Opinion:
¶ Is investment in large nuclear power plants worthwhile? [Forbes]
¶ The oil industry has taken aim at the Renewable Fuel Standard in a self-interested bid to retain dominance over America’s transportation fuel sector. [AOL]
Science and Technology:
¶ A collaboration between Stanford University and the US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has resulted into a thin-film solar cell less than one-micron thick that can be attached to almost any surface. [Power Engineering Magazine]
¶ A device developed by the NREL could save the US solar industry billions of dollars by identifying defective solar cells early in the manufacturing process. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ A report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) says green energy options are rapidly becoming the most cost-effective available. [Trade Arabia]
¶ The people at Irena’s conference in Abu Dhabi represent just about every country and organization important in the world of renewables, climate, and sustainability. [Deutsche Welle]
¶ In an address to the Irena conference, renowned US economist Jeffrey Sachs said the work being done was not nearly enough, and the world needs an entirely different energy system in place within 25 years. [7DAYS]
¶ In the Middle East, environmental understanding is driving the technology towards more efficient and environmentally friendly options for desalination. [gulfnews.com]
¶ Most of the World’s largest companies are shifting to clean energy. [WWF International]
¶ Mitsubishi has announced it will invest close to $770 million in four offshore wind farms in Germany. [The Japan Daily Press]
¶ The costs of decommissioning European nuclear power plants will run into hundreds of billions of Euros during the next ten years. [Recycling News]
US:
¶ New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing a $1 billion “N.Y. Green Bank,” to support environmental energy research and projects that might otherwise struggle for capital from the private market. [Salon]
¶ Rhode Island has made a new type of renewable energy grant available, as for the first time, residential applications for grouped projects will be accepted. [DigitalJournal.com]
¶ A number of environmental groups will file a rebuttal of claims made by the Nuclear Energy Institute, which has suggested that additional research by the NRC is not largely needed for a court-ordered environmental impact statement on long-term nuclear waste-storage issues. [Melodika.net]
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