2015-07-02 Energy Week

Please note that this post is being developed.

Thursday, June 25:

• “Why are the government’s energy forecasts so bad?” In 2009, the US DOE’s Energy Information Administration forecast that US wind power would grow modestly, reaching 44 GWof generating capacity in 2030. Just six years later, US wind capacity is already up to 66 GW. So what’s up with this? [Politico]
• It’s illegal to knowingly ignore the dangers of global warming, according to a Dutch court. The court ordered the government to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25% compared to 1990 levels by 2020 in order to preserve the low-lying Netherlands and protect its people from the dangers of global warming. [ThinkProgress]
• New research from GTM Research forecasts that the US community solar sector is to reach a tipping point soon, growing five-fold in 2015 and regularly reaching 500 GW by 2020. The report forecasts community solar to reach 115 MW installed in 2015, and predicts 500 MW annually by 2020. [CleanTechnica]

Friday, June 26:

• Google is planning its newest data center, and not only will Google be using renewable energy to power it, but it will do it reusing a retired coal power plant. Google announced the development on its Official Blog. The data center will be reusing the soon-to-be retired Widows Creek coal power plant, in Alabama. [CleanTechnica]

The Widows Creek coal power plant, Jackson County, Alabama, will become a renewably-powered Google data center.

• Scientific models supported by the UK’s Foreign Office show that if we don’t change course, in less than three decades industrial civilization will collapse due to catastrophic food shortages, triggered by climate change, water scarcity, energy crisis, and political instability. NOTE: “…if we don’t change course, …” [CleanTechnica]
• US senators Chris Coons (D-Delaware) and Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), and representatives Ted Poe (R-Texas) and Mike Thompson (D-California) reintroduced their MLP Parity Act. It would allow renewable energy developers to form master limited partnerships, now only available to fossil fuel projects. [Argus Media]

Saturday, June 27:

• A post-2020 climate-control action plan, to be submitted by China to the United Nations by the end of this month, will be a powerful driving force on energy research and innovation, according to the head of the International Renewable Energy Agency. It will see investments estimated to total $6.6 trillion. [ecns]
• Germany’s nuclear power phase out begins its final phase with the closing of the 1.3 GW Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant. The plant is the first of the final nine plants scheduled for decommissioning. E.ON is closing it earlier than scheduled for economic reasons. [Nuclear Street – Nuclear Power Plant News, Jobs, and Careers]
• A report released by Environment America considers an ongoing battle between electric companies and customers over the value of solar energy. It shows that utilities’ assertions that net metering costs them more than it is worth are false; such systems actually provide benefits exceeding their costs. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, June 28:

• “Solar Power Pros And Cons: Is Solar Power Worth It?” – If it were a disease, we’d have a full-blown epidemic. From $0-down leases to $0-down solar loans, there are easy ways to go solar these days. Even your grandmother can do it. But what are the actual pros and cons of solar power these days? [PlanetSave.com]

• “Activism fomented by Koch brothers turns against them” – The Koch brothers’ political machine, Freedom Partners, says it will raise and spend $889 million pushing conservative causes in the 2016 presidential election. An emerging champion against the Koch brothers is Tea Party activist Debbie Dooley. [Sydney Morning Herald]
• Germany’s oldest remaining nuclear reactor has been shut down, part of a move initiated four years ago to switch off all its nuclear plants by 2022. Bavaria’s environment ministry said Sunday that the Grafenrheinfeld reactor in the southern German state was taken offline as scheduled overnight. [Chicago Daily Herald]

Monday, June 29:

• Genesis Energy Corporation, based in London, and SHP Malthe Winje, based in Norway, have signed a memorandum of understanding for Modular Mini Hydro Power that could efficiently and effectively meet Nigerian and other African energy needs quickly and with no negative environmental impact. [THISDAY Live]
• Thirteen miles off the coast of Rhode Island, Block Island boasts 17 miles of beaches, 365 freshwater ponds, 250-foot bluffs and 150 bird species. It also has electricity costing 50¢/kWh. Now the island is about to become well known for another reason. It will host the first offshore wind farm in the United States. [GreenBiz]

Tuesday, June 30:

• This morning, June 29th, 2015, at 3:03 am local time in Nagoya, Japan (6:03 pm GMT on June 28th), Swiss pilot André Borschberg took off in the single-seater aircraft from Nagoya endeavoring to reach Hawaii, in what will be the longest exploration leg of the Solar Impulse’s “Round-The-World” mission. [CleanTechnica]

Photo Credit: Solar Impulse.

