A dead zone larger than New Jersey is expected to appear in the Gulf of Mexico later this year. Similar dead zones are found in the Great Lakes and the Chesapeake Bay. A report by Mighty, a global environmental group headed by Henry Waxman, a former US Congressman, claims the dead zones are the result
It’s really no secret to anyone who has been watching the story unfold — Donald Trump’s administration is full of the worst of the worst. The White House is being run like the mafia now, but a really crappy mafia — a pseudo-mafia of Hollywood comedies that keeps shooting its own people in the feet.
People complain about Big Oil controlling our government, slowing climate action, killing clean air policies (and, thus, countless humans), brainwashing the public through the mass media, and doing all-around shitty shit. We know it — Big Oil is not your friend. Yet, as much as we complain, as much as we talk about the corruption,
The UK government is planning to begin banning the sale of all diesel- and petrol/gas-powered cars from 2040 onwards, according to a recent announcement. The move means that consumers wishing to buy a personal car after that date will be required to buy an all-electric model. The decision is intended as a means of helping
Wave power could be one of the world’s most abundant source of renewable energy, as oceans cover more than 70% of the earth’s surface and hold onto a large amount of energy. But what needs to be done so that the world’s oceans can become attainable, sustainable energy resources? And how can wave power become competitive
It’s rather crazy to me — the Republican Party is supposedly the “Christian” party and has the long-standing support of Bible-reading Christians in rural areas and Evangelicals. Somehow, a few loud-mouthed Christians and political propagandists have pulled on the strings of religious channels in order to get the public to put the Republican Party in the “Christian” bucket.
Republican politicians are an interesting breed of liars…. Politicians are supposed to explain to the voting public why their complicated, detailed policies are worth supporting and good for the country as a whole, or at least their constituents. But Republican politicians push one kind of policy obsessively, the kind that gives more money to the
The people of the United States live in bubbles. We each fall into certain subcultures that have a lot of influence over what we think, what we feel, and what we are interested in discussing. In politics, subcultures are obsessively collected and fought over (via messaging/branding, if not policy) and major political parties do their best to motivate
When you think of healthy democracies, you definitely think of petrostates, right? Some would like to characterize Russia as a more varied and robust economy — not quite a petrostate — but the US Energy Information Administration has pegged 50% of Russia’s government income as coming from oil & gas (for some reason, that link
The trail of insanity is hard to follow at this stage — there seem to be 100 shocking actions a month coming out of Clinton Co. Democrats should be ashamed, especially since they are consistently defending Hillary for unconstitutional attacks on judges, the independent free press, US Congress, civil rights leaders, top US intelligence agencies, and
Let’s just start with a note that should be obvious to everyone: If Obama had deep and long financial ties to Russia (and many of his campaign leaders did as well), was under investigation by the FBI for this, and then fired the head of the FBI (right after he asked for more resources to
The Ohio EPA says Energy Transfer Parner dumped 2 million gallons of bentonite clay into a sensitive wetland. The company says the state should thank it for dumping the muck because it is “natural.”
Frankly, when people have said that Trump only ran for president to boost his business, I didn’t agree. I think Donald is genuinely an old, angry, rich, white man who spends far too much time sitting on the couch watching Fox News and getting misinformed. I think he genuinely felt passionately that the country had gone to
The United States. “We” elected a man who for decades has had a reputation as a con man. What could go wrong?… ♠ He talked about bringing all Americans health care — more affordable and cheaper health care. Turns out, after trying to push through a health care plan that would result in ~20 million Americans losing
Most people know about renewable energy in the form of solar, wind or geothermal power, for example, and the biggest and best firms in the world are pouring resources towards finding better ways to produce longer lasting products with less input. Little is being done, however, to foster a strong network of projects that reduce greenhouse
365 American companies have signed an open letter to Donald Trump telling him that paying attention to global warming is good for American business.
With just one interface, a building management system designed in a Panasonic/ Schneider Electric collaboration has the potential to deliver real-time data to reduce energy consumption and drive savings.
