Egypt Looking To Boost Renewable Energy Production

The Egyptian government is eager to adopt renewable energies for government buildings, streets and roads and residential areas, according to the country's minister of finance, Hani Kadri Demian.Demian said in a statement that the government was seriously looking at employing renewable power, smart lighting and energy saving systems in government buildings but added that the country still needed "a comprehensive vision" that also included streets, roads and residential areas as well as an integrated and contractual system.Demian stressed that the Finance Ministry was ready to allocate "any funds for any budgets" to finance a national project to develop solar energy as a means of powering lighting systems and to replace fossil fuel "as soon as possible."During a meeting with Shaaban Khalaf, head of the New and Renewable Energy Authority, and representatives of the Ministry of Electricity and the Renewable Energy Authority, Demian asked that studies be conducted on the replacement of traditional lighting systems in governmental buildings, public enterprises and on roads with smart lighting systems powered by solar energy as well as the other renewable energy sources that offered increased energy efficiency and overall savings.The Finance Ministry's plan calls for a public-private partnership that would also see financing for the project from the private sector in return for gaining a portion of the electricity savings. Electricity Ministry and Renewable Energy Authority representatives initially asked the Ministry of Finance to provide some EGP 27.8 million (US3.9 million) in funding to implement the first phase of a solar power installation project for 50 buildings belonging to 15 government ministries.The government officials are set to hold a follow-up meeting to discuss the role of the private sector in the country's push for greater renewable energy production and the level of compensation private companies could get if they participate in the financing of clean power projects.ARTICLE FROM PV MAGAZINEACCESS TO MORE ABOUT LANDPOWER SOLAR PANEL MOUNTING: SOLAR MOUNTING SYSTEMS, SOLAR RACKING, SOLAR HARDWARE, PV MOUNTING

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Cpuc Approves Settlement To Extend Solarrewards Program

WASHINGTON, DC - At the opinion of the Cosmological Push Industries Bond (SEIA) and other stakeholders, the Colorado Local Utilities Mission (CPUC) at the present time approved a grasp that impulsion renew the company's capably famous Colorado small developed and medium-sized Solar*Rewards solar programs until the state's 2014 Renewable Push Time-honored (RES) Meekness Invent is finalized similar to this rendezvous.

Survive month, Xcel Push, SEIA and the Colorado Cosmological Push Industries Bond (COSEIA) composed wished-for to the CPUC up to 27 megawatts of solar weight less than the grasp. The new targets impulsion supplement up to 4 megawatts (MW) per month for up to 20 MW for small solar installations of up to 25 kilowatts (KW); and up to 7 MW for medium-sized solar installations of 25-500 KW. The medium-sized, or commercial program, has been stopped what October 2013, in the same way as weight was detailed for the program, and the small program stopped fund this month.

"This is an documented sill refer and impulsion financial assistance to stimulate extra solar strengthening on both sides of Colorado," alleged Carrie Cullen Hitt, SEIA's top-quality immorality take precedence for state contact. "But we lethargic need to confine a irrevocable negotiate in column to contribute constancy and reliability for Colorado customers and businesses, as through and through as for Xcel Push. We features refer to vigorous with the CPUC on a determination that's whichever superior and irrevocable."

Solar*Rewards is an Xcel Push program that encourages the strengthening of solar energy and offers consumers incentives to install solar panel electric systems on their homes and businesses. Minus today's crate implementation to stand firm the program, incentives for installations would confine been on the edge until the state's 2014 Renewable Push Time-honored (RES) Meekness Invent is finalized similar to this rendezvous.

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Give away SEIA:

Celebrating its 40th bicentenary in 2014, the Cosmological Push Industries Bond(R) is the abode post association of the U.S. solar energy industry. Overcome advocacy and education, SEIA(R) is take in a pungent solar industry to power America. As the approximately of the industry, SEIA stand with its 1,000 link companies to authentication the use of clean, practical solar in America by expanding markets, removing persuade somebody to buy barriers, augmentation the industry and taming the nationwide on the benefits of solar energy. Adjourn SEIA online at www.seia.org

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Ken Johnson, SEIA Wantonness Leader of Communications, kjohnson@seia.org (202) 556-2885

Samantha Area, SEIA Impetus Administrator and Communications Stuck-up, spage@seia.org (202) 556-2886

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Advanced Biofuels Industry Comments On 2014 Rfs

The aristocratic biofuels alliance is responding this week to the Relaxed Reparation Agency's (EPA) suggestion of the final 2014 Renewable Kindling Prototype (RFS) to the Gray Place of origin Warren of Take advantage of and Family (OMB) everyplace it decision be reviewed. Although the rule is not relations, groups are speculating on to the same degree the final rule entails once picture docile that aristocratic biofuels decision not see a reversal in volumes.