• Neste, the world largest producer of renewable diesel, CLP Motorsports, and X-Games and Rallycross champion Tanner Foust made history, when CLP Motorsports’ Superlite Coupe crossed the finish line in Santa Monica, California, after driving across the USA on one tank (37.6 gallons) of renewable diesel oil. [AZoCleantech]
• Electricity industry representatives and consultants were divided Monday on how much impact the US Supreme Court’s remand of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards to a lower court is likely to have on power markets and investments. The court did not vacate the standard, but sent it back to the lower court. [Platts]
• A new, peer-reviewed article published in the scientific journal Science estimates that 30,000 km² of land have been lost due to oil and gas well pads and associated operations in North America since the year 2000. The DOE says we could get 35% of our energy by using 3,400 km² for wind farms. [Clean Energy News]

Wednesday, July 1:

• Samsung researchers developed a technology that enables them to coat silicon battery cathodes with high crystal graphene. They can now virtually double the capacity of lithium-ion batteries! This energy density increase could almost double the range of electric vehicles without adding a single pound of weight. [CleanTechnica]
• A statewide ban on fracking is now official in New York State, nearly a year after communities won the right to ban oil and gas development locally. This action concluded New York Department of Environmental Conservation’s comprehensive, seven-year review and completely prohibits fracking. [Environment News Service]
• An Oklahoma woman who was injured by an earthquake can sue oil companies for damages, the state’s highest court has ruled. This opens the door to other potential lawsuits against the state’s energy companies. Researchers have blamed fracking for a dramatic spike in earthquakes in the state. [Columbus Dispatch]
• Texas-based community-owned utility Austin Energy has received record-low, firm solar power bids of under $40 per MWh in a recent 600-MW request for proposals. Austin Energy has a goal to source from renewables 55% of its power by 2025, and it is retiring coal-fired and gas-fired power capacity. [SeeNews Renewables]

 

2015-06-25 Energy Week

Please note that this post is being developed.

Thursday, June 18:

• Pope Francis has clearly embraced what he calls a “very solid scientific consensus” that humans are causing cataclysmic climate change that is endangering the planet. The pope has also lambasted global political leaders for their “weak responses” and lack of will over decades to address the issue. [National Catholic Reporter]
• A team of scientists working on studies in microbiology at Columbia University have devised tiny engines powered by evaporation. The devices generate electricity from the energy produced by bacterial spores known as Bacillus subtilis, which exhibit strong mechanical responses to changing relative humidity. [Mashable]

Photo from YouTube video Renewable Energy from Evaporating Water by ExtremeBio.

• Denmark has launched a new tender round for 350 MW of near-shore wind farms off the east coast of Jutland. The turbines must be a minimum of 7 MW, which would provide a capacity factor of 60% and produce low cost electricity. This is in contrast to what would come from the Hinkley nuclear plant. [CleanTechnica]
• The UK’s Conservative government is to end subsidies to onshore windfarms from 1 April 2016, a year earlier than set out in the previous Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition agreement. There will be a grace period for projects already having planning permission, the Department of Energy and Climate Change said. [The Guardian]

Friday, June 19:

• North Elba, New York, has decided to use a small-scale anaerobic digester designed for source-separated municipal food and organic wastes at a regional level. BIOFerm Energy Systems/Viessmann Group will supply the system, the first of its kind in the US. The project is expected to begin this year. [Biomass Magazine]

This small-scale EUCOlino digester will be used at North Elba to generate power from community food waste. BIOFerm Energy Systems/Viessmann Group photo.

• The annual overview of the European electricity market, from the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity, says 33% of electricity produced in the EU now comes from renewables, of which 18.5% is hydropower and 14.4% “other renewables” (mostly wind and solar power). [CleanTechnica]
• The California Senate passed SB 350, legislation that sets a goal of 50% electricity from renewables in the Golden State by 2030. The bill doesn’t stop there, though; it also calls for doubling the energy efficiency of buildings in the next 15 years, and cutting petroleum use in transportation by half. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, June 20:

• Sixty-five million years ago, the dinosaurs disappeared in what’s known as the Earth’s fifth mass extinction. Today, a sixth mass extinction could be well underway and humans are most likely the culprit, through environmental changes including deforestation, poaching, overfishing, and global-warming. [CNN]

Moho nobilis, extinct. Many more will follow to extinction. Painting by John Gerrard Keulemans, 1842-1912. Public domain; copyright expired in the US. Wikimedia Commons.

