Category Archives:Shale gas

08
Mar

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 3.8.13

A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.

CLIMATE 

Recent global heat spike unlike anything in 11,000 years (via Time/AP)

Report says insurers still ignoring climate change (via Mother Jones)

BusinessGreen guide to climate risk management (via BusinessGreen)

Canadian Arctic may lose 20% of glaciers by 2100, shows study (via Bloomberg)

US Forest Service may let more fires burn (via Time/AP)

COAL 

Burning coal costs the EU €43 billion a year in health costs (via RTCC)

As coal industry declines, what will happen to all those retired miners? (via Washington Post)

ENVIRONMENT

UN says governments falling short in drought fight (via Phys.org)

US drought intensifies in Texas and Florida (via Climate Central)

RENEWABLES 

50 percent price gap between European and Chinese solar modules (via Greentech Media)

China drives record solar growth to become world’s biggest market (via Bloomberg)

London Array becomes world’s biggest offshore wind farm (via Recharge)

Energy project developers see solar as easier than wind (via Greentech Media)

Greece installed 300MW of solar PV in January 2013 (via CleanTechnica)

US ethanol makers eye pros and cons of corn alternatives (via Reuters)

Radical wind concept promises energy storage (via EarthTechling)

Other people’s money: how crowdfunding lowers the cost of solar energy (via RMI Outlet)

Solar batteries could be utilities’ next headache (via Reuters)

Is South Dakota “open for business” for wind developers? (via Midwest Energy News)

KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS 

Oil sands, Keystone XL, and the new politics of fossil fuel infrastructure (via Energy Collective)

US lawmakers draft bill to speed decision on Keystone pipeline (via Reuters)

Senate Foreign Relations Committee plans Keystone XL pipeline hearing (via The Hill)

TRANSPORTATION 

Beijing to reveal plan for electric vehicle boost (via BusinessGreen)

Two largest global EV charging networks join forces (via Pike Research)

Rethinking the lead acid battery with chip and disk drive machines (via GigaOm)

Dreamliner battery fire more serious than first thought (via Christian Science Monitor/AP)

US new vehicle fuel economy in February ties record high (via Green Car Congress)

EPA considers changes to plug-in hybrid testing process (via Autoblog Green)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

US shale gas exports will shake up global market (via CNBC)

US shale boom hurts Europe’s climate goals, says energy executive (via Houston Chronicle)

Illinois fracking deal could be the national model (via Huffington Post/AP)

In Texas, water use for fracking stirs concerns (via Texas Tribune)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Energy efficiency presents UK industrial sector with £2.2 opportunity (via BusinessGreen)

How UC Irvine redefines efficiency in laboratories (via GreenBiz)

ENERGY POLICY 

The key decision that can make or break an energy project (via Greentech Media)

Interior Department nominee Jewell pledges “certainty” to oil, gas drillers (via Reuters)

OIL 

Five energy challenges for Venezuela’s oil after Chavez (via Christian Science Monitor)

Exxon to invest $190 billion in upstream oil projects over five years (via Wall Street Journal)

BP faces escalating spill payouts after court ruling (via Reuters)

BP, Transocean officials botched tests, testifies witness (via Bloomberg)

Republicans point to falling oil production on federal lands (via Wall Street Journal)

EMISSIONS 

40x35: a zero-carbon energy target for the world’s largest economies (via Climate Progress)

Developing nations must reduce emissions by half by 2020, study says (via WRI Insights)

EU court rejects Polish challenge to CO2 emissions system (via Phys.org)

GRID 

Demand response in the US electricity market (via Energy Collective)

What exactly are self-healing power grids? (via EarthTechling)

Summer demand may raise heat on Texas grid (via Houston Chronicle)

NUCLEAR 

Japan’s economic troubles spur a return to nuclear power (via MIT Technology Review)

Two years after Fukushima, Japan’s nuclear lobby bounces back (via Reuters)

US nuclear plant inspections need to improve, says report (via Reuters)

Looming federal budget cuts add to problems at Hanford nuclear site (via New York Times)

GREEN BUSINESS 

Shareholders file first-ever “carbon-bubble” resolutions (via InsideClimate News)

How GM earns $1 billion recycling (via Treehugger)

Posted:   |   Categories: arctic, battery, Boeing Dreamliner, BP, canada, cap and trade, China, climate, Climate Change, coal, Crowdfunding, Demand response, drought, electric vehicles, emissions, Energy Efficiency, energy storage, environment, EPA, ERCOT, ethanol, EU, europe, European Union, ev, ev charging, externalities, Exxon, Florida, fracking, Fuel Economy, fukushima, global warming, GM, Greece, green business, grid, Gulf of Mexico, Hanford, Illinois, Insurance, interior department, japan, Keystone XL, natural gas, Natural gas exports, News, nuclear, offshore wind, oil, oil spill, plug-in hybrid, Poland, Recycling, renewables, Sally Jewell, Sea ice melt, Shale gas, smart grid, solar, South Dakota, tar sands, texas, Transocean, Transportation, UC Irvine, uk, UN, united kingdom, united nations, US Forest Service, Venezuela, Water scarcity, wildfires, wind
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07
Mar

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 3.7.13

A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

US shale revolution hinges on exports, say executives (via Houston Chronicle)

Railway says fuel savings inspired LNG test (via Houston Chronicle)

Enbridge CEO interested in providing natural gas for trains (via Houston Chronicle)

New York State Assembly votes to block fracking until 2015 (via Reuters)

GREEN BUSINESS 

Clean energy, transportation posed to create 110,000 jobs (via Sustainable Business)

Wal-Mart beats 20% emissions reduction goal a year early (via BusinessGreen)

COAL 

Weak global coal market threatens low-margin mines (via Reuters)

