renewable Archives - Global Warming is Real

Arctic oceans acidification is increasing rapidly due to several factors including declining sea ice and freshwater flows.

Arctic Ocean Rapidly Acidifying

After three years of ongoing research by an international team of scientists, a study commissioned by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme for a first-ever comprehensive
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Poisonous run-off, rising ocean levels, increasingly acidic waters and overfishing are taking their toll on Hawaii's reefs and the marine life they support. Biologists are working hard to stem the problem but must now deal with invasive algaes that are compromising the whole reef system.

EarthTalk: Climate Change and Hawaii’s Coral Reefs

EarthTalk® is a weekly environmental column made available to our readers from the editors of E/The Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk: What’s the prognosis for Hawaii’s
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Efforts to tacle accelerating drought and desertification take shape this year an Namibia

Worldwide Efforts to Combat Drought, Desertification to Take Shape in Namibia This Year

High-level representatives from 195 nations party to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification,, along with civic and environmental groups, will meet in Windhoek to assess progress and plan for future actions to address desertification, land degradation and drought, issues that now affect 168 nations at a cost of some $490 billion, not to mention the loss of lives, health, livelihoods, biodiversity and ecosystems.

Climate change education is an essential part of a sustainable future for our children

The Promise of Climate Change Education Standards

“In order to learn the nature of the myriad things, you must know that although they may look round or square, the other features of
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Insurance companies need to prepare for climate change risks

US Insurance Industry Ill-Prepared to Deal with Climate Change Risk, Impacts

Eleven extreme weather events took place in the US in 2012. Each left at least $1 billion in damages in their wake. Besides the cost
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Building efficiency is a growing trend serving both economic and environmental concerns

The Growth of Efficient Buildings

The area of building efficiency affords tremendous opportunities for both economic growth and reduced environmental impacts. Buildings are the single largest emitters of greenhouse gases.
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The Cuyahoga River is an iconic example of an environmental disaster turned into an environmental success story

Environmental Success Stories: Mercury, SLCPs and Many More

The overwhelming number of environmental calamities we face overshadows environmental success stories and this undermines efforts to build support for ecological action. People concerned about
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Video Friday: A Historical Perspective on Climate Change

I’ve noticed increased activity in the “twittersphere” this week trumpeting many of the well-worn memes of climate denial, apparently due to Barack Obama’s mention of climate
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Cities are where the most progress can be made to adapt to climate change and create a sustainable future

Meeting the Climate Challenge: Cities Plan for Worst and Hope for the Best

At the national and international level climate action is stalled under the unyielding weight of factionalism and meeting the diverse agenda of a global community. At
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A mighty industrial society discharges its waste unchecked into the environment. New reports emphasize the importance of understanding the relationship between the environment and the economy.

New Support for the Interconnectedness of the Environment and the Economy

Two new reports reiterate the scientific veracity of anthropogenic climate change while reinforcing the interconnectedness of the economy and the environment. The World Economic Forum
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Managing the water-energy nexus in a climate change world

The Water-Energy Nexus in a Climate-Changed World

Editor’s note: This post is a finalist in Masdar’s Engage blogging contest as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Special thanks to Tim Hurst and Nick Aster. The water-energy
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Crafting a Positive Environmental Narrative

Positive narratives may be our best hope for fostering desperately needed environmental action. Decades of ecological warnings have failed to produce the necessary societal changes. The enthralling
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Pessimism is Impeding Environmental Advocacy

While it is easy to understand why so many environmentally concerned people are fearful and pessimistic, these attitudes detract from the goal of improving our environment. Fear is well warranted, we
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40 Eco-Apps that Put Technology to Work for the Environment

Technology may not be a panacea to solve the climate crisis, but green applications (eco-apps) are helping to drive awareness and foster responsible action. There
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Archive for renewable

Renewable Sources Provide All New Generating Capacity in January – Three-Fold Increase From Same Period Last Year

By Thomas Schueneman · Comments (1) · Wednesday, February 20th, 2013

The latest Energy Infrastructure Update released yesterday by the Office of Energy Projects at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reports that the US had 1,231 megawatts (MW) of new in-service generating capacity come online in January of 2013 – all of it from renewable sources including wind, solar and biomass. The new capacity for January represents a three-fold increase from the 431 MW of new renewable generating capacity that came online in January of 2012.

