Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Small hydropower projects have the potential to bring electricity to millions of people now living off the grid. But experts warn that planners must carefully consider the cumulative effects of constructing too many small dams in a single watershed.
•The Energy Transition is Here •IEA Report: Wind and Solar Can Carry Bulk of Energy TransformationT•he Economics of Grid Defection •Industry-funded report calls for changes to German energy policy •Coal Crunch Gives Impetus to India’s Solar Switch •Food and wastewater biogas to heat 5,200 New York homes •Report: Solar Paired With Storage Is a ‘Real, Near and Present’ Threat to UtilitiesA•nother Banner, Record-Breaking Year for U.S. Solar
Richard Heinberg discusses the impact energy development on the environment along with ideas for transforming the energy narrative.
Using a simple cost model this article shows that PV technologies can indeed supply electricity to the grid for less than 0.10 €/kWh in large swaths of the continent…
•Could California’s Shale Oil Boom Be Just a Mirage? •Could fracking boom peter out sooner than DOE expects? •More mineral owners seek to join gas lawsuits •Bakken field haste fuels massive natural gas waste •Shale gas fracking a low risk to public health -UK review •Underground Carbon Dioxide Injections Triggered Earthquakes in Texas in 2009-2011 •Colorado an energy battleground as towns ban fracking
As a species, we must learn to live within the physical limitations of the biosphere. In the electric energy sector, this requires reversing the worldwide trend of ever-expanding electricity supply grids carrying energy vast distances from more and more large, centralized power plants. “Capping the grid” is a crucial step toward reducing greenhouse gas pollution and increasing the percentage of electricity generated by renewables.
•Air Pollution Concerns Halt Enormous Coal Plant In China •Solar power to trump shale, helped by US military •German Utilities Hammered in Market Favoring Renewables •Analyst: Utilities Challenged By Spread Of Solar
When we flip on a light, we rarely think about water. But electricity generation is the biggest user of water in the United States.
The purpose of this draft paper is to assess what will happen if, as expected, many gigawatts of intermittent renewables are added to the UK grid alongside large amounts of standby gas power.
•Wells Dry, Fertile Plains Turn to Dust •How to Save Water-Starved Cities •Water may reshape energy industry •Analysis: China: High and dry •Stressed Ecosystems Leaving Humanity High and Dry
Hawaii generates more of its power from the sun than any other state. Here’s what the rest of us can learn from the obstacles that came up along the way and and what’s being done to overcome them.
•Wind power is now cheaper than coal in some countries •Global solar capacity breaks through 100GW barrier •Media campaign against windfarms funded by anonymous conservatives •EU should seek 100 percent green energy by 2050: WWF •Weatherwatch: Wind turbines impact on balance and distribution of species