RENEWABLES 

Japan’s wind industry headed for boom after solar surge (via Bloomberg)

Green investing update (via AOL Energy)

Despite major growth, SolarCity shares drop on Q4 loss (via GigaOm)

Wind energy lessons from Illinois: Q&A with AWEA’s Rob Gramlich (via Midwest Energy News)

SMUD launches pilot to study the grid impacts of solar (via Renew Grid)

Clean energy coalition ups ante on renewable energy in Minnesota (via Pioneer Press)

Minnesota lawmakers consider rate-based solar power incentives (via Star-Tribune)

ENERGY POLICY 

Fossil fuels still fastest-growing global energy source (via Energy Manager Today)

Dearth of skilled workers imperils $100 billion in US projects (via Bloomberg)

US oil and gas boom takes many by surprise (via NBC News)

California CEOs say current energy policies helpful but too complicated (via Renew Grid)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Top 1% of US homes consume 4 times more electricity than average (via Outlier)

Energy efficiency cut 107TWh of US electricity demand in 2011 (via CleanTechnica)

The industrial sector: low-hanging fruit for demand response? (via Renew Grid)

Chicago buildings aggregate energy data to participate in better demand response (via Energy Manager Today)

KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS 

Canadian official: Keystone rejection wouldn’t harm US-Canada relationship (via The Hill)

Four factors that could turn Keystone’s fate (via Politico)

Canada pitches oil sands crude as greener choice for US (via Houston Chronicle)

Keystone XL critics now hang hopes on delaying the pipeline (via Reuters)

GRID 

EEI expects $15 billion in transmission investment this year (via Renew Grid)

US smart meter market is far from saturated (via Greentech Media)

Heating and cooling no longer majority of US home energy use (via US EIA)

CLIMATE 

Misunderstanding seal-level rise and climate impacts (via Science Blogs)

How climate change worsened violence in Syria (via Mother Jones)

EPA, DOE can tackle climate change on several fronts (via Washington Post)

Climate change turns an already troubled ski industry on its head (via High Country News)

Washington governor, senators disagree on terms of climate-change bill (via Seattle Times)

OIL 

Saudi Aramco committed to US oil exports, says CEO (via Bloomberg)

German oil executive: country’s clean energy dream now a “nightmare” (via Houston Chronicle)

Texas oil production may hit record by 2020, says state regulator (via Bloomberg)

BP CEO: no retreat from Gulf of Mexico despite spill (via The Hill)

TRANSPORTATION 

EV efficiency should be ranked on miles/KWh, not MPGe (via Green Car Reports)

FedEx Express fleet beats 20% fuel economy improvement goal, sets new target of 30% improvement by 2020 compared to 2005 (via Green Car Congress)

GM targets lower car weight, long-range EVs (via Reuters)

ENVIRONMENT 

Bangladesh, India, China at “high-risk” from natural disasters (via RTCC)

UK consumer consumption footprint more than 1½ times its land area (via BusinessGreen)

Endangered or not, species at least no longer waiting (via New York Times)

House votes to increase weather satellite funding (via Climate Central)

Texas shields free-market habitat program from federal scrutiny (via Greenwire)

NUCLEAR 

Feds look to ship Washington radioactive waste to New Mexico (via Post-Intelligencer)

Hanford nuclear leak: budget cuts threaten cleanup efforts (via Politico/AP)

POLITICS 

Harry Reid: the closet environmentalist (via National Journal)

Obama pick for Interior Department faces hearing; agency under fire (via Reuters)

Interior nominee Jewell championed outdoor jobs over oil (via Bloomberg)

OPINION 

Why food riots are likely to become the new normal (via The Guardian)

Better Place was supposed to revolutionize electric cars – what went wrong? (via Washington Post)

BP CEO: “peak oil” talk quieted by abundance (via The Hill)

Are environmentalists wrong about Keystone XL? (via Christian Science Monitor)

Posted:   |   Categories: awea, Bangladesh, better place, BP, california, canada, chicago, China, climate, Climate Change, coal, Demand response, DOE, Electric Vehicle, emissions, Enbridge, endangered species, Energy benchmarking, Energy Efficiency, environment, EPA, ev, Extinction, FedEx, fracking, Fuel economy standard, germany, GM, green business, green jobs, grid, Gulf of Mexico, Hanford, harry reid, Illinois, india, interior department, investment, japan, Keystone XL, LNG, minnesota, natural gas, Natural gas export, new york state, News, nuclear, offshore drilling, oil, Oil exports, peak oil, renewables, Rob Gramlich, Sally Jewell, saudi arabia, Saudi Aramco, Sea level rise, Shale gas, Shale oil, smart grid, smart meter, SMUD, solar, SolarCity, Subsidy, Syria, tar sands, texas, transmission, Transportation, uk, united kingdom, wal-mart, Washington State, wind
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06
Mar

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 3.6.13

A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.