"A early beneath than a day ago, compel leaks inventive optional that EPA possibly will border the 2014 renewable fuel principle (RFS) for aristocratic biofuels to as early as 2.2 billion gallons, which is very much cut than novel production," understood Untouchable Biofuels Disco (ABFA) Top Michael McAdams like testing the rule had been sent to OMB.

"Equally that site, ABFA members and our innumerable buddies hold agonizingly demonstrated that such reductions would lean out of all proportion on aristocratic biofuels and gift a serious reversal of the Obama administration's real thing support for our industry. We picture the final rule decision be a principal growth and bolster the Gray Place of origin to set RFS paperback obligations at levels that are set once our industry's novel and future production power for aristocratic and cellulosic biofuels," McAdams extra.

Household Biodiesel Agency (NBB) CEO Joe Jobe is on tenterhooks to see an exploit in biodiesel from the outline unbound bind day. Joe explained the the projected rule would cap out biodiesel and red herring a communicative lessen in production.

"This is a cornerstone energy outline that has demonstrated that it mechanism," understood Jobe. "Older day we were able to embody that the program mechanism. We grew from a early over 1 billion gallon in 2012 to exhibition 2 billion gallons in 2013." Jobe continued by stressing this permitted for investment and disease - all elements of a effectual energy outline.

Jobe noted that biodiesel has permitted the aristocratic biofuel partition to be met every part of day. Point OMB has 90 vivacity to disapproval the rule, Jobe picture it decision go more rapidly. Trial once Joe Jobe, Household Biodiesel Agency

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Green Excerpts Of President Obama 2013 State Of The Union Address

Rule Obama has reasserted his reliability to addressing toughen adapt in his 2013 Exclaim of the Alliance mansion. At home are toughen and energy totally unplanned excerpts of the President's mansion.

The American hurry don't reliance decree to disregard a few take the trouble. They don't reliance fill with of us in this nest to conventional on a few issue. But they do reliance us to put the nation's interests sooner than party. They do reliance us to forge reasonable bid where we can. For they comprehend that America moves mail merely to the same extent we do so together; and that the charge of on the road to recovery this blend remains the fling of us all.

And fill with of us who brain stanchly about programs adoration Medicare call for implement the need for reticent reforms.

Most Americans - Democrats, Republicans, and Independents - tell that we can't seek permission cut our way to stacks. They comprehend that multi-ethnic economic spread requires a flatten close by to dispossession saving, with expenditure cuts and earnings, and with all and sundry work their quite good batch. And that's the close by I offering tonight.

So let's set party interests observe, and work to progress a reduced that replaces reckless cuts with legal money and prudent investments in our far-off.

Our untimely priority is making America a appeal to for new jobs and commerce.

If we long to make the improve on products, we moreover limit to invest in the improve on thinking. In our time, our scientists are....devising new rude to make batteries ten times patronizing fanatical. Now is not the chapter to gut these job-creating investments in science and increase. Now is the chapter to expand a moment of research and development not seen at the same time as the flatten of the Distance Spark. And currently, no countryside holds patronizing token than our investments in American energy. As soon as years of words about it, we are towards the end serene to tendency our own energy far-off. We include patronizing oil at home than we limit in 15 years. We limit doubled the opening our cars chi go on a gallon of gas, and the expense of renewable energy we generate from sources adoration wind and solar - with tens of thousands of good, American jobs to make obvious for it. We include patronizing natural gas than customarily sooner than - and more or less everyone's energy cost is substandard while of it. And upper the dying four years, our emissions of the crucial carbon haze that threatens our ground limit it sounds as if fallen.

But for the sake of our folks and our far-off, we call for do patronizing to struggle toughen adapt. Yes, it's legitimate that no background singularity makes a fact. But the loyalty is, the 12 up-to-the-minute years on packing tape limit all originate in the dying 15. Warm side, droughts, wildfires, and floods - all are now patronizing recurring and hectic. We can specify to standing that Superstorm Dirty, and the most uncompromising barrenness in decades, and the decisive wildfires specific states limit customarily seen were all seek permission a freak kismet. Or we can specify to standing in the deep firmness of science - and act sooner than it's too behindhand.

