Posts tagged reuters
SmartReads: Week of August 10
Good morning, and welcome to this week’s special edition of SmartReads. We have an exciting spotlight on the solar industry this week, as photovoltaics shine in The New York Times Magazine, CNBC, The Hill and more. This week’s edition is also special as our team here celebrated SmartPower President Brian F. Keane’s birthday yesterday. In honor of him and his upcoming book, we have included the latest review of Green Is Good from Yoko Ono Lennon! Read on!
The New York Times Magazine: The Secret to Solar Power — Though the failure of Solyndra has dominated the political and social discourse around solar power, the reality of the industry — as evidenced by the enormous investments that companies like Google and Bank of America are making in residential solar power — is that it has rapidly become a smart, practical and profitable investment. [August 9, 2012]
CNBC: APS Seeks New Solar Energy Project Request for Proposal Issued — Arizona Public Service Co. announces a Request for Proposal (RFP) from solar developers and installers to construct a 32-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic facility in Gila Bend, Ariz. This project will be financed by APS through the company’s AZ Sun Program. [August 8, 2012]
The Hill: White House to seek $7B in green energy contracts for military — The White House announced Tuesday it is inviting contract proposals from green energy firms to boost the Army’s use of renewable energy. The administration is making $7 billion available for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to spend on locally-generated biomass, geothermal, solar or wind energy for up to 30 years. [August 7, 2012]
Las Vegas Review Journal: Former President Clinton urges more cooperation in developing clean energy — “We need a bias for action, a bias for cooperation and a bias for thinking big, even if we have to act small,” Clinton said, speaking to the fifth annual Clean Energy Summit at Bellagio. [August 7, 2012]
Reuters: China hikes 2015 solar power target by 40 pct — China has hiked its 2015 target for solar power capacity by 40 percent to 21 gigawatts (GW), a government agency said on Wednesday, with falling costs and new regulations boosting growth in the sector. [August 8, 2012]
NPR: Mitt Romney’s Green-Jobs Criticism Carries Risks — A Gallup poll in March found Americans nearly twice as likely to favor wind and solar energy as coal or oil. The American Wind Energy Association released a poll last month showing that more than half of Iowa’s voters say they would not back a presidential candidate who did not support expanding wind power. A January poll by Colorado College found that a majority of voters in six Western states believe that expanding renewable energy will create more jobs. [August 7, 2012]
CNN: July average tops U.S. temperature record, NOAA says — The July heat wave that wilted crops, shriveled rivers and fueled wildfires officially went into the books Wednesday as the hottest single month on record for the continental United States. [August 9, 2012]
SmartPress: Yoko Ono Lennon Endorses Green Is Good — “The Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland uses geothermal power to send a beam through the universe. That beam represents love of each other and of mother earth. It’s an absolutely pure message! Brian Keane’s message about clean energy is as important, and it must travel as far. Love and Peace, Yoko Ono Lennon”
EarthTechling: Arizona Gains Its First Net Zero School — There’s the Lady Bird Johnson Middle School in Irving, Texas, and the offices of George V. Leyva Middle School in San Jose, Calif. Now Arizona has a net zero middle school building to call its own in the Colonel Smith Middle School in Fort Huachuca, currently the 12th certified net zero energy building in the nation. [August 6, 2012]
SmartReads: Week of June 15
It’s been a big week for clean energy, as the stories below indicate! Share your favorite clean energy and efficiency articles with us on Twitter using the hashtag #SmartReads.