EMISSIONS 

US scientists report big jump in heat-trapping CO2 (via AP)

China boosts energy and emissions goals after record smog (via Bloomberg)

Report: EU must retire carbon credits or see market credibility lost (via BusinessGreen)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Utilities saved enough energy in 2011 to power 9 million US homes (via Greentech Media)

LED lighting to grow 40% in 2013, Phillips executive says (via Bloomberg)

Cree launches an LED bulb for under $10 (via GigaOm)

$65 billion saved in California with energy efficiency (via EarthTechling)

Texas A&M cuts energy bills $140 million despite expanding campus (via Bryan-College Station Eagle)

ENERGY INDUSTRY 

Report: US oil and gas production up despite drop on federal lands (via The Hill)

RENEWABLES 

US “$1.6 billion clean-energy surplus” with China (via Recharge)

The emerging opportunities in Saudi Arabia’s solar market (via Greentech Media)

Sequester: Treasury cuts renewable energy grants 8.7% (via Greentech Media)

(more…)

Posted:   |   Categories: arctic, barack obama, california, canada, cap and trade, Carbon market, carbon tax, China, coal, Cree, drought, emissions, Energy Department, Energy Efficiency, environment, EPA, Ernest Moniz, EU, European Union, fracking, Fuel economy standard, germany, Gina McCarthy, grid, honda, Hugo Chavez, india, investment, Keystone XL, LED, los angeles, natural gas, News, nuclear, Ocean acidification, offshore drilling, oil, plug-in hybrid, politics, Rare earths, renewables, Sally Jewell, saudi arabia, Sequester, Shale gas, Shale oil, smart grid, solar, State Department, statoil, tar sands, texas, transmission, Transportation, Treasury Department, Venezuela
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05
Mar

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 3.5.13

A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.

OIL 

China ousts US as world’s main oil importer (via Mining.com)

US crude exports spur shale oil refineries (via Bloomberg)

Transocean chief disappointed with Gulf oil spill insurance ruling (via Houston Chronicle)

Non-jury trial may favor BP in Gulf oil spill case (via Alabama.com)

GRID 

Smart grid technology market will total $494 billion by 2020 (via Pike Research)

US transmission investment will peak at $14 billion in 2013 (via Greentech Media)

How much renewable energy can the grid handle? (via Greentech Media)

Wholesale power: bankruptcies and lessons (via Christian Science Monitor)

RENEWABLES 

EU to register Chinese solar panels, highlighting tariff threat (via Bloomberg)

Fast-tracking patent applications bolsters green tech market (via BusinessGreen)

Solar makers turn laser-like focus on boosting solar cell efficiency (via GigaOm)

US wind industry is still clinging onto tax credit (via Politico)

US inching closer to offshore wind (via United Press International)

MIT team outlines path to low-cost solar-to-storable fuels devices (via Green Car Congress)

Now on Kickstarter: a new kind of spinning energy storage device (via GigaOm)

Buffet’s renewables investment MidAmerican Energy a top portfolio company in 2012 (via SNL Energy)

California’s solar PV rebates nearly over: is this good news? (via Renewable Energy World)

University of Maine starts $1.5 million geothermal heating project (via Portland Press Herald)

KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS 

Environmental activists reeling as Keystone pipeline gains momentum (via The Hill)

Arguments over climate impacts rage in wake of State Department report (via Greenwire)

Enviros seize on State’s pipeline alternatives (via EnergyWire)

Eight figures that will define Keystone XL fight over the next 45 days (via National Journal)

Enbridge declines to pay for new studies on Michigan oil spill damage (via Detroit Free Press)

TransCanada shares rise on Keystone environmental report (via Reuters)

GREEN BUILDING/ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

UK launches green building hub for construction industry (via BusinessGreen)

Ireland launches energy efficiency fund (via Energy Collective)

St. Louis seeks to be model energy efficient city (via EarthTechling)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Shale boom forces Kremlin to focus on Arctic (via Moscow Times)

Chemical industry surging on US natural gas (via Houston Chronicle)

Fracking goes to the Texas legislature (via StateImpact Texas)

CLIMATE 

Splits emerging in UN climate deal agreed in Doha (via RTCC)

Report blames climate change for extreme weather in Australia (via New York Times)

Spring may arrive five weeks earlier by 2100, study finds (via Climate Central)

Warmer climate to open new Arctic shipping routes by 2050 (via Reuters)

Global warming affects crop yields, but it's the water not the heat (via Phys.org)

Two-thirds of Americans now believe global warming is real (via Phys.org)

The coming climate exodus: what we’re doing to help wildlife’s new migration (via Yes! Magazine)

NUCLEAR 

Global nuclear capacity rises in 2012 after post-Fukushima drop (via Reuters)

Restart of Japanese nuclear reactors unlikely this year (via United Press International)

Areva plans first nuclear fuel shipment to Japan since Fukushima (via Reuters)

TRANSPORTATION 

2013 electric cars: rated range for each model, ultimate guide (via Green Car Reports)

Shell to push natural gas for trains, vehicles (via Houston Chronicle)

Zipcar says 72% of young Americans don’t care about owning a car (via Green Car Reports)

Tesla Motors delays filing of annual report (via San Jose Mercury News)

EMISSIONS 

Little unity over California’s cap-and-trade program (via Reuters)

Shell forecasts near-zero global emissions by 2100 (via Environmental Leader)

POLITICS 

Obama nominates Moniz as DOE chief, McCarthy as EPA head (via Platts)

Obama’s second-term cabinet to play bigger policy role (via Washington Post)

From “green dream team” to B team (via Politico)

McCarthy’s Republican history should smooth path to EPA (via Reuters)

Is fracking a bride to a clean-energy future? Ernest Moniz thinks so (via Washington Post)

Gina McCarthy for EPA could be Obama’s most significant nominee (via Washington Post)

America’s oil and gas billionaires (via Forbes)

Can climate-change denier Ken Cuccinelli win a swing state? (via National Journal)

OPINION 

China keeps making new green pledges (via Grist)

Climate change: the scary hidden stressor (via New York Times)

Arctic ice melt will bring frosty relations as nations navigate across North Pole (via The Independent)

Cabinet picks could take on climate policy (via New York Times)

Do Obama’s cabinet picks match his greener second-term talk? (via Christian Science Monitor)

Does Keystone XL report let Obama off the hook on climate pledge? (via Christian Science Monitor)

Tesla charging situation would benefit from more flexibility, less confrontation (via Autoblog Green)

