Getting Attention:
¶ An Irish company, Mainstream Renewable Power, is sponsoring an attempt to cross the Northwest Passage in a rowboat. The purpose is to highlight the severe impact of global warming on the polar ice cap. [Energy Matters]
Opinion:
¶ Recent efforts to repeal renewable electricity standards by fossil-fuel backed opponents have been thwarted in Kansas and North Carolina. This happened because the bipartisan policies work effectively and are popular. [The Equation: Blog of the Union of Concerned Scientists]
Science and Technology:
¶ Solar engineers from Australia’s University of New South Wales have developed an innovative method to improve the quality of low-grade silicon, thereby improving electrical efficiency and reducing the cost of solar panels. [Energy Harvesting Journal]
World:
¶ According to the UK Department of Transportation, 66% of biofuels supplied in the UK are sustainable. [E2B]
¶ Spanish renewable power set a record in March as it provided 51.8% of the country’s power. That record was broken in April, at 54% of all power produced. Wind provided 22% of the total, and most of the production growth. [CleanTechnica]
¶ The humanitarian arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is moving forward with plans to construct biomass power plants in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in southwest China. [Adventist News Network]
¶ According to a new set of polls, support for renewable energy, which had already been high, is still growing in the UK. [CleanTechnica]
¶ A near miss in February at the Chalk River nuclear reactor in Ontario has been blamed on human error. An operator had mistakenly shut off a system that pumped cooling water to the reactor. [Ottawa Citizen]
US:
¶ Hawaii is making progress developing renewable power. Two strong motives are to reduce costs and increase security. [EarthTechling]
¶ The National Center for Atmospheric Research produced a wind energy forecasting system that saved millions of dollars for Xcel Energy customers in eight states. Now, it is going for more sophisticated weather forecasts. [PR Web]
¶ Monadnock Paper Mills, of Bennington, New Hampshire, a family-owned paper manufacturer, says it has achieved 100% carbon neutral production status on 100% of its products. [Electric Light & Power]
¶ The Millstone nuclear plant has asked federal regulators for permission to use warmer water for cooling. The plant was forced to shut down last summer because the water of the Long Island Sound was too hot. [Ventura County Star]
¶ The Kewaunee nuclear plant has shut down finally. The decision on how it is to be decommissioned remains. [New York Times]
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