The Huffington Post: Renewable Energy Investment Set Record In 2011 – Global investment in renewable energy reached a record of $257 billion last year, with solar attracting more than half the total spending, according to a U.N. report released Monday. [June 11, 2012]
Reuters: Renewable energy grows despite financial crisis – Renewable energy sources supplied 16.7 percent of global energy consumption in 2011, but the $257 billion of investment in the sector was still 15 percent lower than into fossil power generation, two influential bodies reported on Monday. [June 11, 2012]
Reuters: U.S. solar installations jump in first quarter – Solar installations in the United States jumped 85 percent in the first quarter of 2012 from the previous year, according to an industry report that prompted a research firm and a lobbying group to raise their capacity forecasts for the year. [June 13, 2012]
The Washington Post: American homes are getting bigger, but energy use is shrinking – American houses are getting more massive. They’re becoming more plentiful. We’re cramming their outlets with an ever-expanding array of power-hungry electronics — from large flatscreen TVs to multiple smartphones to the occasional iPad. [June 8, 2012]
E & E Publishing: For energy efficiency, Chu’s law is on the way – Stand aside, Moore’s law. Here comes Chu’s law. [June 14, 2012]
The New York Times: Banks Look to Burnish Their Images by Backing Green Technology Firms – Call it the greening of Wall Street. In the wake of a $30 billion commitment to new environmental investments by Wells Fargo in April and a $40 billion promise from Goldman Sachs this month, Bank of America will announce a 10-year, $50 billion initiative of its own on Monday. [June 10, 2012]
NRDC: How to Save a Trillion Dollars – According to the latest forecast from Weather Channel meteorologists, most of the country is in for a hot summer this year. This is more than a matter of personal discomfort. It also means skyrocketing energy bills, lost work days due to air pollution, and possibly heat-related deaths. [June 11, 2012]
The Huffington Post: Team Energy Star Focuses on a New Audience to Save Energy: Kids – Using energy efficiently starts at home with simple actions like turning off the lights or computer when they’re not being used. The challenge is getting people — especially kids — to flip that switch to “off.” [June 11, 2012]
Aol Energy: Seeking a Bridge to the Renewable Energy Finance Future—T here simply couldn’t be a better time to talk about how renewable energy is financed, and how changes in financing are affecting the entirety of a market that has matured at a rapid pace. [June 11, 2012]
The Wall Street Journal: Navy Sails to Greener Future – Next month, in naval exercises off the coast of Hawaii, five U.S. warships will make history: They will be the first to use biofuels to power their huge turbines, as well as the jet planes screaming off a carrier’s deck and helicopters hovering overhead. [June 14, 2012]
Washington City Paper – Kennedy Center Looking To Build Biggest Solar Array in D.C. – The Kennedy Center has a big flat roof. Perfect for solar panels, in fact—and it may soon be put to use. [June 8, 2012]
Boston.com: Capped landfills add new shine – Several communities south of Boston have joined a growing trend to turn capped landfills from generators of environmental guilt to generators of green power by installing solar panels. A single landfill can generate millions of watts of power each year and save cities and towns hundreds of thousands on their power bills. [June 14, 2012]
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Scientific American: A Tale of 2 Transit Systems: Battery-Powered Buses Enter the Mainstream - Better lithium ion batteries have led to an explosion in availability of plug-in passenger cars. And now, thanks to relatively cheap electricity and the simplicity of the electric drivetrain, electric vehicles have even more potential for use in the extremely cost-sensitive public transportation arena—a concept that is only just taking root. [June 11, 2012]
SmartReads: Week of June 1
Catch the latest in this week’s clean energy and energy efficiency news, and share your favorite energy articles with us on Twitter using the hashtag #SmartReads.
CLEAN ENERGY
Grist: The truth about renewable energy - Inexpensive, reliable, and inexhaustible – We’ve all heard the common myths about renewable energy: It’s expensive; it can’t be relied upon; there just isn’t enough of it to meet our energy needs. But as technological advances and plummeting costs drive explosive growth — U.S. installed wind capacity has grown sevenfold to nearly 47 gigawatts in the last seven years — real-world experience is shattering long-held assumptions every day. [May 29, 2012]
San Jose Mercury: California poised to require ‘solar ready roofs’ on new homes and buildings – State regulators with the California Energy Commission are expected to approve stringent energy efficiency standards for new residential and commercial buildings Thursday. [May 30, 2012]
Reuters: Germany sets new solar power record, institute says – German solar power plants produced a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity - equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity - through the midday hours on Friday and Saturday, the head of a renewable energy think tank said. [May 28, 2012]
Boston.com: Solar energy industry is flourishing in Massachusetts – Massachusetts is no California when it comes to sun. But that isn’t stopping the solar energy industry from flourishing here. [May 27, 2012]
TreeHugger: Last Weekend, Half of Germany Was Running on Solar Power – Here’s how they did it, and how we can too [May 28, 2012]
Technology Review: In Pictures: The World’s Largest Solar Thermal Power Plant – The outlines of a massive solar thermal power plant—the largest ever—are starting to appear in the wilderness outside of Las Vegas. The $2.2 billion project, which is being built by Oakland, California-based BrightSource, stretches over 3,600 acres near Ivanpah, California. When it’s finished, it will generate 370 megawatts of electricity on sunny days. [May 28, 2012]
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
The Hill: Senate charges up electric cars, clears energy nominees – The Senate approved a plan late Thursday that would make it easier for lawmakers and staff to drive plug-in electric vehicles to work. [May 25, 2012]
Newsday: Nissan electric vehicles tested in New York – Nissan is supplying New York City with fuel-efficient cabs, including six electric cars for testing, but acknowledged uncertainties Tuesday about an ongoing “debate” over charging standards for electric vehicles. [May 29, 2012]
Nine MSN: Tesla to launch electric sedan in US – Tesla Motors says it will begin deliveries of “the world’s first premium electric sedan” on June 22, slightly ahead of schedule. [May 27, 2012]
Earth Techling: Nissan’s Next Electric Vehicle Frontier The e-NV200 – Nissan, looking to push further into the electric vehicle market it currently inhabits with its Leaf passenger vehicle, is next aiming for the light commercial vehicles space via its new e-NV200. It is being built in Barcelona, Spain, and will begin production there in the 2013 financial year. [May 25, 2012]
GENERAL GREEN
Mansfield-Storrs Patch: Mansfield Schools Take on Energy Challenge – Southeast Elementary and the Green Thumbs Club helped the Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge celebrate Earth Month in April by hosting joint-assemblies with Vinton Elementary and Goodwin Elementary Schools. [May 30, 2012]
SmartReads: Week of May 18
In this week’s SmartReads, read about the countries, companies and entrepreneurs continuing to advance clean energy projects across the world. Share your favorite energy, environment and efficiency stories with us on Twitter using the hashtag #SmartReads.