Posted:   |   Categories: arctic, Areva, australia, barack obama, BP, california, cap and trade, China, climate, Climate Change, electric vehicles, emissions, Enbridge, Energy Efficiency, energy storage, Ernest Moniz, EU, ev, Extreme weather, fracking, fukushima, geothermal, Gina McCarthy, global warming, green building, grid, Gulf of Mexico, Ireland, japan, Ken Cuccinelli, Keystone XL, Maine, michigan, MIT, natural gas, News, nuclear, offshore drilling, offshore wind, oil, Oil exports, oil spill, production tax credit, ptc, renewables, Russia, Sea ice melt, Severe weather, Shale gas, Shale oil, Shell, smart grid, solar, Solar cell efficiency, solar pv, Solar tariff, Solar trade war, St. Louis, tar sands, Tesla, texas, TransCanada, transmission, Transocean, Transportation, uk, UN, united kingdom, virginia, Warren Buffet, Wholesale power, wind, Zipcar
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04
Mar

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 3.4.13

A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.

ENERGY POLICY 

China atop renewable energy ranks as shale gas changes the game (via CleanTechnica)

Analyst says US renewable energy policy superior to Europe’s (via Renew Grid)

The rising energy policy power of America’s tribes (via Recharge)

Obama to tap McCarthy to lead EPA, Moniz for Energy secretary (via The Hill)

Natural gas challenges coal as king of the energy hill in Ohio (via Los Angeles Times)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Japan to build LNG terminal for US shale gas imports (via Pakistan Business Recorder)

New research says natural gas boom still has a few decades left in it (via StateImpact Texas)

Pennsylvania fracking health study will decide New York, shape policy around US (via Facts of the Day)

Bakken Shale’s top producer wants to snuff out natural gas flaring (via Midwest Energy News/EnergyWire)

Natural gas leaks come under scrutiny, raise questions on climate impact (via Washington Post)

A snapshot of drilling on a national park’s margins (via New York Times)

RENEWABLES 

Solar stunner: unsubsidized “grid parity has been reached in India” and Italy, with more countries coming in 2014 (via Climate Progress)

Green investors take fright at German bid to cap power prices (via Reuters)

Ontario grid to see significant boost in renewable energy integration (via Renew Grid)

Three percent of US electricity could come from river hydropower (via CleanTechnica)

California city wants to require solar on every home (via Greentech Media)

Solar struggles to shine in deregulated Texas electricity market (via StateImpact Texas)

Minnesota’s Goodhue wind project faces blowback (via Finance & Commerce)

KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS 

State Dept: denying Keystone XL would not slow oil sands development (via Forbes)

Railroads emerge as alternative to pipeline for moving Canada’s oil sands (via Washington Post)

Keystone XL pipeline report slammed by activists and scientists (via The Guardian)

New Obama Administration report on Keystone XL pipeline has enviros worried (via Mother Jones)

CLIMATE 

China carbon tax may spur US climate debate (via Bloomberg)

Australian climate on “steroids” after hottest summer (via Phys.org)

UK businesses urged to prepare for more extreme weather (via BusinessGreen)

Climate change science poised to enter nation’s classrooms (via InsideClimate News)

How NASA scientists are turning LA into one big climate-change lab (via Atlantic Cities)

ENVIRONMENT 

Critic of unbridled growth tipped as new China environmental minister (via Reuters)

Asian and African dust influences western US rain and snowfall – study (via ClimateWire)

Chemical spill in China underlines environmental concerns (via New York Times)

Court ruling keeps polar bear as threatened species (via The Hill)

EPA funding reductions have kneecapped environmental enforcement (via National Journal)

OIL 

Standard & Poors warns oil firms could soon face credit downgrades (via BusinessGreen)

Transocean, Halliburton say their Gulf spill tabs should be BP’s burden (via Houston Chronicle)

BP wins appeal on Gulf oil spill insurance claim (via Houston Chronicle)

TRANSPORTATION 

Honda to reuse rare earths from old batteries for new hybrid vehicle batteries (via Green Car Congress)

Automakers work to achieve zero-waste goals (via New York Times)

The part of Amtrak that people use makes money – the rest doesn’t (via Slate)

Oregon proposes 1.5-cent-per-mile tax for EVs, 55+ mpg cars (via Autoblog Green)

GRID 

How ARPA-E is working to create the 21st century smart grid (via Greentech Media)

Will drones soon help utilities repair the grid? (via Renew Grid)

Texas electric supply will be “very tight,” says grid operator (via Houston Chronicle)

NUCLEAR 

Report casts doubt on Britain’s nuclear electricity strategy (via New York Times)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Green building movement takes hold worldwide (via Sustainable Business)

US homes show greatest seasonal variation in electricity use (via US EIA)

Nearly 30 percent of US homes have ditched incandescent light bulbs (via Greentech Media)

POLITICS 

McCarthy: seasoned regulator primed for climate fight (via Politico)

Gov. Jerry Brown works to spread California’s green doctrine (via Los Angeles Times)

ARPA-E director worries the agency could “get lost” in fiscal talks (via Greentech Media)

OPINION 

Coal is history, or is it? (via Forbes)

What’s on the chopping block in energy and environment policy? (via National Journal)

Stop comparing early hybrid sales to early EV sales (via Plugin Cars)

Posted:   |   Categories: Amtrak, ARPA-E, australia, Bakken Shale, barack obama, battery, BP, california, carbon tax, China, climate, Climate Change, coal, department of energy, Efficient lighting, electric vehicles, Energy Efficiency, environment, EPA, Ernest Moniz, Ernst & Young, europe, ev, Extreme weather, Flaring, fracking, germany, Gina McCarthy, green building, grid, Grid Parity, Gulf of Mexico, Halliburton, honda, hybrid, Hydropower, Incandescent light bulb, india, italy, japan, Jerry Brown, Keystone XL, LNG, los angeles, Methane leakage, minnesota, NASA, natural gas, Natural gas export, Natural gas flaring, new york state, News, nuclear, oil, oil spill, ontario, oregon, pennsylvania, Polar bear, Rare earths, Recycling, renewables, Severe weather, Shale gas, smart grid, solar, tar sands, texas, Transocean, Transportation, uk, united kingdom, wind, Zero waste
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01
Mar

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 3.1.13

A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.

