Years ago, countries of the world committed to lock in a new international climate agreement at the 2015 U.N. Climate Change conference in Paris, informally called COP 21. It’s coming up fast, considering that for the past 50 years, scientists have been expressing their sense of an impending showdown between the people of earth and
The White House released a report this morning from the Council of Economic Advisers that shows the consequences of not doing something about climate change NOW. Our sister publication, CleanTechnica, has the full story, along with a word from noted Penn State climatologist Michael E. Mann. One important section of the report discusses a number of
So are you one of the quarter-million people who have seen the Japanese giant salamander on YouTube? If so, good for you. As you can see below, it showed up on twitter in Japan around noon on July 4, which must have been the 5th (Saturday) in the States, thanks to the International Date Line. The mainstream
Travelers cherish the city of Paris for the charm of its luxurious springtime, but maybe not this year. Since last Wednesday, air pollution in Paris and 22 suburbs has topped the safe limit for PM10 particulates (80 mg/cubic meter). The Paris smog readings hit 180 mg on Friday, more than twice the accepted safe limit. This
Heated bike paths are currently being considered as a solution to winter snow cover in some regions of the Netherlands. Such paths would result in drier, easier bike commutes during the winter… and likely increased biking during that time of the year. On the other hand, they also seem like an extravagant waste of
The U.S. company Solar Junction set the gold standard for solar cell efficiency last year at 43.5 percent, a worldwide mark that it has just shattered with a new solar cell efficiency record of 44 percent. This baby ain’t no hothouse flower, either. All the lab work is behind it and it’s ready for
According to a new survey on clean energy, nearly 9 out of 10 (89%) adults in the U.S. think that renewable energy sources, like wind and solar power, should become a larger portion of the U.S. energy supply. The new poll was conducted by the company Ipsos on behalf of Sungevity, a globally recognized
The world’s largest producer of solar panels, Power Holdings Co., recently announced that the largest silicon photovoltaic power plant in South Asia, ‘Sunny Bangchak’, achieved grid connection on September 4, 2012. The 44-megawatt project is located in Bang Pa-In, Ayutthaya, 40 kilometers outside Bangkok, Thailand. It utilizes Suntech’s high performance solar panels and was
The Board of Directors of the US Government’s development finance institution, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), has approved up to $250 million for the agency’s first solar power project in South Africa. The 60-megawatt plant located in Boshoff in South Africa’s Free State province will help push the country beyond a dependency on coal
The largest operational PV project in the world can now supply 250 MW to the grid. This is the peak generating capacity, but that will increase to 290 MW when it is completed. The power plant is in Yuma County, Arizona. Solar power generation is a bit difficult to understand because it varies. One
Ernst & Young released late August their quarterly global Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Indices report which showed that China is set to continue it domination of the global renewable energy market, as US elections and political support in Europe prevent other countries from keeping up. The Ernst & Young report “provide scores in 40 countries for national
This week, our eco-vlogging friends at ZapRoot take a thorough look at animal rights, food labeling, and sequestering carbon in middle eastern rocks. Mix in some of their trademark snark and – poof! You’ve got a finished product that is both educational and entertaining. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/wqrai9_oHHk&hl=en&fs=1]
Sarah Lozanova is a native Chicagoan who is passionate about renewable energy. She has an MBA in Sustainable Management from the Presidio School of Management in San Francisco and she is working on developing ways for corporations to solve environmental and social challenges that face society. When she can escape the Internet vortex, she enjoys
