2014-01-30 Energy Week

1-24

¶   Global subsidies for fossil fuels have returned to levels not seen since before the financial crisis in 2008, estimated at $523 billion to $1.9 trillion, according to a new report. This is about five times what all renewable resources get, combined.[FuelFix]

¶   Ottawa-based Iogen Corp. announced it has developed and patented a new method to make drop-in cellulosic biofuels from biogas using existing refinery assets and production operations. [Biomass Magazine]

1-25

¶   A preliminary report suggests Wyoming wind power could save California ratepayers $750 million annually. The findings were announced by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory at a meeting of the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority. [Casper Star-Tribune Online]

¶   Germany could be the first European country to penalize the self-consumption of solar energy, something only Arizona has done so far. Spain is also working on a similar plan to ensure small solar power generators help pay for network costs. [Bloomberg]

1-26

¶   China’s solar panel industry is showing signs of booming again after a prolonged downturn. Chinese firms are racing to develop multi-billion dollar solar generating projects in the Gobi desert and barren hills of China’s vast north and northwest. [Oman Daily Observer]

¶   It may sound far-fetched to some people, but the US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reports in the new study Active Power Controls from Wind Power: Bridging the Gaps, that wind turbines actually improve grid reliability. [CleanTechnica]

¶   While Americans deal with a wintery January and try to understand what a polar vortex is, one thing is clear: 2013 was the fourth hottest year since records began in 1880. For the 37th consecutive year, global temperatures were higher than average. [CleanTechnica]

1-27

¶   The UK Government has plan to kick-start a community energy revolution. It includes a £10 million scheme to provide neighbourhoods with up to £150,000 each to generate their own renewable energy from wind, solar, or hydro-electric.[Click Green]

¶   Large scale wind and solar farm developers will have to offer a “meaningful share” of their projects to UK communities, as part of a major new government strategy designed to boost public ownership of renewable energy.[Business Green]

¶   ”Community Energy Strategy: the reaction” The UK government has boosted local renewable energy projects with a fund to help communities generate their own power, saving money and cutting carbon. Here is the pick of the reaction to the news … [Blue & Green Tomorrow]

1-28

¶   The UK’s Community Energy Strategy outlines an intention to encourage non-conventional forms of finance to fund a huge expansion in community energy projects, ranging from green electricity and heating schemes to energy-efficiency initiatives. [Business Green]

¶   The number of jobs in the US solar sector grew by 19.9% to 142,698 in 2013, according to a study by The Solar Foundation.  Solar employment grew 10 times faster than the national average employment growth rate of 1.9% in the same period. [reNews]

¶   Installed solar power capacity in the U.S. grew by 42.8% in 2013, with the country adding 2.9 GW of large-scale solar energy to the grid, according to the latest Energy Infrastructure Update report from FERC’s Office of Energy Projects. [pv magazine]

1-29

¶   Since 2007, electricity generation from coal has fallen 24.9% from 2.02 billion MWh to 1.51 billion MWh in 2012. Meanwhile, over the same time frame wind grew 309% to 140.8 million MWh and solar grew 607% to 4.3 million MWh. [DailyFinance]

¶   Subsidies for renewable energy are partly to blame for Europe’s electricity market “crisis,” according to a French study. It says the system of feed-in tariffs paying above-market rates for renewables should be changed to one based more on market prices. [Businessweek]

1-30

¶   Tesla Model S owner John Glenney and his daughter Jill became the first people to cross the country using the Tesla Supercharger network. The trip took a week and 1,366 kWh of electricity to complete, but cost $0 thanks to the free Supercharger refills. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Butanol, the gasoline substitute promoted by billionaire Richard Branson, is headed for its debut at US pumps as soon as next year in a challenge to ethanol’s domination of the $26 billion renewable fuels market. [San Francisco Chronicle]

¶   New Hampshire’s House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected a temporary ban on new wind turbine and electric transmission projects such as the 187-mile power line proposed by Northern Pass. [Seacoastonline.com]

2014-01-23 Energy Week

1-17

¶   A US renewable energy start-up says it has developed effective scaled-up production methods for spray-on solar PV technology. New Energy Technologies developed the technology in collaboration with NREL and the University of South Florida. [Sourceable]

¶   UN climate chief Christiana Figueres called on big firms that manage trillions of dollars of investments to dump fossil fuel stocks in favor of greener alternatives, arguing that such a shift would help the firms’ clients as well as the climate. [Grist]