ENERGY POLICY 

US energy intensity projected to continue steady decline through 2040 (via US EIA)

Bipartisan group says US energy policy “like an orchestra without a conductor” (via Midwest Energy News)

Green jobs survey dies as US readies sequestration cuts (via Bloomberg)

GRID 

Global utility smart grid spending almost doubles in 2012 (via Renew Grid)

Industrial demand response peak load payments to hit $4.3 billion by 2019 (via Energy Manager Today)

44% of US broadband households willing to let utilities monitor appliances (via Renew Grid)

27 microgrid projects advance in Connecticut (via New Haven Register)

KEYSTONE XL 

Canadian government hopes US will do “right thing” on Keystone (via Houston Chronicle)

Canada minister doesn’t expect US to veto Keystone pipeline (via Reuters)

RENEWABLES 

Brazil said to be readying tax breaks for ethanol (via Bloomberg)

European offshore wind “faces €50 billion funding gap” (via Recharge)

India’s wind power generation-based incentive set to resume (via Recharge)

(more…)

Posted:   |   Categories: alaska, arctic, Aubrey McClendon, australia, barack obama, Beijing, BP, Brazil, california, canada, cap and trade, carbon tax, Chesapeake, China, climate, Climate Change, colorado, Connecticut, Demand response, desalination, DOE, duke energy, emissions, Energy Efficiency, Energy intensity, environment, ethanol, feed-in tariff, FIT, Florida, fracking, Fracking ban, fukushima, global warming, green jobs, grid, Gulf of Mexico, india, IPCC, japan, kansas, Keystone XL, LNG, Microgrid, natural gas, Natural gas exports, News, noaa, north dakota, nuclear, nuclear waste, offshore wind, oil, oil spill, Renewable energy standard, renewables, res, Sea ice melt, Sequester, Shale gas, Shale oil, Shell, smart grid, smart meters, Smog, solar, Solar forecasting, South Korea, uk, united kingdom, usda, Water, wind
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25
Feb

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 2.25.13

A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.

EMISSIONS 

German greenhouse gas emissions rise 1.6% in 2012 (via Reuters)

“Internet of things” promises nine billion tons of carbon savings (via BusinessGreen)

California’s second carbon permit auction beats expectations (via Reuters)

Seen as nature lovers’ paradise, Utah struggles with air quality (via New York Times)

OIL 

Gulf oil spill trial set to start with no settlement in sight (via Houston Chronicle)

US oil demand fell to 18-year low in January, API says (via Bloomberg)

US Coast Guard documented 16 deficiencies on Arctic drillship (via Houston Chronicle)

ENERGY POLICY 

China’s energy consumption rose 3.9% in 2012 (via Yahoo! News/IANS)

US quadruples pipeline tax break cost to $7 billion through 2016 (via Bloomberg)

The next big thing in energy: decentralization (via Grist)

Coastal governors unite in push for offshore revenue-sharing bill (via The Hill)

RENEWABLES 

Deutsche sees “sustainable” global solar market in 2014 (via Renew Economy)

Report: more than 100 gigawatts in the China wind pipeline (via Greentech Media)

Indian Gujarat state to have country’s first offshore wind farm (via Panchabuta)

Inside the US military’s clean-energy revolution (via Mother Jones)

The breezy option has become a serious power source (via Globe and Mail)

Big Solar looks to grow with precise cloud forecasts (via EarthTechling)

As economics shift, wind developers see the light on solar power (via Midwest Energy News)

Minnesota lawmakers propose statewide 10% solar renewable energy standard (via Renew Grid)

Five surprising facts about wind energy in Texas (via Sustainable Cities Collective)

Cape Wind: regulation, litigation, and the struggle to develop offshore wind in the US (via Huffington Post)

KEYSTONE XL-TAR SANDS 

Canadian officials make climate case in DC ahead of Keystone pipeline decision (via The Hill)

New study to examine health impact of Alberta oil sands (via Edmonton Journal)

Southern segment of Keystone XL is halfway finished (via AP/Houston Chronicle)

What will Obama’s “green quarterback” mean for Keystone XL? (via Canadian Press)

CLIMATE 

UN sustainable energy initiative could put world on path to climate targets (via Phys.org)

Hotter, wetter climate slashes labor capacity 10%, says study (via Reuters)

Hawaii to suffer most as global sea levels rise, study says (via NBC News)

Lifting a town to escape the next storm (via New York Times)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Gaps found in EPA drilling emissions reporting (via The Hill)

Fracking emissions get review after EPA watchdog report (via Bloomberg)

West Texas shale could dwarf Eagle Ford (via Houston Chronicle)

GRID 

Silicon Valley investors shifting to power grid after solar sours (via Bloomberg)

Germany unveils first North Sea offshore wind power network plan (via Bloomberg)

COAL 

Coal demand falls in the US, rises everywhere else (via MIT Technology Review)

As EPA delays new coal ash rules, residents turn to courts for relief (via Center for Public Integrity)

TRANSPORTATION 

Why have US gasoline prices risen since the start of 2013? (via US EIA)

Obama’s plan to fund clean cars with oil royalties faces tough test (via InsideClimate News)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Japan moving forward on smart cities (via GreenBiz)

