Energy and Environment News Roundup – 4.23.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
CLIMATE
NOAA says March is 4th warmest month on record (via Climate Central)
Wall Street wants to lend you money to fight climate change (via The Atlantic)
EPA chief says fighting climate change is agency’s top priority (via The Hill)
Spending Earth Day at ground zero for climate change in America (via Time)
COAL
Duke Energy says coal ash disposal may cost up to $10 billion (via Bloomberg)
RENEWABLES
Geothermal power adds most annual capacity in one year since 1997 (via Bloomberg)
Global 2013 solar PV module production hits 40GW; Yingli is shipment leader (via Greentech Media)
Run-of-river hydropower set for big gains, predicts turbine maker (via Yale e360)
Marubeni completes 82MW solar power system, Japan’s largest (via Bloomberg)
EPA retroactively lowers biofuel requirement for 2013 (via The Hill)
One weird trick to power your city with 100% renewable energy (via Energy Collective)
Why aren’t Southern utilities jumping into the solar business? (via EnergyWire)
The rise of solar co-ops (via RMI Outlet)
A polluted Superfund site is now home to 36,000 solar panels (via Climate Progress)
KEYSTONE XL
Canada says it will keep Keystone XL issue alive with White House (via Reuters)
Keystone route ruling should be overturned, says Nebraska governor (via Bloomberg)
Anti-Keystone XL protest rides into DC (via Politico)
Steyer says Keystone won’t “dominate” Obama’s legacy (via The Hill)
EMISSIONS
China now on track to meet 2015 emissions targets, says state planner (via Reuters)
Carbon capture faces hurdles of will, not technology (via Climate Central)
ENERGY INDUSTRY
Drones are becoming energy industry’s new roustabouts (via New York Times)
Electricity consumers pay less than national average in RTOs and restructured states (via COMPETE Coalition)
GRID
Does income determine who benefits most from smart grids? (via Renew Grid)
Batteries – an expensive way to store energy (via Energy Manager Today)
“Exceptional step forward” for energy storage in New York City (via CleanTechnica)
ENVIRONMENT
China bans commercial logging in northern forests after widespread deforestation (via Monagbay)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
New $5 million prize gives town and cities more incentives to promote energy efficiency (via ClimateWire)
OPINION
Delaying the Keystone XL decision wasn’t all about politics (via Climate Progress)
Stopping Keystone XL: The message is getting through (via Triple Pundit)