• “The Pope Is an Energy Wonk. Engineers Agree with His Assessment.” The Pope’s teachings are supported by the most comprehensive engineering analyses of the US power grid. The National Renewable Energy Lab summarized nine in-depth engineering analyses. [The Equation: Blog of the Union of Concerned Scientists]
• According to the Carbon Brief, the EU’s energy usage is at 1990 levels despite “a 6% increase in population and a 45% expansion of economic output.” This results from better building insulation and product energy efficiency, uptake of renewables, vehicle fuel efficiency standards and economic changes. [CleanTechnica]
• The NRC has cleared the way for Entergy Nuclear to take $220 million of the $660 million Vermont Yankee decommissioning trust fund to help pay for handling spent nuclear fuel. NRC regulations prohibit such a use of the funds, but the NRC has been granting exemptions to nuclear power plants. [Rutland Herald]

Sunday, June 21:

• The government of the Australian Capital Territory is on track to reach its 90% renewable energy target by 2020 despite needing to quadruple its current supply in just 4½ years. The current figure of 18.6% is set to dramatically increase over the next two years, with wind playing a dominant role. [Brisbane Times]

Monday, June 22:

• A little-known startup energy storage company called UET just announced a major milestone for its latest flow battery project. The company’s CEO says, “The Uni.System’s levelized cost ($/total GWh delivered over 20 year life) is multiple times lower than the cost of lithium-ion systems such as Tesla.” [CleanTechnica]
• A report from the National Institute for Science, Law and Public Policy says the proposed Hudson Valley power line project only serves utility companies and their suppliers. It says New York consumers gain more with locally generated renewable energy sources, and better reliability without the lines. [Public News Service]
• The sixth annual US Clean Tech Leadership Index has been released. The index, prepared by Clean Edge, a research and indexing firm founded in 2000, tracks and ranks clean-tech activities in all 50 states and the largest 50 metro areas in the US. This year, four states in the Northeast are in the top ten. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, June 23:

• The mayor of Los Angeles announced that the city will sell its shares in the Navajo Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant, based in Arizona. The sale is part of Garcetti’s pledge to make LA coal-free by 2025. Instead of relying on coal-fired power, the city is turning to renewable geothermal power. [LA Magazine]

The Navajo Generating station emitting flue gas. Photo by Myrabella. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Wikimedia Commons.

• A survey by the financial services firm Wiser Capital indicates roughly two-thirds of large US investment firms plan to prioritize solar energy over the next 5 years. Roughly 80% of the firms queried stated interest in solar energy that was based at least partly on desire “to support a cleaner energy future.” [CleanTechnica]
• Presidential hopeful Martin O’Malley, the former governor of Maryland, has proposed an ambitious clean energy plan that would call for the United States to use all renewable sources by 2050. O’Malley tied his proposal to Pope Francis’ recent call to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. [Utility Dive]

Wednesday, June 25:

• This month, Lake Mead, the 112-mile reservoir created by the Hoover Dam, is projected to hit 1,074.73 feet above sea level, the lowest it has been since 1937. Thanks to a 16-year drought and serious over-allocation, Lake Mead is now just 37% full. This means higher electricity costs for 29 million people. [High Country News]

• The impact of climate change is so great that it could undermine the last 50 years of gains in global health. That is the assessment of a new report from the Lancet Commission on Health and Climate, an independent, international and multi-disciplinary research group. Similar findings come from the US EPA. [Voice of America]
• The renewable-energy boom is here. Trillions of dollars will be invested over the next 25 years, driving some of the most profound changes yet in how humans get their electricity. That view is according to a new forecast by Bloomberg New Energy Finance that plots out global power markets to 2040. [Livemint]

 

2015-06-18 Energy Week

Please note that this post is being developed.

