Solar Casa: 2012-06-03

Friday, June 8, 2012

Chevy Volt Boosts EV Range to 38 Miles.

Based on real-world experience by Volt owners since the vehicle launched in late 2010, engineers made minor changes to the material composition of the battery cell chemistry, resulting in improved performance and durability.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips612/jun12012.html

Honda Fit EV Rated by the EPA at 118 MPGe; Tops All Other EV Offerings in Efficiency Ratings.

Full EPA MPGe ratings for the Fit EV are 132/105/118 city/highway/combined.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips612/jun12011.html

Perception vs Reality: The Eight Most Common Biofuels Myths

![][1] The EU and the United States are preparing for what appears to be an extended debate on the merits and structure of biofuels mandates. Especially in the US, where the Renewable Fuel Standard is coming under blistering attack from the coalition of oil, food and environmental groups that successfully sold the myth of "food vs fuel".

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/8/body-perception-vs-reality-the-eight-most-common-biofuels-myths.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/perception-vs-reality-the-eight-most-common-biofuels-myths?cmpid=rss

Why the Tariffs on Chinese Solar Panels are Bad for American Business

![][1] Two weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Commerce sent a clear message to the American renewable energy community: "We don't support you." By levying tariffs ranging from 30-250 percent on all solar panels imported from China, the ruling will constrict the growth of renewable energy here in America; driving up the prices for installers, their customer

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/8/body-why-the-tariffs-on-chinese-solar-panels-are-bad-for-american-business.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/06/why-the-tariffs-on-chinese-solar-panels-are-bad-for-american-business?cmpid=rss

5000 Followers and 16, 500 Tweets Later, 9 Solar Marketing Lessons from Twitter

![][1] Last weekend, I passed the 5,000 Twitter follower mark on Twitter. While that 5,000 number has never been a goal, it's a great mile marker to look back and reflect on what I've learned about Twitter and solar marketing, and why over 5,000 people would ever waste their time following me. The short answer is that I worked hard to ensure that it wasn'

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/8/body-5000-followers-and16500-tweets-later-9-solar-marketing-lessons-from-twitter.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/06/5000-followers-and16500-tweets-later-9-solar-marketing-lessons-from-twitter?cmpid=rss

Standing Firm on Clean Energy in the Political 'Silly Season'

![][1] To those of us in the industry, clean-tech deployment in the U.S. is still a long way from what it could or should be. But as was seen in last week's release of Clean Edge's 2012 State Clean Energy Index, there are plenty of signs of positive momentum, especially in light of how far the industry has come from a nascent, specialized niche a decade ago. Consider the following findings from the Index, our third annual ranking of all 50 states in clean-energy leadership in technology, policy, and capital:

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/8/body-standing-firm-on-clean-energy-in-the-political-silly-season.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/standing-firm-on-clean-energy-in-the-political-silly-season?cmpid=rss

Billion-dollar Corporations Prioritize Energy Mix Strategy

![][1] The largest global corporations are meeting the transition to a low-carbon and resource-efficient economy with proactive energy strategies involving the C-suite level.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/5/31/1332-billion-dollar-corporations-prioritize-energy-mix-strategy.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/billion-dollar-corporations-prioritize-energy-mix-strategy?cmpid=rss

Broken Ventilation Equipment Goes Unnoticed for Years

Subtitle:

When an ERV falls in the forest, is there anyone around to notice it's broken?

Images:

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Years ago, when I worked as a home inspector, I was hired to perform a capital needs assessment at a Buddhist retreat center in rural Vermont. In an obscure mechanical closet I discovered a heat-recovery ventilator that the facilities manager didn't even know existed.

The HRV(HRV). Balanced ventilation system in which most of the heat from outgoing exhaust air is transferred to incoming fresh air via an air-to-air heat exchanger; a similar device, an energy-recovery ventilator, also transfers water vapor. HRVs recover 50% to 80% of the heat in exhausted air. In hot climates, the function is reversed so that the cooler inside air reduces the temperature of the incoming hot air. had been installed at least a dozen years before. The filter, which had never been changed since the day it was installed, was totally clogged. The HRV was no longer working — perhaps the motor had burned out years ago. I advised the owners to call an HVAC(Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning). Collectively, the mechanical systems that heat, ventilate, and cool a building. contractor to have the unit serviced.

URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/broken-ventilation-equipment-goes-unnoticed-years

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Ocean's Circulation And Its Effects On Our Climate

redOrbit: Scientists have long believed that global warming and levels of CO2 were associated. As levels of carbon dioxide increased, so too did the Earth's temperatures. Now, paleoclimate researchers have studied ancient skeletons from microscopic plankton from the Miocene period to better understand our climate 12 to 5 million years ago. They found warmer periods and increased levels of CO2 didn't always operate hand in hand, saying the two effects once operated independently of one another. These researchers...

URL: http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112550279/oceans-circulation-and-its-effects-on-our-climate/
Enclosure: http://www.redorbit.com/media/uploads/2012/06/science-060712-006.jpg

Moving From Square One on Nuclear Waste

New York Times: The idea that the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada is dead has not gone down well in Congress, where some Republicans are trying to allocate new money to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission so it can revive its evaluation of the site`s suitability. But at a Senate subcommittee hearing on Thursday, some supporters of the civilian power industry said it was time to move on. "Even if Yucca Mountain were open today, we'd still need a second repository very quickly,'' said Lamar...

URL: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/07/moving-from-square-one-on-nuclear-waste/?partner=rss&emc=rss

For Litany of U.S. Cities, 2012 Temps Are Unprecedented

Climate Central: So far this year, the U.S. is running a distinct fever, as the lower 48 states had its warmest January-to-May period on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Other longstanding records have fallen as well, including the record for warmest spring, which dated back to 1910 and was smashed by 2°F, warmest 12-month period, and largest seasonal departure from average. Taking a deeper dive into the temperature statistics reveals fascinating insights into just...

URL: http://www.climatecentral.org/blogs/graphics-show-us-record-spring-temperatures/

Calls for an African Green Revolution, Only Smarter

Inter Press Service: To deal with looming food crises in the coming decades, Africa needs a Green Revolution on par with what took place in Asia during the 1960s and 1970s, according to experts in Washington. But such a revolution would need to ensure that the mistakes made in Asia are not repeated in Africa, warned Shenggen Fan, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) here, while unveiling a new policy brief released here on Thursday. As world leaders prepare to gather in Rio...

URL: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=108075
Enclosure: http://ipsnews.net/fotos/108075-20120607.jpg

Consumption driving 'unprecedented' environment damage: UN

Agence France-Presse: Population growth and unsustainable consumption are driving Earth towards "unprecedented" environmental destruction, the UN said in a report Wednesday ahead of the Rio Summit. Of 90 key goals to protect the environment, only four have seen good progress, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said in a planetary assessment issued only every five years. "If current trends continue, if current patterns of production and consumption of natural resources prevail and cannot be reversed...

URL: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/world/13889171/consumption-driving-unprecedented-environment-damage-un/

US calls on EU to abandon 'lousy' carbon tax on airlines

Agence France-Presse: US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Wednesday called on the European Union to abandon its controversial carbon tax on airlines, saying the policy aimed at combating global warming was "lousy." "We think this is a lousy policy, a lousy law that they passed," LaHood told a Senate committee on commerce and transportation. "We strongly urge the EU to cease application" of the law "in order to help accelerate our effort to forge a global solution," he said. The carbon tax imposed on airlines...

