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Clean electrons Electrify Everything These four words are core touchstones en route a prosperous, climate-friendly future. As clean electrons continue to plunge in price, everywhere, momentum toward clean(er) electricity grids continues to mount around the world. Coal has nearly disappeared from the UK’s electricity grid while likely to do so across Europe by 2030. Projections […]

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Governor Northam has a real opportunity – assuming he seizes it – to set Virginia on a path toward increased prosperity, improved security, and global leadership this fall. “Virginia law requires the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) to write a ten-year Energy Plan in the first year of every new administration. The statute lists […]

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Without doing fully burdened cost-benefit analysis, NOAA and University of Colorado Boulder researchers analyzed various electricity portfolios (article) over the coming decade and found that: Even in a scenario where renewable energy costs more than experts predict, the model produced a system that cuts CO2 emissions 33 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, and delivered electricity […]

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an electric car is a relatively low-polluting vehicle today and will be even less polluting tomorrow. A simple truth upfront: All things being equal, electric vehicles (EVs) reduce pollution loads. Now, there are many caveats and corollaries to this truism. For example, Better to reduce transport requirements (build/live in walkable communities; telecommute; etc …) than […]

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Another guest post from the very thoughtful BruceMcF. Several points: Key:  If viewed as “portfolio” (and combined with advancing smart grid and storage options as penetration increases), clean energy can phase into replace 100% of the fossil-foolish electricity grid. Second, BruceMcF violates the cardinal law of debunking myths (here):   Don’t lead with the myth because, […]

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This guest post comes from DWG and covers something that the vast majority of Americans are unaware is happening.  And, well, how many schools could be renovated, roads repaired, policemen hired, and other public services provided with the tax subsidies that the ever-so impoverished fossil fuel industries are pocketing? NOTE:  Let us be clear, however, […]

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One shouldn’t pretend that flying half way around the world to stay in an ‘eco-resort’ somehow merits a Gold Star for heroic climate mitigation action as guest poster Ban Nock explores Green Travel … isn’t. It is hard to think of any form of travel that isn’t harmful to the atmosphere, our ecosystem, and even […]

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Reminiscent a bit of Caroling Coal, my in-box this morning was deluged with Peabody Energy press releases (see full material after the fold) and other announcements of a new public relations campaign:  Coal Cares.  Evidently stung by the medical community’s highlighting of the linkages between the burning of coal (mainly for electricity) and health problems in […]

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Construction and use of buildings account for a major share of global warming emissions. Depending on how one calculates, allocating roughly 40 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to this built infrastructure is roughly correct.  Heating … cooling … lighting … building materials … etc, it all adds up (and up … and up). […]

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When it comes to the necessity of facing down pollution in the nation’s electricity system and other major polluting industries, it is hard to read recent Obama Administration action as anything other than a strong statement to leading environmental organizations: Stay out of our way, we don’t need your help … we don’t need it. […]

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