Sponsor Solar Panels in Developing Countries with Energy+
The Norwegian government is launching a program to finance renewable energy in developing countries to the UN just as discussions regarding climate finance are going nowhere.
progressive legislation
Utah Caps Solar Quota at Just 21 Homes Statewide
What a difference it makes whether you live in a good clean-energy-policy state or you don’t.
Solar incentives in sunny but 95% coal-powered Utah are so low that the entire state has capped rooftop solar with a quota of no more than 107 KW worth of home solar systems allowed per year. At about 5 KW each (Utah homeowners likely have A/C costs to cover) that amounts to only 21 or so homes!
That is not an incentive. That is a damper on solar development.
FERC’s New Transmission Rule Helps Renewable Development, Hurts “Traditional” Energy
In what has been called the most significant act of reform in years for power distribution in the United States, FERC Order No. 1000 will help solar and wind projects overcome a significant hurdle that has held up the development of more than 25 GW of solar projects and an uncounted number of wind farms nationwide for lack of transmission.
At the end of August, the final day for a rehearing of the controversial rule passed. Despite heated opposition from large non-renewable energy providers, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ruling, initiated by pro-renewable FERC chief Jon Wellinghof, appointed by President Obama in 2009, is now law.
Australia Gets Ten Times Bigger Solar Farm Following Carbon Tax
In its first solar investment in Australia, GE has partnered with US thin-film producer First Solar and local state-owned energy firm Verve Energy to build a solar farm ten times larger than any in the country. It will supply electricity for a desalination plant in Western Australia, which has a mandate to use renewable power for all new desalination projects.
No Risk From EPA Coal Plant Shutdowns Grid Operator Says
In contrast to recent widespread corporate media scaremongering about the lights going out because the Obama administration EPA is now finally forcing the dirtiest coal plants offline, a just-issued new report by the nation’s largest regional transmission operator PJM Interconnection, says… Nu-uh.
Tea Party Joins Dems to Save Solar PACE Funding!
While we were all fuming during the ridiculous bra-waving by the GOP over whether we should pay our bills or not, a rather startling bit of actual legislation was being proposed in their Tea Party House, as revealed by Ethan Elkind at Legal Planet.
Washington State Considers Including Hydro as a Renewable Under RPS
Every state that has a Renewable Energy Standard (RES) – or Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) as these mandates were originally called – has slightly different rules regarding hydro power.
New Findings on Hydro Power Could Shake up Renewable Policy
Hydroelectric power has long been left out of renewable energy counts, on the assumption that it creates some greenhouse gas emissions as vegetation caught in damned rivers rots. But that may be about to change, with the results of new research just published by Dr. Jonathan Cole in Nature Geoscience finding that hydroelectric power reservoirs are responsible for only about a sixth of the carbon dioxide and methane previously attributed to them.
Largest Airplane Order in History – American Airlines Orders Low CO2 Planes
Finally noticing that it really will need new low carbon airplanes in order to land in Europe starting in 2012, at least one airline in the US has just ordered the aircraft it will need to do that.
American Airlines just placed the largest order in history for a new fleet of fuel efficient airplanes, according to Green Car Congress. The 460 new planes meet the EU climate regulations to lower airline carbon emissions.
California Overwhelmed by 71 GW of Renewable Project Applications
Since putting itself on the market for renewables with its 33% renewable energy requirement, California has become like a wildly popular debutante, with a superfluity of suitors offering what Energy Prospects is calling a “glut” of renewable projects to meet the need. Three times more would-be renewable energy projects are … [continued]
