Energy and Environment News Roundup – 7.23.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
COAL
China coal demand to peak by 2020, says Standard & Poor (via RTCC)
German coal power plants are Europe’s most climate-damaging (via Bloomberg)
Labor officials promise to fix black program for coal miners with black lung (via ABC News)
EMISSIONS
Industry to EPA: Climate rule “not workable” (via The Hill)
U.S. poll finds support for carbon tax grows when revenue funds renewables (via Green Car Congress)
RENEWABLES
Solar leasing market in Australia could reach $100 billion (via Renew Economy)
European wind industry slashes growth forecasts (via BusinessGreen)
Geothermal industry grows with help from oil and gas drilling (via New York Times)
Orix plans to build as many as 15 geothermal plants in Japan (via Bloomberg)
Iberdrola profit drops as Spain renewable subsidy cuts hit (via Bloomberg)
Self-cooling solar cells boost power, last longer (via Energy Manager Today)
Google offers $1 million prize for anyone who can build a better power inverter (via Forbes)
“Pay-as-you-go” solar financing hits new milestone (via Huffington Post)
CLIMATE
Earth’s hottest June follows hottest May – a new normal? (via Christian Science Monitor)
U.S. and China presidents to attend September UN climate summit (via RTCC)
Study: Natural variations explain the global warming “pause” (via Salon)
Poll: U.S. leads the world….in climate denial (via Climate Progress)
Climate change hits all Pentagon operations, says official (via The Hill)
Obama attributes wildfires to climate change (via Huffington Post/AP)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
EU Commission agrees to 30% by 2030 energy savings goal (via Reuters)
In Minnesota, “behavior” programs show energy-saving results (via Midwest Energy News)
California calculates the value of time in energy efficiency (via Navigant Research)
In New York, greening older buildings (via Navigant Research)
Energy efficiency finance in plain English: An intro to leases (via Energy Manager Today)
NATURAL GAS
Industry pans DOE’s plan for natural gas exports (via Houston Chronicle)
Shale plays reduce political risk (via Reuters)
Pennsylvania Auditor General criticizes state oversight of shale gas industry (via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
GRID
Brazil to auction 4,000 kilometers of new transmission lines (via Recharge)
Here’s what utilities really think about microgrids (via Greentech Media)
Keeping up with energy storage (via Renewable Energy World)
TAR SANDS
Alberta oil clout dominating Canada’s unbalanced economy (via Bloomberg)
Enbridge mulls Midwest rail terminal to ease pipeline congestion (via Reuters)
Maine port city bans oil loading as Canada seeks export options (via Reuters)
TransCanada spends big on K Street as pipeline fight heads to finish (via Greenwire)
TRANSPORTATION
Lithium-ion batteries for EVs will surpass $24 billion annual revenue by 2023 (via Navigant Research)
Electric cars equal gasoline cost of just 75 cents per gallon (via Green Car Reports)
Is this the site of Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada? (via Greentech Media)
ENVIRONMENT
Great Barrier Reef will be “pretty ugly” by 2050, say researchers (via Huffington Post)
Drier than the Dust Bowl: Waiting for relief in rural America (via Washington Post)
Unprecedented spate of wildfires incinerates homes in Pacific Northwest (via Scientific American)
POLITICS
Group tries to make climate change a winning wedge issue (via Huffington Post)
EPA chief in hot seat as lawmakers dissect carbon rule (via Reuters)
Obama announces nominations for Nuclear Regulator Commission (via The Hill)
OPINION
British Columbia’s climate plan is working, so why stop now? (via The Tyee)
Why Australia’s carbon tax repeal is an economic step back (via CleanTechnica)
The dangerous truth behind wildfires (via Huffington Post)
I crashed a climate change denial conference in Las Vegas (via Vice)
How the South Portland city council foiled Big Oil’s plan to sneak tar sands out of Canada (via Climate Progress)