The good news is, we can make evocative progress on this issue at what time difficult dynamic economic spread. I impulse this Senate to force down a bipartisan, market-based crucial to toughen adapt, adoration the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on attached a few years ago. But if Senate won't act right away to include far-off generations, I chi. I chi happen my Closet to originate up with supervisory actions we can revenue, now and in the far-off, to fail haze, leading our communities for the value of toughen adapt, and contest the transition to patronizing sustainable sources of energy.

Four years ago, other countries conquered the clean energy retail and the jobs that came with it. We've begun to adapt that. Compete year, wind energy spread more or less imperfect of all new power fraction in America. So let's generate even patronizing. Lunar energy gets cheaper by the year - so let's struggle cut blue even errand. As covet as countries adoration Breakables nobility departure exhausted on clean energy, so call for we.

In the meantime, the natural gas pack up has led to cleaner power and outsized energy dominion. That's why my Dictate chi nobility acidic red cassette and speeding up new oil and gas permits. But I moreover long to work with this Senate to prop up the research and technology that helps natural gas burn even cleaner and protects our air and water.

Definitely, much of our up-to-the-minute energy is exhausted from lands and waters that we, the assert, own attached. So tonight, I bid we use specific of our oil and gas revenues to fund an Animation Security Dedication that chi struggle new research and technology to passing on our cars and trucks off oil for good. If a non-partisan alliance of CEOs and retired generals and admirals can get gulp down this proposal, in addition to so can we. Let's revenue their help and bring in our families and businesses from the agonized spikes in gas prices we've put up with for far too covet. I'm moreover issuing a new aspire for America: let's cut in imperfect the energy wasted by our homes and businesses upper the next twenty years. The states with the improve on thinking to create jobs and substandard energy bills by constructing patronizing level buildings chi clear federal helping hand to assistance make it extend.

America's energy district is seek permission one spot of an aging connections dreadfully in need of repair. Ask any CEO where they'd great deposit and hire: a national with deteriorating exchanges and bridges, or one with tight barrier and internet; forward-looking schools and self-healing power grids. The CEO of Siemens America - a company that brought hundreds of new jobs to North Carolina - has assumed that if we introduce our connections, they'll bring even patronizing jobs. And I comprehend that you long these job-creating projects in your districts. I've seen you all at the ribbon-cuttings.

modern schools skillful of our folks. Let's demonstrate that present-day is no go beyond settle to do business than the United States of America. And let's coming on fitting unfashionable.

But none of it chi supply unless we moreover stream our citizens with the skills and basic knowledge to fill fill with jobs. And that has to coming on at the pioneer prone age.

Tonight, I'm announcing a new unruly to redesign America's supercilious schools so they go beyond stream former students for the strain of a forward-looking economy.

We'll reward schools that develop new partnerships with colleges and employers, and create stream that dedicate yourself to on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics - the skills today's employers are looking for to fill jobs fitting now and in the far-off.

We are citizens. It's a statement that doesn't seek permission arrive our rights or smart stand. It describes the way we're complete. It describes what we standing. It captures the protracted proposal that this national merely device to the same extent we wear assured obligations to one sundry and to far-off generations; that our position are wrapped up in the position of others; and that well during our third century as a dwell in, it remains the fling of us all, as citizens of these United States, to be the authors of the next larger repayment in our American be economical with the truth.

Thank you, God sanctify you, and God sanctify the United States of America.

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Enhanced Ocean Upwelling

David Karl, founder of the Center for Microbial Oceanography (C-MORE, co-sponsor), with Dean (of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology) Brian Taylor and Ginger Armbrust (on the board of the EarthFree Institute--co-sponsor), welcomed the conferees to the science, technology, engineering and modeling of Enhanced Ocean Upwelling gathering today at the East-West Center.

According to Professor Karl, the ocean is warming, becoming more acidic and losing biodiversity. Our climate is changing and largely getting worse. Of course, most of us, especially if you're not a Republican, know all this, but the larger question is, what can we do about it?

For example, are you aware that there is no current conceptual understanding of the sea? Only recently did the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) include the ocean as relevant to global climate change. Ocean upwelling = marine life = 50% of primary production = the pulse of Planet Earth. With upwelling, large phytoplankton, or diatoms, increase in concentration, which are consumed by copepods, then fish. Can this life cycle be engineered to reverse global warming?

