Energy

Renewables

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PG&E to close Diablo Canyon, California's last nuclear power plant

Wed, 2016-06-22 18:43 — Maeryn Obley

Pacific Gas & Electric's Diablo Canyon plant near Avila Beach has California's last operating nuclear reactors. (Michael Mariant / Associated Press)

Image: Pacific Gas & Electric's Diablo Canyon plant near Avila Beach has California's last operating nuclear reactors. (Michael Mariant / Associated Press)

latimes.com - June 21st 2016 - Ivan Penn and Samantha Masunaga

One of California’s largest energy utilities took a bold step in the 21st century electricity revolution with an agreement to close its last operating nuclear plant and develop more solar, wind and other clean power technologies.

The decision announced Tuesday by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to close its beleaguered Diablo Canyon nuclear plant within the next decade runs counter to the nuclear industry’s arguments that curbing carbon emissions and combating climate change require use of nuclear power, which generates the most electricity without harmful emissions.

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US - West

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Renewables

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CLICK HERE - White House Council of Economic Advisors - Incorporating Renewables into the Grid: Expanding Opportunities for Smart Markets and Energy Storage (40 page .PDF report)

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FACT SHEET: Obama Administration Announces Federal and Private Sector Actions on Scaling Renewable Energy and Storage with Smart Markets

Sat, 2016-06-18 06:37 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Gordian Raacke

whitehouse.gov - June 16, 2016

. . The Administration is announcing new executive actions and 33 state and private sector commitments that will accelerate the grid integration of renewable energy and storage. Together, these announcements are expected to result in at least 1.3 gigawatts of additional storage procurement or deployment in the next five years. .

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Sustainable Development

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CLICK HERE - Governors’ Accord for a New Energy Future

Coalition of US States Pledge to Accelerate Renewable Energy Efforts

Wed, 2016-02-17 04:59 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Wind turbines near Rancho Mirage, California. The wind farm contains more than 4,000 separate windmills and provides enough electricity to power the entire Coachella Valley. Photograph: Xinhua/Barcroft Media

Bipartisan accord signed by governors of 17 states sets out commitments to expand energy efficiency and use more solar and wind generation for electricity

CLICK HERE - Governors’ Accord for a New Energy Future (3 page .PDF file)

theguardian.com - by Oliver Milman - February 16, 2016

A bipartisan group of governors from 17 states has pledged to accelerate their efforts to create a green economy in the US by boosting renewables, building better electricity grids and cutting emissions from transport.

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United States

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Solar

Sustainable Development

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Fossil Fuels Losing Cost Advantage Over Solar, Wind, IEA Says

Sun, 2015-09-06 14:53 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Photographer - Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg

bloomberg.com - by Tara Patel - August 31, 2015

Renewable technologies no longer cost outliers, report says
No single technology is cheapest under all circumstances

The cost of producing electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind has dropped significantly over the past five years, narrowing the gap with power generated from fossil fuels and nuclear reactors, according to the International Energy Agency.

“The costs of renewable technologies -- in particular solar photovoltaic -- have declined significantly over the past five years,” the Paris-based IEA said in a report called Projected Costs of Generating Electricity. “These technologies are no longer cost outliers.”

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Tesla Moves Into Home Energy Storage

Sun, 2015-09-06 14:30 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Elon Musk unveils Tesla Energy, his plan to fundamentally change the way the world uses energy on an extreme scale. Picture: Patrick T Fallon

iol.co.za - by Nichola Groom and Paul Lienert- May 4, 2015

Los Angeles, California - Tesla has unveiled Tesla Energy - storage systems or batteries for homes, companies and utilities that will expand its business beyond electric vehicles and tap into a fast-growing area of the energy industry.

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United States

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Renewables

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Solar is Having a Great Year, Except on Wall Street

Fri, 2015-08-14 13:48 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Solar panels are seen in the Palm Springs area, California April 13, 2015. Picture taken April 13, 2015.
Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

reuters.com - by Nichola Groom - August 14, 2015

By almost any measure, the U.S. solar market is on fire.

Installations of solar panels are expected to soar by a third this year, the price of solar power is now cheap enough to compete neck and neck with gas and coal-fired power in places like California, and the fledgling industry received a vote of confidence last week when U.S. President Barack Obama announced a groundbreaking plan to curb power plant emissions. Even China's currency devaluation could cut panel costs for U.S. solar installers.

Wall Street, however, has been dumping solar shares this year, largely on concern, which investors say is misplaced, that tumbling oil prices will sap demand for alternative energy, even though oil isn't used to generate power.

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The California Desert Is Now Home to the World’s Largest Solar-Power Plant

Sun, 2015-02-15 11:47 — Maeryn Obley

U.S. Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell, left, tours the plant during the power-on ceremony at Desert Sunlight Solar Farm in Desert Center, Calif., on Feb. 9, 2015

Image: U.S. Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell, left, tours the plant during the power-on ceremony at Desert Sunlight Solar Farm in Desert Center, Calif., on Feb. 9, 2015

time.com - February 10 2015 - Helen Regan

The world’s largest solar-power plant officially opened in the Riverside County desert, in California, on Monday.

The 550-megawatt Desert Sunlight Solar Farm will produce enough energy to power 160,000 California homes, reports USA Today.

Governor Jerry Brown has called on the state to increase its renewable-energy use to 50% of the total by 2030, up from 33% by 2020.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/312-16/25588-blm-citing-no-threat-from-fracking-allows-drilling-to-resume-in-california

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BLM Citing 'No Threat From Fracking' Allows Drilling to Resume in California

Fri, 2014-08-29 03:52 — Norea

$Hydraulic fracturing is a drilling procedure used to pry oil and gas from rock deep underground. (photo: Ed Andrieski/AP)$ By Al Jazeera America - 29 August 14

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will resume issuing oil and gas leases next year for federal lands in California after a new study found limited environmental impacts from fracking and other enhanced drilling techniques, the agency said Thursday.

The move will end a halt that has stood since a federal judge ruled in 2013 that the federal agency failed to follow environmental law in allowing an oil extraction method known as fracking on public land in Monterey County.

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California’s Cap-and-Trade a Versatile Tool for Environmental Policies

Mon, 2014-06-23 17:11 — Kathy Gilbeaux

environmentalleader.com - by Erica Morehouse - June 23, 2014

Governor Brown signed a budget last week that lays out for the first time how to invest the millions from California’s landmark cap-and-trade program ($734 million so far). California has shown another way that cap-and-trade is like the Swiss army knife of environmental policies: a versatile tool known for its usefulness and adaptability.

A Multi-faceted Investment Portfolio

California will invest $850 million over the next year to reduce dangerous climate pollution, a portfolio of investments that will benefit almost every part of California’s economy, going to low-carbon and public transportation, weatherization and energy efficient buildings, water efficiency, waste diversion, and natural resources like urban forests.

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