¶   The construction of the first nuclear power plant in Vietnam is likely to be delayed until 2020 instead of its previous schedule in 2014. The purpose of the delay is to ensure safety and efficient exploitation of the power. [Xinhua]

1-18

¶   Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of Connecticut analyzed more than 122,000 home sales near 26 wind facilities in densely populated Massachusetts, yet was unable to find any impacts to nearby home property values.[Windpower Engineering]

¶   Vermont lawmakers have a plan to open up the state’s so-called “net metering” program to match the growing demand. A new bill offers a fast-track solution to take advantage of federal solar tax credits before their possible expiration in 2017. [vtdigger.org]

1-19

¶   Germany’s economy minister wants to cut the support price paid for electricity from solar and wind power generators by about a third by 2015, according to a draft proposal for the government. [Business Recorder]

¶   Nearly one-third of the Japan’s local assemblies, including those at the prefectural level, have submitted statements calling for the abolition of nuclear power plants to the Diet since the Fukushima crisis in 2011. [Asahi Shimbun]

¶   We may be witnessing a historic change in our driving habits. It’s not so much that our automobile love affair has ended, rather that maybe, just maybe, it’s not quite as hot and heavy as it has been. [Energy Collective]

1-20

¶   ”Five Ways to Play the End of the Natural Gas Renaissance: Interview with Bill Powers” Bill Powers is an independent analyst, private investor and author of the book “Cold, Hungry and in the Dark: Exploding the Natural Gas Supply Myth.” [Energy Collective]

¶   Booming levels of shale oil production will not affect the country’s commitment to cutting its carbon footprint, US energy secretary Ernest Moniz has said. Efficiency, alternative fuel use and electrification were the “three prongs” the USA would use to get off oil. [Responding to Climate Change]

1-21

¶   The UK Government faces criticism for failing to make people aware renewable heating systems could trim their bills by 45%. A new report released yesterday shows “widespread” lack of awareness from the public about switching to renewable heating. [Energy Live News]

¶   In Australia, a new report suggests that the improving economics of solar and battery technology mean that by 2020 it would be cost-effective for new housing projects and regional towns to employ stand-alone power systems and go off-grid. [Business Spectator]

¶   Market research firm IHS estimates that only 340 MW of commercial grid-connected energy storage systems were installed across 2012 and 2013. However, the firm forecasts annual installations will reach over 6 GW in 2017, 43% of that in the US. [Renew Grid]

1-22

¶   The European Union will propose to cut the region’s greenhouse-gas emissions by 40% in 2030 to accelerate efforts to reduce global warming, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said. [Bloomberg]

1-23

¶   European Commission plans call for 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030, 27% of energy from renewables, and no national mandates. Reactions range from very supportive to outrage. Christiana Figueres said it meant the EU was “on track”, adding on Twitter it was a “positive signal for meaningful 2015 agreement.”

¶   The new cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and center-left Social Democrats (SPD) has endorsed key points of a planned revision of renewable energy law in a bid to limit subsidies and price hikes.[Deutsche Welle]

¶   Volvo Construction Equipment’s site in Braås, Sweden, completed its journey towards becoming carbon dioxide neutral. It is the first construction equipment production facility in the world to be powered entirely by renewable energy.[AZoCleantech]

2014-01-16 Energy Week

1-10

¶   The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued an unprecedented safety alert on the transport of hydraulically fractured oil from North Dakota’s booming Bakken oil fields that could also cool Canada’s unconventional oil rush.[Resilience]

¶   A chemical spill in West Virginia got into the water system of nine counties, with the result is that 300,000 people have tap water that can be used for no purpose at all, other than flushing toilets. The chemical was there to clean coal.[CleanTechnica]

1-11

¶   According to the NPD analysts, new PV installations in the United States throughout 2013 reached a record 4.2 GW. This figure is a 15% growth on 2012 figures, and places the country as the leading solar market outside of the Asia-Pacific region. [CleanTechnica]

¶   A look at peer-reviewed articles on climate change in scientific journals, from Nov. 12, 2012 through December 31, 2013, found 2,258 articles written by a total of 9,136 authors. Only one article, by a single author, rejected man-made global warming. [CleanTechnica]