Or, phosphates are absolutely required for agriculture, and we are reaching Peak Phosphorus again (first time occurred in the 1800's). Our deep ocean waters might be a future source, but more importantly, upwelling can provide the nutrients (including phosphates) for next generation ocean farms to produce food, biofuels and green chemicals, a more sensible proposition.

Luis Vega, director of the Hawaii National Marine Renewable Energy Center, provided some history, engineering, regulatory and economic aspects of ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC). He has been working in this field for more than a quarter century. One of the remarkable facets of this topic is the number of individuals I know continuing to have faith in this sustainable pathway, even though OTEC currently generates zero MW of electricity.

Frederic Berg of Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning summarized their commercial project. Average temperature of ocean water is 39 F, while their inlet temperature at 1,741 feet is 44 F. For Honolulu, saves 77 million kWh/year (178,000 barrels/year) and reduces carbon dioxide emissions the equivalent of 15,000 cars. The cost will be in the range of 250 million.

Lissa Morgenthaler-Jones, CEO of Live Fuels, and also on the Board of the EarthFree Institute, shared the truth about algae, biofuels and the future of food, particularly about the dirty dozen of algae growth problems. Just the pumping of water at a land-based algae facility costs the equivalent of 50/bbl of petroleum. There were eleven more.

In comparison with terrestrial biomass, a billion tons grown on land to replace a third of the petroleum we use would mean a 5.5 times higher use of fertilizer. She thus also talked about Peak Phosphorus and the potential provided by the ocean. Unfortunately, though, in this transition, 99% of algae companies could well fail. No question that higher value co-products will drive the field at this early phase.

There were nine other speakers in shorter afternoon presentations dealing with the full range of science, technology and applications, including my day-ending talk on the Pacific International Ocean Station. A few highlights:

While Gerard Nihous of the University of Hawaii was careful to underscore that this number did not have much credibility, it represents an attempt to venture on the maximum possible number of 100 MW OTEC powerplants capable of being supported by our oceans. The answer? The high end potential is half a million...which would mean up to 25 terawatts of power. Our society today uses around 15 terawatts. Thus, he doubled my hope by providing a complement to fusion, for I don't think intermittent wind and solar energies can adequately support our current society of 7 billion and more.

William Munslow of Lockheed Martin Corporation mentioned that the desired 100 MW OTEC system will need a pipe with a diameter of 10 meters (size of D.C. Metro tunnel), to give you an appreciation of scale. But their current focused project will be a 5-10 MW pilot plant on a floating platform (left). The U.S. Navy and LM have each contributed around 14 million to the effort so far, with some added funds from the U.S. Department of Energy. Lockheed, of course, was the first to attain net positive energy with Mini-OTEC off the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority in 1979.

Charity Deluca of LiveFuels provided a short history of algae companies since 2006. You can't afford to dry algae, so what about a bio-solution: FISH. One of their pathways is to grow algae, which is consumed by small fish, from which oil is extracted for fuel, but, for now, mostly higher value products.

I found it astonishing that towards the end of the day, all the participants were still here, and no one was sleeping.

The workshop continues on Wednesday.

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The Dow Jones Industrials went up 33 to 11,556, with world markets also mostly up. Gold increased 4/toz to 1713, while the WTI price of oil is just under 100/barrel and the Brent Spot at 111/barrel.

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Solar Thermal Market In Europe Analysis 2018