URL: http://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/us-calls-eu-abandon-lousy-124958983.html

Africa: climate conversations - a turn to old crop varieties for tough times

AlertNet: How will Ethiopian farmers cope with the climatic conditions that are likely to prevail in 20 or 30 years time? One of the answers lies in an unexpected place: the genetic diversity of crops stored in the country's own gene banks. Traditionally, gene banks have been established to store material for plant breeders to use when developing new varieties, not for direct distribution of seeds to farmers. However, a new project led by Bioversity International, a center of the Consultative Group for International...

URL: http://allafrica.com/stories/201206070613.html

Plankton under sea ice may disrupt Arctic food chain

New Scientist: The water beneath a snow-covered expanse of ice 1 metre thick hardly seems like a good home for light-loving creatures. But microscopic phytoplankton, which rely on the sun for their nutrients and form the base of Arctic food webs, have managed to thrive under ice sheets that are thinning as the poles become warmer. The buried "bloom" of phytoplankton - the largest ever found underneath an ice shelf - was four times more concentrated than blooms found in the open ocean. Some say its discovery...

URL: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21893-plankton-under-sea-ice-may-disrupt-arctic-food-chain.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=climate-change
Enclosure: http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/dn21893/dn21893-2_300.jpg

Chad: Lake Chad shrinks from 25,000 to 2,000 kilometres square

This Day: The water surface of the Lake Chad basin has gradually shifted since the 1960s from 25,000 kilometres square to less than 2,000 kilometres square as at today, largely due to climate change, population increase and water demand. Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, disclosed this while marking the 'Lake Chad Day' in Abuja, where she called for concerted efforts to save the lake and restore its dwindling fortunes. Lake Chad is believed to host over 100 million inhabitants, out of which...

URL: http://allafrica.com/stories/201206070227.html

RGGI States Cut CO2 by 23 Percent in First Three Years

![][1] A three-year summary of America's first carbon trading program was released yesterday. The news is pretty good for anyone who cares about reducing carbon emissions; it's inconvenient for anyone hell-bent on preventing America from implementing a carbon pricing plan.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/7/body-rggi-states-cut-co2-by-23-percent-in-first-three-years.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/rggi-states-cut-co2-by-23-percent-in-first-three-years?cmpid=rss

Development push puts Brazil's indigenous at risk

Associated Press: For generations, the Awa lived far from the rest of humanity, picking fruit, hunting pigs and monkeys and following the seasons' rhythms in their patch of the lush Brazilian Amazon rainforest. Then the rest of the world found the Awa. Loggers and ranchers came, cutting into the tribe's ancestral lands in search of profits. So did a rail line where trains shuttle tons of iron ore through the forest, from mines in the heart of the Amazon to Atlantic Ocean ports, with much of it headed for Chinese...

URL: http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/articles/2012/06/06/development_push_puts_brazils_indigenous_at_risk/?rss_id=Boston.com+%2F+Boston+Globe+--+World+News
Enclosure: http://cache.boston.com/resize/bonzai-fba/AP_Photo/2012/06/06/1338999021_2220/539w.jpg

World Faces Stark Choice at Rio+20, UN Report Warns

Inter Press Service: Irreversible environmental damage threatens to destabilise the world's life-support systems unless urgent action is taken, according to the latest Global Environment Report (GEO-5) which looks to the Rio+20 summit as a crucial opportunity to halt this decline. The fifth edition of the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) flagship environmental report compiles three years of research on the state of the global environment, produced with the collaboration of over 600 individual experts,...

URL: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=108073

Japan's Solar Market Poised for Return to Elite Status

![][1] Last year, the Japanese government announced the creation of a national feed-in tariff (FiT) for solar, joining Germany and China in creating robust public policy to drive deployment of renewable energy. The program is set to launch on July 1 and solar is regarded as one of the brightest spots in the Japanese recovery from the tsunami.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/7/body-japans-solar-market-poised-for-return-to-elite-status.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/japans-solar-market-poised-for-return-to-elite-status?cmpid=rss

Environmental Tipping Point Is Nearing, International Study Says

Yale Environment 360: The rapid warming of the planet, a soaring human population, the steady loss of biodiversity, over-exploitation of energy resources, and the degradation of the world's oceans are driving the world toward an ecological tipping point, according to a new study in Nature. Twenty-two scientists from five nations compared the major changes taking place today with previous ecological shifts -- such as the end of the last Ice Age 14,000 to 18,000 years ago -- that triggered mass extinctions of some species,...

URL: http://e360.yale.edu/digest/environmental_tipping_point___is_nearing_international_study_says/3500/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29
Enclosure: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v486/n7401/full/nature11018.html

Climate change message needs to be closer to home to hit home, say researchers

Phys.org: Effectively communicating climate change risks to the general public could all hinge on bringing the issue closer to home, research by a team from Nottingham and Cardiff Universities has found. In a project that aimed to analyse public perceptions of global warming, the researchers focused on 'psychological distance' in prompting people to go greener and the significance of uncertainty as justification for inaction. The study, led by Dr Alexa Spence, found that in general the closer people...

URL: http://phys.org/news/2012-06-climate-message-closer-home.html

New carbon emissions limit for cars in Europe

Guardian: Carmakers will have to slash the carbon emissions of new cars sold in Europe by a third by 2020, according to leaked European Commission documents seen by the Guardian. The EC proposals would be legally binding and the document plans for even stricter emissions targets for 2025 and 2030, which could only be met if hybrid or electric vehicles become mainstream. Greg Archer, of campaign group Transport & Environment, said: "Tighter CO2 standards for cars will be welcomed by drivers across...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jun/07/new-cars-europe-carbon-emissions-limit
Enclosure: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/7/15/1247655768931/Car-exhaust-001.jpg

Report: Humans near tipping point that could dramatically change Earth

Christian Science Monitor: The variety and distribution of plants and animals on Earth – and, for many species, prospects for survival – may be nearing an abrupt, fundamental change because of human activity, warns an international team of ecologists and biologists. Skip to next paragraph Related stories

##### Are you scientifically literate? Take our quiz Climate change: Arctic passes 400 parts per million milestone How climate change destroyed one of the world's largest civilizations Opinion: 4 ways...

URL: http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2012/0606/Report-Humans-near-tipping-point-that-could-dramatically-change-Earth
Enclosure: http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/content/2012/0606-global-change-brazil.jpg/12768895-1-eng-US/0606-global-change-Brazil.jpg_full_600.jpg

Murkowski warns against ‘knee-jerk’ reaction to Solyndra

The Hill: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is breaking with Mitt Romney and some Capitol Hill Republicans by expressing support for federal green-energy programs, including the one that provided loan help to the now-bankrupt Solyndra. Murkowski, the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said she supports continuation of the Energy's Department loan-guarantee program for green energy, and more broadly backs a federal role in boosting market deployment of alternative energy. ...

URL: http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/230947-murkowski-eyeing-chairmanship-mulls-changes-to-green-energy-loan-program

Four Major Heat Records Fall in Stunning NOAA Report

Climate Central: Four major heat records fell in a stunning new climate report from NOAA on Thursday. The lower 48 states set temperature records for the warmest spring, largest seasonal departure from average, warmest year-to-date, and warmest 12-month period, all new marks since records began in 1895. While the globe has been tracking slightly cooler than recent years -- thanks in part to the influence of now dissipated La Nina conditions in the tropical Pacific -- the U.S. has been sizzling. The average springtime...

URL: http://www.climatecentral.org/news/warmest-spring-year-and-12-month-period-in-us/
Enclosure: http://www.climatecentral.org/images/sized/images/uploads/news/06-06-12-andrew_yeartodatedivisional-500x376.jpg

Scientists warn that human activities may cause global ecological collapse this century

Agence France-Presse: Climate change, population growth and environmental destruction could cause a collapse of the ecosystem just a few generations from now, scientists warned on Wednesday in the journal Nature. The paper by 22 top researchers said a "tipping point" by which the biosphere goes into swift and irreversible change, with potentially cataclysmic impacts for humans, could occur as early as this century. The warning contrasts with a mainstream view among scientists that environmental collapse would be...

