[GWSG] Solar village; ccs + biomass; Showtime series; investing; wind tech; emissions; solar investments; net zero; the Elio

[Tilley, Al]

1.  Missouri U of Science and Technology has hooked up its solar decathlon houses from 2002-09 in a microgrid which can “island from the utility grid indefinitely.”  This first US solar village is inhabited by grad students.  http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/03/solar-decathlon-houses-make-up-a-solar-village-to-test-microgrid-technology?cmpid=WNL-Wednesday-April2-2014

2.  Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage removes and stores the CO2 produced by burning biomass for energy.  Ideally, that would produce negative emissions, but the idea has its difficulties.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/apr/07/ipcc-report-sucking-carbon-air-climate-report-biomass

3.  The Showtime series on climate “Years of Living Dangerously” premieres Sunday, April 13, at 10 p.m. ET/PT.  Here is the first installment, courtesy of Climate Crock (which mistakes the premiere date).  I found it informed and engaging.  http://climatecrocks.com/2014/04/07/camerons-years-of-living-dangerously-project-lands-today/

4.  Harvard has refused to divest from fossil fuels but will be the first US university endowment to sign on to the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investing.  http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2014/04/07/after-refusing-divest-from-fossil-fuels-harvard-takes-new-steps-promote-the-environment/USthkCP9SJOXSAwSsxx5QP/story.html  The IPCC’s Working Group III report on mitigation, due out this week, is expected to call urgently for large and systematic cuts in in financial support for fossil fuels and complementary increases in investment in renewable energy.  http://blueandgreentomorrow.com/2014/04/07/draft-un-report-investment-in-renewable-energy-must-rise-drastically/   While the share of renewable energy globally continued to grow last year, investment in the sector fell 14%.  (Biofuels are the hardest hit, and some would say, deservedly so for a sector dubiously green.)  http://www.eco-business.com/news/global-dip-renewable-energy-investment/   In a new report Citigroup announces that for investment purposes “The Age of Renewables is Beginning.”  Renewables are newly competitive with fossil fuels, and do not share their price volatility.  http://www.businessinsider.com/citi-the-age-of-renewables-is-beginning--2014-3

5.  In the last ten years developments in wind turbine technology have led to greater power output at an expanded range of wind speeds.  The next ten years should see further drops in the cost what is already a most competitive renewable energy source.  http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/04/advancements-in-wind-turbine-technology-improving-efficiency-and-reducing-cost?cmpid=WNL-Friday-April4-2014

6.  In 2013 wind energy cut us carbon emissions by 4.4% and saved 36.5 billion gallons of water.  http://ecowatch.com/2014/04/08/wind-power-carbon-emissions/   Renewables, excluding hydropower, were 8.5% of global power production last year.  (The story concludes with a good review of the global investment situation.)   http://www.climatecentral.org/news/cheap-solar-power-pushes-renewables-growth-worldwide-17272

7.  Global solar investment surged in the first quarter of this year.  http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/04/solar-sector-keeping-investors-busy?cmpid=WNL-Wednesday-April9-2014

8.  Shell is among the 70 companies in the Prince of Wales Corporate Leader Group to sign a call to implement an energy transition leading to net zero emissions before the end of the century.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/apr/08/bt-shell-corporates-trillion-tonnes-carbon

9.  The Elio is a three-wheel auto which gets 84 mpg on the highway, expects a 5-star safety rating, will carry a passenger or groceries in the back seat, and costs $6,800.  It is due out this summer.  http://grist.org/list/elio-three-wheeled-car-84-mpg/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Daily%2520April%25208&utm_campaign=daily
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