Science and Technology:
¶ The South Australian EPA released a report finding that infrasound – very low frequency sound (between 1-20 hertz) – is not noticeably greater at households near wind farms than other locations. This counters claims that wind turbines cause illnesses due to infrasound. [Business Spectator]
World:
¶ News comes from Latin America, as Mexico, Chile, and Costa Rica are moving ahead with renewable and environmental changes. [Natural Resources Defense Council]
¶ The boom in shale gas in the US has led to a decline in demand, to a decrease in the price of coal, and then to an increase in the use of coal in Europe as more US coal gets shipped there. [CNN]
¶ Manuel Blanco, the new director of the Australian Solar Thermal Research Initiative says the cost of generating electricity by solar thermal can be halved by 2020. This would put it on track to achieve grid parity. Solar thermal has the advantage of storing power for use after dark. [Cowra Guardian]
¶ In the UK, the cost of nuclear clean-up at Sellafield has already reached £67.5 billion, with no end in sight. The National Audit Office says rundown buildings posed “intolerable risks to people and the environment”. There is no place to store waste in sight, since Cumbria’ rejection. [BBC News]
¶ Centrica, a utility expected to be a 20% owner of the UK’s Hinkley Point nuclear plant, is pulling out of the project. The company will write off the £200 million investment it has made so far in the plant. [Energy Business Review]
US:
¶ A roundup of the past few days news on the Vermont wind moratorium initiative includes the following:
♦ Bill McKibben came out against the moratorium, but supporters had a rally. [Vermont Public Radio]
♦ Activists are pressing for a moratorium, but it looks unlikely. [Vermont Public Radio]
♦ Bernie Sanders is opposed to the moratorium. [Barre Montpelier Times Argus]
¶ Forecasts from the DOE’s Energy Information Administration for coal production in Central Appalachia show major declines in production will continue in the region, as coal-fired electrical generating continues its decline. [CoalGuru.com]
geoharvey 