¶   ”Deceiving Energy Information Administration Forecasts  (Letter From CleanTechnica Readers)” The Energy Information Administration forecast that we would reach 0.45 GW of Solar PV on the grid by 2035, but in November 2013 we reached 7.11 GW according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. [CleanTechnica]

1-12

¶   EPA’s proposed standards to limit dangerous carbon pollution from new power plants will be published here in the government’s official newspaper, the Federal Register, kicking off a 60-day period for public comment. An online version is already available. [Energy Collective]

¶   A report identifying 9,300 megawatts of potential new sites of hydro-generated electricity in Northern Ontario says water-power expansion will help remote First Nations get rid of their outdated diesel-powered stations. [The Chronicle Journal]

¶   Wind energy company Ogin Inc is seeking approval to install 40 of its “shrouded” turbines in Altamont Wind Resource Area, a wind farm with unusually high numbers of avian deaths, to test its theoretically more bird-friendly turbine design. [Go Lackawanna]

1-13

¶   Renewable energy in the typhoon-battered Philippine archipelago received a boost as the government issued a green light for several proposed wind and hydro power plants as part of efforts to become 100% powered by renewables within a decade. [eco-business.com]

¶   There are early signs of a consensus, as discussions are under way in Vermont’s House Natural Resources and Energy Committee. The committee is considering lifting limits on the amount of power connected consumers may contribute to the grid. [BurlingtonFreePress.com]

1-14

¶   South Korea said on Tuesday it has revised down its future reliance on nuclear power to 29% of the country’s total power supply by 2035, from a planned 41% by 2030. The country’s nuclear power reliance stood at 26% as of the end of 2012.[Straits Times]

¶   In April 2011, one month after the onset of the disaster at Fukushima Daiichi, demonstrators staged a sit-in outside the head office of Kyushu Electric Power Co. On Jan. 14, the activists marked the 1,000th day of their sit-down protest.[Asahi Shimbun]

¶   Former Prime Minister Hosokawa, who is aiming to make Japan a nuclear-free country, says he has the backing of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, another anti-nuclear advocate, as he runs in next month’s Tokyo gubernatorial election. [Asahi Shimbun]

¶   The world’s 48 leading fossil fuel companies will be asked to run a ‘climate stress test’ at a summit hosted at UN Headquarters in New York. US low-carbon business group CERES, with a network of investors worth $12 trillion, is organizing the event. [Responding to Climate Change]

1-15

¶   Vermont Lawmakers are considering a plan to tax the state’s natural gas pipelines to fund renewable energy projects. The new taxing scheme could raise millions for renewables as gas lines are expanded in the western side of the state. [vtdigger.org]

¶   United Nations climate chief Christiana Figueres has urged financial institutions to triple their renewable energy investments to around $1 trillion a year, the Guardian has reported. [The9Billion]

1-16

¶   The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has published a rule requiring oil and gas companies using hydraulic fracturing off the coast of California to disclose the chemicals they discharge into the ocean. [CleanTechies]

¶   Global investment in renewable energy for 2013 fell 12% from 2012, the second consecutive year of decline. Much of the decline was due to technological advances that are driving down costs and making clean power more affordable.  [Businessweek]

¶   Power generated by photovoltaics systems covered 4.5% of Germany’s total electricity production last year, according to estimates released by the German Association of Energy and Water Industries. [PV-Tech]

2014-01-09 Energy Week

1-3-2014

¶   The European Commission is to order Britain to end wind farm subsidies. The commission is preparing to argue that the onshore wind and solar power industries are “mature” and should be allowed to operate without support from taxpayers.[Telegraph.co.uk]

¶   Three new nuclear reactors were connected to the grid in 2013 and four were permanently shut down, dropping the total number of reactors in operation around the world to 436 with an installed capacity of 372 GW. [Nuclear Engineering]

¶   A report from the Edison Electric Institute paints a bleak picture for the future of investor-owned utilities.  It essentially says their business model, in the current regulatory environment, is not sustainable, given expected growth in rooftop PVs. [energycentral]

¶   Last year saw many of changes for coal as solar and wind generation hit record highs and prices declined. Installation of renewable energy capacity outpaced coal, oil, and nuclear growth combined. Nationwide, 30% of existing coal plants is set to retire. [Fierce Energy]

1-4

¶   New York City’s climate change pollution is down 19% since 2005. As he leaves office, May Bloomberg announced a new initiative focused on large buildings, and ten of the city’s leading residential property management firms say they are accepting the challenge. [Energy Collective]

