<html dir="ltr"><head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=Windows-1252">
<style id="owaTempEditStyle"></style><style title="owaParaStyle"><!--P {
MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN-TOP: 0px
}
--></style>
</head>
<body ocsi="x">
<div style="FONT-SIZE: x-small; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; COLOR: #000000; DIRECTION: ltr">
<div></div>
<div dir="ltr"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Tahoma">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>This NBC story on the studies of Greenland’s melt lakes is especially valuable for its second video, four minutes of NASA animation of recent melt patterns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Thanks to Ed Carter for the link.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>
</font></font><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/bad-news-florida-models-greenland-ice-melting-could-be-way-n268761"><font color="#0563c1" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/bad-news-florida-models-greenland-ice-melting-could-be-way-n268761</font></a>
<?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A current problem with electric vehicles is the scarcity of charging stations.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>One European solution is to use conventional current for cheap (but slow) stations mounted on lamp posts and sell drivers a kit to use them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.fastcoexist.com/3039850/how-we-could-put-an-ev-charging-station-on-every-lamp-post"><font color="#0563c1" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.fastcoexist.com/3039850/how-we-could-put-an-ev-charging-station-on-every-lamp-post</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A faster-charging solution is Tesla’s pilot battery swap program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/20/tesla-battery-swapping-station-open-california/?utm_source=Cleantechnica+News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=d8b86ccf4f-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_term=0_b9b83ee7eb-d8b86ccf4f-331994013"><font color="#0563c1" size="3" face="Calibri">http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/20/tesla-battery-swapping-station-open-california/?utm_source=Cleantechnica+News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=d8b86ccf4f-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_term=0_b9b83ee7eb-d8b86ccf4f-331994013</font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>On utility scale, solar and wind power are much the least financially risky to develop, based on an analysis of 401 projects in 57 countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Nuclear projects are the riskiest for both cost escalation and percentage of overruns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://grist.org/climate-energy/wind-and-solar-are-much-less-financially-risky-than-other-power-projects/"><font color="#0563c1" size="3" face="Calibri">http://grist.org/climate-energy/wind-and-solar-are-much-less-financially-risky-than-other-power-projects/</font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>India’s program of 25 “ultra mega solar power” projects is underway with a world record 750 megawatt project which has attracted funding from the World Bank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/20/largest-solar-power-plant-world-750-mw-solar-power-plant-india-gets-world-bank-financing-commitment/?utm_source=Cleantechnica+News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=d8b86ccf4f-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_term=0_b9b83ee7eb-d8b86ccf4f-331994013"><font color="#0563c1" size="3" face="Calibri">http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/20/largest-solar-power-plant-world-750-mw-solar-power-plant-india-gets-world-bank-financing-commitment/?utm_source=Cleantechnica+News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=d8b86ccf4f-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_term=0_b9b83ee7eb-d8b86ccf4f-331994013</font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Walking in sewage in Miami Beach; chatting with Harold Wanless: an Australian view of the US politics of climate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Thanks to Brian Paradise for the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>
</font></font><a href="http://www.watoday.com.au/world/warming-worlds-rising-seas-wash-away-some-of-south-floridas-glitz-20141220-129wub.html"><font color="#0563c1" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.watoday.com.au/world/warming-worlds-rising-seas-wash-away-some-of-south-floridas-glitz-20141220-129wub.html</font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3" face="Calibri">6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Japan had been a leader in the development of solar power until monopolistic utilities bet everything on nuclear plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The solar industry is resurgent, but the country is increasingly dependent on fossil fuels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A push is building toward taking control of transmission from the utilities.
</font><a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/533451/can-japan-recapture-its-solar-power/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_source=newsletter-weekly-energy&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20141222"><font color="#0563c1" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/533451/can-japan-recapture-its-solar-power/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_source=newsletter-weekly-energy&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20141222</font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>More on Southern California Edison’s purchase of 264 megawatts of power storage instead of natural gas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Even the storage companies were surprised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>So was the utility when storage proved so competitive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/22/business/energy-environment/california-picks-energy-storage-over-some-new-power-plant-bids.html?_r=0"><font color="#0563c1" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/22/business/energy-environment/california-picks-energy-storage-over-some-new-power-plant-bids.html?_r=0</font></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><font size="3" face="Calibri">
</font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</font></div>
</div>
</body>
</html>