URL: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/06/06/environmental-collapse-now-a-serious-threat-scientists/
Enclosure: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Antarctica-afp.jpg

Mexico President Signs Ambitious Climate Targets into Law

Yale Environment 360: Mexico President Felipe Calderon this week signed into law ambitious climate targets aimed at drastically cutting the nation's greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the share of clean energy in the coming decades. The law, which was passed unanimously by the Senate, commits Mexico to cut greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2020 and 50 percent by 2050. In addition, it stipulates that 35 percent of Mexico's energy will come from renewable sources by 2024 and that all government agencies will be...

URL: http://e360.yale.edu/digest/mexico_president_signs_ambitious_climate_targets_into_law/3499/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29

On Safe Drinking Water, Skepticism Over UN Claims

Yale Environment 360: It was rare good news. On March 6, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared that the world had halved the proportion of the world's population drinking unsafe water. One of the key Millennium Development Goals set by the UN more than a decade earlier had been reached -- and, moreover, it had been reached five years ahead of schedule. Ban Ki-moon called it "a great achievement for the people of the world." And apparently, the world agreed, as most media reported the claim at face value....

URL: http://e360.yale.edu/feature/on_safe_drinking_water_skepticism_over_un_claims/2538/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29

Japan to renege on emissions cuts

New Scientist: Timing is everything in politics, but evidently nobody told Katsuya Okada. Japan's deputy prime minister picked an unfortunate time to scale back on planned emissions cuts, given that carbon dioxide levels over parts of Japan just hit an all-time high (see "Carbon dioxide levels reach a new milestone"). In 2009, then prime minister Yukio Hatoyama promised that Japan would cut emissions by 25 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020. But on 30 May, Okada told journalists that those plans may have to be...

URL: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21889-japan-to-renege-on-emissions-cuts.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=climate-change

United Kingdom: Sellafield's Thorp plant to close

Independent: The Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (Thorp) at Sellafield in Cumbria, which employs up to 800 workers, was commissioned in the early 1990s. The Prospect union said the news had come as a "great disappointment", adding that only a fraction of the existing workforce will remain during the clean-out phase prior to decommissioning. National officer Mike Graham said: "Today's announcement comes as a great disappointment to our members at Thorp who believe firmly that the plant has a future and...

URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sellafields-thorp-plant-to-close-7827505.html

Wind Turbine Manufacturers Say U.S. Market Will Grow in Time

![][1] The wind energy market in the U.S. will stay alive with or without an extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC), say executives from eight of the largest wind turbine manufacturers with a U.S. presence. During a June 6 session focused on large wind turbines during Windpower 2012, executives from Gamesa, GE, Goldwind, Mitsubishi Power Systems, Nordex, Siemens, Suzlon and Vestas expressed that they view the U.S. wind market as a strong one.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/7/body-wind-turbine-manufacturers-say-u-s-market-will-grow-in-time.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/wind-turbine-manufacturers-say-u-s-market-will-grow-in-time?cmpid=rss

Genuine Progress Indicators

Subtitle:

Vermont has become the first state to formally embrace a 'genuine progress indicator' as a metric of well-being

Images:

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The second annual [Slow Living Summit][3] was held in Brattleboro this past week. Featuring such presenters as David Orr of Oberlin College, Woody Tasch, the founder of the organization [Slow Money][4], and Charles Eisenstein, author of _Sacred Economics_, along with Governor Peter Shumlin, and Senator Bernie Sanders, the conference advanced alternatives to fast food, fast money, and the fast pace of life — with an emphasis on local food, local economies, resilient communities, and sustainability.

[1]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/MayPond_8621_MedRes.jpg (May Pond in northern Vermont)
[2]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/genuine-progress-indicators
[3]: http://www.slowlivingsummit.org/
[4]: http://www.slowmoney.org/

URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/genuine-progress-indicators

Rethinking Electric Cars – Part 11.

Summing up the series, but watch for updates.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2012/20120057.html

Alliance for Green Heat: Next Generation Wood Stove Design Challenge is Now Underway.

The Challenge seeks to promote next generation stove designs, build a community of innovators and showcase stove innovation to the public.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips612/jun12009.html

UQM Electric Drive Systems Selected to Power Boulder EV Delivery Vans for FedEx Express.

Boulder EV is a green tech manufacturing company that makes purpose-built, all-electric delivery trucks and Work Utility Vehicles (WUV) or cargo vans.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips612/jun120010.html

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Develops Underwater PV Cells.

Preliminary results at a maximum depth of 9.1 meters reveal output to be 7 watts per square meter of solar cells, sufficient to demonstrate there is useful solar power to be harvested at depths commonly found in nearshore littoral zones.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips612/jun12008.html

NREL Helps PV Industry Make Panels Last

![][1] During 30 years on a rooftop, a solar panel gets bombarded by UV rays, soaked by rain, buffeted by wind, pounded by hail.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/6/body-nrel-helps-pv-industry-make-panels-last.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/nrel-helps-pv-industry-make-panels-last?cmpid=rss

DOE Announces Winners of its ‘Apps for Energy’ Competition

Subtitle:

Software developers were challenged to come up with apps to help utility customers trim their energy costs

Images:

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Application developers are busy people. There are now hundreds of thousands of apps available for PCs and mobile devices, whether they're running an Apple operating system, Google's Android, HTML 5, or a mobile or PC version of the Microsoft platform. But just knowing there's an app for every issue and craving doesn't mean you'll find it in the vast inventory of the app store.

[1]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Green Button data 3.jpg (Green Button data 3)
[2]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/doe-announces-winners-its-apps-energy-competition
[3]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Leafully1.jpg (Leafully 1)

URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/doe-announces-winners-its-apps-energy-competition

DOE Announces Winners of its Apps for Energy Competition

Subtitle:

Challenged to develop software programs that can help utility customers trim their energy costs, contestants delivered innovative apps for tracking and analyzing energy use

Images:

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URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/doe-announces-winners-its-apps-energy-competition

UN report warns global environment is near dangerous tipping point, calls for urgent action

Associated Press: The earth's environmental systems "are being pushed towards their biophysical limits,' beyond which loom sudden, irreversible and potentially catastrophic changes, the United Nations Environment Program warned Wednesday. In a 525-page report on the health of the planet, the agency paints a grim picture: The melting of the polar ice caps, desertification in Africa, deforestation of tropical jungles, spiraling use of chemicals and the emptying out of the world's seas are just some of myriad environmental...

URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/un-report-warns-global-environment-is-near-tipping-point-calls-for-urgent-action/2012/06/06/gJQAO0m7IV_story.html

Exclusive: Tweaking tax code could spur green energy: senator

Reuters: A freshman Democratic senator thinks he may have found a way to encourage investment in wind, solar and biofuel projects without sapping too many taxpayer dollars or injecting new venom into a bitter partisan battle over energy incentives. Chris Coons will introduce legislation on Thursday that would allow a broad range of renewable power generation and transmission projects to qualify for a tax structure used widely by pipeline and other energy-related companies. The bill is unlikely to be...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/07/us-usa-energy-taxation-idUSBRE85605420120607?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29
Enclosure: http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20120607&t=2&i=616027284&w=460&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=CBRE8560BES00

UN: Humanity speeding down "unsustainable path"

CBS: A United Nations report warns that the earth's environmental systems "are being pushed towards their biophysical limits" and that sudden, irreversible and potentially catastrophic changes are looming. The UN's Environment Program says that climate change, the depletion of the ozone layer, plummeting fish stocks and the mass extinction of animals are among the most worrisome environmental threats. "The world continues to speed down an unsustainable path despite over 500 internationally agreed...