¶   For the first time, California’s utility-scale solar power production has topped 3 GW. The California ISO, which oversees the grid for much of the state, tweeted that solar generation hit a record 3,048 MW at 12:02 p.m. January 3.[EarthTechling]

1-5

¶   NewLight Technologies is promoting a new set of plastics it calls AirCarbon. AirCarbon plastic is not only biodegradable and recyclable, but because it is made from carbon dioxide and methane, it sequesters carbon and so is carbon-negative.[CleanTechnica]

¶   It’s now officially a requirement in Lancaster, California, a first for the US and possibly for the world. Each new single-family residential unit must include at least 1 kW of solar power capacity at its development site. [CleanTechnica]

1-6

¶   Researchers at North Carolina State University and Johns Hopkins University say the variability of wind power might actually worsen instability when there are disturbances on the grid. The problem can be reduced with storage and computers. [Energy Collective]

¶   UBS analysts say utilities in Europe need to shut down 30% of their gas, coal, and oil-fed power capacity by 2017, not to fight global warming, cut pollution, or cut fuel imports, but because renewable energy is pushing fossil fuels off the grid.[CleanTechnica]

¶   In India The Energy Resource Institute (TERI) says in a study that a 100% renewable energy supply by 2050 in India is possible. In 2010, fossil fuels accounted for 74 per cent of the total energy consumed in India. [EE Herald]

¶   Danish turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems has received its highest ever monthly total of orders in December, 1346 MW, as wind farm developers in the United States rushed to meet a year-end deadline to qualify for a tax credit. [Business Spectator]

1-7

¶   “60 Minutes Show On Cleantech Looks Like Its Going To Be ‘Dumb & Dumber Part 3′ (+13 Charts)” The show’s title is “The Cleantech Crash.” Oy, someone hasn’t been readingCleanTechnica, or keeping up to date at all. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Over the weekend, the New York Times noted that the solar power “craze” is partly responsible for Wall Street’s recent good times. The Times used the example of SolarCity, with a sevenfold increase in its share price to $59.27 since it went public. [Energy Collective]

¶   The Vermont Public Service Board has approved an application to construct a 149.5-kilowatt solar array at a former landfill off Grafton Road in Townshend. The project will be funded by private investors and constructed by Westminster-based Soveren Solar. [Brattleboro Reformer]

1-8

¶   ”Are Wind Power Subsidies Still the Answer?” The EPA estimates that the social costs of carbon dioxide emissions are $12 to $116 per ton. (That is $0.12 to $1.16 in health and other costs per gallon of gasoline, and the victims, all of us, are uncompensated.) [EarthTechling]

¶   In their call for a goal for carbon emissions cuts for 2030, the EU’s top four economies – Germany, France, Britain and Italy – are calling for a reduction of at least 40%. Current targets foresee a 20% reduction on 1990 emissions by 2020.[London South East]

¶   China, already the world’s largest producer of wind power, has embarked on the greatest push for renewable energy the world has ever seen. From a current installed capacity of 75 GW, the aim is to achieve a staggering 200 GW by 2020. [BBC News]

¶   The New York state Energy Planning Board approved an long-delayed plan calling for reduction of carbon emissions from the energy sector of 50% by 2030. The state will expand solar, wind, bioenergy, geothermal and hydrokinetic energy sources. [Capital New York]

1-9

¶   “Are EV Battery Prices Much Lower Than We Think? Under $200/kWh?” A look at the EV battery market shows GM is selling batteries in the range of $131 to $187 per kWh. McKinsey had predicted a drop to $200 by 2020. Could the current numbers be true? [CleanTechnica]

¶   Sales of 100% electric cars in the US increased 228.9% in 2013 compared to 2012, with the number of sales, 46148, almost catching up with the 48951 sales of plug-n hybrids. Plug-in hybrid sales increased by 26.9% in the same time. [CleanTechnica]

¶   After reports from October exposed the utility for lying about funding anti-solar ad campaigns and phony grassroots organizations, a web of dark money surfaced. A new report says dark money accounts for about 75% of funds for anti-renewable campaigns. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Renewable energy critics harp on the variability of wind and solar but ignore that conventional power sources are no sure things themselves. In an extraordinary cold snap, with conventional generators struggling, wind power capacity helped a lot. [EarthTechling]