Thursday, June 11:

• A new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency shows that 164 countries have now adopted at least one type of renewable energy target, compared to just 43 ten years ago. There are two other countries, Canada and the UAE, with renewable energy targets at the sub-national level only. [SeeNews Renewables]
• Dozens of the UK’s leading businesses, including Willmott Dixon, Cisco, E.on, John Lewis Partnership, SSE, and BT, have called on the new Government to take decisive action to combat climate change and build a low-carbon economy. The group sent an open letter from the firms to Prime Minister David Cameron. [Click Green]
• The recently released report by Stanford University showed that the US can go 100% renewable if homes, cars, factories, etc, all run on electricity. And before anyone comments that it is easier said than done, Mark Jacobson, lead researcher in the study, claims that it is feasible in just 35 years from now. [The Green Optimistic]

Friday, June 12:

• “Microgrid power struggle tests century-old monopolies” – Microgrids that can disconnect from a centralized electric grid and operate independently are sizzling hot these days. Cities vulnerable to storms want them. People interested in lower power bills want them. And now, traditional utilities want them. [Environmental Defense Fund]

• The US residential solar market grew by 76% in the first quarter of 2015, compared to a year earlier, installing 437 MW, according to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association. The US installed 1.3 GW of solar PV across all market segments, despite one of the worst winters recorded. [CleanTechnica]
• Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed H. 40, an energy bill into law that promises to create 1,000 new jobs and help Vermonters save on energy costs over a 15-year period. “I think it is the most forward-leaning legislation in the country,” Mary Powell, chief executive officer at Green Mountain Power, said. [vtdigger.org]

Saturday, June 13:

• Ocean Renewable Power Co has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a two-year extension of its hydrokinetic pilot project license for the 300-kW Cobscook Bay Tidal Energy project in Maine. As a pilot project, licenses are short-term. The company is interested in continuing its research. [HydroWorld]

• “How the Pope Could Turn U.S. Climate Politics Upside Down” Pope Francis is about to release a much-anticipated letter to bishops about faith and climate change. If it has the impact he is counting on, it could finally budge a glacier of frozen thinking on the crisis. Here’s how he may pull this off. [Bloomberg]

Sunday, June 14:

• The countries that are the biggest polluters have offered different solutions, each using its own timeframe and accounting method, for the UN climate plan. Early analyses by climate researchers show the combined impact falls short of the sharp cuts in emissions required to keep global warming in check. [The Sentinel]
• OCI Solar Power LLC, based in San Antonio, Texas, announced that it had started construction on the 110-MW Alamo 6 solar photovoltaic plant located in Pecos County, Texas. Once constructed, this will be the largest PV plant in Texas and one of the largest dual-axis solar projects in the world. [solarserver.com]

Monday, June 15:

• Power prices in the UK may fall below zero during some hours before the end of the decade as intermittent renewables output is poised to soar, according to National Grid Plc. Negative power prices, already prevalent in markets from Germany to the Nordic region, occur when supply exceeds demand. [Energy Voice]
• A peak in global energy-related emissions could be reached as early as 2020 and at no net economic cost, the International Energy Agency said, warning that without stronger action the world could see a temperature rise of 3° C by century’s end. The report identifies potential actions. [International Business Times UK]
• In its latest Utility Solar Market Snapshot, the US Solar Electric Power Association offers welcome news: solar energy is becoming increasingly attractive to utilities. Solar has become the fastest-growing power source in the nation, and report forecasts 25% to 50% solar market growth in 2016. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, June 16:

• After installing 718 MW of solar capacity in Q1 of 2015, California has become the first US state to surpass the 10,000 MW threshold, a new report shows. California deployed 231 MW of residential, 88 MW of commercial and 399 MW of utility-scale solar plants in Q1 and ended with a cumulative 10,649 MW. [SeeNews Renewables]

• TDI New England announced an agreement with the Conservation Law Foundation. It includes enhanced environmental and public benefits from a project running a 150 mile long transmission line under Lake Champlain, making Vermont part of the development of the New England Clean Power Link. [Rutland Herald]
• Throughout the country, there are more than 80,000 dams, primarily used for flood control and irrigation. Today, just 3% are equipped to generate power. But that 3% produces nearly 7% of our electricity. Hydropower has huge potential for increased capacity. But there are problems with permits and licences. [The Hill]

Wednesday, June 17:

• The International Energy Agency has revealed that global energy-related CO2 emissions stopped growing in 2014, halting at 32.2 Gt, unchanged from 2013. The IEA notes that, despite the global economy growing by about 3% across 2014, global energy-related CO2 emissions were able to remain unchanged. [CleanTechnica]
• Gerard Mestrallet, the chairman CEO of Engie (formerly GDF Suez), a French company, signalled a big push against coal-fired generation, issuing a “call to arms against coal.” Engie happens to own the Hazelwood brown coal generator in the Australian state of Victoria, the dirtiest power station in the country. [RenewEconomy]
• Canada has celebrated Global Wind Day by announcing it has become the 7th nation in the world to surpass 10,000 MW of installed wind power, enough for over three million homes. More wind energy has been installed in Canada over the past five years than any other source of generation, including coal and gas. [Energy Matters]
• General Motors showed signs Tuesday that it may take on Tesla Motors in the stationary battery business with a different approach. GM is proposing to power homes, businesses and utilities with recycled used electric car batteries from cars like its Chevrolet Volt, which has both batteries as a gas engine. [USA TODAY]

2015-06-11 Energy Week

Please note that this post is being developed.

Thursday, June 4:

• There will be no US-style shale gas revolution in Europe, the president of the International Gas Union told BBC. “You cannot duplicate [the US experience] in Europe,” he said. “Politicians are hesitating to accept shale development.” The US has experienced low gas prices because of fracking. [Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide]
• ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson recently let the world know that global warming or not, his company will keep on doing business as usual. However, one of the global petroleum industry’s single biggest customers is ready for a change of air. The US Army intends to wean itself from petroleum products. [CleanTechnica]

Friday, June 5:

• A study by the US DOE found that a proposed $1.2 billion power transmission line under Lake Champlain would have very little effect on the surrounding environment. The proposed New England Clean Power Link is a project designed by TDI New England to bring Canadian electricity to the New England market. [Vermont Public Radio]

• The value of Europe’s five biggest energy utilities dropped €100 billion ($113 billion) between 2008 and 2013, in part because of a dogged preference for coal over clean power investments, a new report says. EON, RWE, GDF Suez, EDF and Enel collectively lost 37% of their share value in the period. [The Guardian]
• Advanced Microgrid Solutions has selected Tesla as the primary technology provider for its utility-scale energy storage projects. AMS will install up to 500 MWh of Tesla batteries in its energy storage projects. AMS also signed an agreement with Black & Veatch for engineering and construction services. [Your Renewable News]
• A proposal to install over floating wind turbines offshore of Oahu, Hawaii’s most populous island, could generate 30% of the island’s energy needs according to a report from Fusion. The state produces the bulk of its power from imported oil. The state legislature has passed a 100% by 2045 renewables mandate. [Utility Dive]

Saturday, June 6:

• One corner of the Whitcomb Farm in Essex Junction, Vermont now has 12,000 solar panels generating electricity on it. The system was built by New Jersey developer PSEG. Its 3.6-MW capacity makes it the largest solar system in the state. It will supply annual needs of about 600 households. [WPTZ The Champlain Valley]
• Over 30 states are at least halfway toward meeting early CO2 emissions targets called for by the US EPA’s proposed regulations for existing power plants, according to a study released by the Union of Concerned Scientists. Of those states, 14 can meet the 2020 interim target based on prior actions. [Argus Media]

Sunday, June 7:

• Hydro Tasmania is bracing for the effects of a looming El Nino. Drier than normal conditions have been blamed for lower hydro generation in other Australian states, while the weather bureau warns a strengthening El Nino in the Pacific should bring below average rainfall for south-eastern Australia. [Perth Now]

• Africa can boost its capacity to generate power, economic growth, and jobs, without precipitating catastrophic climate change, argues Kofi Annan. The Africa Progress Panel, which he heads categorically rejects the idea that Africa has to choose between growth and low-carbon development. [Front Page Africa]
• Right at this very moment 621 million Africans, two-thirds of the continent’s population, live without electricity. A kettle boiled twice a day in the United Kingdom uses five times as much electricity as someone in Mali uses in a year. With current trends, the lack of power will last until long after 2030. [Times of Oman]

Monday, June 8:

• Increased capacity and strong winds saw Scottish wind power generation rise 83% year-on-year last month, setting a record for May. The turbines generated enough for 101% of Scottish households. WWF Scotland said on Monday as it called on the UK government to rethink its plans to curb onshore wind. [SeeNews Renewables]