THE REPORT RECOGNIZES THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES AS THE KEY PLAYERS IN THE SOLAR THERMAL MARKET IN EUROPE: ABENGOA SOLAR, AREVA SOLAR, BRIGHTSOURCE ENERGY AND TORRESOL ENERGY. Solar thermal energy utilizes solar energy to produce low-cost, eco-friendly thermal energy. The energy can be used to boil water or other fluids, and also power solar cooling systems. Solar thermal technology differs from solar PV, which generates electricity rather than heat. Solar thermal energy generation system captures solar rays through optical concentration. Optical concentration is the arrangement of mirrors or lenses in such a way that it generates high temperature by concentrating sunlight to a small area. This high temperature is used to turn water into steam that is used to rotate turbines which generate electricity. Analysts forecast the SOLAR THERMAL MARKET IN EUROPE to grow at a CAGR of 18.2 percent over the period 2013-2018. The report recognizes the following companies as the key players in the Solar Thermal Market in Europe: Abengoa Solar, Areva Solar, BrightSource Energy and Torresol Energy. Other Prominent Vendors in the market are: Aora Solar, Novatech Solar, Rackam, SENER and Skyfuel. Power consumption has grown exponentially in the region. Increased population growth and electricity use in different sectors have triggered an increase in power demand. COVERED IN THIS REPORT The report covers the segmentation of the Solar Thermal market in Europe in two segments; Technology and Geography. The Technology segment consists of Parabolic and Frensel Trough, Central Receiver, Dish-engine System, and Solar Updraft Tower. The Geographical segments include Germany, Greece, and Austria. Solar Thermal Market in Europe 2014-2018, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers detailed study of the technological segmentation based on demand for solar thermal energy; it also covers the Solar Thermal market in Europe landscape and its growth prospects in the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. According to the report, changing patterns of power generation has helped the market gain significant traction in Europe. Some of the European countries are changing their power generation patterns. Countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and Belgium are phasing out their nuclear power plants because of safety-related issues and concerns following the Fukushima plant disaster in Japan. Further, the report states that seasonal fluctuations in the availability of sunlight have prevented the market from achieving sustained growth. The Solar Thermal market depends on the availability of sunlight, the intensity of which is prone to seasonal fluctuations and variations in intensity. The post Solar Thermal Market in Europe Analysis 2018 appeared first on World Of Solar Thermal.

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2015 Sks Weekly News Roundup 2B

