January 2013 Archives
Technology:
A new, intriguing approach to rooftop solar power is getting some attention lately, but will the product live up to its developers' promises?
Wind:
The operator of a proposed wind turbine facility near the city of Mojave got the thumbs-up for its project from Kern County supervisors, but only on the condition that there's a way to monitor California condors and shut down turbines if the birds come too close.
Geothermal:
Geothermal power plants plug along delivering around 20 gigawatt-hours of power to the California grid every single day. Why aren't we taking more advantage of this 24-7 power source?
Government:
California Governor Jerry Brown's State of The State address Thursday morning included a detailed, hard-headed assessment of the threat climate change poses the state. But those looking for hints about new state energy policies for 2013 likely came away disappointed.
Science:
Natural gas use may be far more dangerous to the planet's climate than expected -- with potentially serious ramifications for solar thermal generating plants as well.
Technology:
It's an interesting idea, with obvious potential applications in California.
Utilities:
The L.A. City Council decided Tuesday not to send DWP's 100-megawatt feed-in tariff program to a Council committee for review and possible veto.
Photovoltaic (PV):
A report just published by WWF, in cooperation with FirstSolar, concludes that seven large regions around thew world could meet their need for energy by covering less than one percent of their land area with photovoltaic panels. But what does that mean for California?
Science:
A researcher at UC Riverside thinks he may have a way to help build the kind of microscopic structures that can make photovoltaics and lithium ion batteries far more efficient than they are now -- and it involves stealing tricks from a snail.
Climate Change:
California's industrial emissions of greenhouse gases dropped for the third straight year in 2011, according to figures released this month by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
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.
- 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