According to World Nuclear News, the Swedish utility Vattenfall is suing Germany at the Washington-based International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes concerning the closure of the Brunsbüttel and Krümmel nuclear power plants. As announced by Vattenfall on October 10: “The hearing on Vattenfall’s claim against the Federal Republic of Germany at the International Centre for
Following a series of ill-managed issues concerning the operation of its electricity transmission infrastructure, Chile has appointed five directors for the Board of its Independent Coordinator of the National Electric System, after its major transmission law upheaval. The country passed a new law on electricity transmission in July in order to help the development of
NTPC, the largest utility in India, has invited bids for the development of 250MW of solar capacity in the Pavagada Solar Park in Karnataka. PVTech reports the utility will split this clean electricity capacity will be split into five blocks of 50MW projects. The tender is for the design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, packing and forwarding,
According to Energy Business Review, Mexico has selected 23 bidders for the development of $4 billion worth of photovoltaic solar, wind and other clean energy projects. This selection came as a result of the second round of its power auction. National Energy Control Center (CENACE) of Mexico organized the second long-term energy auction for the wholesale
Independent global testing and certification body UL (Underwriters Laboratory) has acquired renewable energy engineering services and support firm, AWS Truepower for an unspecified sum. Underwriters Laboratory (UL) announced its AWS Truepower acquisition will strengthen its full lifecycle solutions. “There is strong alignment between the two brands,” said Jeffrey Smidt, vice president & general manager for UL Energy
Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has awarded 450MW of solar capacity in the state of Maharashtra, with the lowest collective set of bids involving viability gap funding (VGF) to date. The low bids add emphasis to significant solar electricity activities occurring within this nation’s borders. A total of two foreign firms won significant capacity in
New York City mayor Bill de Blasio has issued aggressive targets for New York City electricity storage and solar capacity, totaling 100MWh of storage by 2020 and 1GW of solar capacity by 2030. Tracking the development of NYC solar capacity PVTech reports the city will issue permits for more than 3,000 solar panel installations this
UtilityDIVE has reported local mayors and nuclear energy supporters now represent parties challenging Pacific Gas & Electric’s plan to close the 2,240 MW Diablo Canyon nuclear plant and replace it with a combination of renewables and efficiency. Presently, six mayors of cities in San Luis Obispo County, where the plant is located, filed with regulators last
Originally published on EdenKeeper.org With the first phase deadline set for 2019, Morocco has launched an ambitious “Energy Efficiency in Mosques” program aiming to provide solar power for all the mosques in the kingdom. By switching to energy-saving LED lighting, solar water heating, and rooftop solar PV electricity generation, significant savings are anticipated for the
Originally published by Bobby Magill on ClimateCentral.org More wind turbines and solar power plants could be coming to vast tracts of public lands in the West if the Obama administration finalizes a new rule this fall aiming to streamline how federal lands can be developed for renewable energy. But the rule, hailed by environmental groups
A new law will now provide Massachusetts with the third US energy storage mandate. Look for storage legislation to gain favor in the upcoming years. “Irrespective of the eventual target, Massachusetts could become the first non-West Coast state to set forth a storage goal,” said Ravi Manghani, director of energy storage at GTM Research. “It
This August Germany’s Federal Network Agency has arranged the fifth solar auction, allocating 130 MW of green electricity to 25 bids. The Federal Network Agency offered 125 MW for its fifth solar auction yet it was oversubscribed by 62 bids for a total of 311 MW tendered, reported PV Magazine. Of the bidding action, 25 projects
Under the aegis of its Renewable City Strategy, the city of Vancouver has committed to generate 100% of its energy from renewable sources before 2050. In implementing this renewable energy goal, International Wastewater Systems (IWS) has announced a series of wastewater heat recovery projects will be installed in Vancouver. The installations will be launched in partnership with
Write the words ‘Nevada’ and ‘net-metering’ together and you will soon discover a first-rate oxymoron. To the dismay of many rooftop solar enthusiasts and litigants, the Nevada Supreme Court last Thursday rejected a ballot proposal backed by state solar advocates which sought to restore retail rate net metering. The Court ruling stated the language was misleading
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) last Thursday approved a June 6 application from Apple’s energy subsidiary to sell electricity in six regional power markets around the country at market rates. “Based on your representations, Apple Energy meets the criteria for a Category 1 seller in all regions and is so designated,” Steve Rodgers, director
Originally published on CleanTechnica In an era of producing multiple forms of renewable electricity, the transmission of this high-voltage energy is becoming increasingly important. Anbaric often uses high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology, heralded as one of the “advanced transmission technologies” in the 2005 Energy Policy Act, which provided for the development of a stronger energy
