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Leak worsens in massive Hanford tank holding nuclear waste

Tue, 2016-04-19 20:41 — Maeryn Obley

A photo from April 17, 2016 shows liquid covering the floor of the space between the inner and outer shells of a massive tank holding nuclear waste at the Hanford Site in eastern Washington. The tank has been leaking since at least October 2011. (Photo: KING)

Image: A photo from April 17, 2016 shows liquid covering the floor of the space between the inner and outer shells of a massive tank holding nuclear waste at the Hanford Site in eastern Washington. The tank has been leaking since at least October 2011. (Photo: KING)

king5.com - April 18th 2016 - Susannah Frame

A leak in a massive nuclear waste storage tank at the Hanford Site has expanded significantly, KING 5 learned this weekend.

After leak detector alarms sounded early Sunday morning, crews at Hanford lowered a camera into the two-foot-wide space between the tank's inner and outer walls. They discovered 8.4 inches of radioactive and chemically toxic waste has seeped into the annulus.

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A Renewable Energy Boom

Tue, 2016-04-05 22:04 — Kathy Gilbeaux

CLICK HERE - REPORT - Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2016

nytimes.com - by The Editorial Board - April 4, 2016

Some world leaders, especially in developing countries like India, have long said it’s hard to reduce the emissions that are warming the planet because they need to use relatively inexpensive — but highly carbon-intensive — fuels like coal to keep energy affordable. That argument is losing its salience as the cost of renewable energy sources like wind and solar continues to fall.

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Coalition of US States Pledge to Accelerate Renewable Energy Efforts

Wed, 2016-02-17 07:59 — Kathy Gilbeaux

          

Wind turbines near Rancho Mirage, California. The wind farm contains more than 4,000 separate windmills and provides enough electricity to power the entire Coachella Valley. Photograph: Xinhua/Barcroft Media

Bipartisan accord signed by governors of 17 states sets out commitments to expand energy efficiency and use more solar and wind generation for electricity

CLICK HERE - Governors’ Accord for a New Energy Future

CLICK HERE - Governors’ Accord for a New Energy Future (3 page .PDF file)

theguardian.com - by Oliver Milman - February 16, 2016

A bipartisan group of governors from 17 states has pledged to accelerate their efforts to create a green economy in the US by boosting renewables, building better electricity grids and cutting emissions from transport.

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Why Solar and Wind Are Thriving Despite Cheap Fossil Fuels

Mon, 2016-01-25 22:36 — Kathy Gilbeaux

          

Wind turbines provide energy for the residents of Samso Island, a Danish island that gets all its power from renewable sources. PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDREW HENDERSON, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE

Low oil prices are rattling stock markets, but investors remain bullish on solar, wind, and other clean energy. Here are three reasons why.

nationalgeographic.com - by Wendy Koch - January 22, 2016

The prolonged plunge in fossil fuel prices is rippling across the globe. Yet it’s barely put a dent in the booming market for clean energy, heralding perhaps a new era for wind and solar.

Oil prices of less than $30 a barrel—the lowest in 12 years—have shaken stock markets and ravaged the budgets of major producers such as Russia and Saudi Arabia. Along with falling gas prices, they’ve slashed the profits of fossil fuel companies, which are delaying dozens of billion-dollar projects and laying off thousands of workers. . . .

. . . But solar, wind, and other clean energy? They’re expanding.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

 

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Bill Gates Launches Multi-Billion Dollar Clean Energy Fund

Sun, 2015-11-29 19:30 — Kathy Gilbeaux

             

Bill Gates has pulled together a multinational band of investors to put billions into clean energy.

money.cnn.com - by Jackie Wattles - November 30, 2015

The Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist announced his latest endeavor, the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, at the climate change summit in Paris. . . .

. . . The new Gates fund will be fed by a group that spans more than two dozen public and private entities -- including national governments, billionaire philanthropists, investment fund managers and tech CEOs.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

CLICK HERE - Breakthrough Energy Coalition

 

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Cutting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Won't Slow Global Economic Growth — Report

Thu, 2015-10-08 10:37 — Kathy Gilbeaux

          

Increased use of low-carbon energy sources instead of fossil energy sources is making it easier for countries to decouple economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report.  Photograph: Mick Tsikas/Reuters

New report from green think tank Heinrich Boll shows OECD countries grew their economies 16% in last decade – and cut greenhouse gas emissions 6.4%

CLICK HERE - RESEARCH REPORT - Turning point: Decoupling Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Economic Growth

theguardian.com - by Bruce Watson - September 26, 2015

As the world works out how to avoid catastrophic climate change, one of the biggest questions remaining is whether we can continue to grow economically without also increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

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The World Has Pledged To Divest $2.6 Trillion From Fossil Fuels

Tue, 2015-09-22 16:08 — Kathy Gilbeaux

       

Credit: David J. Phillip / Associated Press

"It is now unstoppable."

huffingtonpost.com - by Nick Visser - September 22, 2015

NEW YORK -- The amount of money the world has pledged to divest from fossil fuels now exceeds $2.6 trillion, a group of policymakers, philanthropists and activists announced Tuesday. The figure is 50 times higher than the $52 billion that had been divested exactly one year ago.

The news was announced at a press conference in New York, hosted by groups including the United Nations, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and environmental and faith leaders. The hosts said the $2.6 trillion figure was calculated by Arabella Advisors, a private consulting company that works with philanthropic groups.

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CLICK HERE - Arabella Advisors - Measuring the Growth of the Global Fossil Fuel Divestment and Clean Energy Investment Movement (27 page .PDF file)

CLICK HERE - About - 2015 Report - Divest-Invest

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Fossil Fuels Losing Cost Advantage Over Solar, Wind, IEA Says

Sun, 2015-09-06 17:53 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

Photographer - Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg

bloomberg.com - by Tara Patel - August 31, 2015

  • Renewable technologies no longer cost outliers, report says
  • No single technology is cheapest under all circumstances

The cost of producing electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind has dropped significantly over the past five years, narrowing the gap with power generated from fossil fuels and nuclear reactors, according to the International Energy Agency.

“The costs of renewable technologies -- in particular solar photovoltaic -- have declined significantly over the past five years,” the Paris-based IEA said in a report called Projected Costs of Generating Electricity. “These technologies are no longer cost outliers.”

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Tesla Moves Into Home Energy Storage

Sun, 2015-09-06 17:30 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Elon Musk unveils Tesla Energy, his plan to fundamentally change the way the world uses energy on an extreme scale. Picture: Patrick T Fallon

iol.co.za - by Nichola Groom and Paul Lienert- May 4, 2015

Los Angeles, California - Tesla has unveiled Tesla Energy - storage systems or batteries for homes, companies and utilities that will expand its business beyond electric vehicles and tap into a fast-growing area of the energy industry.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Obama Visits Nevada, Ground Zero for the Solar Boom, and Talks Clean Energy and Climate Change

Wed, 2015-08-26 09:39 — Kathy Gilbeaux

             

In Las Vegas on Monday, President Obama spoke about clean energy initiatives at the eighth annual National Clean Energy Summit.  Isaac Brekken / Getty Images

washingtonpost.com - by Chris Mooney - August 24, 2015

LAS VEGAS — President Obama came here Monday to throw his weight behind the booming solar energy industry in its recent political struggles, and to announce a bevy of initiatives to promote clean-energy growth in America’s homes and on its rooftops. It was the first stop in a climate and energy-focused tour that will also take the president to New Orleans and Arctic Alaska this month.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

CLICK HERE - The White House - Remarks by the President at National Clean Energy Summit

(ALSO SEE RELATED ARTICLE HERE)

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