via AP)
China surpasses EU in per-capita pollution for first time (via Bloomberg)
Carbon output seen shrinking faster as EU mulls supply fix (via Bloomberg)
Half the globe backs World Bank carbon price movement (via RTCC)
Philanthropies including Rockefellers, and investors pledge $50 billion fossil fuel divestment (via Reuters)
NJ Gov. Christie on regional cap-and-trade: It’s “a completely useless plan” (via Climate Progress)
DeBlasio promises to reduce NYC emissions by 80% (via Bloomberg)
OIL
Exxon, Rosneft said to halt Arctic well on Russian sanctions (via Chicago Tribune)
TransCanada: Keystone cost may rise 85% before U.S. decision (via Bloomberg)
TRANSPORTATION
Tesla needs $6 billion through 2025, says Goldman Sachs (via Green Car Reports)
Tesla wins in Massachusetts, tries for more in New Jersey (via Autoblog Green)
Gov. Jerry Brown seeks more electric cars in California (via New York Times)
Business group’s gas tax increase opposition gets no traction (via Los Angeles Times)
NATURAL GAS
Surging natural gas supply masks risk of winter price shock (via Bloomberg)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Green building materials market to reach $529 billion by 2020 (via Environmental Leader)
Is PJM costing consumers $1.3 billion by ignoring energy efficiency? (via CleanTechnica)
Green roofs sprouting up globally (via Navigant Research)
NUCLEAR
Japan’s new trade minister says energy policy difficult without nuclear (via Reuters)
Congress props up Ex-Im Bank but leaves nuclear energy to dangle (via Forbes)
GRID
Distributed generation leads microgrid investment opportunity (via Navigant Research)
ENVIRONMENT
Drought to continue across western U.S. (via Wall Street Journal)
EPA will wait until February to decide on Alaska mine (via The Hill)
Best Buy recycles 1 billion pounds of electronics, appliances (via Environmental Leader)
Does tarantula boom signal end of California drought? (via Washington Post)
POLITICS
Environmentalists fear loss of Senate firewall (via The Hill)
Why one senator wants to halt U.S. coal leases (via Christian Science Monitor)
Sanders demands carbon score from CBO for all bills (via The Hill)
Environmentalists question Hillary’s climate chops (via The Hill)
House bill would extend wind, other renewable energy tax breaks (via The Hill)
OPINION
Will Germany join international community to restrict overseas coal finance? (via The Energy Collective)
The coming era of unlimited, free clean energy (via Washington Post)
Good news! There’s bad news for coal (via Grist)
Philanthropies are divesting from fossil fuels – but does it matter? (via National Journal)
Lord Stern: Global warming may create billions of climate refugees (via The Guardian)