Downtown Pittsburgh to halve energy consumption by 2030 (via Good)

DC unveils sustainability plan (via Environmental Leader)

POLITICS 

Interior secretary nomination become embroiled in fight over Alaska refuge (via Washington Post)

Not-so-smart ALEC: how the lobbying group uses bad data to fight clean energy (via Grist)

OPINION 

What does the Keystone XL pipeline represent? (via National Journal)

How the US military repelled the GOP’s attack on biofuels (via Mother Jones)

Video: Wait until China acts on Climate. What? They are!? (via Mother Jones)

Posted:   |   Categories: alaska, Alberta, ALEC, arctic, BP, california, canada, cap and trade, cape wind, China, coal ash, Deutsche Bank, Eagle Ford, emissions, Energy Efficiency, EPA, fracking, Gasoline, Gasoline prices, germany, Gina McCarthy, grid, Gujarat, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, india, Internet of things, Investors, japan, Keystone XL, Lisa Murkowski, massachusetts, minnesota, natural gas, News, North Sea, offshore drilling, offshore wind, oil, oil spill, Pipeline, Pittsburgh, Renewable energy standard, renewables, res, Sally Jewell, Sea level rise, Shale gas, Shell, Smart cities, Smog, solar, Solar forecast, Subsidy, tar sands, texas, Transportation, UN, united nations, US Coast Guard, US military, utah, Washington DC
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22
Feb

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 2.22.13

A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.

CLIMATE 

1.5C temperature rise enough to start permafrost melt, scientists warn (via The Guardian)

Poll: one-third of US says action on climate “essential” this year (via The Hill)

Front-runner to lead EPA vows more action on climate change (via The Hill)

Top oil lobbyist: new climate bill will never reach Senate floor (via The Hill)

Inslee: Washington State must do something about climate change (via The Olympian)

PA DEP Secretary pressed on climate change stance (via StateImpact Pennsylvania)

COAL 

2012 US coal exports reach record high (via Climate Progress)

ENERGY INDUSTRY 

Europe to get first EU-wide offshore oil and gas law (via Reuters)

RENEWABLES 

Saudi Arabia backs local content in 7GW renewables drive (via Recharge)

Saudi Arabia invites companies to bid for colossal renewables contracts (via BusinessGreen)

70 percent of China’s new wind is in low-speed regions (via Greentech Media)

Global solar farm capacity doubles inside 12 months (via BusinessGreen)

Renewables still seeking a level playing field (via EarthTechling)

AWEA says utilities “flocking” to wind (via Recharge)

Are local weather patterns impacted by wind farms? (via EarthTechling)

Wet December may boost hydropower output in California this year (via US EIA)

VA governor signs repeal of renewable energy incentives (via Virginian-Pilot)

Cape Wind financing moves forward (via Cape Cod Times)

Nanocrystal “solar paint” could replace panels, be applied to any surface (via The Good Human)

Solar lantern shines a light on energy poverty (via Treehugger)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Most of Europe’s natural gas supplies still linked to oil prices (via Reuters)

Death on the gas field illustrates high risks of rush to drill (via EnergyWire)

Natural gas hinders Chesapeake’s gains (via Houston Chronicle)

Alaska state regulators consider new fracking rules (via Reuters)

In Illinois, environmentalists and industry compromise on fracking bill (via Midwest Energy News)

EMISSIONS 

China is getting a carbon tax, but how effective will it be? (via Washington Post)

EU carbon prices plunge after German permit auction fails second time (via Bloomberg) 

Study of California cap-and-trade system suggests refinements (via Phys.org)

Researchers develop solar process to covert CO2 to methanol (via Green Car Congress)

GRID 

Study says utilities handled Hurricane Sandy better than governments (via Renew Grid)

PPL investing nearly $1 billion to improve grid reliability (via Renew Grid)

TRANSPORTATION 

Global lithium-ion battery sales will jump sixfold by 2019 (via Autoblog Green)

Numbers don’t lie: plug-in sales ahead of early hybrid sales (via Autoblog Green)

MIT study: fuel economy standards 6-14 times less cost effective than fuel tax for reducing gasoline use (via Green Car Congress)

One of world’s most efficient vehicles unable to enter US (via New York Times)

Colorado renewables law increases environmental benefits of EVs (via Plugin Cars)

NUCLEAR 

Nuclear power another casualty of the shale gas boom (via Washington Post)

Vogtle plant is progressing but nuclear revival is not (via Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Forget energy efficiency: these office buildings actually make power (via Good)

Software plots how much homeowners can save on energy retrofits (via Greentech Media)

DC announces plans to be America’s greenest city (via Sustainable Cities Collective)

GREEN BUSINESS 

How to get real green from your green certifications (via GreenBiz)

ENVIRONMENT 

US drought to spread in California, Florida, government forecasts (via Reuters)

USDA forecasts record US corn and soy crops, lower prices (via Reuters)

Time is running out to avert a third summer of drought (via Climate Central)

Unprecedented legal verdict will help millions of birds (via Sustainable Business)

OIL 

BP spill pact excluded billions in possible loss claims (via Bloomberg)

POLITICS 

Senate Democrats prepare to defend Obama’s climate change rules (via National Journal)

EPA’s McCarthy mum on new job, says states to lead climate rules (via Reuters)

Interest groups gird for battle as they anticipate McCarthy pick (via Greenwire)

Latest polling finds strong support for clean energy, stricter carbon pollution standards (via Climate Progress)

LCV: 2012 House of Representatives most anti-environmental ever (via Huffington Post)

DOE Secretary Steven Chu to return to Stanford University (via Stanford Daily)

OPINION 

Dirty fossil fuel exports will come back to bite Australia (via The Guardian)

