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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Rob Overly sends this 18 minute tape of Jim Hansen at TED explaining “Why I must speak out about climate change.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>He concludes by saying “Now you know what I know.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/james_hansen_why_i_must_speak_out_about_climate_change.html"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.ted.com/talks/james_hansen_why_i_must_speak_out_about_climate_change.html</font></a></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A study in New York found that roofs coated with white membrane were 43° cooler than black roofs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>I imagine that if we could get people to coat their roofs and put a sign on their lawn saying “My white roof is saving me 15% on my electric bill” (which they do) we might see more white roofs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://e360.yale.edu/digest/new_york_city_roof_study_shows_drastic_cooling_with_white_surfaces/3365/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://e360.yale.edu/digest/new_york_city_roof_study_shows_drastic_cooling_with_white_surfaces/3365/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29</font></a></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Calibri">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Ernst & Young reports that Florida is tied with North Carolina as the 17<sup>th</sup> most attractive state for development of renewable energy sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Small solar is growing particularly through third-party owned installations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The price for silicon-based solar panels should continue to drop (it was $1.80/watt at the start of 2011).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The expiration of federal supports poses a particular danger to development, according to the report.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Thanks to Tom Larson for the extract.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>
The next two items illustrate how quickly the situation is changing with regard to renewable energy sources, and give sufficient cause for a cheerful mood.</font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The Twin Creeks Technologies factory in Mississippi is producing equipment to manufacture solar cells at $.40/watt, using half the silicon and a cheaper process.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The cheapest previous cells were twice as expensive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font></font><a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/39887/?p1=A1"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/39887/?p1=A1</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Solar power may no longer depend on supports to be competitive, even with the lavishly support accorded the fossil fuel industry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Wind power is already cheaper than coal in some areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Calibri">We are approaching a great setup for a revenue neutral carbon tax, since power producers will already have the carrot of lower costs for renewable sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Or we could just cut all subsidies, direct and indirect, and the fossil fuel industry might die rather quickly without further encouragement.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Given that the next item solves the problem of providing base load, why not let the nuclear industry undergo a similar euthanasia?</font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Halotechnics has developed materials to store heat from thermal solar arrays more efficiently and at a higher temperature than before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The breakthrough should allow thermal solar to produce steady power at $.06/kilowatt-hour, the goal of the SunShot initiative (and approximately at the minimum cost of coal power to utilities).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/39856/?p1=MstRcnt"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/39856/?p1=MstRcnt</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Thermal solar power now promises to supply base load at or below current costs, along with geothermal, hydropower, and tidal power, all steady sources (though often more expensive than the new thermal solar).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>(Tidal power can be rendered continuous through the use of barrages.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Are we not on the point of preserving the earth and much of its life after all, with the most tragic effects of our ignorance avoided?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>I must feel that we have turned a corner in the right direction, at long last.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Jim Hanson describes our deteriorating situation well in item one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Item two provides an example of the sorts of efficiency measures which can ease the transition to renewable energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Item three shows the thought we have been giving to the conditions of the transition here, and could be easily replicated for the other regions of the earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Items four and five, from the most trustworthy source of tech news, indicate that we have passed the technical and economic barriers to energy transition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>I shall now celebrate before anyone tells me why I should not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>But let me know anyway if you do see why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
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