URL: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57448690/un-humanity-speeding-down-unsustainable-path/
Enclosure: http://www.unep.org/geo/pdfs/geo5/GEO5_report_full_en.pdf

Warming nears point of no return, scientists say

San Francisco Chronicle: The Earth is reaching a "tipping point" in climate change that will lead to increasingly rapid and irreversible destruction of the global environment unless its forces are controlled by concerted international action, an international group of scientists warns. Unchecked population growth, the disappearance of critical plant and animal species, the over-exploitation of energy resources, and the rapidly warming climate are all combining to bring mounting pressure on the Earth's environmental health,...

URL: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFou2QCjELCllain4rsvy6kHa7fPg&url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f%3D/c/a/2012/06/06/BA1T1OT26G.DTL

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Canada: Quebec pledges $2.7 billion to tackle climate change

Edmonton Journal: Quebec plans to spend $2.7 billion to tackle climate change by 2020. In the new 2013-20 climate-change action plan, made public in Montreal on Sunday by Premier Jean Charest, Quebec will act on a variety of fronts to meet its goal of bringing greenhouse-gas emissions to 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020. In 2009, Quebec's greenhouse-gas emissions were 2.5 per cent below 1990 levels. In order to reach its 2020 goal, Quebec estimates it would have to cut emissions by 11.7 megatonnes by 2020....

URL: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Quebec+pledges+billion+tackle+climate+change/6723749/story.html

Scientists warn geoengineering may disrupt rainfall

Reuters: Large-scale engineering projects aimed at fighting global warming could radically reduce rainfall in Europe and North America, a team of scientists from four European countries have warned. Geoengineering projects are controversial, even though they are largely theoretical at this point. They range from mimicking the effects of large volcanic eruptions by releasing sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere, to deploying giant mirrors in space to deflect the sun's rays. Proponents say they could be...

URL: http://news.yahoo.com/scientists-warn-geoengineering-may-disrupt-rainfall-133810841.html

Highest priority conservation sites provide essential services for people too

Mongabay: Preventing the extinction of the world's most imperiled species would also bring untold benefits to people according to new research in the open-access journal PLoS ONE. Looking at the world's nearly 600 Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) sites, the study found that preserving these ecosystems would benefit humans even beyond preserving biodiversity, including safeguarding freshwater, carbon storage, and protecting cultural diversity. AZE sites are identified as habitats containing one or more species...

URL: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0605-hance-aze-ecosystem-services.html
Enclosure: http://photos.mongabay.com/j/CI.AZEreport.Santa-Marta47-XL.568.jpg

RIO+20: Earth Summit Negotiated the Size of the Zero

Inter Press Service: Amidst much political fanfare, the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro concluded with the adoption of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and the landmark Agenda 21 blueprint for a sustainable future in the 21st century. Still, there was widespread disappointment over the final outcome of that conference - primarily because there were no firm funding commitments by the world's rich nations. Asked about the frustrations on financing, a former secretary-general of the U.N. Conference...

URL: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=108061
Enclosure: http://ipsnews.net/fotos/108061-20120606.jpg

400 ppm: A Milestone that Means Everything, and Nothing

Climate Central: I'm not big on taking note of milestones. They're artificial, and usually meaningless, but people get all worked up about them anyway. I don't like to stay up late on New Year's Eve, for example, because Dec. 31 is a purely arbitrary date. Nothing real actually begins the next day, but we all pretend otherwise. I have similar feelings about the first day of spring, the temperature reaching 100° as opposed to 99° and all sorts of other magic-sounding dates and numbers that don't have any real significance....

URL: http://www.climatecentral.org/blogs/400-ppm-a-milestone-that-means-everything-and-nothing?utm-source=feedburner&utm-medium=feed&utm-campaign=Feed%253A+climatecentral%252FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed

West Virginia seen as stronghold against climate change

Charleston Gazette: The highland forest along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains in eastern West Virginia has been identified as a key stronghold for allowing plants and wildlife to withstand the growing impacts of global warming in the U.S. northeast and southeastern Canada. A new study by The Nature Conservancy has identified a series of landscapes in eastern North America that, if left intact, are predicted to be resilient enough to endure climate change. The study, funded by Doris Duke Charitable Foundation,...

URL: http://wvgazette.com/News/201206040119
Enclosure: http://www.wvgazette.com/mediafiles/thumbs/595/495.55/BearRocks_I120604201345.jpg

Indonesia Pushes for Sustainable Development in Mining, Palm and Forestry Sectors

Jakarta Globe: Indonesia's mining, plantation and forestry sectors said they were committed to implementing sustainable development practices at a stage-setting seminar on environmentally-conscious development on Wednesday. The seminar, titled "Good Practices in Land-Based Industries: Palm Oil, Mining and Forestry," was meant to start a dialogue between industries that have historically been accused of damaging the environment and the governments REDD+ taskforce, said taskforce chief Kuntoro Mangkusubroto. These...

URL: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/indonesia-pushes-for-sustainable-development-in-mining-palm-and-forestry-sectors/522640

Climate change creating "novel ecosystem" in Arctic

Mongabay: If melting sea ice and glaciers weren't enough, now climate change is producing what researchers call a "structurally novel ecosystem" in the northwestern Eurasian tundra. Warmer weather and precipitation changes in the region, which covers western Russia into Finland, has allowed shrubs of willow and alder to grow into sparse forests within just forty years, according to a new study in Nature Climate Change. The new ecosystem could have global implications as researchers say it is likely to worsen...

URL: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0606-hance-novel-ecosystem-arctic.html

Climate change to cost LatAm $100 bn by 2050: study

Agence France-Presse: Global warming could exact a devastating toll on the economies of Latin America and the Caribbean, with costs possibly exceeding $100 billion by 2050, the Inter-American Development Bank warned Tuesday. In a new report, the Washington-based organization also called for "forceful" reductions in greenhouse gases to forestall some of the worst consequences of climate change. The bank urged countries in the region to dramatically increase their efforts to prevent climate change and mitigate its...

URL: http://news.yahoo.com/climate-change-cost-latam-100-bn-2050-study-222546451.html

Carbon Emissions Declined 23 Percent Under Regional U.S. Program

Yale Environment 360: Power plants subject to a regional cap-and-trade program in the northeastern U.S. known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) reduced their carbon dioxide emissions by an average of 23 percent during the first three years of the program, the group says. According to a RGGI report, 206 of 211 power plants participating in the program met their compliance obligations from Jan. 1, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2011, the first three-year control period of the program. During that time, the average annual...

URL: http://e360.yale.edu/digest/carbon_emissions_declined_23_percent_under_regional_us_program/3495/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29

India's low-carbon technology market likely to be worth $135 billion by 2020

Economic Times: Billions of dollars worth of investment in clean technology and green energy are eyeing India, where the market for low-carbon technology is expected to expand to $135 billion by 2020, according to industry experts, making the country one of the most lucrative destination for companies in the domain. Renewable energy has already lured stars such as Sachin Tendulkar and Aishwarya Rai and large companies such as Reliance Power and Lanco, and the flow of venture capital has increased in the sector....