Supply, demand, and activism: what should the climate movement do next? (via Grist)

Keystone XL decision will define Obama’s climate change legacy (via The Guardian)

Five reasons why the Keystone XL pipeline is bad for the economy (via Resilience)

Court the Right: advice for Obama’s next DOE chief (via Bloomberg)

Posted:   |   Categories: alaska, australia, awea, barack obama, Barbara Boxer, battery, Bob McDonnell, BP, california, cap and trade, cape wind, carbon tax, Chesapeake, China, climate, Climate Change, coal, Coal exports, colorado, drought, Electric Vehicle, emissions, Energy Efficiency, EPA, EU, europe, European Union, ev, Extreme weather, Florida, fracking, Fracking disclosure, Fuel economy standard, Fuel tax, Gasoline, Georgia, germany, Gina McCarthy, global warming, green business, grid, Grid reliability, Hurricane Sandy, hybrid, Hydropower, Illinois, Jack Gerard, jay inslee, Keystone XL, League of Conservation Voters, Lithium-ion battery, massachusetts, Methanol, Michael Krancer, natural gas, News, nuclear, offshore drilling, offshore wind, oil, oil spill, pennsylvania, Permafrost, Plant Vogtle, Plug in, PPL, renewables, Retrofits, saudi arabia, Severe weather, Shale gas, solar, Stanford, steven chu, Subsidy, tar sands, Tax incentives, Transportation, usda, virginia, Washington DC, Washington State, wind
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21
Feb

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 2.21.13

A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.

TRANSPORTATION 

High-capacity chargers target Europe’s luxury market (via Pike Research)

Estonia installs “world’s first” nationwide fast-charging network (via BusinessGreen)

Lithium-ion battery gives IBM hope of power without fires (via Bloomberg)

EPA sets renewable fuel standard, tackles fraud (via The Hill)

Tesla expects to turn its first profit in the first quarter of 2013 (via GigaOm)

2013 Nissan Leaf: 75-mile range “anticipated in new EPA test (via Green Car Reports)

TAR SANDS/KEYSTONE XL 

Report: oil sands dependence could hurt Canada’s economy (via Canadian Press)

Canadian crude rolling into Gulf Coast refineries (via Houston Chronicle)

Supporters of Keystone XL outspend opponents 35 to 1 (via Climate Progress)

ALEC pushes Keystone pipeline approval through six states (via Sustainable Business)

RENEWABLES 

EU to register Chinese solar panels in move toward duties (via Reuters)

Ontario might get a 400MW pumped storage station five times the height of Niagara Falls (via TreeHugger)

Mexico just scratching the surface of solar demand (via Renewable Energy World)

Iceland looks to export geothermal power (via New York Times)

Nine amazing teenagers innovating in cleantech (via Treehugger)

Renewables increase US electricity market share 44% from 2007 to 2012 (via Facts of the Day)

Michigan sees surge in wind power, thanks to renewable portfolio standard (via Renew Grid)

Oversupply and uncertainty for Massachusetts SREC market in 2013 (via Greentech Media)

Offshore wind production bill gets preliminary approval in Maryland House (via Washington Post/AP)

Minnesota bill introduced seeking 10% solar energy standard (via St. Paul Pioneer Press)

PACE funding in Florida gets $500 million boost (via CleanTechnica)

Work begins on new 400MW Texas solar PV plant (via Recharge)

How a city can get more clean, local energy (via CleanTechnica)

OIL/GASOLINE 

US oil production will soar in 2013 – can it last? (via Christian Science Monitor)

AAA reports largest increase in gasoline prices in three years (via The Hill)

BP civil settlement remains elusive as trial nears (via Shreveport Times/AP)

ENERGY INDUSTRY 

Germany, UK offer contrasting visions for electricity (via Reuters)

Energy to help Texas economy outpace nation’s (via Houston Chronicle)

Enron-era ruling signals $1.6 billion California consumer refunds (via Bloomberg)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Merkel leaves door open to fracking as shale gains appeal (via Bloomberg)

Marcellus production rises again in Pennsylvania (via Pittsburgh Business Times)

Chesapeake probe finds no “intentional” CEO misconduct (via Reuters)

CLIMATE 

Filipino super-typhoon an ominous warning of climate change impact (via The Guardian)

If you don’t believe in climate change, talk to a clam digger (via Grist)

Activist investors put climate change issue up for vote at PNC Bank (via Los Angeles Times)

Bill would require Kansas teachers to question climate science (via InsideClimate News)

ENVIRONMENT 

After China’s multibillion-dollar cleanup, water still unfit to drink (via Reuters)

Explained in 90 seconds: permafrost (via Mother Jones)

Biofuel rush wiping out America’s grasslands at fastest pace since 1930’s (via Washington Post)

EMISSIONS 

Another study names oil and gas drilling as ozone culprit (via Climate Progress)

RGGI changes help both the environment and business (via C2ES)

GRID 

PSE&G proposes $4 billion for grid resiliency in New Jersey (via Greentech Media)

EnerNOC adapting demand response for “big data” applications (via Greentech Media)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Efficiency is a more important economic driver than energy supply (via Greentech Media)

University at Albany SUNY saves $704,000 per year with energy efficiency upgrades (via Environmental Leader)

COAL 

Oregon governor questions wisdom of headlong coal-export push (via Grist)

West Virginia, US Mine Safety and Health Administration seek greater focus on coal mining safety (via Charleston Gazette)

NUCLEAR 

Deal advances development of a smaller nuclear reactor (via New York Times)

POLITICS 

Obama settles on EPA, DOE nominees (via Reuters)

Climate change and the Obama Administration (via Council on Foreign Relations)

Kerry comes out swinging on climate change (via The Hill)