¶   The Australian government’s main economic advisor has significantly revised its cost estimates for leading energy technologies. The latest report makes clear that the cheapest avenue forward for Australia is renewables, and solar in particular. [RenewEconomy]

¶   The Shumlin administration has proposed several changes to allow expansion of the state’s popular net metering program for three more years while a more permanent solution is crafted before solar tax credits expire at the end of 2016. [Rutland Herald]

¶   The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will soon downgrade the Pilgrim nuclear power station’s performance, placing the 685-megawatt plant on a list with seven others deemed as degraded. [The Patriot Ledger]

 

2014-01-02 Energy Week (two weeks)

12-20-2013

¶   The cost of battery storage is falling quicker than most analysts presume and could be competitive with gas-fired generation – even in the US, where gas prices are low – within the next 18 months. [CleanTechnica]

¶   REC Solar, a national leader in solar electric system design and installation, and Integrated Solar, a Vermont renewable energy company, today announced they have been selected to build a 2.5-MW DC solar array in Brattleboro, Vermont.

12-21

¶   Scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have created a continuous chemical process that turns wet algae into useful crude oil. Using wet algae eliminates costly drying and extraction steps and brings the processing time to about one hour. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Vestas has installed the nacelle of its V164 8.0-MW offshore wind prototype at the Osterild onshore test site in Denmark. The company lifted the 390-tonne unit into place on its 140-metre tower on 19 December. [reNews]

12-22

¶   November was the second month this year in which renewables accounted for 100% of new power capacity. The same thing occurred in March. Actually, in March, solar power alone accounted for all new power capacity. [CleanTechnica] (October was 99% renewable)

12-23

¶   Blackouts in Philippine areas devastated by Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ could have been mitigated if renewable energy sources were in place, according to proponents of these alternatives to fossil-fuel power plants. [InterAksyon]

12-24

¶   ”Is Interior’s eagle plan good for the birds?” The kill permits for protected birds have been issued before, and have induced developers to act to reduce avian deaths by retrofitting poles and removing features attracting eagles to the areas. [Environment & Energy Publishing]

¶   A preliminary report from the EU monitor, EurObserv’ER, estimates put the renewable energy share of gross final energy consumption for the EU at 14.4% in 2012, compared to 13.1% in 2011. [Hydrocarbon Processing]

¶   A report by the World Economic Forum and Accenture indexes countries on energy. It says that Norway is number one, with seven other European countries plus New Zealand and Colombia in the top ten. The US is at 55th place. [EarthTechling]

¶   Through 2020, the UBS analysts predict negative growth of power demand in Europe and Australia, zero growth in the US, and substantially slower growth in developing countries where new power supplies are being added most rapidly.[Energy Collective]

¶   Reacting to the declining price of wind energy, which is now cheaper than all other forms of energy, Michigan utility DTE altered its renewable energy surcharge downward by 85%, bring the fee down from $3 to 43¢ per month. [AltEnergyMag]

¶   The Shumlin administration and Entergy Corp. have reached an agreement that, if all goes according to plan, would see the decommissioning of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant decades earlier than originally planned. [Valley News]

12-25

¶   ”The nuclear renaissance is stone cold dead” 2013 has been the nuclear power industry’s annus horribilis and the nuclear renaissance can now be pronounced stone cold dead. Dr Jim Green reveals the global unravelling of the nuclear dream … [The Ecologist]

12-26

¶   In March 2009 just one Synergy solar household customer was registered in Western Australia’s Renewable Energy Buyback Scheme. By November 2013, that had grown to 130,000 households, around 13% of Synergy’s entire customer base. [Energy Matters]

12-27

¶   ”Time to Break Free of Net-Metering; We Need a ‘FIT’ Policy for Renewable Energy to Soar” It is time to liberate Americans from the tyranny of utility-company control of our lives and from the politicians and regulators who serve these companies. [National Geographic]

¶   The Alberta government is handing over the regulatory responsibility for the province’s tar sands industry to a corporation that’s funded entirely by Canada’s oil, coal and gas industry. [ThinkProgress]

¶   The Cape Wind Project is getting into high gear. It will consist of 130 wind turbines with a combined capacity of up to 420 MW. The DOE already anticipates that installed US offshore wind capacity will grow from nearly zero to 3.5 GW by 2019. [CleanTechnica]

12-28

¶   ”Fossil Fuel Industry and Koch Brothers Align to Kill Extension of Wind Energy Tax Credits” Americans for Prosperity is targeting vulnerable Republican legislators with an estimated $75 million ad campaign to end windpower incentives. [Environmental Defense Fund]

