Renewable Energy

Solar You Can Count On: Hybrid Solar/Natural Gas Plants Provide Power When Needed

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Although the SW sunshine resource is enormous and largely untapped, critics of solar energy routinely note the sun does not shine all the time. The implication is that power is needed all the time, and since the sun is not always available, solar opponents say it would be foolish to invest in generating electricity from the sun.

Renewables & efficiency – Aug 7

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-India sets out ambitious solar power plan to be paid for by rich nations
-Asian giants put the West’s targets for solar energy in the shade
-Boom in hydropower pits fish against climate
-Are wind farms a health risk? US scientist identifies ‘wind turbine syndrome’

Temporary Recession or the End of Growth?

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Everyone agrees: our economy is sick. The inescapable symptoms include declines in consumer spending and consumer confidence, together with a contraction of international trade and available credit. Add a collapse in real estate values and carnage in the automotive and airline industries and the picture looks grim indeed.

Review: Blackout by Richard Heinberg

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Richard Heinberg’s new book Blackout tries to demolish current assumptions about the world’s remaining coal endowment: namely, that it is immense beyond belief, barely tapped and will last for centuries to come. Heinberg argues that these assumptions are off-base, misleading and not at all supported by recent studies that suggest global coal production could peak in less than two decades.