January 2013 Archives
Wildlife:
Some people, prominent environmentalists among them, are citing recent reports about wildlife-killing cats to argue that the threat wind turbines pose to birds and bats is far lower, and thus not a big deal. But that argument is fatally flawed both logically and ecologically. Here's why.
Government:
Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti, one of more than a dozen candidates for mayor in the upcoming election, has said that as mayor he'll push for Los Angeles to generate about a fifth of its electrical power from the city's rooftops. Now his main competition in the race, City Controller Wendy Greuel, has signed onto that pledge.
Photovoltaic (PV):
To the list of countries that have bested California in solar power generating capacity, which already includes Germany, Spain, Italy, France, and Japan, get ready to add a truly embarrassing new rival: Belgium.
Wind:
A years-long campaign to reduce bird mortality at the Altamont Pass wind turbine area has cut deaths of eagles and three other bird of prey species by about 50 percent since 2005.
Science:
When researchers were trying to figure out how to maximize the amount of time light spent inside their organic solar photovoltaic cells, they turned to an age-old technique to refine their design: evolution by natural selection.
The Grid:
The grid we use to move electrical power is big and complex, and it takes a huge amount of effort and intelligence to manage. But the grid itself is inflexible, vulnerable to disruption, and fragile. And an increasing number of companies are working to change that.
Climate Change:
California's landmark carbon emission credit trading program won a round in state court late last week, as Judge Ernest Goldsmith tossed out a suit against the California Air Resources Board that would have sent the cap and trade program back to the drawing board.
Government:
Arizona has a renewable standard that even its supporters characterize as "modest." And now they're talking about scaling it back.
Elections:
If the campaign for Los Angeles' mayor raises the visibility of rooftop solar as a bread-and-butter economic issue as well as an environmental issue, that's a win no matter who takes the oath of office.
Photovoltaic (PV):
Thanks to a new interactive map, you can explore when rooftop solar power will be cheaper than buying power from the grid, and the map offers some good news for Californians.
News and analysis about renewable energy in California. Blog host Chris Clarke is an environmental writer of two decades standing. He currently lives in Joshua Tree and can be contacted at: rewire@kcet.org.
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- Wind Power
- PV and Solar Thermal
- Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROEI)
- Watts and Watt-Hours, Kilo and Mega
- 'Enough To Power X Thousand Homes'
- The Grid
- Distributed Generation
- Conservation and 'Negawatts'
- Grid Storage
- PACE Loans, Feed In Tariffs and Net Metering
- Base Load and Peaking Power
- Capacity Factor
- Renewable Portfolio Standards
- Transportation and Renewable Energy
- Biomass
- Geothermal
