[GWSG] Indian solar; prices; wind permits; biotic pump; Council calls; PIG break; opinion drivers; new cookbook

[Tilley, Al]

1.  Solar power is now about half the price of diesel in India.  For the 25% of Indians who are not on the grid, solar has become the obvious choice.  That will be true in many other such areas of the world.  While coal power still has the price edge in India for those on the grid, that is expected to change around 2015. India has set a target of 20 gigawatts of solar by 2022.  Thanks to Vijay Satoskar for the item.  http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21328505.000-indias-panel-price-crash-could-spark-solar-revolution.html  Solar investments in India went up 52% in 2011, a global record among larger countries.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/03/india-green-energy-growth  For light at night, there is the SocialLite, developed by first semester electrical engineering students at Cooper Union in 2006. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/innovations-in-light/?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=thab1

2.  Duxbury, MA, has gone with solar for 25% of its government building energy needs at $.10/kWh; neighboring Kingsbury is going with wind turbines, at $.155/kWh.  http://articles.boston.com/2012-02-02/lifestyle/31017702_1_wind-turbine-solar-option-solar-energy  The levellized cost of wind energy at the best sites is approaching $.03/kWh, and efficiency generally is rising as costs generally decline.  The production gap between great sites and okay sites is contracting thanks to new technology.   http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/ems/reports/wind-energy-costs-2-2012.pdf

3.  The Obama administration has moved to slash the time needed to gain permits for offshore wind, currently 7-9 years while fossil fuel plants require 2-3 years. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/02/offshore-wind-one-step-closer-to-reality-in-the-mid-atlantic?cmpid=WNL-Friday-February3-2012

4.  The (contested) biotic pump theory posits that condensation over forest areas drives precipitation elsewhere.  That would make preservation of forests vital to maintaining agriculture.  http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0201-hance_interview_bioticpump.html

5.  The Northeast Florida Regional Council is calling for information on climate change and its regional impact as a first step toward planning for climate change mitigation and adaptation.  The Council hopes to have a committee formed and charged by next October.  http://www.nefrc.org/FCV/FCV-Action-Item_Climate%20Change%20Info.htm

6.  Pine Island Glacier in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is calving a large iceberg.  The main news is that the break is unusually far into the glacier, indicating that PIG, already speedy, will accelerate and might be increasingly unstable.  It is an outlet for about 10% of the land ice in the WAIS.  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/120202-crack-antarctica-iceberg-science-glacier/

7.  A study of changes in US public opinion on climate change finds that extreme weather and public education efforts have little persistent effect.  The main drivers are the economy and political cues.  http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2012/02/climate-public-opinion

8.  Irrelevant ad: my new cookbook Back Porch Feasts is available from Amazon, featuring low carb versions of most recipes (except desserts).  http://www.amazon.com/Back-Porch-Feasts-Allen-Tilley/dp/1466282258/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1328622695&sr=8-4
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.unf.edu/pipermail/gwsg/attachments/20120207/99d11cea/attachment.html