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Archive for the ‘renewables’ Category
Wednesday Headlines
Friday Blog Roundup
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GreenBiz.com reports that non-hydro renewable energy increased 17.6 percent in 2008 compared to the year before, according to new figures released this week by the Energy Information Administration. In comparison, electricity generation from coal and natural gas declined by 1.1 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively. Overall electricity generation declined 1 percent in 2008, most likely due to the economy. Non-hydro renewables, which includes wind, solar, geothermal and biomass, accounted for about 3 percent of total generation, up from 2.5 percent in 2007.
Rebecca Smith in The Wall Street Journal looks today at another kind of water war out West — between thirsty power plants and environmentalists worried about dwindling water resources. In some cases, power companies are pulling back from plans to build traditional power plants that require steady streams of water to operate. In others, renewable-energy projects such as wind farms or solar arrays are gaining momentum because their water needs are minimal. A utility in Colorado, for example, delayed plans for a new coal-fired plant in part because of worries about water consumption: Tri-State Generation no longer is sure what it might build in southeast Colorado but it is going ahead with plans to build a 500,000-solar-panel project in northeast New Mexico in partnership with First Solar Inc. “There’s no water requirement with solar,” said Mac McLennan, senior vice president for Tri-State, based in Westminster, Colo.
The NY Times blog Green Inc. reports that this week the Union of Concerned Scientists weighed in with a report that said that a national “renewable electricity standard” set at 25 percent by 2025 would translate into 297,000 new green jobs. A “renewable electricity standard” refers to the objective of producing a certain percentage of the nation’s electricity from sources like wind power, solar panels, wood chips and dams. President Obama has endorsed a 25-percent-by-2025 standard, and the issue is expected to be included in forthcoming energy legislation.
Tim Woodall at FD Element
Wednesday Headlines
Friday Blog Roundup
permalink
GreenBiz.com reports that non-hydro renewable energy increased 17.6 percent in 2008 compared to the year before, according to new figures released this week by the Energy Information Administration. In comparison, electricity generation from coal and natural gas declined by 1.1 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively. Overall electricity generation declined 1 percent in 2008, most likely due to the economy. Non-hydro renewables, which includes wind, solar, geothermal and biomass, accounted for about 3 percent of total generation, up from 2.5 percent in 2007.
Rebecca Smith in The Wall Street Journal looks today at another kind of water war out West — between thirsty power plants and environmentalists worried about dwindling water resources. In some cases, power companies are pulling back from plans to build traditional power plants that require steady streams of water to operate. In others, renewable-energy projects such as wind farms or solar arrays are gaining momentum because their water needs are minimal. A utility in Colorado, for example, delayed plans for a new coal-fired plant in part because of worries about water consumption: Tri-State Generation no longer is sure what it might build in southeast Colorado but it is going ahead with plans to build a 500,000-solar-panel project in northeast New Mexico in partnership with First Solar Inc. “There’s no water requirement with solar,” said Mac McLennan, senior vice president for Tri-State, based in Westminster, Colo.
The NY Times blog Green Inc. reports that this week the Union of Concerned Scientists weighed in with a report that said that a national “renewable electricity standard” set at 25 percent by 2025 would translate into 297,000 new green jobs. A “renewable electricity standard” refers to the objective of producing a certain percentage of the nation’s electricity from sources like wind power, solar panels, wood chips and dams. President Obama has endorsed a 25-percent-by-2025 standard, and the issue is expected to be included in forthcoming energy legislation.
Tim Woodall at FD Element