URL: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/energy/power/indias-low-carbon-technology-market-likely-to-be-worth-135-billion-by-2020/articleshow/13832530.cms

Sharing Southern Africa's Water

Inter Press Service: The Southern African Development Community's protocol on shared watercourses is recognised as one of the world's best. But sound agreements on the sustainable and equitable management of joint water resources require effective means to implement them. Water officials from across Southern Africa are meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Jun 5-6 to develop a mechanism to monitor the implementation of the regional agreement. SADC's 2003 Revised Protocol on Shared Watercourses stresses a basin-wide approach...

URL: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=108042
Enclosure: http://ipsnews.net/fotos/108042-20120605.jpg

United Kingdom: Water must be metered, engineers say

Independent: Water metering should be introduced across the UK to help tackle water shortages, which will only get worse unless action is taken now, Britain's civil engineers say today. A metering system that charges households more for high water use for non-essential activities such as cleaning the car, with "social tariffs" to protect vulnerable customers, is one of a number of measures urgently needed to relieve Britain's growing water crisis, according to the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). These...

URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/water-must-be-metered-engineers-say-7821233.html

Pakistan: Climate change: Slow melting of glaciers to delay crop sowing

Express Tribune: Climate change is already beginning to affect the Pakistani economy it seems: Punjab's agricultural areas face a water shortage due to the late melting of the Himalayan glaciers that form the source of the region's rivers, delaying the sowing of three of the four most important crops in the country – cotton, sugarcane and rice. "The water flow in the rivers is approximately 35% below what it should be for this time of the year," said Arshad Khan, an officer at the Punjab irrigation department....

URL: http://tribune.com.pk/story/389319/climate-change-slow-melting-of-glaciers-to-delay-crop-sowing/
Enclosure: http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/389319-mountainofKarakoramfromBaltoroGlacier-1338946944-786-640x480.JPG

Bain's Sustainability Contrasts With Romney's Rhetoric

Bloomberg: Bain & Company, the global consulting firm where Governor Mitt Romney started his career and returned in the 1990s, yesterday announced it has effectively reduced its global carbon dioxide emissions to zero. A Bain press release cites Steven Tallman, a partner and head of global operations: "This accomplishment is a major step in our commitment to sustainability." The announcement, unremarkable were it not for the company's profile in U.S. presidential election coverage, contrasts with Bain's...

URL: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-05/bain-s-sustainability-contrasts-with-romney-s-rhetoric.html
Enclosure: http://www.bloomberg.com/image/iZ_7QKZ5M8g0.jpg

Indigenous peoples win major victory against uranium mining corporation in Australia

Intercontinental Cry: There was a major victory this week in the struggle to protect the Koongarra uranium deposit in Australia's Northern Territory. The Northern Land Council, which represents native title claimants in the Arnhem Land region of Northern Territory, announced its decision to extend the boundaries of the world-heritage-listed Kakadu National Park to include the 1,200 hectare uranium deposit. When the National Park was founded in 1979, the Australian government decided to leave Koongarra out, clearly...

URL: http://intercontinentalcry.org/victory-the-struggle-to-protect-koongarra-uranium-is-finally-over/
Enclosure: http://intercontinentalcry.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/kakadu-national-park-sign.jpg

Palm oil giant moves forward on zero deforestation initiative

Mongabay: One of the world's largest palm oil companies has become the first to identify and disclose high carbon forests and peatlands in its concessions. Golden Agri-Resources Limited (GAR), the owner of Indonesia's palm oil giant PT SMART Tbk, on Monday published a carbon assessment [PDF] of its holdings in Indonesian Borneo. The report is an important milestone under GAR's forest conservation policy, which prohibits conversion of land with more than 35 tons of carbon per hectare and moves the company...

URL: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0605-gar-high-carbon-stock-report.html
Enclosure: http://www.goldenagri.com.sg/pdfs/misc/High_Carbon_Stock_Forest_Study_Report.pdf

Arctic ice melt is setting stage for severe winters

ScienceDaily: The dramatic melt-off of Arctic sea ice due to climate change is hitting closer to home than millions of Americans might think. That's because melting Arctic sea ice can trigger a domino effect leading to increased odds of severe winter weather outbreaks in the Northern Hemisphere's middle latitudes -- think the "Snowmageddon" storm that hamstrung Washington, D.C., during February 2010. Cornell's Charles H. Greene, professor of earth and atmospheric sciences, and Bruce C. Monger, senior research...

URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120606132420.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29
Enclosure: http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2012/06/120606132420.jpg

U.N. takes pulse of the planet, prognosis isn't good

Reuters: Over the past two decades the Earth's vital signs have continued to deteriorate, from loss of rainforests, overfishing, air and water pollution to chaotic weather and rising greenhouse gas emissions, according to a United Nations report. Three years in the making, the Global Environment Outlook report released on Wednesday found that out of 90 benchmark environmental goals and objectives, significant progress has been made in only four. But it said that there is hope and environmentally friendly...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/06/us-unep-factbox-idUSBRE8550OV20120606

Geoengineering climate solution said risky

United Press International: A geoengineering solution to climate change could lead to significant rainfall reduction in Europe and North America, a team of European scientists said. Researchers said they analyzed models of how Earth would respond to a geoengineered artificial reduction in the amount of sunlight reaching the planet's surface in a warm, CO2-rich world and found such efforts could result in undesirable effects. Geoengineering techniques to reduce the amount of solar radiation reaching Earth's surface include...

URL: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/06/06/Geoengineering-climate-solution-said-risky/UPI-77051339021963/

U.S. stiffens opposition to EU law on aviation emissions

Reuters: Senate lawmakers and the Obama administration on Wednesday stiffened their opposition to a European law that targets emissions from commercial jetliners and applied new pressure on Brussels and the United Nations to resolve global concerns. In a rare display of election-year bipartisanship, Democratic and Republican members of the Commerce Committee and the administration's top transportation official called the EU standard that puts a price on pollution unworkable. "The European Union acted...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/07/us-eu-emissions-usa-idUSBRE85600X20120607?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

Melting ice could bring cold U.S. winters

United Press International: The dramatic rate of melting of arctic sea ice due to climate change could have effects closer to home than millions of Americans might think, scientists say. The melting of the ice could set the stage for severe winters in the Northern Hemisphere's middle latitudes, with events like the "Snowmageddon" that hit Washington Feb. 3, 2010, researchers at Cornell University reported Wednesday. "Everyone thinks of arctic climate change as this remote phenomenon that has little effect on our everyday...

URL: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/06/06/Melting-ice-could-bring-cold-US-winters/UPI-91961339013467/
Enclosure: http://ph.cdn.photos.upi.com/sv/ph/UPI-91961339013467/e2cbd147dc740c71db35ec4ab86cdf3d/Melting-ice-could-bring-cold-US-winters.jpg

Building a Little Solar-powered House on the Prairie: Off-the-grid or Grid-tied?