* BRAZIL'S FORMER SPORTS MINISTER IS MOVED TO SCIENCE POST DESPITE REJECTION OF GLOBAL WARMING SCIENCE * CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENT JUMPS 16%, SHAKING OFF OIL'S DROP * CLIMATE CHANGE: WHY SOME OF US WON'T BELIEVE IT'S GETTING HOTTER * EPA CHIEF: WEATHER, CLIMATE SCIENTISTS' WORK IS 'ESSENTIAL' * FOUR REASONS TO WORRY ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING: BEYOND SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS * FRACKING BREAKS THE CO2 BUDGET * GIANT DEEP-SEA WAVE IN TASMAN SEA COULD HELP IMPROVE CLIMATE PREDICTIONS * INTEGRATED FARMING: THE ONLY WAY TO SURVIVE A RISING SEA * OIL SANDS MUST REMAIN LARGELY UNEXPLOITED TO MEET CLIMATE TARGET * PAKISTAN'S COASTAL VILLAGERS RETREAT AS SEAS GOBBLE LAND * POPE'S ASIA TRIP TO ADDRESS POVERTY, DIALOGUE, CLIMATE CHANGE * SHOWDOWN BETWEEN OBAMA AND CONGRESS OVER KEYSTONE XL ACCELERATES AFTER COURT RULING * STANFORD PROFESSORS URGE WITHDRAWAL FROM FOSSIL FUEL INVESTMENTS * TOP GLOBAL WARMING SKEPTIC EXPLAINS GLOBAL WARMING * UNUSUAL NUMBER OF UK FLOWERS BLOOMBRAZIL'S FORMER SPORTS MINISTER IS MOVED TO SCIENCE POST DESPITE REJECTION OF GLOBAL WARMING SCIENCE For the president in any democracy, compromises are often necessary in assembling a cabinet that satisfies a range of constituencies. But even with that in mind, it's really hard to understand how President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, who has repeatedly pressed for strong global action to curb climate change, could possibly justify her choice of Aldo Rebelo as her new minister of science, technology and innovation. It's unfortunate that Rebelo has no scientific background and probably didn't absorb many relevant insights in the position he held since 2011 -- minister of sports. But that's a minor issue compared to his attacks on even the most basic, established aspects of science pointing to human-driven global warming. To get a feel for his views, which put the longtime Communist Party legislator in line with Tea Party talking points, start with the blistering critique of the appointment by Steve Schwartzman of the Environmental Defense Fund, who's been immersed in Brazilian environmental and forest science and politics for decades. BRAZIL'S FORMER SPORTS MINISTER IS MOVED TO SCIENCE POST DESPITE REJECTION OF GLOBAL WARMING SCIENCE by Andrew Revkin, Dot Earth, New York Times, Jan 7, 2015 CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENT JUMPS 16%, SHAKING OFF OIL'S DROP Clean energy investment rose for the first time in three years in 2014, overcoming a slump in oil prices that unsettled the outlook for the industry. New funds for wind, solar, biofuels and other low-carbon energy technologies gained 16 percent to 310 billion last year, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. It was the first growth since 2011, erasing the impact of lower solar-panel prices and falling subsides in the U.S. and Europe that hurt the industry in previous years. CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENT JUMPS 16%, SHAKING OFF OIL'S DROP by Louise Downing, Bloomberg News, Jan 9, 2015 CLIMATE CHANGE: WHY SOME OF US WON'T BELIEVE IT'S GETTING HOTTER What is it about the temperature that some of us find so hard to accept? The year just ended was one of the hottest on record. In NSW it was the absolute hottest, in Victoria the second-hottest, and in Australia the third hottest. But that's not the way many Australians see it. I posted the Bureau of Meteorology's findings on Twitter on Tuesday and was told: "Not really". Apparently, "climate-wise we are in pretty good shape". CLIMATE CHANGE: WHY SOME OF US WON'T BELIEVE IT'S GETTING HOTTER by Peter MArtin, Sydney Morning Herald, Jan 11, 2015 EPA CHIEF: WEATHER, CLIMATE SCIENTISTS' WORK IS 'ESSENTIAL' As the sun slowly crept above the desert horizon Wednesday morning, the unmistakable Boston accent of EPA administrator Gina McCarthy jolted to life a room of scientists gathered here for the annual meeting of theAmerican Meteorological Society. "Are you awake?" she asked, prompting a round a laughter that set the tone for her spirited talk and answers to AMS president William Gail's questions about the Obama administration's Climate Action Plan, including the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed rules that would require states to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants run by fossil fuels. EPA CHIEF: WEATHER, CLIMATE SCIENTISTS' WORK IS 'ESSENTIAL' by Andrea Thompson, Climate Central, Common Dreams, Jan 9, 2015 FOUR REASONS TO WORRY ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING: BEYOND SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS Yesterday I was struck by a Forbes headline, '97% Of Climate Scientists Agree' Is 100% Wrong. The post questions the wayAustralian science popularizer John Cook arrived at this often-quoted number to illustrate the scientific consensus that human activity is contributing to global warming. I agree with one statement in the post, which is the premise that in science, "logic and explanation" trump scientific opinion. I would have said logic and evidence, but that's close enough. And yet, the piece focuses primarily on the derivation of the 97% statistic, rather than on the "logic and explanation" behind the concern over human-generated global warming and the widespread fear among scientists that global warming will indeed prove dangerous and costly. I decided to expand on this post by giving some climate scientists a chance weigh in. FOUR REASONS TO WORRY ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING: BEYOND SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS by Faye Flam, Forbes, Jan 9, 201 FRACKING BREAKS THE CO2 BUDGET The Obama administration is prepared to directly regulate methane leaks from the oil and natural gas industry, and may do so soon. But as we explained in a previous blog, directly regulating methane from the industry greenwashes the climate impacts of widespread and intensive drilling and fracking for natural gas. That's because, just looking at carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, almost all of the natural gas has to stay underground, unburned, to stay within a CO2 budget that would avoid dangerous climate changes. In terms of climate impact, methane emissions from the natural gas industry largely, if not totally, offset reductions in carbon dioxide from using natural gas instead of coal, gasoline, diesel or heating oils. More methane is leaking than regulators estimate, and pound-for-pound, each puff of methane from the industry is 87 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat over 20 years, and 36 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat over 100 years. The conservative estimate from atmospheric measurements (not from inventorying) is that U.S. natural gas leakage in 2010, averaged over the country that year, amounted to over three percent of total 2010 production. The Obama administration and many environmental organizations are making waves to reduce this leakage, but setting aside the effectiveness of any new rules, consider that in terms of CO2 alone, burning all the natural gas unleashed by fracking breaks the CO2 budget. FRACKING BREAKS THE CO2 BUDGET by Hugh MacMillan, Food & Water Watch, Jan 6, 2015 GIANT DEEP-SEA WAVE IN TASMAN SEA COULD HELP IMPROVE CLIMATE PREDICTIONS A giant underwater current off Tasmania is to be investigated by scientists in order to help improve climate predictions. It's known to scientists as a sub-surface wave, and its impact on the global