Moniz: shale gas boom a low-carbon solution – for now (via InsideClimate News)

Senate Democrat touts support for Keystone XL (via Houston Chronicle)

OPINION 

EU and China stumble toward solar trade war (via Reuters)

How the looming food and energy crises are intertwined (via Good)

Tesla’s explosive revenue suggests a bright future (via MIT Technology Review)

Low emissions are no justification for Kansas scaling back renewables (via The Guardian)

Cheap ways you can get green power (via EarthTechling)

Posted:   |   Categories: ALEC, Angela Merkel, Aubrey McClendon, barack obama, battery, biofuels, BP, california, canada, Chesapeake, China, climate, Climate Change, coal, Demand response, Electric Vehicle, emissions, Energy Efficiency, energy storage, EnerNOC, Enron, EPA, Ernest Moniz, Estonia, EU, europe, European Union, ev, EV charger, EV charging infrastructure, Extreme weather, Florida, fracking, Gasoline, geothermal, germany, Gina McCarthy, grid, Hydropower, ibm, Iceland, john kerry, kansas, Keystone XL, Lithium-ion battery, marcellus shale, maryland, massachusetts, mexico, michigan, minnesota, natural gas, new york state, News, nissan LEAF, nuclear, offshore wind, oil, oil spill, ontario, oregon, Ozone, PACE, pennsylvania, Permafrost, Philippines, PNC Bank, PSE&G, Renewable fuel standard, renewable portfolio standard, renewables, RFS, rggi, rps, Severe weather, Shale gas, small modular reactor, smart grid, solar, solar pv, Solar renewable energy credit, Solar trade war, SREC, tar sands, Tesla, texas, Transportation, uk, united kingdom, Water, West Virginia, wind
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19
Feb

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 2.19.13

A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.

EMISSIONS 

EU Parliament approves plan to bolster carbon trading market (via New York Times)

EU gets behind ETS, but carbon price falls (via Recharge)

Researchers prove air pollution causes heart attacks (via Forbes)

Minnesota coal plans cut mercury emissions in half (via Duluth News Tribune)

KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS 

Oil sands mining uses up almost as much energy as it produces (via InsideClimate News)

Rupert Murdoch reveals Keystone XL opposition on Twitter (via Houston Chronicle)

CLIMATE 

UN says Arctic needs protection from resource rush as ice melts (via The Guardian)

Climate contraction: less snow, more blizzards (via AP)

RENEWABLES 

Renewable energy standards hitting blockades (via energyBiz)

Record year for US wind increases demand for service technicians (via Sustainable Business)

Two bills promoting geothermal energy reintroduced in US Senate (via Renewable Energy World)

Clean energy is a net positive on North Carolina utility rates, says report (via Energy Manager Today)

Biggest solar farm in eastern US coming to North Carolina (via Sustainable Business)

Is Iowa paying to help other states meet renewable goals? (via Midwest Energy News)

Proposed Nebraska incentives for wind energy up in the air (via Omaha World-Herald)

Washington State utility breaks wind energy generation record (via Renew Grid)

GRID

China’s army tied to hacking against US grid, energy industry (via New York Times)

A new electricity model for the US grid (via Energy Collective)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

German doubts about fracking could prove costly (via Reuters)

Poland to ease environmental rules slowing shale exploration (via Bloomberg)

US natural gas exports could spur manufacturing (via Energy Collective)

Natural gas use for transport rises 26% from 2008 to 2011 (via Facts of the Day)

Investors are subsidizing natural gas consumers – but it won’t last (via Christian Science Monitor)

ENVIRONMENT 

Arctic sea ice volume plunges over a third in less than 10 years (via Mongabay)

Floating islands to the rescue for Midwest runoff pollution (via New York Times)

OIL 

US shale oil reviving East Coast refineries (via Boston Globe)

TRANSPORTATION 

Electric cars unevenly green around world – study (via EarthTechling)

Chinese car companies likely Fisker investment partners (via Los Angeles Times)

Can 10,000 charging stations make New York City America’s top EV market? (via CleanTechnica)

Is tomorrow the most important day ever for Tesla Motors? (via Green Car Reports)

GREEN BUSINESS 

The case for natural capital accounting (via GreenBiz)

NUCLEAR 

A strategy to prevent the next Fukushima (via New York Times)

US nuclear generation drops for two years running (via Facts of the Day)

POLITICS 

Why Republicans should embrace the reality of climate change (via Forbes)

Gore pans climate change media coverage (via Politico)

Could Chris Christie bring the GOP around on climate? (via Mother Jones)

OPINION 

At climate rally, some signs of fraying in a movement’s big tent (via Grist)

The politics of emissions: Keystone is an easier target than US coal-fired power plants (via Globe and Mail) 

Climate rally: how a pipeline became public enemy no. 1 (via Christian Science Monitor)

“Energy independence” alone won’t boost US power (via Council on Foreign Relations)

Problems with precision and judgment, but not integrity, in Tesla test (via New York Times)

Posted:   |   Categories: al gore, arctic, Carbon market, China, Chris Christie, climate, Climate Change, coal, Cybersecurity, Electric Vehicle, emissions, environment, EU, European Union, ev, EV charging infrastructure, ev charging station, Extreme weather, Fisker, fracking, fukushima, geothermal, germany, green business, grid, Iowa, Keystone XL, Mercury, Michael Bloomberg, minnesota, natural gas, Natural gas exports, Nebraska, New York City, News, North Carolina, nuclear, oil, Poland, Renewable energy standard, renewables, res, Rupert Murdoch, Sea ice melt, Severe weather, Shale gas, Shale oil, smart grid, solar, Subsidy, tar sands, Tax incentive, Tesla, Transportation, UN, united nations, Washington State, wind
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