[GWSG] Charts; black C; new cars; green banks; windows; SC talk; disobedient SC; wind batteries; renewable gas

[Tilley, Al]

1.  Climate Central provides some charts from the recent US Assessment Report draft, particularly on US drought.  http://www.climatecentral.org/news/must-see-charts-from-major-new-climate-report-15461?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed

2.  Among human additions to the atmosphere, black carbon appears to be second only to CO2 in its greenhouse effect.  Major sources include kerosene lamps, coal plants, diesel engines, and forest fires.  http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0115-soot.html

3.  Greenercars.org provides the ACEEE’s environmental impact ratings for 2013 cars.  http://greenercars.org/

4.  Connecticut and New York are organizing green banks, which tailor financing to renewable energy (Would you like an island arrangement which would allow you to continue to have power when the utility supply is knocked out?  How about a positive cash flow from your system?) and facilitate investment in sustainable power sources.  http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/01/why-the-renewable-energy-industry-needs-green-banks?cmpid=WNL-Thursday-January17-2013

5.  An article in Science calculates that the goal of limiting warming to 1.5° became unavailable before 2012—unless we reduce emissions by more than 5% a year, the figure yielded as the maximum feasible by economic models.  (The 2° target becomes unattainable after 2027.)  Since the lower target seems to be the one which gives us a good chance to avoid runaway climate disruption, I conclude that we should now be committed to economically disruptive courses of action which would yield high emissions cuts.  We should prepare for rolling brownouts and even interrupted service.   http://www.sciencemag.org/content/339/6117/280.short

6.  Two weeks ago I gave a talk for our Sierra Club group on adaptation planning in our region.  If you watch the tape, please let me know where I should cringe (other than the low figures for current climate refugees and the Chicago heat wave casualties).  I do give such talks occasionally and other mistakes are likely to be habitual.  I would like to correct them.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFf0GKb452E

7.  For the first time in its history, the Sierra Club will practice civil disobedience over the Keystone XL pipeline.  Executive Director Michael Brune explains.   http://grist.org/climate-energy/a-chat-with-the-sierra-clubs-michael-brune-about-civil-disobedience/

8.  Duke Energy has built a 36 megawatt battery storage facility for wind power in Texas.  The article mentions a storage technology new to me: underwater balloons.  Excess power is used to blow them up and the compressed air drives a turbine when power is needed.  http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/24/largest-wind-energy-storage-facility-in-u-s-fires-up-in-texas/

9.  Audi will use Germany’s excess renewable energy to produce methane for its natural gas autos.  http://www.technologyreview.com/news/510066/audi-to-make-fuel-using-solar-power/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_source=newsletter-weekly-energy&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20130128
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