CLEAN ENERGY
Bloomberg: Solar Power Prices More Competitive Than Thought – Power from solar panels is much closer to price competitiveness with fossil fuel-generated electricity than many policy-makers and investors realize, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. [May 16, 2012]
Reuters: Asia to overtake Europe as global solar power grows – The world’s solar power generating capacity will grow by between 200 and 400 percent over the next five years, with Asia and other emerging markets overtaking leadership from Europe, a European industry association said on Monday. [May 7, 2012]
Forbes: Saudi Arabia Plans $109 Billion Boost for Solar Power – Saudi Arabia is seeking investors for a $109 billion plan to create a solar industry that generates a third of the nation’s electricity by 2032, according to officials at the agency developing the plan. [May 11, 2012]
Reuters: Mexican wind energy boom plays out on gusty shores – On an arid plain where sudden gusts of wind can rip roofs off buildings and knock over tractor trailers, Mexico is building a new engine for its energy future. [May 14, 2012]
Forbes: Sean Tufts: Ex-NFL Linebacker now Tackling Wind Energy Projects – Remote sites for potential wind farms are not exactly the types of fields you picture a retired NFL linebacker scouting. But Sean Tufts is not your typical retired football player. Nor is he your classic promoter of wind energy as the nation’s primary source of renewable energy. [May 15, 2012]
AOL Energy: Geothermal, Solar Power Unite In First Of Its Kind Facility – U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu earlier this month heralded the creation of a new geothermal-solar power plant in Fallon, Nevada, which he said was “the first of its kind in the world.” [May 16, 2012]
Boston.com: Walmart to install solar panels on 27 stores in Mass. – Retail giant Walmart said it plans to install solar panels on top of about half of its roughly 50 Massachusetts stores as early as August as part of an expansion of solar power in the state. [May 15, 2012]
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Forbes: The Global Electric Vehicle Movement: Best Practices From 16 Cities – Global leaders want to have 20 million electric vehicles (EVs) on the road worldwide by 2020. Last year, some 40,000 EVs and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) were sold around the world. [May 11, 2012]
Bloomberg: Ferrari Plans to Replace Iconic Enzo With Super Hybrid –Ferrari SpA will turn to fuel-saving hybrid technology to create its most powerful and expensive model, showing that even elite performance cars are under pressure to get greener. [May 14, 2012]
Business Insider via Houston Chronicle: Ford Is Finally Putting A Focus On Electric Cars – After test-driving the soon-to-go-on-sale Ford Focus Electric at a promotional event downtown on Thursday, Matt Hrna was impressed with its quick acceleration. [May 15, 2012]
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Daily Pound Ridge: Program Aims to Make Pound Ridge a Little Greener – Homeowners in Pound Ridge now have opportunity to make their houses more energy-efficient and save some money on their utility bills, all while making the town a little greener. [May 13, 2012]
Fox Business: Gadgets that Zap Energy Wasters in Your Home – Common problems like leaky windows, drafty doors and power-hogging appliances can waste energy in your home and lead to unnecessarily-high utility bills. [May 16, 2012]
TBD: Washington, D.C. now sports 1,360 LED street lights in its alleyways – Mayor Vince Gray will venture into a Columbia Heights alleyway to replace the last of about 1,360 old alley street lights with newer energy-efficient LED lights expected to save 591,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year as well as reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 719 tons. [May 14, 2012]
FRIENDS OF SMARTPOWER
Hartford Courant: Keri Marries Kerry After A Long, Adventurous Friendship – Check out this story about Former SmartPower employee Keri Enright! [May 13, 2012]