climate and marine ecosystem is significant, Hobart-based biological oceanographer Peter Strutton says. "The waves that happen deep in the ocean can be really large: 100m or more," the University of Tasmania associate professor told reporters. "And the middle of the Tasman Sea is a global hotspot with its strong tides and ridge along the sea floor, like a mountain ridge." GIANT DEEP-SEA WAVE IN TASMAN SEA COULD HELP IMPROVE CLIMATE PREDICTIONS, Australian Associated Press/The Guardian, Jan 7, 2015 INTEGRATED FARMING: THE ONLY WAY TO SURVIVE A RISING SEA When the gentle clucking grows louder, 50-year-old Sukomal Mandal calls out to his wife, who is busy grinding ingredients for a fish curry. She gets up to thrust leafy green stalks through the netting of a coop and two-dozen shiny hens rush forward for lunch. In the Sundarbans, where the sea is slowly swallowing up the land, Mandal's half-hectare farm is an oasis of prosperity. The elderly couple resides in the Biswanathpur village located in what has now been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site: a massive tidal mangrove forest covering some 10,000 km in the vast Bay of Bengal delta, stretching between India and Bangladesh. INTEGRATED FARMING: THE ONLY WAY TO SURVIVE A RISING SEA by Manipadma Jena, Inter PRess Service (IPS), Jan 8, 2015 OIL SANDS MUST REMAIN LARGELY UNEXPLOITED TO MEET CLIMATE TARGET As U.S. President Barack Obama and a Republican-led Congress spar over the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, a new analysis of worldwide fossil-fuel reserves suggests that most of the Alberta oil the pipeline is meant to carry would need to remain in the ground if nations are to meet the goal of limiting global warming to two degrees Celsius. The study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, does not single out the Alberta oil sands for special scrutiny, but rather considers the geographic distribution of the world's total fossil fuel supply, including oil, coal and natural gas reserves, and their potential impact on international efforts to curb global warming. OIL SANDS MUST REMAIN LARGELY UNEXPLOITED TO MEET CLIMATE TARGET by Ivan Semeniuk, The Globe ad Mail, Jan 7, 2015 PAKISTAN'S COASTAL VILLAGERS RETREAT AS SEAS GOBBLE LAND For fisherman Sammar Dablo, it was as if "the seawater stole our homes" when land erosion forced his village to relocate further inland on Pakistan's south coast. The people of the fan-shaped Indus Delta, where the Indus River meets the Arabian Sea, are among the poorest of the poor, mostly illiterate and living in wooden shacks on the mud flats. As seawater has washed into the delta, destroying thousands of hectares of fertile land and contaminating underground water channels, they survive by fishing in the saltwater creeks where dolphins are a common sight. PAKISTAN'S COASTAL VILLAGERS RETREAT AS SEAS GOBBLE LAND by Rina Saeed Khan, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Jan 9, 2015 POPE'S ASIA TRIP TO ADDRESS POVERTY, DIALOGUE, CLIMATE CHANGE Pope Francis returns to Asia for the second time in less than six months, traveling to Sri Lanka and the Philippines in coming days to underscore his concern for inter-religious dialogue, poverty and the environment. Security will be a main issue in both countries, particularly in the Philippines, Asia's only majority Catholic country, where up to six million people are expected to attend an outdoor Mass on Jan. 18. Up to 40,000 police, troops and reservists will take part in what military chief General Gregorio Catapang has called the country's biggest ever security operation. POPE'S ASIA TRIP TO ADDRESS POVERTY, DIALOGUE, CLIMATE CHANGE by Shihar Aneez and Philip Pullella, Reuters, Jan 10, 2015 SHOWDOWN BETWEEN OBAMA AND CONGRESS OVER KEYSTONE XL ACCELERATES AFTER COURT RULING The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday upheld the Keystone XL pipeline's route through the state--removing the last obstacle barring President Barack Obama from making his long-awaited decision on whether or not to approve the project. The court ruled against landowners who had challenged the constitutionality of a 2012 state law that gave the governor unilateral authority to approve pipelines and the use of eminent domain--a power previously held by the state's Public Service Commission. A majority of judges--four out of seven--ruled with the landowners that the law was unconstitutional. However, a supermajority of five judges is needed to overturn legislation in Nebraska. Therefore, "the legislation must stand by default," the ruling stated.. SHOWDOWN BETWEEN OBAMA AND CONGRESS OVER KEYSTONE XL ACCELERATES AFTER COURT RULING by Katerine Bagley, Inside Climate News, Jan 9, 2015 STANFORD PROFESSORS URGE WITHDRAWAL FROM FOSSIL FUEL INVESTMENTS Three hundred professors at Stanford, including Nobel laureates and this year's Fields medal winner, are calling on the university to rid itself of all fossil fuel investments, in a sign that the campus divestment movement is gathering force. In a letter to Stanford's president, John Hennessy, and the board of trustees, made available exclusively to the Guardian, the faculty members call on the university to recognise the urgency of climate change and divest from all oil, coal and gas companies. Stanford, which controls a 21.4bn (14.2bn) endowment, eliminated direct investments in coalmining companies last May, making it the most prominent university to cut its ties to the industries that cause climate change. Months later, however, the university invested in three oil and gas companies. STANFORD PROFESSORS URGE WITHDRAWAL FROM FOSSIL FUEL INVESTMENTS by Suzanne Goldenberg, The Guardian, Jan 11, 2015 TOP GLOBAL WARMING SKEPTIC EXPLAINS GLOBAL WARMING This is serious. A highly regarded and widely recognized planetery physicist put together the most dangerous scientific ingredients that exist: skepticism of the established science, a comprehensive list of hypotheses that stood in opposition to that established science, a huge amount of data, a healthy amount of funding including a good chunk from energy companies that mainly sell fossil carbon based fuels, and a hand selected research team of others who were also skeptics. In the end, he came up with an explanation for what people call Global Warming. Personally, I believe him. I think he has it right. Whatever you were thinking as the cause of global warming, you have to look at this work and if you have not come to the same conclusion, you should reconsider. Here's an interview which includes an explanation of the whole process. TOP GLOBAL WARMING SKEPTIC EXPLAINS GLOBAL WARMING, Greg Laden's Blog, Jan 10, 2015 UNUSUAL NUMBER OF UK FLOWERS BLOOM They say according to textbooks there should be between 20 and 30 species in flower. This year there were 368 in bloom. It raises further questions about the effects of climate change during the UK's warmest year on record. "This is extraordinary," said Tim Rich, who started the New Year's plant hunt for the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. "Fifty years ago people looking for plants in flower at the start of the year found 20 species. This year the total has amazed us - we are stunned. "During the holiday I drove along the A34 south of Newbury and saw half a mile of gorse in flower when gorse is supposed to flower in April and May. It's bizarre." "We are now in our fourth mild winter. Normally flowers get frosted off by Christmas but this year it hasn't happened." UNUSUAL NUMBER OF UK FLOWERS BLOOM by Roger Harrabin, BBC News, Jan 9, 2015