![][1] A year ago, Mike Larsen and Linda Nelson left their beloved urban Minneapolis home and moved to the prairie in southeast Minnesota near Altura to live in a way more connected to the land. In this story, Mike writes about how they came to the decision to build their off-the-grid home. Off-grid or not off-grid—that is the question. Indeed, that was a

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/6/body-building-a-little-solar-powered-house-on-the-prairie-off-the-grid-or-grid-tied.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/06/building-a-little-solar-powered-house-on-the-prairie-off-the-grid-or-grid-tied?cmpid=rss

MOU Signed with Iceland for Geothermal Advancement; Geo Could Meet 20% of UK Power Needs

![][1] Energy Minister Charles Hendry of the United Kingdom and Iceland's Finance Minister Oddny Haroardottir signed a memorandum of understanding in late May to explore options in bilateral energy affairs, including an electricity connection as well as information-sharing on deep geothermal development.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/6/body-mou-signed-with-iceland-for-geothermal-advancement-geo-could-meet-20-of-uk-power-needs.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/mou-signed-with-iceland-for-geothermal-advancement-geo-could-meet-20-of-uk-power-needs?cmpid=rss

Military Biofuels Ban Moves Forward, Ignites Criticism, Backlash

![][1] As a proposed ban on military investment and use of biofuels inches closer to fruition in Washington, several groups are speaking out against the bill.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/6/body-military-biofuels-ban-moves-forward-ignites-criticism-backlash.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/military-biofuels-ban-moves-forward-ignites-criticism-backlash?cmpid=rss

Geothermal Heat Pumps: The Next Generation

![][1] Climatemaster, a division of LSB Industries (NYSE:LXU), recently announced that their new Trilogy 40 geothermal heat pump (GHP) had been certified by the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) to exceed 40 Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) under ground loop conditions.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/6/body-geothermal-heat-pumps-the-next-generation.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/geothermal-heat-pumps-the-next-generation?cmpid=rss

PV Industry Outsourcing is a Secret No More

![][1] Shocking though it may be, outsourcing is commonplace in the PV industry. Basically, with outsourcing Manufacturer A buys cells or modules from Manufacturer B and both report the outsourced product as in-house production. Outsourcing, which, pardon the cliché, is as old as the hills, has led to a systematic oversizing of the photovoltaic industry. The practice of oversizing also includes module assembler production – referring to module assemblers who do not develop or manufacturer photovoltaic technology in-house. Again, outsourcing is common to all industries that manufacture widgets of any type, and has been practiced by the photovoltaic industry for its entire kilowatt-to-gigawatt size history.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/6/1332-pv-industry-outsourcing-is-a-secret-no-more.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/pv-industry-outsourcing-is-a-secret-no-more?cmpid=rss

On the Path to More Green Building

Subtitle:

What lessons can we learn from government involvement in our behavior?

Images:

[![][1]][2]

We are in a very conservative, practically radical, political environment in where taxes, regulation, and almost anything that smells of "government" is beaten back as soon as it comes up. As energy codes become more rigorous, we see efforts to [beat them back][3].

[1]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Michelle Obama - White House garden 3.jpg (Photo of First Lady Michelle Obama)
[2]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-curmudgeon/path-more-green-building
[3]: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/localnews/Panel-kills-energy-codes

URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-curmudgeon/path-more-green-building

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Heat Reflective Roofs, Outside In.

Paint the INSIDE of a roof with heat reflective paint to save energy.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2012/20120055.html

Six New Requests for Proposals Posted

>From Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P) and The United Illuminating Company, PPL Electric, King County, Washington, Southern California Public Power Authority,Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI), Connecticut Light and Power Company (CP

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/content/fundopps.html

GE Wind Turbines for Iowa Community Wind Projects.

Combined, the eight units will generate electricity for the towns of Greenfield and Fontanelle as well as other surrounding communities in the region:

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips612/jun12007.html

GE to Supply 137 Turbines for DTE Energy Wind Project in Michigan.

GE is supplying DTE Energy with 69 advanced 1.6-100 wind turbines for its Sigel, Minden and McKinley projects and 68 1.6-100 units for its wind project in Chandler Township, adjacent to the McKinley site

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips612/jun12006.html

Virtual Metering: Solar Benefits Without an On-site Solar PV Array

![][1] Are you interested in the benefits of a solar PV array but don't believe you can afford it? Is your home in a heavily-shaded area that would prohibit a good return-on-investment from solar? Do you rent? Maybe you live in a community with a homeowners' association, where you're not permitted a rooftop solar array?

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/5/1332-virtual-metering-solar-benefits-without-an-on-site-solar-pv-array.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/virtual-metering-solar-benefits-without-an-on-site-solar-pv-array?cmpid=rss

Staying Alive: Could Thin-film Manufacturers Come Out Ahead in the PV Wars? Part 2

![][1] Thin-film solar panels are created through three different manufacturing techniques that use different core components: amorphous silicon (a-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe) or copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) and copper indium sulfur/selenide (CIS).

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/5/30/1332-staying-alive-could-thin-film-manufacturers-come-out-ahead-in-the-pv-wars-part-2.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/staying-alive-could-thin-film-manufacturers-come-out-ahead-in-the-pv-wars-part-2?cmpid=rss

Worth the Trouble: New Market Tax Credits

![][1] The investment tax credit (ITC), production tax credit (PTC), and 1603 Treasury cash grant get a lot of attention for their importance in spurring renewable energy project development. But they have a less-prominent sister incentive: new markets tax credit (NMTC).

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/5/1332-worth-the-trouble-new-market-tax-credits.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/worth-the-trouble-new-market-tax-credits?cmpid=rss

Green Dividend Values (11 Clean Energy Stocks for 2012)

![][1] Fear of the disintegration of the Euro resurfaced in May, sending all stocks downward. Clean energy stocks once again fell more than the market as a whole. Possible causes are that many clean energy sectors are exposed to further loss of European subsidies, and that clean energy stocks tend to be more volatile than the market as a whole, with both up and down moves being magnified. The Russell 2000 index (which I use as a broad market benchmark in this series) was down 7.1 percent in May, the Powershares Wilderhill Clean Energy ETF (PBW), was down more than twice as much, with a 14.6 percent decline.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/5/1332-green-dividend-values-11-clean-energy-stocks-for-2012.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/green-dividend-values-11-clean-energy-stocks-for-2012?cmpid=rss

Solar POWER-GEN Accepting Abstracts Now! Submit Today

http://s36.a2zinc.net/clients/pennwell/spg2013/Public/MainHall.aspx?ID=9230

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/solar-power-gen-accepting-abstracts-now-submit-today?cmpid=rss

Rove, Gibbs and the Politics of Wind's PTC

![][1] Even with certain high-level Republicans in its corner, the American wind industry has been unable to close the deal on the one issue that continues to define its short-term prospects.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/5/1332-rove-gibbs-and-the-politics-of-passing-wind-s-ptc.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/rove-gibbs-and-the-politics-of-passing-winds-ptc?cmpid=rss

Bringing Wind to the Southeast

![][1] Thousands of people are employed in the wind industry in the Southeast region of the U.S. However, only a handful of wind projects are actually in operation. The vast majority of Southeast wind employees work at manufacturing hubs.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/5/1332-bringing-wind-to-the-southeast.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/bringing-wind-to-the-southeast?cmpid=rss

Nova Scotia Feed-in Tariff Progress Report

![][1] Last year, Nova Scotia caught the world's attention with its Renewable Electricity Plan that set a goal of implementing 25 percent renewable energy sources by 2015 and 40 percent by 2025. The plan includes North America's first ever Community Feed-in Tariff (COMFIT) which, since launching in September 2011, has contributed to just over

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/5/9684-nova-scotia-feed-in-tariff-progress-report.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/06/nova-scotia-feed-in-tariff-progress-report?cmpid=rss

Climate change-resilient landscapes identified in Va., W.Va.

Associated Press: Vast national forest areas and scattered pockets of undeveloped lands in in West Virginia and Virginia are among the regions that would be resilient to drought, rising temperatures and other threats associated with climate change, according to a study released today by The Nature Conservancy. The study identifies "strongholds" that could provide habitat to a variety of plants and animals under the extreme climate change predicted by many scientists. They also would be sources of clean drinking...