Wind energy led the pack with six new units providing 958 MW, followed by 16 new solar units generating 267 MW of electricity and six new biomass units for 6 MW of new generation. Nuclear, hydro and all fossil fuel sources, including coal, oil, and natural gas offered no new electrical generating capacity last month. Read More→

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Categories : Energy, New Energy Economy, Renewable Energy

Tags : energy development, energy information administration, energy infrastructure update, energy regulatory commission, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, ken bossong, renewable, Renewable Energy, renewable energy commercialization, renewable energy in the united states, renewable energy sources, renewable sources

Living Off The Grid With Solar Power Can Be Simple, Fun, and Challenging

By Guest Post · Comments (0) · Thursday, February 9th, 2012

Guest Post by Kriss Bergethon

My wife and I were desperate to get out of the city. It was 2007, we were having an extremely stressful year with work. I owned a small construction company that was just about to give me a heart attack. She had a job she hated so much she would cry on the way to work sometimes. On top of all that, we lived in a duplex with noisy neighbors. And don’t even get me started on the constant, traffic, sirens, and aircraft noise of living in the city.

That’s when we decided: LETS GET OUT OF HERE – FOR GOOD! So we started looking for homes in the mountains. And, as luck would have it, we found our dream home after just one day of looking. Incredible views, astoundingly quiet, on a beautiful lake and surrounded by Aspen-draped mountains, we thought we had died and gone to heaven. There was just one thing: there was no grid power in this part of the world.

The home was powered with a solar power system and a backup generator. Heat would have to come from a wood-burning stove. It wasn’t exactly roughing it, but it was a drastic lifestyle change. And so, in the dead of winter, we moved our lives to the peace and quiet of Colorado Rockies. No more walking to sushi on Friday night. No more rowdy concerts and raucous cab rides on Saturday night. We still do those things every once in a while but we don’t miss them as much as we thought we would. And we also don’t have to deal with car break-ins, dirty air, bad water, rude drivers, and traffic jams.

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Categories : Essay, Renewable Energy

Tags : colorado rockies, draped mountains, Energy, Kriss Bergethon, off grid, renewable, Solar panel, solar panels, solar power system, solar-power

Energy Subsidies: Oil versus Renewables

By Richard Matthews · Comments (0) · Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

The lopsided story of energy subsidies in the United States In a world that must reduce its dependency on fossil fuels, replacing oil subsidies with renewable energy subsidies makes sense. Although this is undeniably difficult, it would produce both environmental and economic benefits. Putting an end to oil subsidies would free public money that could be used to promote clean energy and make renewables more competitive.

Although renewable energy is destined to increase it will not grow fast enough to stabilize GHG concentrations below 450ppm which will result in a temperature increase of more than 2°C. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global demand for renewables currently account for approximately 4 percent of total energy. Demand for renewables is expected to rise to 14 percent by 2035, while fossil fuels, which now have 75 percent of global energy demand, will decline to 62 percent over the same period.

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Categories : Energy Non-Renewable, Energy Policy, Fossil Fuels, Government, New Energy Economy, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Economy

Eight Amazing Things About Solar Panels That Could Change the World

By Guest Post · Comments (3) · Thursday, October 6th, 2011

Guest post by Kriss Bergethon

Green energy is one of the most rapidly expanding industries in the world right now due to so many people looking to do their part to help save the planet. With so much focus on solving global warming and reducing air pollution, smarter and cleaner forms of energy are being looked at very closely by scientists and consumers. There are several cool facts about solar power that can change the world.

The Reduction in Prices for Solar Panels
One of the biggest reasons people avoided solar power in the past is that it was too expensive and inefficient to be worth their time. Coal has been up to 90% less expensive to use as an energy source over the years, which made other options ineffective. Prices on solar panels have dropped up to 30% in some cases and have come down to the $4/watt range.
The Development of Solar Film
Rather than using the traditional solar panels, a few companies have started to put out solar film. Film is cheaper to make than panels because it is printed out in rolls while standard panels are manufactured like microchips. The prices on solar film seem to be coming out at roughly $2/watt, which is 50% less expensive than panels.
Increase in Efficiency for Panels
Solar panels typically ran at an efficiency level of around 15%, which is measured by the difference between how much sun hits the panel and how much energy comes out of it. Solar energy has become more efficient in recent years, and newer panels are putting out 22% more consistently. Read More→

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Categories : Energy Non-Renewable, Energy Policy, Green Economy, Renewable Energy, Solutions

Tags : efficiency level, Energy, energy development, renewable, solar, solar energy, solar film, Solar panel, solar-power, thin films, watt range

Solar Power: The Path to Parity

By Thomas Schueneman · Comments (5) · Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

The Path to Parity

Solar panel technology has changed little since it’s inception in 1894. Certain refinements have increased output and produced higher efficiencies, while the technology surrounding battery technology has improved our ability to store the energy collected. What has really changed is the cost per watt in comparison to the cost of competitive renewable and non-renewable energies.

And now, with so many solar companies offering lease programs, the cost of installing solar on your home or business has dropped so significantly, it can often be purchased with no money down and might even drop your monthly electric bill.