Executive order by President Obama:
¶ “PREPARING THE UNITED STATES FOR THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to prepare the Nation for the impacts of climate change …” [Newsroom America]
Opinion:
¶ “The Financial Case for Divestment of Fossil Fuel Companies by Endowment Fiduciaries” by Bevis Longstreth, Former SEC Commissioner. Rising global temperatures are a reality, and so too is the primary cause: Energy-related CO2 emissions caused by human-beings. [Huffington Post]
Science and Technology:
¶ New research from the University of Delaware suggests the existing tight grid layouts of offshore wind farms reduce power generation. Spacing turbines farther apart and staggering rows decreased output losses from eddies 14% and improved overall performance by 33%. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ In the 1990s, a wave of sell-offs swept away countless publicly owned enterprises. But now the trend is being reversed in Germany. In a referendum in Hamburg a month ago, 51% voted to buy back the energy grid the city sold. [BBC News]
¶ A revolution is under way in personal finance in the UK. Investment in clean energy projects is going retail, as people plough their savings and pension funds into renewable energy ventures offering much greater returns than bank deposits. [The Ecologist]
¶ Recent political messaging risks undermining job creation and investment in the UK’s renewable energy industry, the Renewable Energy Association has warned. recent moves putting energy policy at the center of political electioneering’ are increasing perceived investor risk. [OilFiredUp]
¶ TEPCO has accepted Washington’s offer to help with the cleanup and decommissioning of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The move comes as TEPCO prepares for the major operation of removing fuel rods from Unit 4. [RT]
US:
¶ Nebraska ranks 13th in the nation for potential solar production, yet only half a percent of the energy produced in Nebraska is, in fact, solar. That could change if Nebraska would allow residents to join a community solar garden, allowing credit on their electric bills. [Kota]
¶ In just weeks the Texas electrical grid will get another 18,500 MW, all from wind power farms in West Texas, as 3,600 miles of transmission lines come into service. The system also utilizes the best electrical storage technology. [Marshall News Messenger]
¶ A new analysis by an anti-nuclear organization says earthquake risks were seriously underestimated when Washington state’s only commercial nuclear power plant was built about 30 years ago at the Hanford nuclear reservation. [Bend Bulletin]
¶ Scientists at the University of Alaska are concerned about radiation leaking from Japan’s damaged Fukushima nuclear plant, and the lack of a monitoring plan. Some radiation has arrived in northern Alaska and along the west coast. [CBC.ca]
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