URL: http://www2.wsls.com/news/2012/jun/04/climate-change-resilient-landscapes-identified-va--ar-1964817/

Australia: Environment Minister questions human impact on climate

Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Queensland's new Environment Minister is the latest politician to voice scepticism about man-made climate change. Andrew Powell says he is yet to be convinced of the degree to which humans are responsible, but he does support efforts to reduce carbon pollution. "I believe the climate is changing, I am still to be convinced of the degree to which we are influencing that," Mr Powell said. "But having said that, are we polluting the environment? Certainly. Are we using a non-renewable source...

URL: http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/13859563/minister-questions-human-climate-change-impact/

More Austinites drilling private wells to water lawns

American-Statesman: On a serene street in the Pemberton Heights neighborhood, the pneumatic hammer with its rock-pulverizing bit slams into bare dirt, then begins chewing its way toward the Edwards Aquifer more than 300 feet below. This newly remodeled house in one of Austin's most exclusive areas is getting what is becoming a popular amenity in West Austin: a private water well. As plummeting lake levels triggered drastic watering restrictions during the drought, homeowners drilled 47 new water wells in Austin last...

URL: http://www.statesman.com/news/local/more-austinites-drilling-private-wells-to-water-lawns-2388246.html

Exotic diseases from warmer climates gain foothold in the US

ClimateWire: Diseases once thought to be rare or exotic in the United States are gaining a presence and getting new attention from medical researchers who are probing how immigration, limited access to care and the impacts of climate change are influencing their spread. Illnesses like schistosomiasis, Chagas disease and dengue are endemic in warmer, wetter and poorer areas of the world, often closer to the equator. According to the World Health Organization, almost 1 billion people are afflicted with more...

URL: http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/06/04/1
Enclosure: http://www.eenews.net/assets/2012/06/04/photo_cw_02.jpg

Rampant oil theft ravages Nigeria's Delta

Reuters: The sound of fleeing feet rustles from the undergrowth in this swampy enclave in Nigeria's Delta, where a fire burns beneath an open tank of crude oil and black smoke fills the sky. Criminal gangs are quick to run when boats approach the illegal refineries all over the Niger Delta, a region of creeks and waterways latticed by hundreds of kilometers of unguarded pipelines pumping valuable oil. Standing in a foot of oily water, behind a steel tank of hot crude percolating down pipes, Peter, 38,...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/04/us-nigeria-delta-idUSBRE85310O20120604?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29
Enclosure: http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20120604&t=2&i=615144271&w=460&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=CBRE8531M0N00

Climate change makes nuclear, coal power plants vulnerable

USA Today: Climate change, by warming water and reducing river flows, has caused production losses at several nuclear and coal-fired power plants in the United States and Europe in recent years and will lead to more power disruptions in the future, researchers report. The Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Alabama, for example, had to shut down more than once last summer because the Tennessee River's water was too warm to use it for cooling. The likelihood of extreme drops in power generation from total or partial...

URL: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2012/06/climate-change-makes-nuclear-coal-power-plants-vulnerable/1
Enclosure: http://i.usatoday.net/communitymanager/_photos/green-house/2012/06/04/brownsferryx-wide-community.jpg

Damage Done? NGOs Highlight Irreversible Losses Caused By Climate Change

AlertNet: If global warming continues at its current pace, the planet will increasingly suffer irreversible damages to its biodiversity, natural resources and substantial losses of human life and territory according to a joint report published today by CARE International, Germanwatch, ActionAid and WWF at the Climate Change Conference in Bonn. The joint report called "Into Unknown Territory: The limits to adaptation and reality of loss and damage from climate impacts" concludes that adaptation to climate...

URL: http://allafrica.com/stories/201206040386.html

Emissions Fell Under Cap and Trade Program, Report Says

New York Times: The cap and trade system known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative announced on Monday that carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in the nine participating states on the East Coast fell by an average of 23 percent during the first three years of the program. The pioneering program, known as RGGI (pronounced reggie), sets a ceiling on carbon dioxide emissions from electric power providers and requires the companies to pay for their emissions by buying allowances in auctions held four times...

URL: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/04/emissions-fell-under-cap-and-trade-program-report-says/?partner=rss&emc=rss
Enclosure: http://www.rggi.org/

RIO+20: A Stalemated U.N. in Do-or-Die Session on Action Plan

Inter Press Service: After weeklong negotiations, a meeting of the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) to finalise a plan of action titled "The Future We Want" for next week's Rio+20 summit has failed to reach agreement - and deferred a decision to a final three-day session in Brazil. And if that session too ends in a stalemate, as all other previous sessions have, world leaders may have to step in to get directly involved in negotiating the final text. But, according to one U.N. source, that's a rare occurrence at...

URL: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=108026

Global warming changes tundras into forests much faster than anyone expected - io9

io9.com: Global warming changes tundras into forests much faster than anyone expected Well, we knew this was going to happen eventually - but now scientists are actually seeing it with their own eyes. Researchers from Finland and Oxford University have discovered that large swaths of European and Asian arctic tundra are quickly turning into forests. They're attributing it to climate change, but what's worse is that the trend could significantly accelerate global warming should it spread across the entire...

URL: http://io9.com/5915489/global-warming-changes-tundras-into-forests-much-faster-than-anyone-expected
Enclosure: http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17oqvihxvsddxjpg/original.jpg

Rwanda: Economic Development and Environmental Protection, a Fine Line

New Times: THE environment has become a key priority for many countries, but with the economic crisis in the United States and now in the Eurozone, the issue of climate change has been pushed to the wayside while the financial underpinnings of the world are sorted out first. However, with World Environment Day on June 5, Rwanda's role between economy and environment is an essential balancing act to promote proper development, the Government says. "Environment always goes with economics. When you have a woman...

URL: http://allafrica.com/stories/201206050524.html

Efficiency Programs Struggle to Stay Ahead of Energy Codes

Subtitle:

With the 2012 IECC starting to be adopted, will builders opt for code-built instead of Energy Star qualified?

Images:

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[![][3]][2]

Smart people in the home-building industry have a saying about codes: _A code-built house is the worst house allowed by law._ The implication behind that statement is that if all you're doing is meeting the code, you're probably short-changing the people who will live in the house. The folks at the International Code Council (ICC) are doing their best to make sure that that barely-legal house _is_ worth living in.

[1]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/energy-star-high-performance-home-2012-iecc-energy-code.jpg (Energy Star new home)
[2]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/building-science/efficiency-programs-struggle-stay-ahead-energy-codes
[3]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/energy-star-version-3-thermal-enclosure-checklist-hers-rater-training_0.jpg (2012 IECC requires more insulation)

URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/building-science/efficiency-programs-struggle-stay-ahead-energy-codes

Green groups block websites to protest Canada oil

Agence France-Presse: Hundreds of environmentalists and other activists in Canada made their websites go dark to protest planned measures to facilitate oil pipeline construction. The groups accuse the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper of trying to silence opponents of exploitation of Alberta's tar sands, the third-largest oil reserves in the world, through new environmental legislation it is pushing through Parliament. The measure, included in a budget bill, allows the federal government to...

URL: http://news.yahoo.com/green-groups-block-websites-protest-canada-oil-031523763.html

Price tag on climate change in Latin America: $100 billion

The Republic: Damage from climate change could cost Latin American and Caribbean countries $100 billion per year by 2050 if average temperatures rise 2C (3.6F) from pre-industrial levels, as is seen likely, a new report said on Tuesday. The region accounts for only 11 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, but it is considered particularly vulnerable to impact from climate change due to its geographic location and reliance on natural resources, the report commissioned by the Inter-American Development...

