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The Incredible Shrinking Cost of Solar Energy Drives Mega-Projects around the World

Wed, 2013-05-15 16:49 — Maeryn Obley

Graph of All-in Module Cost

Image: Graph of All-in Module Cost

juancole.com - May 3rd, 2013 - Juan Cole

Rob Wile uses a graph to point out the obvious, the dramatic fall in the cost of solar power generation. In many countries– Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal — and in parts of the US such as the Southwest, solar is at grid parity. That means it is as inexpensive to build a solar plant as a gas or coal one.

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Video - Scrap Fuel Subsidies and Price CO2, Urges World Bank

Tue, 2013-05-14 10:04 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Reuters - trust.org - May 6, 2013

LONDON, May 6 (Reuters Point Carbon) – The world’s nations must scrap fossil fuel subsidies and put a price on emitting carbon dioxide if the planet is to avoid dangerous climate change, according to the president of the World Bank. The two measures are part of a five-point plan that the bank urged the world’s environment ministers to take, including building low carbon cities, improving agricultural practices and sharing new technology that will save energy.

“We need a global response equal to the scale of the climate problem.

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FAS - Regulating Japanese Nuclear Power in the Wake of the Fukushima Daiichi Accident

Mon, 2013-05-13 22:07 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Federation of American Scientists - fas.org - by Katie Colten
May 13, 2013

The 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was preventable. The Great East Japan earthquake and the tsunami that followed it were unprecedented events in recent history, but they were not altogether unforeseeable. Stronger regulation across the nuclear power industry could have prevented many of the worst outcomes at Fukushima Daiichi and will be needed to prevent future accidents.

In a new FAS issue brief, Dr. Charles Ferguson and Mr. Mark Jansson review some of the major problems leading up to the accident including the lack of regulation of the nuclear power industry and slow updates to safety requirements, such as using probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) methods to  improve accident management plans.

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The Key to Running the World on Solar and Wind Power

Thu, 2013-05-02 13:44 — Maeryn Obley

Chart of energy density per energy type

Image: Chart of energy density per energy type

energytrendsinsider.com - April 30th, 2013 - Robert Rapier

Perhaps the biggest shortcoming of solar and wind power is their intermittency. In locations like Hawaii, where I live, wind and solar power are already competitive on price. My fossil-fuel supplied electricity typically costs above 40 cents a kilowatt-hour, and wind and solar power can compete with that. But since they can’t supply power that is available on demand (firm power) they must be backed up by power sources that can provide power when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.

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Can You Have Too Much Solar Energy?

Sat, 2013-04-13 01:47 — Maeryn Obley

A worker mounts solar panels on the roof of a barn in Binsham, Germany, in March 2012. (photo: Michaela Rehle/Reuters)

Image: A worker mounts solar panels on the roof of a  barn in Binsham, Germany, in March 2012. (photo: Michaela Rehle/Reuters)

slate.com - March 29th, 2013 - Andrew Curry

It’s been a long, dark winter in Germany. In fact, there hasn’t been this little sun since people started tracking such things back in the early 1950s. Easter is around the corner, and the streets of Berlin are still covered in ice and snow. But spring will come, and when the snow finally melts, it will reveal the glossy black sheen of photovoltaic solar panels glinting from the North Sea to the Bavarian Alps.

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More and More Voices Speaking Out Against Brazil’s Belo Monte Dam

Mon, 2013-04-01 16:09 — admin

Brazil’s Belo Monte Dam to Displace Thousands in Amazon    www.abcnews.go.com - June 18, 2012 - Tiffany Hagler-Geard

Belo Monte Dam will be the world’s third-largest hydroelectric project and will displace up to 20,000 people while diverting the Xingu River and flooding as much as 230 square miles of rainforest in Brazil. The Brazilian government says residents forced to relocate will be compensated and that most will benefit from the relocation. Opponents of the dam are skeptical of this claim.

While environmentalists and indigenous groups oppose the dam, many Brazilians support the project. The Brazilian Amazon, home to 60 percent of the world’s largest forest and 20 percent of the Earth’s oxygen, remains threatened by the rapid development of the country. The area is currently populated by over 20 million people and is challenged by deforestation, agriculture, mining, a governmental dam-building spree, illegal land speculation including the occupation of forest reserves and indigenous land and other issues.

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2-Liter Bottle as a 50 Watt Light Bulb

Sun, 2013-03-24 17:35 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Bill Greenberg

welldonestuff.com - 2013/01/2

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Smart Grid Prospects & State of the Business in 2013

Wed, 2013-03-13 00:34 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Albert Gomez

energymanagertoday.com - by Allan McHale - March 6, 2013

Smart Grid sales across the world in the last three years at installed prices have grown by CAGR of approximately 35% and climbed to $36.5 billion in 2012. Given the general economic demise during this period these figures are remarkable. However they include a steady flow of refurbishment business that has for more than 10 years incrementally improved and smartened up the control and reliability of the electrical network.

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Earth Policy Institute - The Energy Game is Rigged: Fossil Fuel Subsidies Topped $620 Billion in 2011

Sun, 2013-03-03 14:53 — Kathy Gilbeaux

 

earth-policy.org - by Emily E. Adams - February 27, 2013

The energy game is rigged in favor of fossil fuels because we omit the environmental and health costs of burning coal, oil, and natural gas from their prices. Subsidies manipulate the game even further. According to conservative estimates from the Global Subsidies Initiative and the International Energy Agency (IEA), governments around the world spent more than $620 billion to subsidize fossil fuel energy in 2011: some $100 billion for production and $523 billion for consumption.

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BP and government lawyers prepare for battle over environmental cost of spill

Fri, 2013-03-01 16:23 — Maeryn Obley

The Deepwater Horizon blast led to 780m litres of oil escaping into the Gulf of Mexico, affecting wildlife such as pelicans. Photograph: Sean Gardner/Reuters

Image: The Deepwater Horizon blast led to 780m litres of oil escaping into the Gulf of Mexico, affecting wildlife such as pelicans. Photograph: Sean Gardner/Reuters

guardian.co.uk - February 22nd, 2013 - Dominic Rushe

Dolphin calving season has just begun in the Gulf of Mexico and marine biologists are reporting an alarming trend. Between 2000 and 2009, an average of 25 to 30 dolphins were found dead on the beaches of the Gulf each year. This year, 13 dead dolphins were found between 13 January and 14 February alone; 11 were aborted or newborns.

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