• South Korea has axed plans to build four coal-fired power plants and will boost its nuclear reactor fleet by two more units, as it looks to increase the share of nuclear and gas in power generation and cut reliance on coal. The new plans would take the number of planned nuclear reactors to 36 by 2029. [Economic Times]
• SunEdison Inc. plans to invest $15 billion in India by 2022, a top executive said, as the renewable-energy company seeks to deepen in its foothold in a country where power producers have struggled to meet demand. The company plans to install a total of 15 GW of wind and solar power capacity in India. [MarketWatch]
• Three large shipping containers in an industrial park in Boothbay, Maine have batteries storing enough electricity to run 100 homes for a day, New England’s first utility-scale electricity storage system. They are part of a pilot program aimed at meeting peak demand at a fraction of the cost of new transmission lines. [Press Herald]

Tuesday, June 9:

• The top seven industrialized countries (G7), whose carbon dioxide emissions total 25% of the world’s output, decided at a meeting in Germany today to phase out their use of fossil fuels by the end of this century. It’s a breakthrough move on climate change and a strong signal to the rest of the countries in the world. [CleanTechnica]
• Hawai’i is now the first state in the nation to adopt a 100% renewable energy requirement for electricity generation, as Governor David Ige signed the measure into law. That goal is to be achieved by 2045. Representative Chris Lee introduced the measure partly as a step to reduce electricity costs. [Hawaii Public Radio-HPR2]
• A Republican entrepreneur is putting a whopping $175 million behind a campaign whose message will have some party stalwarts seeing red: The GOP needs to deal with climate change. Among Republican presidential candidates, only Lindsey Graham admits to believing human activity causes climate change. [Politico]
• Researchers at Stanford University and UC Berkeley have outlined how each of the 50 states can achieve a complete transition to renewable power by 2050. The plans call for aggressive changes to both infrastructure and the ways we currently consume energy, but also show conversions that are economically possible. [Stanford University News]

Wednesday, June 10:

• The top seven industrialized countries (G7), whose carbon dioxide emissions total 25% of the world’s output, decided at a meeting in Germany today to phase out their use of fossil fuels by the end of this century. It’s a breakthrough move on climate change and a strong signal to the rest of the countries in the world. [CleanTechnica]
• Hawai’i is now the first state in the nation to adopt a 100% renewable energy requirement for electricity generation, as Governor David Ige signed the measure into law. That goal is to be achieved by 2045. Representative Chris Lee introduced the measure partly as a step to reduce electricity costs. [Hawaii Public Radio-HPR2]
• A Republican entrepreneur is putting a whopping $175 million behind a campaign whose message will have some party stalwarts seeing red: The GOP needs to deal with climate change. Among Republican presidential candidates, only Lindsey Graham admits to believing human activity causes climate change. [Politico]

2015-06-04 Energy Week

Please note that this post is being developed.

Thursday, May 28:

• Citibank lowered its long-run thermal coal forecast by 11%, citing increasing competition from natural gas and renewables and weak Chinese demand They told clients, “Global thermal coal demand is suffering from increasing environmental pressure and competition from natural gas and renewable energy.” [Platts]

Friday, May 29:

• The highest temperature recorded on Wednesday reached 116.6° Fahrenheit (47° Celsius) in the eastern Indian states of Jharkhand and Odisha. More than 1,400 people have died in the heat wave. Climate change is likely is a factor, according to a research scientist with the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. [CNN]
• TDI-New England wants to build a 1,000-MW power line under Lake Champlain. The developer has offered Vermont millions of dollars to lower electricity bills and to clean up Lake Champlain. State officials like the potential windfall, but they say it won’t get in the way of a vigorous review of the project.[Vermont Public Radio]
• Three of the world’s largest tech companies, Apple, Facebook, and Google, have called on the North Carolina General Assembly to avoid making changes to the state’s renewable energy policies. They said the policies were important parts of the reasons they had to choose to invest in the state. [Triangle Business Journal]

Saturday, May 30:

