ENVIRONMENT TEXAS
American wind power is already significantly reducing global warming pollution. In 2013 alone, wind power averted 132 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions – as much as would be produced by 34 typical coal-fired power plants. But with the United States and the world needing to move toward a future of 100 percent clean energy in order to prevent the worst impacts of global warming, America must do much more.
Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category
More Wind, Less Warming
Wednesday, December 17th, 2014Freeing the Grid: Net Metering & Interconnection Best Practices
Tuesday, December 16th, 2014INTERSTATE RENEWABLE ENERGY COUNCIL
VOTE SOLAR
One significant lesson that is apparent upon reviewing the wide variety of existing state standards is that inconsistency is the nemesis of clean energy development. It creates confusion among consumers, undermines the ability of businesses to operate efficiently across utility service territories or state lines,
and increases costs to all program participants — utilities, consumers, businesses and commission staff — by forcing these stakeholders to master the idiosyncrasies of each individual state’s programs.
The Impacts of EPA’s Clean Power Plan on Electricity Generation and Water Use in Texas
Tuesday, December 9th, 2014CNA CORPORATION
To determine how Texas could be affected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Clean Power Plan (CPP), we applied CNA’s Electricity-Water-Climate power sector model to evaluate the potential impacts. We find that under the CPP, the state will save water and reduce levels of conventional air pollutants. In addition, the state will be able to meet the policy’s targets with modest incremental effort even though electricity demand is expected to increase by 25 percent.
Boom: North America’s Explosive Oil-By-Rail Problem
Monday, December 8th, 2014A train hauling two million gallons of crude oil from North Dakota had exploded in the Canadian town of Lac-Megantic, killing 47 people. Now regulators had to assure Americans a similar disaster wouldn’t happen south of the border, where the U.S. oil boom is sending highly volatile crude oil every day over aging, often defective rails in vulnerable railcars.
View this complete post...Bridges to New Solar Business Models
Friday, December 5th, 2014ROCKY MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE
Over the past decade, distributed solar photovoltaics (DPV) have experienced unprecedented growth. DPV is now on track to achieve significant scale in many segments of the U.S. market…Supportive federal, state, and local policies have to date spurred DPV’s development in many U.S. markets. However, many of these policies were designed for early market support of an emerging technology, not as long-term solutions. Thus as the DPV market has grown, so too has conflict around early-market policies. In many states, regulators and policy makers are now reexamining the policy environment as solar adoption reaches net energy metering (NEM) market caps or incentive program funding is exhausted.
Provo, UT: Documenting Dangerously High Smog Levels
Friday, December 5th, 2014Through a series of hikes into the mountains, we set out to document through time-lapse, the Haze (CO2 Emissions) that plague our home town of Provo Utah.
A video by Jesse Myrick (USA) – Age Group 18-35
-Connect4Climate on Vimeo
View this complete post...Practicing Risk-Aware Electricity Regulation
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2014Brunswick, ME: Bowdoin College’s Impressive Solar Array
Wednesday, November 26th, 2014Bowdoin’s new solar panel complex — which includes a field of panels at the former Navy base and panels atop the Watson, Farley and Greason athletic buildings — went online in October. More than six times the size of the next largest existing solar project in Maine, this system will provide about 8% of the College’s electricity. SolarCity will install an additional 12-kW system on the new residence hall at 52 Harpswell Road later this year.
View this complete post...Green Highway Snow and Ice Control Cuts the Chemicals
Monday, November 24th, 2014By Rebecca Phillips, University Communications, Washington State University PULLMAN, Wash. – Ice-free pavement. “Smart snowplows.” Vegetable juice ice-melt. Cold-climate researchers at Washington State University are clearing the road with green alternatives to the salt, sand and chemicals typically used for highway snow and ice control. As a nation, “we are kind of salt addicted, like […]
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