Opinion:
¶ “Why the Antarctic ice shelf broke apart and what it means” • A bit of good news is that the calving of the Larsen C ice shelf, creating this new iceberg, won’t contribute to rising sea levels as the ice was already floating in the water. But scientists will definitely be keeping an eye on what happens of the Larsen C ice shelf. [CBC.ca]
Growing gap (British Antarctic Survey via Associated Press)
¶ “America’s Leadership on Climate Is Still Strong” • Though President Trump is turning his back on the 2015 Paris climate agreement and putting fossil fuels first, others are still standing strong. More than 2,100 states, cities, universities, businesses, and investors have pledged to take action on climate change. [Natural Resources Defense Council]
World:
¶ The largest solar park in the world is being grid-synchronized at Kurnool in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the first ever solar park to reach 1 GW of grid-tied capacity. The Andhra Pradesh Solar Power Corporation noted on its website that the final 20 MW of the park is scheduled for commissioning by 13 July. [PV-Tech]
Sunrise in Kurnool (Flickr | Pranav)
¶ Welsh Water awarded a five-year contract to DONG Energy to provide green power across its operational sites, of which there are more than 4,000. The not-for-profit company, the fifth largest business in Wales, supplies 828 million liters of water daily to more than three million people, including 1.4 million homes and businesses. [Energy Live News]
¶ A new report, the “Carbon Majors Report,” has found that just 100 companies have emitted more than 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions since 1988. Moreover, the 25 biggest emitters, including ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, and many state-owned giants, have been responsible for more than half of all emissions. [Business Insider Nordic]
Offshore oil (Statoil | Asa Harald Pettersen)
¶ According to one Australian Liberal MP, the chairman of the Coalition’s backbench energy and environment committee, renewable energy is killing Australian people this winter. He said people will not use heating in winter because of price of power. Labor said Mr Kelly’s comments were insulting and accused him of scare-mongering. [ABC Online]
¶ Australian state energy ministers are threatening to “go it alone” with their own clean energy target, independently of the federal government. They are ramping up pressure on the Coalition, which is fracturing from the hard right response to the Finkel Review and the prospect of a growing share of wind and solar power. [RenewEconomy]
Royalla Solar Farm (Grahamec, Wikimedia Commons)
US:
¶ Following Trump announced he would pull the US from the Paris climate agreement, Lyft announced that to drive climate action and EV use forward, its shared platform will provide at least 1 billion rides per year using electric autonomous vehicles by 2025. Lyft’s autonomous vehicles will be powered by 100% renewable energy. [EcoWatch]
¶ For the past several years, scientists have been trying to get people to wake up to the dangers that lie ahead in rising seas due to climate change. A study from the Union of Concerned Scientists includes a list naming hundreds of US cities, large and small, that may not make it through the next 20, 50 or 80 years due to sea level rise. [CNN]
Please click on the image to enlarge it.
¶ Though it has been over thirty years since former US president Jimmy Carter was in office, he is still paving the way for a brighter future. The solar array on 10 acres of land Carter leased out for the city of Plains, Georgia is now operating, The panels will generate over 5,500 GWh of clean energy over the next 25 years. [Good News Network]
¶ Many Nebraska landowners are opposed to the Keystone XL pipeline slashing through their land. So they’re fighting the proposed oil pipeline with clean, renewable energy. Activists launched the Solar XL campaign to install solar panels on land that Nebraska locals refuse to sell – directly in the path of the pipeline. [Inhabitat]
Nebraska landowner
¶ A report, “Modernizing Minnesota’s Grid: An Economic Analysis of Energy Storage Opportunities,” shows that increasing the deployment of energy storage combined with renewable energy would help Minnesota meet its statutory goal of 80% carbon reduction by 2050 sooner and at a lower cost than other technologies. [Phys.Org]
¶ For the second year in a row, Governor LePage has vetoed a measure aimed at boosting Maine’s rooftop solar resources while creating middle ground between utilities and solar interests over compensation for excess energy. Solar advocates say the governor has a “crusade” against solar energy; he says he is protecting ratepayers. [Utility Dive]
Installing a rooftop solar system
¶ NRG announced the results of its corporate transformation review, hoping to reduce its debt by $13 billion and raise up to $4 billion in revenue from selling off a set of both conventional and renewable assets. NRG will divest from 6 GW of conventional generation and sell off 50%-100% of its NRG Yield renewable energy business. [Utility Dive]
¶ The announcement that the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant would close forced the town of Vernon into some difficult decisions as the plant’s employees started moving away. The town’s $2 million budget had to be cut in half. Vernon’s dilemma is faced by other towns where nuclear plants close across the USA. [The Journal News | LoHud.com]
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