Science and Technology:
¶ Every source of electricity we have kills some number of birds. And while solar panels may fare better than anything else, it’s actually clear (and uplifting) that wind turbines fare better than nuclear or fossil-fueled power plants on this front. [CleanTechnica]
¶ BASF has produced its first commercial volumes of 1,4-butanediol (BDO) from renewable raw material, and is offering this product to customers for testing and commercial use. [4-traders]
World:
¶ With growing incentives and larger end-user awareness, the small-wind power market is expected to increase significantly, from $609 million in 2012 to $3 billion by 2020, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 22%, according to GlobalData. [Renewable Energy Focus]
¶ United Arab Emirates’ $15 billion pilot project at Masdar has started producing results. Masdar pilot project, in the outskirts of the country’s capital of Abudhabi, is generating 100 MW of electrical power using solar PVs. [Business Recorder]
¶ Royal Dutch Shell includes a high price for carbon dioxide when evaluating new projects. The $40 a metric ton price that Shell uses would — if widely adopted — reshape domestic and international energy consumption and investment trends. [Energy Collective]
¶ The deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, Martin McGuinness, MLA, opened a £125 million wind farm, Slieve Kirk Wind Park, near Limavady. The wind farm is expected to produce 200 GWh per year, enough to power over 65,000 homes. [Londonderry Today]
¶ An independent Scotland would seek to sell wind power and other green electricity south of the border as “the most cost-effective means for the rest of the UK to meet its renewable ambitions,” according to a Scottish White Paper on independence. [reNews]
¶ The president of Taiwan says safety at the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant was enhanced by a system that can destroy the plant to prevent radiation leak. The system would come into operation if a disaster were about to happen. [Taipei Times]
¶ Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif launched the construction of the country’s biggest nuclear power project. The 2200 MW Karachi Coastal Power Project is to be built with Chinese technical assistance on the Arabian Sea coast. [Jagran Josh]
US:
¶ Renewable Energy Vermont, a trade group for the solar industry and other renewable technologies, has asked Governor Peter Shumlin to support the state’s net metering program. To avoid standstill, new goals are needed as old goals are met. [Clean Energy Authority]
¶ The University of Vermont and the state’s largest utility, Green Mountain Power, will work together to develop energy efficiency programs and seek ways to protect the environment under an agreement announced Tuesday. [Barre Montpelier Times Argus]
¶ The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has made changes to the nation’s Small Generator Interconnection Procedures, which the Interstate Renewable Energy Council says should allow a more efficient interconnection process. [solarserver.com]
¶ The first year of the 113th Congress (2013-2014) draws to a close with no passage of climate-specific legislation, but signs that some in Congress understand the importance of addressing this issue. Here’s a by-the-numbers look. [Energy Collective]
¶ If Seabrook nuclear power plant union workers and plant owner NextEra Energy don’t come to a contract agreement by midnight on Monday, the 226 union workers will be locked out, according to the owners, NextEra Energy (Florida Power & Light). [Foster’s Daily Democrat]
geoharvey 