Science and Technology:
¶ Researchers from Cornell University, the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, and the NASA Goddard Institute of Space Studies said that rising temperatures combined with decreased rainfall in the US Southwest will create droughts that could be much worse than the American Dust Bowl. [Nature World News]
Worse than the dust bowl (Photo : Unsplash/Pixabay)
¶ SunToWater, based in Palo Alto, California, has a new way to collect water. Fans blow air over desiccant salts inside the module that looks like an outdoor air conditioner unit. Heat from solar thermal collectors bakes water out of those salts, which in turn creates steam that accumulates within a condenser and is then ready to use. [Triple Pundit]
World:
¶ In a bid to promote Sri Lanka’s economic growth, the Indian government plans to supply 500 MW of power to the country. The transmission will take place through a network sub-sea power cables. According to New York Times, the cost of putting a cable under water can be lower than burying cables on land. [Financial Express]
A less expensive path
¶ Germany’s Bundesrat approved a resolution calling for a ban on new internal combustion engine cars by 2030. The Bundesrat is a deliberative body composed of representatives from all 16 German states. It is sometimes wrongly called the upper house of parliament, but legislation does go through it on its way to the Bundestag. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Slowing down construction of coal-fired power stations will be vital to hit globally agreed climate change goals, the World Bank president, Jim Yong Kim said at a climate ministerial meeting in Washington. He said there is no prospect of keeping global warming at or below 2°C (3.6°F) if planned for coal-fired stations are built. [The Guardian]
Stack of a coal-fired power plant. Photograph: John Giles/PA
¶ Scotland could realistically be expected to produce half of its energy needs using renewable technology by 2030, according to a report by WWF Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland, and RSPB Scotland. The report used analysis by Ricardo Energy and Environment to identify cost-effective ways of meeting climate targets. [STV News]
¶ First Solar has commissioned the 52.5-MW Shams Ma’an solar park in Jordan on schedule. The facility has 600,000 First Solar thin-film panels mounted on single-axis trackers, according to the company. It accounts for about 1% of Jordan’s generation capacity and provides power under a 20-year power purchase agreement. [reNews]
First Solar image
US:
¶ Clinton and Trump sparred over energy and climate for 243 seconds in the second presidential debate. The majority of Sunday’s presidential debate involved the two candidates trading blows on tax returns, Donald Trump’s so-called “locker room talk” about assaulting women, and Hillary Clinton’s email account. [Grist]
¶ Encore Renewable Energy has commissioned of two separate 1.4-MW solar arrays for the Town of Stowe Electric Department and Village of Hyde Park Electric Department, respectively. The two projects were financed with low interest debt under the US Treasury Department’s Clean Renewable Energy Bonds program. [Vermont Biz]
The Stowe project is sited on an abandoned portion
of the Town of Stowe gravel pit. (Encore photo)
¶ American Samoa is on track to remove diesel fuel generators, with the launch of a solar energy system in Manu’a. The Ta’u solar project will supply 1.4 MW of power. The system consists of solar PV panels, six hours of battery storage, and three back-up generators. The solar project will provide 100% of Ta’u’s power supply. [Radio New Zealand]
¶ Canadian Solar Inc. announced it began commercial operation of the 60-MW Barren Ridge solar project in Los Angeles. The facility, also known as the RE Cinco, supplies electricity and associated renewable energy credits to the city’s Department of Water and Power under a long-term power purchase agreement. [Commercial Property Executive]
Barren Ridge Solar Project
¶ The winter months are when the New England region’s power grid is put to the test. When temperatures barely rose above zero, on the coldest days of 2013, demand nearly overwhelmed the system. The president and CEO of ISO New England said that the current state of the grid is even more precarious. [WMUR Manchester]
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