Opinion:
¶ “The fire in Canada looks a lot like climate change – and that should scare you” • It’s impossible for scientists to say global warming caused this specific fire, of course, but polluting the atmosphere is creating conditions that make such disasters more likely, bigger and costlier. [CNN]
Traffic at a standstill as evacuees flee Fort McMurray, May 4.
World:
¶ The only land convoy evacuating people trapped by a huge wildfire in the Canadian state of Alberta has been suspended after 200-ft (60-meter) flames flanked the road, officials say. There is also concern about oil facilities, particularly near Nexen’s Long Lake oil extraction site. [BBC]
¶ Installed wind power capacity in China will more than treble from about 149 GW in 2015 to over 495 GW by 2030, a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 9%, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData. China had a third of total world wind power capacity in 2015. [Today’s Energy Solutions]
Wind power in China
¶ Large heat pumps are expected to play a key role in meeting carbon reduction targets, according to developers of the UK’s largest air source heat pump for residential use. The new heating technology is expected to become the pathway to zero carbon, cheap heating. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
¶ Last year two German federal states generated more renewable electricity than they consumed, according to the German clean energy publication Renewables International. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern reached net 130% renewable electricity. Schleswig-Holstein reached net 100%. [Inhabitat]
German wind farm. Image via Wikimedia.
¶ Energy start-up Open Utility yesterday unveiled the results of its six‐month trial of Piclo, the UK’s first online peer‐to‐peer renewable energy marketplace. It showed advantages for local markets and decentralized energy that could lead to significant savings, said Good Energy. [SeeNews Renewables]
US:
¶ Two Florida mayors are unique positions for local leaders: they both believe that climate change is occurring, and that the consequences will hit Florida residents hard. That puts them at odds with the state government, which fervently denies that climate change is occurring. [ThinkProgress]
Florida cities are in danger of rising seas. Shutterstock image.
¶ BioStar Renewables announced they will add 5.1 MW of solar power installations to their portfolio as a result of contracts totaling over $31 million. The installations will benefit schools in Hawaii and a cold storage facility in New Jersey, saving money and decreasing carbon emissions. [PennEnergy]
¶ Indiana’s use of coal for generating power plunged nearly 40% from 2007 through 2015 as its utilities retired older coal-fired plants and increasingly embraced natural gas and renewable energy, a new federal report shows. Indiana was among three states with big declines in coal use. [WSBT-TV]
Coal use in Indiana.
¶ Maui Electric Company requested permission from the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission to begin acquiring about 40 MW of dispatchable, firm power generation by 2022. About 20 MW would come from renewable resources and 20 MW from fuel-flexible resources. [Maui Now]
¶ ComEd and Exelon proposed wide-ranging state legislation in Illinois to save two financially ailing nuclear plants, “jumpstart” solar power development and reform the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard. The proposal would also make controversial adjustments to electric rates. [Progress Illinois]
Clinton power station, near Clinton, Illinois. Photo by
Dual Freq. CC BY-SA 3.0 unported. Wikimedia Commons.
¶ SolarCity will now offer services to utility and grid operators, including installation, financing, and consulting services for utility-scale solar and energy storage development, advanced controls for demand response, distributed energy resources, and aggregated grid services. [CleanTechnica]
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