URL: http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/BRE85408C/US-BRAZIL-CLIMATE-CHANGE

Climate Change 'Biggest Threat' to Food Security

Inter Press Service: When it comes to expressing the threat to food security posed by changing climate patterns and extreme weather events in Asia and the Pacific, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) does not mince its words."The greatest threat to food security is climate change," the Bank said in a 45-page report, 'Food Security and Poverty in Asia and the Pacific: Key Challenges and Policy Issues', released late last month. The report's findings ring especially true in Sri Lanka, where experts are increasingly expressing...

URL: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/climate-change-biggest-threat-to-food-security

The Battle For the Amazon Heats Up Again

Time Magazine: The Amazon rainforest is the most important patch of land on the planet. The trees have been called the lungs of the Earth and that's far more than just a metaphor: they absorb more than 2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, return oxygen in exchange and help regulate the climate of the Western Hemisphere in the process. The forest itself is the hottest of biodiversity hotspots, home to countless species of plants and animals that we have yet to discover -- and even tribes of indigenous...

URL: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2116466,00.html
Enclosure: http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2012/1206/sci_deforestation_0604.jpg

24 Policies to End the Earth Emergency

Inter Press Service: Ecologically ignorant policies are largely responsible for the interlinked crises that are unraveling the planet's life support system. The unintended consequences of such policies are climate change, desertification, biodiversity decline, ocean pollution and the destruction of forests, according to the policy advocacy organisation World Future Council. The solution is to eliminate "bad" policies and implement policies that ensure a healthy planet for future generations. On world environment...

URL: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=108029
Enclosure: http://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/fileadmin/user_upload/PDF/Global_Policy_Action_Plan.pdf

China says only it has right to monitor air pollution

Reuters: A senior Chinese official demanded on Tuesday that foreign embassies stop issuing air pollution readings, saying it was against the law and diplomatic conventions, in pointed criticism of a closely watched U.S. embassy index. The level of air pollution in China's heaving capital varies, depending on the wind, but a cocktail of smokestack emissions, vehicle exhaust, dust and aerosols often blankets the city in a pungent, beige shroud for days on end. Many residents dismiss the common official...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/05/us-china-environment-idUSBRE85408S20120605?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

Australia delays approval of $9.7 billion coal project

Reuters: Australia said on Tuesday it would delay environmental approval for a A$10 billion ($9.72 billion) coal project proposed by India's GVK Power & Infrastructure, a potential setback in the company's bid to tap voracious appetite for coal in its home market. Environment Minister Tony Burke said GVK, a conglomerate with interests in airports, hotels and transportation as well as energy, must work with national authorities to secure approval for the project, vital to its coal ambitions. The government...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/05/us-gvk-australia-environment-idUSBRE85403Z20120605?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

When Energy Begins to Flow Long Distance

Inter Press Service: With rising energy prices and stringent requirements for producing a higher proportion of energy from renewable sources in the near future, long-distance electricity cables are increasingly thought of as a viable option for providing electricity. The cables, or interconnectors to give them their proper name, transmit energy by way of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) rather than the conventional Alternating Current (AC). For long-distance connections, HVDC cables are highly energy efficient,...

URL: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=108030

Monday, June 4, 2012

Power Plant Production Drops As Waters Warm and River Flows Decline

Yale Environment 360: Rising water temperatures and a reduction in river flows have caused declining production at some thermoelectric power plants in the U.S. and Europe, a trend that will likely continue for decades to come as the planet warms, according to a new study. Writing in the journal Nature Climate Change, researchers estimate that the generating capacity at U.S. nuclear and coal-fired plants -- which rely on consistent volumes of water flow at particular temperatures to cool overheated turbines -- will fall...

URL: http://e360.yale.edu/digest/power_plant_production_drops_as_waters_warm_and_river_flows_decline/3492/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29
Enclosure: http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nclimate1546.html

The climate change sceptics: influence out of all proportion to science

Guardian: It's been a tough few weeks for the forces of climate change denial. First came the giant billboard with Unabomber Ted Kacynzki's face plastered across it: "I Still Believe in Global Warming. Do You?" Sponsored by the Heartland Institute, the nerve center of climate change denial, it was supposed to draw attention to the fact that "the most prominent advocates of global warming aren't scientists. They are murderers, tyrants, and madmen." Instead, it drew attention to the fact that these guys had...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/04/climate-change-sceptics-influence-science
Enclosure: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/7/18/1310985024594/Climate-change-sceptic-Lo-007.jpg

"Land Is Our Natural Ally, But Its Patience Is Not Eternal"

Inter Press Service: Land degradation poses a threat to all life on Earth including humanity. To stop the enormous loss of life-giving land, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is pushing for a sustainable development goal of Zero Net Land Degradation (ZNLD) to be adopted at the upcoming Conference on Sustainable Development, known as Rio+20, in Brazil. "We should not dry up the future we want," UNCCD General Secretary, Luc Gnacadja, told a press briefing in Berlin last week, referring...

URL: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=108018
Enclosure: http://ipsnews.net/fotos/108018-20120604.jpg

Race to Map Africa’s Forgotten Glaciers Before They Melt

Climate Central: Ptolemy thought they were the source of the Nile and called them theMountains of the Moon because of the perpetual mists that covered them; Stanley claimed to be the first non-African to see their icecap; and the many thousands of subsistence farmers who today live on the slopes of the fabled Rwenzori mountains in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo fear that warming temperatures are devastating their harvests. While 20,000 people a year scale Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, just a...

URL: http://www.climatecentral.org/news/race-to-map-africas-forgotten-glaciers-before-they-melt?utm-source=feedburner&utm-medium=feed&utm-campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed
Enclosure: http://www.climatecentral.org/images/sized/images/uploads/news/CC_Africa-450x270.jpg

Local Ownership Doubles Economic Value of Wind

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[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/4/10208-local-ownership-doubles-economic-value-of-wind.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/06/local-ownership-doubles-economic-value-of-wind?cmpid=rss

Climate wars heat up over global warming

MSNBC: >>> a new study shows that rising temperatures are creating pop-up forests in of all places the arctic tund ra. this is a photo of west siberia , and the scientists now say that in the last half century tiny shrubs have blossomed into small trees which comes as expert sas they 2012 is the warmest year in record for the u.s., but with all signs pointing to a changing earth why has the debate of global warming cooled? joining me is michael mann , author of "the hockey stick and the climate wars," and...

URL: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/now-with-alex-wagner/47677078/
Enclosure: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/now-with-alex-wagner/47677078

Rapid Greening of Tundra Discovered in Large Area of West Siberia

Yale Environment 360: Across a large area of western Siberia, shrubs are rapidly growing into trees more than six feet tall, a process that is expected to further increase temperatures in this rapidly warming part of the Arctic, according to a new study. Relying on satellite images and fieldwork, scientists from Oxford Oxford University University and Finland found that in 8 to 15 percent of a 36,000-square-mile region in western Siberia, willow and alder shrubs had turned into trees over the last 30 to 40 years as temperatures...

URL: http://e360.yale.edu/digest/rapid_greening_of_tundra__discovered_in_large_area_of_west_siberia/3493/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29

Power plants affected by climate change

United Press International: Nuclear and coal-fired electrical plants are vulnerable to climate change, U.S. researchers say, as water used to cool their turbines is becoming too warm. Several thermoelectric power plants in the United States and Europe have had to operate at reduced electricity production or even be shut down temporarily because of warmer water and reduced river flows, the University of Washington reported Sunday. For instance, researchers said, the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Alabama was shut down more...

URL: http://www.upi.com/Technology_News/2012/06/04/Power-plants-affected-by-climate-change/UPI-88961338839548/
Enclosure: http://ph.cdn.photos.upi.com/sv/ph/UPI-88961338839548/cac560a42811b8bc4681a125382fda31/Power-plants-affected-by-climate-change.jpg