[GWSG] Space solar; gvt. site; 1972 article; warm crops suffer; cheap tidal power; oceanic C; permafrost C; <$1/Watt

[Tilley, Al]

1.  The US Navy is experimenting with designs to generate solar energy in space and beam it to earth as radio waves.  Pacific Gas & Electric has a contract to buy such energy from Solaren by 2016.  http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2014/03/space-solar/

2.  The White House has introduced climate.data.gov, which is concentrating on providing resources for coastal planning in its opening stage but will go on to help with climate planning generally.  http://guardianlv.com/2014/03/climate-change-data-object-of-new-white-house-initiative/
PBS did a thoughtful eight minute story on sea level rise in South Florida to mark the opening of the new web site.  Thanks to Janet Stanko for the link.  http://video.pbs.org/video/2365203238/

3.  A 1972 article in Nature accurately predicted global warming and identified some of the primary results.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2014/mar/19/global-warming-accurate-prediction-1972

4.  Warming will cut crop yields by 2% a decade and become increasingly worse after midcentury, according to a new study.  Adaptation measures could lessen the impact.  http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/19/global-warming-will-cut-crop-harvests-by-2-each-decade-researchers-say

5.  Britain’s Tidal Lagoon Power claims that it can build turbines on tidal lagoons which will deliver power at a cost competitive with solar, wind, and gas.    http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/mar/21/tidal-lagoon-power-cheaper-wind

6.  As the oceans heat they become less viscous and can absorb more carbon.  The effect will slow warming 8%.   http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25272-less-gloopy-oceans-will-slow-climate-change.html#.Uy2JwE1OW70   However, as the oceans warm the circulating currents weaken, diminishing the capacity of the oceans to sequester carbon and heat.  http://phys.org/news/2014-03-deep-ocean-current-due-climate.html

7.  I have read that the vegetation growing on melting permafrost might sequester enough carbon to significantly offset the emissions.  Unfortunately that does not seem to be the case.  http://www.science20.com/news_articles/upside_thawing_permafrost_isnothing_its_bad-132347

8.  Based on First Solar’s projections, the installed price of rooftop solar would drop to below $1/Watt by 2017, beating the Department of Energy’s SunShot target by three years.  Meanwhile, the price of natural gas is back where it was before the fracking mania.  http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/solar-costs-to-halve-as-gas-prices-surge-27907
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