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Hanging with the Lab Rats: NREL researchers lay groundwork to accelerate US clean energy transition
Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, Colorado, are trying to ramp-up clean energy in the U.S. resource mix by developing innovative technology solutions to tricky problems and passing them on to industry. But the path toward a carbon-free future is littered with roadblocks, including lingering concerns about the intermittency of renewable resources, their potential strain on the electric grid and an administration seeking to roll back renewable research funding. [ read more … ]
Wind Energy
What Will It Take to Build Offshore Wind in Oregon?
The wind speeds off the Oregon coast are some of the strongest anywhere. And according to a new study, the cost to harvest that resource using a floating offshore wind farm has dropped by approximately two-thirds since a pilot project was abandoned in 2016. The study, published this month by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), modeled the potential cost of power from floating offshore wind farms sited at five zones equally spaced along a north-south axis at least 10 nautical miles from Oregon’s coast. [ read more … ]
Trade War Fears Ripple Through Wind Energy Industry’s Supply Chain
Leaders of the wind power industry are warning that the global trade war could endanger progress on renewable energy, as slowing growth in clean energy projects puts the goals of the Paris climate accord at risk. “Trade wars do real damages to business by inflating prices,” said Henrik Andersen, chief executive of Denmark-based Vestas, the world’s biggest wind turbine manufacturer. “When tariffs impact new technologies like renewable energy, it makes them less competitive.” [ read more … ]
Climate
Research finds broad array of groups fighting climate policy
Utilities, coal companies and railroads are the most significant players pushing climate denialism and working to undercut federal climate regulations, beating out even the oil and gas industry, a new study has found. Leading corporations from each of those industries, as well as trade organizations to which they belong, are fighting national and state-based efforts to address climate change, the Brown University study published yesterday found. [ read more … ]
ExxonMobil goes on trial over accusations it misled investors about climate change costs
ExxonMobil is facing one of its biggest legal threats ever as the state of New York takes the oil and gas giant to court over accusations it misled investors about the costs of dealing with climate change. Should it lose, Exxon faces potentially millions of dollars in penalties as well as a blow to its reputation as it tries to polish its image on climate change. A courtroom defeat may also open the door for more investigations and lawsuits against Exxon and other oil majors over public disclosures about climate change. [ read more … ]
Trudeau victory could lead to stronger climate policies
“If we have a minority Liberal government, we could see a pretty significant acceleration in the pace of Canada’s action on climate change,” said Catherine Abreu, executive director of Climate Action Network Canada. The election put climate change front and center. Polls showed that global warming was a top concern among voters during a campaign that featured personal attacks between Trudeau and his opponent, Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer. [ read more … ]
Air Quality
U.S. Air Quality Was Improving. Now It’s Getting Worse
After years of decline, a spike in air pollution may have taken the lives of almost 10,000 additional Americans over two years. Following a 24% drop between 2009 and 2016, particulate matter air pollution in the U.S. increased 5.5% in 2017 and 2018, according to a new analysis of Environmental Protection Agency data by two Carnegie Mellon economists. [ read more … ]
Review panel urges EPA to tighten particulate curbs
EPA must tighten Clean Air Act limits on fine particle concentrations to protect public health, an expert panel said today in a set of formal recommendations released just as industry allies were preparing to argue against any tightening. Existing standards that set limits on annual and 24-hour exposure “are not protective of public health,” the Independent Particulate Matter Review Panel said in a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. [ read more … ]
EVs
Minn. to expand charging network with VW settlement funds
Minnesota will spend nearly $1.7 million from its share of the Volkswagen AG emissions cheating settlement to expand electric vehicle charging options over the next two years along the state’s major highways. The 22 added charging locations will collectively form a “minimum viable network” across the entire state, said Matthew Blackler, CEO of ZEF Energy, which will build and operate the charging stations. [ read more … ]
Policy & Politics
Former Tenn. governor debuts renewable energy firm
A new business venture by former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) takes on global warming by helping companies fund solar panels in communities with dirty-power electric grids. Bredesen plans to introduce Clearloop today at a conference headlined by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. It’s Bredesen’s first big public foray since losing a U.S. Senate bid to Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn last year. Former campaign staffers Bob Corney and Laura Zapata are teaming up with him in the company. [ read more … ]
Mayors join push to extend solar incentive
A bipartisan group of 231 mayors is urging lawmakers to extend the investment tax credit (ITC) for solar power, adding to a growing chorus of interests calling for revisiting the 2015 tax deal that set the incentive on the path to a phase-down. The mayors, who represent cities in states from Washington to Florida, are calling for five more years of the ITC, which is scheduled at the end of this year to start dropping from its current 30% value to 10% for commercial projects in 2022. That same year, the value drops to zero for residential projects. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.