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Mon, 2011-07-11 15:31 — mdmcdonald
This collaboratory is focused on discussions about Sustainable Energy.

This mission of this collaboratory is to focus on discussions about Sustainable Energy.

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Kathy Gilbeaux Katie Rast Maeryn Obley mdmcdonald
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The Key to Running the World on Solar and Wind Power

Thu, 2013-05-02 13:43 — Maeryn Obley

Chart of energy density per energy type

Image: Chart of energy density per energy type

energytrendsinsider.com - April 30th, 2013 - Robert Rapier

Perhaps the biggest shortcoming of solar and wind power is their intermittency. In locations like Hawaii, where I live, wind and solar power are already competitive on price. My fossil-fuel supplied electricity typically costs above 40 cents a kilowatt-hour, and wind and solar power can compete with that. But since they can’t supply power that is available on demand (firm power) they must be backed up by power sources that can provide power when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

EPA on Keystone XL: Significant Climate Impacts from Tar Sands Pipeline

Thu, 2013-05-02 11:00 — Kathy Gilbeaux

blogs.scientificamerican.com - by David Biello - April 23, 2013

In a draft assessment of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, consultants for the U.S. State Department judged that building it would have no significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Why? Because the analysts assumed the tar sands oil would find a way out with or without the new pipeline.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency does not agree.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

EPA Comment Letter: Department of State's Draft Supplemental EIS for the Keystone XL Project (April 22, 2013)       (7 Page .PDF report)

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision making processes by considering the environmental impacts of their proposed actions and reasonable alternatives to those actions.

Irreparable Safety Issues: All US Nuclear Reactors Should Be Replaced, Band-Aids Won’t Help

Fri, 2013-04-12 15:10 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

An aerial view of the Limerick Generating Station, a nuclear power plant in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. (AFP Photo / Stan Honda)

submitted by Albert Gomez

rt.com - April 9, 2013
nytimes.com - by Matthew L. Wald - April 8, 2013

All 104 nuclear reactors currently operational in the US have irreparable safety issues and should be taken out of commission and replaced, former chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Gregory B. Jaczko said.

The comments, made during the Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference, are “highly unusual” for a current or former member of the safety commission, according to The New York Times. Asked why he had suddenly decided to make the remarks, Jaczko implied that he had only recently arrived at these conclusions following the serious aftermath of Japan’s tsunami-stricken Fukushima Daichii nuclear facility.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE - RT.COM)

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE - NYTIMES.COM)

Iowa and South Dakota Approach 25 Percent Electricity from Wind in 2012: Unprecedented Contribution of Wind Power in U.S. Midwest

Sat, 2013-03-23 15:13 — Maeryn Obley

Wind Share of Net Electricity Generation in Top 10 U.S. States, 2012

Image: Wind Share of Net Electricity Generation in Top 10 U.S. States, 2012

earth-policy.org - March 14th, 2013  - J. Matthew Roney

Defying conventional wisdom about the limits of wind power, in 2012 both Iowa and South Dakota generated close to one quarter of their electricity from wind farms. Wind power accounted for at least 10 percent of electricity generation in seven other states. Across the United States, wind power continues to strengthen its case as a serious energy source.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Opposition Grows to San Francisco’s Green Energy Plans

Fri, 2013-03-15 19:03 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Albert Gomez

energymanagertoday.com - by Linda Hardesty - March 15, 2013

Electricity rates for about 90,000 San Francisco ratepayers could almost double if the San Francisco Board of Supervisors goes forward with a deal for Shell Oil to provide 100 percent renewable energy for the city, according to NBC Bay Area.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) has strongly criticized the scheme and even launched an online campaign “Stop the Shell Shock” where ratepayers can enter their kilowatt hours to calculate how much more they’ll have to pay.

PUC financial directors predict a maximum rate of .15 cents per kilowatt hour, about double the current rate of .0788 cents per kilowatt hour based on a report prepared for the city’s Rate Fairness Board in late January.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Wind Surpasses Nuclear in China

Fri, 2013-02-22 21:23 — Maeryn Obley

Graph of wind- vs nuclear-generated electricity in China. Image: Graph of wind- vs nuclear-generated electricity in China.

earth-policy.org - February 19th, 2013 - J. Matthew Roney

Wind has overtaken nuclear as an electricity source in China. In 2012, wind farms generated 2 percent more electricity than nuclear power plants did, a gap that will likely widen dramatically over the next few years as wind surges ahead. Since 2007, nuclear power generation has risen by 10 percent annually, compared with wind’s explosive growth of 80 percent per year.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

The Limits to the Shale Oil Boom

Thu, 2013-02-21 19:06 — admin

The cleanest form of petrochemical energy is clearly past its peak and is causing significant damage to ecosystems all over the planet.  That is why risky and incredibly expensive resource extraction, such as Deep Water Horizon, is becoming the new reality of oil production.  The impacts of climate change are now escalating rapidly.  But the bigger problem lies in the extents to which the largest and most profitable businesses in the world in the petrochemical industry are willing to go to continue their profitability against all rationality in terms of the  mass extinction and the impact on health and human security. 

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Study: 90 by 50 - NYC Can Reduce Its Carbon Footprint 90% By 2050

Mon, 2013-02-18 18:15 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Albert Gomez

urbangreencouncil.org - February 2013

The greatest obstacle to a responsible approach to climate change mitigation is a sense that the problem is insoluble. Urban Green Council’s latest research report, 90 By 50, demonstrates that the emission reductions required are in fact possible using technologies that are known and in almost all cases currently available, and that the cost is manageable from a citywide perspective.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Document - 90 by 50 - NYC Can Reduce Its Carbon Footprint 90% By 2050
http://issuu.com/urbangreen/docs/90by50?mode=window

Study: 90 by 50 - NYC Can Reduce Its Carbon Footprint 90% By 2050 (56 page .PDF file)
http://www.urbangreencouncil.org/servlet/servlet.FileDownload?file=015U0000000nD3r

2013 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit - February 25-27 - Washington, D.C.

Wed, 2013-01-30 20:55 — Kathy Gilbeaux

              

The 2013 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit is the premier event dedicated to transformative energy solutions. It brings together leaders from academia, business, and government to discuss energy issues and facilitate relationships to help move cutting-edge technologies into the marketplace.

Don't miss this chance to network with federal government leaders, breakthrough technology companies and entrepreneurs, and researchers ready to collaborate.

U.S. to Overtake Saudi Arabia, Russia as World's Top Energy Producer

Wed, 2012-11-14 13:17 — Maeryn Obley

Oil derricks like this one outside of Williston, North Dakota, are part of a shale oil boom that has helped put the United States on track to overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's leading oil producer. Photograph by Gregory Bull, AP

Image: Oil derricks like this one outside of Williston, North Dakota, are part of a shale oil boom that has helped put the United States on track to overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's leading oil producer. Photograph by Gregory Bull, AP

news.nationalgeographic.com - November 12th, 2012 - Theodore K. Grose

In an indication of how "fracking" is reshaping the global energy picture, the International Energy Agency today projected that the United States will overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's largest oil producer by 2017.

And within just three years, the United States will unseat Russia as the largest producer of natural gas.

Both results would have been unthinkable even a few short years ago, but the future geography of supply has shifted dramatically due to what IEA calls America's "energy renaissance."

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