In spite of recent news from the government of Portugal stating solar subsidies are not needed to advance industry growth, José Manuel Medeiros Pinto, general secretary of the Portuguese Renewable Energy Association (APREN) responded, saying solar cannot work without financial support in current market conditions. Following Portugal approving 180MW of unsubsidized solar PV production, Pinto sees subsidized
The New York Public Service Commission voted Monday on a 50% clean energy standard. Officials say this will reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030, ensuring the state’s power mix is diverse and can attract billions in clean energy investments. New York’s Clean Energy Standard mandates the state obtains half its power from renewable sources
According international reports, the Philippines’ Commission on Human Rights has issued a complaint directed at 47 of the world’s largest carbon-emitting companies. The action is potentially seeking compensation for human rights damages related to 2013 super typhoon Yolanda, which resulted in the deaths of more than 6,000 people. Triple Pundit has reported the governments of other
Solar-powered electricity has claimed the biggest share in the renewable energy mix of Ukraine, closely trailed by wind energy production. As reported by pv-magazine, the total capacity of renewable energy plants in Ukraine in midyear had reached 1,028 MW. According to a report released by the SEF-2016 KYIV International Forum of Sustainable Energy in Ukraine,
Minnesota Power has released the first in a series of RFPs as part of its plans to address environmental responsibility to further its EnergyForward strategy. EnergyForward calls for a diversified power supply to meet customers’ needs reliably and cost-effectively in an environmentally responsible manner. “EnergyForward is how Minnesota Power is doing its part to change the
The Spanish authorities are mulling a new 3 gigawatt (3,000 megawatt) renewable energy auction in the country, according to recent reports. Until an actual government is formed in the country, though, nothing is certain. For those who don’t follow Spanish politics much: following the 2015 general election, there was a failure to form a government, as
Solar has taken a back seat this year in the first scheduled Brazil solar auction, The event has been cancelled and will not occur until December. Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) has announced only hydroelectric energy projects can be submitted to its 1st Reserve Energy Auction, which has also been delayed and rescheduled from
Nevada utility NV Energy filed a proposal this week to grandfather rooftop solar customers into Nevada’s original net metering rates for 20 years, writes the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “After a number of recent failed attempts to negotiate a resolution of this grandfathering issue with out-of-state private solar suppliers, it became clear that NV Energy needed to
When in Indonesia, add a government decree to the formula for boosting solar energy, and all things begin to look more attractive to clean electricity developers and investors. Until now, the solar market of Southeast Asia has been tepid, at best. But a new decree from Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is set
In notable solar news, Portugal has authorized the processing of licenses for solar projects which total more than 2,000 megawatts (2 gigawatts) of potential power. Specifically, 180 MW of solar projects have presently been authorized under the existing market system in the nation’s southern region, and an additional 68 licenses for solar projects are being processed, which
Last Monday, NextEra Energy and Hawaiian Electric terminated their merger plans following rejection of an acquisition application by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC). UtilityDIVE has reported the PUC rejected NextEra Energy’s proposed $4.3 billion takeover of Hawaiian Electric Industries by a 2-0 vote. The PUC stated the merger was not in the public interest and the
According to The National, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is requesting proposals for an early-stage feasibility study on producing electricity from geothermal energy and for its use in potential desalination. The other area of focus for the study will be to, for the first time in the country, gauge the potential for tidal, wave
A new report has been released on how cities and counties in California are fulfilling this state’s AB 2188 requirements to adopt expedited permitting processes for residential solar installations. Specifically, the report shows about 70% of these entities have met minimum provisions. Of note, the AB 2188 Implementation Report assesses adopted ordinances, levels of compliance and new permit
An attractive bipartisan energy storage tax incentive bill has been drafted by New Mexico US Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM). As a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, introduced S. 3159, the Energy Storage Tax Incentive and Deployment Act. The bill, designed to establish investment tax credits (ITCs) for business and home use of
Taking cues from Trump’s exhibitionist tirades, Republicans are ramping up the rhetoric against the EPA. A recent House Energy and Commerce Committee meeting was the latest venue for Republican ranting that climaxed in a condemnation of the Clean Power Plan as “un-American.” Janet McCabe, the EPA’s acting assistant administrator, was called as a witness to
