Tag Archives: Environment

PSR REPORT: One Year After Japanese Disaster, Little or No Movement Seen in U.S. to Improve Response Capability; Complicating Factors: Growing Population Near Nuclear Sites, Aging Reactors & Lack of Gov’t Coordination. WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 6, 2012 – One year after the Fukushima reactor crisis in Japan, no meaningful progress has been achieved in improving the ability of first …

Interesting new study out of MIT that examines the development of solar technology and whether it will make solar cost competitive with coal for energy production. A study identifies early-stage technologies that could be combined to cut the cost of solar panels in half. By the end of the decade, manufacturers in the United States could make solar panels that …

With More than 15 Times the Solyndra Loan Guarantee on the Line, U.S. Taxpayers Being Kept in the Dark About Huge Vogtle Risks; Nine Groups Cite NRC Law Violation in Going to Court to Block Vogtle Licensing. WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 16, 2012 – If you are a taxpayer who liked the less than half a billion dollar Solyndra federal …

IOWA CONSUMER’S ANNUAL UTILITY BILLS COULD CLIMB OVER $800 IF LEGISLATURE PERMITS UNFAIR NUCLEAR REACTOR FINANCING METHOD Cooper: Example of 4 Southern States Proves That “Robbing” Ratepayers Before Power is Produced Leads to More Expensive Reactors, Higher Than Necessary Rates for Consumers; Major “Electricity Rate Shock” Expected if Iowa Lawmakers Embrace “Nuclear Socialism.” A leading U.S. expert on nuclear reactor …

With the focus on environment and saving energy worldwide, it is not surprising that solar panels are considered the biggest energy generating potential. Solar panels not only save money and the environment but have all the requisite benefits of natural gas and electricity. Industrial community believes that solar panels will be the energy source for the future and as such, …

NUCLEAR SECRECY WITH $8 BILLION ON THE LINE: SACE CONTINUES FIGHT TO FORCE DISCLOSURE OF U.S. TAXPAYER-BACKED FEDERAL LOAN GUARANTEES TO RISKY VOGTLE REACTOR PROJECT As Final Arguments Are Filed, Southern Co., Obama Administration Fight FOIA Request to Figure Out Danger to Taxpayers in the Event of Default in Deal More Than 12 Times the Size of Solyndra. With the …

Researchers Note Gas Emissions From Marcellus Shale and Other Sites Linked to Significant Increased Risk of Near-Term Climate Change Far from being a “solution” to climate change, natural gas extracted from shale is a huge contributor of greenhouse gases when both methane and carbon dioxide are considered, according to a major new study by three Cornell University researchers. The natural …

Public Utilities Commission orders utilities to use renewable sources before electricity from fossil fuels San Francisco – The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted unanimously today to strengthen a key clean energy policy in California called the Loading Order. The Loading Order sets a priority list for electricity sources. California’s utilities must first employ energy efficiency and conservation to meet …

EXPERTS: EVEN HIGHER COSTS AND MORE HEADACHES AHEAD FOR NUCLEAR POWER IN 2012 Give Long-Term Uncontrollable Costs and Short-Term Pressure from Needed Post-Fukushima Safety Regulations, Nuclear Reactors Even Less Able to Take on Natural Gas, Other Alternatives WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 28, 2012 — With the Fukushima disaster, earthquake-related reactor shutdowns, further reactor project cost escalation, infighting at the Nuclear …

Catching a nasty virus certainly isn’t on anyone’s holiday wish list, but for solar power it might be just what the doctor ordered. With the help of a genetically modified virus, materials researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found a way to boost the efficiency of one type of thin-film photovoltaic cell by 30 percent. For years, engineers …

“GDC Strikes Steam in Menengai,” exalts the cover of this spring’s issue of Steam, the magazine of Kenya’s Geothermal Development Company. A column of steam spurts high into a deep blue sky in the cover photo—the geothermal industry’s equivalent of the black column that spurts from a successful oil well. But steam is even more valuable than oil, at least …

Not only big corporations are now shifting to the use of solar power electricity systems. Attracted to its various benefits, corporations, non-profit organizations, schools and even small businesses are investing for their installation. Along with their benefits, rewards from the state, solar rebates from local utility companies, inflating rates of electricity and effects of global warming contribute to the desire …

This is the kind of study and information that needs to get out to the mainstream public. They need to understand that we cannot and should not blindly listen to the oil companies or for that matter our politicians when it comes to energy policy and benefits. We clearly need to look at using renewable energy sources to wean our …

Does your business have a comprehensive energy plan? Implementing a plan can save energy and drastically reduce costs and emissions, while creating a culture that fosters continuous improvement in sustainability and building performance. High performance buildings operate efficiently and cost-effectively. Now is the right time to put your plan to work. Building technologies are rapidly improving while costs are declining. …

PITTSBORO, NC – Miraverse Power and Light, Piedmont Biofuels, Southern Energy Management, and Piedmont Biofarm are pleased to announce their “Solar Double Cropping” project in Pittsboro, North Carolina. The endeavor consists of an elevated 92.16 kilowatt solar array that will generate electricity above the north field of Piedmont Biofarm, while sustainable produce is harvested at the ground level. The nine-foot …

SACE: DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY CONTINUES TO STONEWALL FOIA REQUEST SEEKING DISCLOSURE OF DETAILS IN $8.33 BILLION FEDERAL LOAN GUARANTEE FOR PROPOSED RISKY VOGTLE NUCLEAR REACTORS Is DOE Hiding Miniscule Credit Subsidy Fee of 1.5 Percent … Or Even Less …for New Vogtle Reactors? Ignoring Need for Transparency After Collapse of Recent Loan Guarantee, DOE Continues to Refuse to Operate in …

New Zealand Wins Engineering Contest at U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 WASHINGTON, DC – New Zealand (Victoria University of Wellington) took first place today in the Engineering Contest during the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011. The Solar Decathlon challenges collegiate teams from around the world to design, build, and operate houses that are affordable, highly energy …

By Mark Cooper – 09/21/11 07:05 PM ET The combination of the debt-ceiling debate and the recent bankruptcy of a solar firm with a $535 million loan guarantee is certain to give energy subsidies a leading part in the Washington budget drama this fall. If, however, the goal is good energy policy — not just deficit reduction — the fact …

>h2>Filmmaker Craig Rosebraugh Pursues Trail of Environmental Destruction, Illness and Death What happens when an industry has too much power? “Greedy Lying Bastards” presents a searing indictment of the influence, deceit and corruption that defines the fossil fuel industry. From the Gulf Coast to the tiny nation of Tuvalu, from Nigeria and Uganda to Peru and Alaska, filmmaker and political …

Transformation of Nation’s Energy System Isn’t Going to Happen Without Casualties, says E2 co-founder WASHINGTON (September 14, 2011) – The clean energy industry is still growing and still holds the key to our economic and energy future, despite the demise of Solyndra, according to Environmental Entrepreneurs, an independent group of business leaders who advocate for good environmental policy while building …