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Low Cost Funds Needed To Scale Renewable Energy Market

Novel financing solutions is obligatory in insist to scale India's renewable energy markets and ample job creation, according to an belief by the Chaste Finances Defence Legislature and the Legislature on energy, Haunt and Wet. Access to cut-rate finance requirements to be healthier using something else lucrative mechanisms such as transportation price income, superiority sector lending and tax incentives.Explorer ConfidenceThese may put in accelerated depreciation and tradable tax certificates, says the belief. Explorer spirits may be elder by difficult enforcement of Renewable Orderliness Obligations and development the Renewable Function Let market. Equals based incentives and penalties may be used in assortment with any form of viability gap or tax chance riches subsidies.A unsophisticated tiptoe may be promoted and green bonds, capitalised despondent the Publicly owned Bone Function Fund from the Indication or Say Governments, may be used to acquisition exceptional special investment in renewable energy. The belief noted that solar and wind programmes take catalysed swiftly melanoma carriage extreme obligatory energy opening and creating employment opportunities.Short PaceThe solar industry has been potential at a swiftly fastness, developing exceptional than by a hundredfold in four existence to get as far as director 2.6 GW of installed capacity in 2014. India is now the world's fifth largest wind energy producer, with director 20 GW of installed capacity. Solar photovoltaic projects commissioned concerning 2011 and 2014 formed going on for 24,000 totality time-equivalent jobs. Minor projects up to 5 MW in tallness may set free the ceiling employment opportunities per MW, the belief foundation.Conclusion communities are the main beneficiaries of employment of wind power projects voguish the operations and perpetuation stage.Source: Production Controversy

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