Energy and Environment News Roundup – 5.21.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
NATURAL GAS/FRACKING
China and Russia sign huge natural gas supply deal, pricing unclear (via Reuters)
EU tells Putin Russia is responsible for ensuring European natural gas supply (via Reuters)
New York, New Jersey, Connecticut rush to keep fracking wastewater out (via Climate Progress)
Drilling and water interests clash on Texas disposal wells (via Texas Tribune)
North Dakota natural gas plant opening will significantly reduce methane flaring (via Forum of Fargo-Moorhead)
GRID
Hawaii passes the point of no return on distributed generation (via Greentech Media)
Duke-PJM drama raises more questions about energy market alignment (via EnergyWire)
RENEWABLES
Brazil aims to complete delayed wind farms (via Recharge)
Enel Green Power building 100MW of new Chile solar PV (via Recharge)
World’s first community-owned tidal energy device powers up (via BusinessGreen)
Green bonds from companies seen doubling to $20 billion in 2014 (via Bloomberg)
Global solar PV monitoring deployments outpace plant installations in 2013 (via Greentech Media)
Australia wind power shown to slash wholesale power prices, cut network volatility (via Renew Economy)
China’s new private equity investment giant eyes solar (via Renewable Energy World)
South Africa is primed for major solar development (via Renewable Energy World)
Cumulative US solar PV market to approach 20GW by end of 2014 (via NPD Solarbuzz)
EPA mulls ethanol change as industry profits soar (via AP)
Look to everything but hardware to reduce cost of solar (via GigaOm)
Ohio poised to break from U.S. push for renewable energy (via Bloomberg)
Solazyme produces algae-based lubricant for cleaner fracking (via Triple Pundit)
CLIMATE
April 2014 tied for Earth’s warmest April on record (via Weather Underground)
Global warming threatens more deadly Everest-like avalanches (via NBC News)
The climate context for “unprecedented” Balkans flooding (via Climate Central)
Biggest loser: Thawing Greenland competes with collapsing Antarctic for fastest ice loss (via Climate Progress)
El Nino alert remains as Australia expects pattern by August (via Bloomberg)
Climategate had only fleeting effect on global warming skepticism (via The Guardian)
Climate change hurts shipping industry (via Environmental Leader)
COAL
China’s thirst for coal is drying up (via Huffington Post)
EMISSIONS
UK urged to fast track carbon-capture plans (via Bloomberg)
ENVIRONMENT
Water goes “missing” with snow loss (via BBC News)
Stumpy Brazil cane crop signaling global sugar deficit (via Bloomberg)
PwC: Stockholm, Sydney top sustainable city ranking (via Environmental Leader)
US wildfires pose new budget challenge (via Politico)
EPA finalizes power plant water intake rules to save billions of aquatic animals every year (via Climate Progress)
EPA rule on fish kills at power plants angers environmentalists (via Bloomberg)
OIL
Norway loses reputation as stable investment as oil firms recoil (via Bloomberg)
U.S. EIA cuts estimate of recoverable Monterey Shale oil by 96% (via Los Angeles Times)
Bank loan standards bending for oil companies amid Texas shale rush (via Houston Chronicle)
Shell hits back at “carbon bubble” claims (via The Guardian)
TRANSPORTATION
U.S. fuel-efficiency loan program looking beyond Big Three automakers (via Midwest Energy News)
California Air Resources Board scraps plan for $60,000 limit on EV rebates (via Autoblog Green)
NUCLEAR
Japan court rules against nuclear restart in rare ruling (via Reuters)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Philips LED down to $1.97 some places, CREE LED down to $6.97 at Home Depot (via CleanTechnica)
POLITICS
Senators aim to divide Obama appointees over global warming plan (via National Journal)
Cape Wind pours hundreds of thousands of dollars into key lawmaker campaigns (via Boston Herald)
Green groups implore Hillary Clinton to oppose Keystone XL (via Politico)
OPINION
Australia’s extreme budget meets extreme climate (via The Guardian)
This summer’s politics of climate change will be worse than Obamacare’s (via New York Magazine)
Levelized cost of energy: A limited metric (via GreenBiz)
Solar grid parity – why Australia leads the world (via Renew Economy)
When can we call the U.S. shale boom a bubble? (via Bloomberg)
Keeping cool in a hotter United States (via Center for American Progress)
First Solar CTO: Dos and Don’ts of boosting solar market growth (via Forbes)
If Ohio eases green-energy rules, will it spark national trend? (via Columbus Dispatch)