¶   Siemens Energy confirmed a 1,050-megawatt wind turbine order it recently received from MidAmerican Energy Company. The news was announced at a commemoration event at Siemens’ blade manufacturing facility in Fort Madison, Iowa.[4-traders]

¶   The planning, construction and operation of wind turbines in Rhode Island does not depress nearby property values, according to a study conducted by a University of Rhode Island economist. [North American Windpower]

12-29

¶   The Shumlin administration and a key lawmaker are pledging action to update Vermont’s net metering program next month. This will likely result in raising caps now in place that prevent new, small-scale renewable energy projects from going online. [Rutland Herald]

¶   Chesapeake Energy is front and center in the nation’s natural gas fracking boom and it just got hit with one of the largest ever civil penalties for violating Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The penalty was levied against a subsidiary, Chesapeake Appalachia. [CleanTechnica]

¶   A new report was released by the EPA Inspector General regarding drinking water contamination in Parker County, Texas. The report says the EPA should be acting to protect citizens from pollution linked to natural gas operations.[Energy Collective]

12-30

¶   Scotland is meeting targets for renewables to generate 50% of consumption by 2015, and 100% by 2020. In 2012, it reached 40.3%. In September 2013, installed renewable capacity was 6.5 GW, and 4.6 GW of wind power is under construction or planned. [Triple Pundit]

¶   Renewable energy provided 42.4% of the electricity demand in Spain this year, 10.5 percentage points higher than in 2012. Wind power contributed most to the annual electricity demand coverage with a share of 21.1%, an increase of 3% from 2012. [Energy Matters]

12-31

¶   RGS Energy, the commercial and utility division of Real Goods Solar, Inc., has joined forces with Green Lantern Capital to co-develop seven solar projects totaling 4.5 MW in Vermont. The company expects to complete construction by November, 2014. [MarketWatch]

1-1-2013

¶   Nicaragua has logged a record 50.51% of power generation from renewable sources and voiced ambitions to hit 90% by the end of the decade. The new goal was set in a five-year expansion plan unveiled by Minister of Energy and Mines Emilio Rapacciolli. [reNews]

¶   Climate change may be far worse than scientists thought, causing global temperatures to rise by at least 4 degrees Celsius by 2100, or about 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a new study, published in the journal Nature. [Huffington Post]

¶   The wind industry faces uncertainty again as a key federal incentive for wind farms expired, almost one year after getting a reprieve. Unlike last year, there’s no “fiscal cliff” deal to get Congress to act at the last minute to renew the wind production tax credit. [Tulsa World]

1-2

¶   The University of Delaware’s Atmosphere and Energy Research Group found that staggering and spacing out turbines in an offshore wind farm can improve performance by as much as 33%. [YottaFire]

¶   Credit Suisse estimates that approximately 85% of US future demand growth for power through 2025 (including the impact of coal plant retirements) could be met by renewable generation with compliance to existing RPS programs. [CleanTechnica]

¶   Fifty-one American sailors and marines, many of whom served on the USS Ronald Reagan, are suing TEPCO over a variety of cancers and other severe health ailments they say were caused by the Fukushima meltdown. [American Free Press]

¶   The Northern Pass, a proposed transmission line carrying low-cost renewable hydroelectric power to New England, cleared a major regulatory milestone by securing “I.3.9 approval” by ISO New England, the operators of the region’s power grid. [AZoCleantech]

Extra

12-31:

”7 things everyone knows about energy that just ain’t so” The list is  getting longer as the fossil fuel industry (which has little interest in intellectual honesty) continues its skillful manipulation of a gullible and sometimes careless media.[Resilience]

1. Worldwide oil production has been growing by leaps and bounds in the last several years. (Growth slowed considerably, starting 2005.)
2. U.S. natural gas production continues to grow by leaps and bounds. (Sorry, fields don’t last.)
3. There is enough natural gas under the United States to last the country for 100 years. (It’s more like 25.)
4. The United States is about to become the world’s largest oil producer. (Probably not, since fracked fields are reducing output by 40% per year.)
5. The United States is on the verge of energy independence. (It has never been an issue, except for oil.)
6. The United States has 250 years of coal left. (We don’t know how much we have.)
7. Peak oil is a myth. (Oil is a finite resource.)