Energy and Environment News Roundup – 10.15.13
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
EMISSIONS
Germany blocks EU car emissions law (via The Guardian)
Tony Abbott insists Australia’s carbon tax will end on July 1 even if Senate blocks repeal (via The Guardian)
NATURAL GAS/FRACKING
Fracking comes to Saudi Arabia despite limited water resources (via Raw Story/AFP)
China will raise on-grid prices for gas-fired power generation (via Reuters)
Shell CEO says shale gas will take longer to develop than expected (via Reuters)
Combining distributed gas and solar in the US heartland (via Greentech Media)
Drilling water wells to foil fracking (via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
RENEWABLES
IEA projects renewable energy to surpass natural gas in 2015 (via Sustainable Business)
Global hydropower investment to top $75 billion through 2020 (via BusinessGreen)
World Bank support for China solar and wind power may have cost US jobs (via Washington Post)
Chile doubles renewable energy goal to 20% to spark new projects (via Bloomberg)
German green power surcharge to rise 18% in 2014 (via Reuters)
Solar and wind produced up to 60% of Germany’s electricity on October 3rd (via CleanTechnica)
1.8GW of new solar for Japan in Q2 (via CleanTechnica)
Solar vs. wind in Brazil’s power tender (via Recharge)
Putting robots to work in solar energy (via New York Times)
TAR SANDS
Mercury levels rising near Alberta oil sands, study finds (via Globe and Mail)
CLIMATE
Climate change making North American forests more vulnerable (via Washington Post)
Foliage season under fire from climate change (via Climate Central)
LA Times refuses to publish climate denial, will other newspapers? (via CleanTechnica)
Another dry year could be bad news for California (via Los Angeles Times)
TRANSPORTATION
For EV makers, selling cars is just the start (via Navigant Research)
From RINs to supply to demand to seasonality, why gasoline is heading lower (via Houston Chronicle)
OIL
Report: US oil growth having limited effect on energy security (via Houston Chronicle)
GRID
Smart city market to hit $6.1 billion by 2020 (via Energy Manager Today)
10 reasons microgrids matter to corporate sustainability (via GreenBiz)
OPINION
Clean energy not to blame for rising California energy costs (via EarthTechling)
Four key reasons why coal’s 2013 rebound will end and its decline resume (via Facts of the Day)
Renewable Fuel Standard: Are we nearing a compromise on ethanol? (via Christian Science Monitor)
Why residents of disaster-prone areas don’t move (via The Atlantic)
Renewable fuel standard needs to be modified, not repealed (via Phys.org)