[GWSG] Ozone cools; Citigroup on coal; nuke flood; WAIS melt; 46% solar; vanadium storage; C bubble

[Tilley, Al]

1.  An article in Nature Climate Change reports that ozone interactions can reduce surface heating by 20% after 75 years of global warming and should be included in climate models.  http://phys.org/news/2014-12-highlights-key-role-ozone-climate.html

2.  A Citigroup report observes that the US-China climate accord means trillions of dollars in losses for the oil and coal industries by 2030.  It also attacks the industry notion that coal is the means of lifting the economies of poor nations, which are much more likely to pursue a policy of “everything but coal.”  CCS is too expensive and is likely to lead to stranded assets.    http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/china-us-climate-deal-delivers-4-5-trillion-blow-big-oil-coal-82211

3.  After the Fukushima flooding and meltdown the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ordered inspections of nuclear plants for flood protection.  90% of the inspections found “long-standing violations.”  Florida’s St. Lucie plant reported none.  However, on January 9 a heavy rain overwhelmed storm drains and poured 50,000 gallons of water through electrical passages which had been missing seals for 30 years.  The core cooling pumps would have been flooded if the reactor had tripped.  Florida Power and Light was not fined.  http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060009671

4.  The melt rate of the glaciers in the Amundsen Sea of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has tripled over the last decade.  http://news.agu.org/press-release/west-antarctic-melt-rate-has-tripled/

5.  Soitec has used a multi-junction cell to set a record of 46% efficiency in converting sunlight into energy.  http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/12/soitec-announces-46-percent-efficient-solar-cell?cmpid=WNL-Wednesday-December3-2014

6.  Next year the US Navy will test a system of vanadium-flow batteries to provide power flow control for a medium sized solar cell installation.  They are expected to become more cost effective (and much faster in response time) than fossil fuels for the task, and can meet grid-scale needs.  Similar systems are already being installed in India.  Vanadium-flow batteries may be the technological winner in the competition for a standard power storage system in the transition to renewable energy.  Thanks to Tom Larson for the topic.  http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/12/new-navy-smart-microgrid-project-will-test-vanadium-flow-battery-storage?cmpid=WNL-Wednesday-December3-2014  Wikipedia on the battery:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanadium_redox_battery

7.  The Bank of England is conducting an enquiry into the risks of a carbon bubble causing an economic crash because fossil fuels must be left in the ground to avert a climate catastrophe.  While the concept of the carbon bubble has been around for years, this is the first public investigation by a regulator.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/dec/01/bank-of-england-investigating-risk-of-carbon-bubble   Peter Sinclair has assembled some sources enlarging on the subject.  http://climatecrocks.com/2014/12/03/finance-community-waking-up-to-the-carbon-bubble/
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