• Torrential downpours in Texas have flooded drought-parched lands. A heat wave has so far killed more than 1,800 people in India. Alaska, of all places, had record 91° readings. A pair of top-of-the-scale typhoons hit the Northwest Pacific. A drought is taking hold in the East. Part of the blame goes to climate change. [aol.com]
• Calculations based on the EPA’s estimate of corn ethanol emissions show that last year’s production and use of 14 billion gallons of corn ethanol resulted in 27 million tons more carbon emissions than if Americans had used straight gasoline. That’s worse than Keystone’s projected emissions. [Environmental Working Group]
• The Indian state of Karnataka, which lies in the country’s Southwest, is now embarking on setting up a mega solar power park, said to be the world’s biggest. The park, with a capacity of 2,000 MW, will come up on 10,000 acres of land in a parched area. The site was chosen for its sunlight and low land use. [The Hindu]
• Toshiba Corporation received an order to supply a large-scale battery energy storage system for Tohoku Electric Power Company’s Minami-Soma Substation Project. The 40-MW, 40-MWh lithium-ion system, will be Japan’s largest. Construction of the system has begun, operations should start next February. [WebWire]

Sunday, May 31:

• Large swaths of green pasture along Massachusetts highways are being transformed into solar power fields that state transportation officials say could save taxpayers $15 million over the next 20 years. Ten sites along Route 3 and the Mass Pike have been selected for the first phase of the project. [Boston Herald]
• Cutting US greenhouse gas emissions to the target level announced by the Obama administration won’t require huge policy changes, according to a new report from the World Resources Institute. Reducing emissions by 26% to 28% in the next 10 years can be achieved under existing policies and laws. [Summit County Citizens Voice]
• In a new book, noted environmentalist Lester Brown says the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy will happen much faster than expected.“I think we’re going to see a half-century of change compressed into the next decade,” he says. “And this is partly because the market is beginning to drive this transition.” [PRI]

Monday, June 1:

• Renewable power produced 49.9% of the Spain’s electricity in the 29 days of May to Friday, grid operator Red Electrica de Espana said in its monthly report. Wind power was 25% share of total power. Hydroelectric plants generated 14.9%. The share of all major renewable sources grew in comparison to April. [SeeNews Renewables]

• The 630-MW London Array offshore wind farm has generated 5 TWh in its first two full years of operation. The facility in the Thames Estuary has also achieved an average availability of over 95% from its 175 turbines. London Array is owned by EON, Dong Energy, Masdar and Canadian pension fund La Caisse. [reNews]
• BP, Shell, and four other major energy companies who have written the UN calling for a global price on carbon to help them accelerate deployment of low emission technologies. The letter outlines the companies’ desire for a dialogue with the UN and governments about a scheme to put a price on emissions. [Business Green]

Tuesday, June 2:

• Ford Motor Co is joining Tesla Motors Inc and Toyota Motor Corp in a strategy of letting competitors use patented technology to accelerate development of electric-drive vehicles. Ford will open up hundreds of patents on electric-car technology. Unlike Tesla and Toyota, it will license its patents for a fee. [Automotive News]
• All the electricity delivered to Borrego Springs, California, during a nearly nine-hour period in May came from a nearby solar energy plant, in what utility officials believe is the first time in the country an entire community has been powered by a renewable microgrid, San Diego Gas & Electric announced. [Times of San Diego]
• US developer Cape Wind has been granted a temporary reprieve while regulators mull a long-term extension request. Construction of the 468-MW project was to start by 1 May. The Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board agreed to suspend the deadline while it considers a request for a two-year extension. [reNews]

Wednesday, June 3:

• Lights flick on across a sleepy hamlet in Kenya, thanks to the efforts of more than 200 Maasai women at the frontline of a solar power revolution. Trained in solar panel installation, they use donkeys to haul their solar wares from home to home in the remote region, giving families their first access to clean and reliable power. [TODAYonline]

• China is the world’s largest hydro power producer and is expected to share its technology with the world despite challenges at home, according to the China Economic Weekly. China’s installed hydropower capacity of 300 GW led the world and accounted for 27% of global capacity in 2014, the magazine said. [WantChinaTimes]
• Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum says he loves Pope Francis, but he wants the pontiff to stop talking about climate change. He says the pope should “leave science to the scientists.” The pope, who has a master’s degree in chemistry, is becoming increasingly vocal about climate change. [Huffington Post]
• A new low in California’s worsening drought was reached Monday when state officials reported that the state’s snowpack is gone. This was inevitable as a measurement two months ago said it was at 5% of normal. Despite the dire water measurement, power supplies are basically unaffected. [Natural Gas Intelligence]