Australia's coal and gas exports violate our human rights, group says in new UN case bbc.com/news/articles/cn8q5nx6…
#Australia #environment #HumanRights #energy #fossilfuel #fossilfuels #coal #gas
The group says that it is unlawful for Australia to continue approving fossil fuel exports without protecting its citizens.Lana Lam (BBC News)
This week's comic: The dangers of solar panels
This map shows the cost of charging an EV at home across the U.S. Home-charging is significantly cheaper in all 50 states than fueling a car with gasoline.
Source: Yale yaleclimateconnections.org/202… #energy #uspol
Here’s the answer for every U.S. state.Karin Kirk (Yale Climate Connections)
The cost of data center infrastructures powering AI and the people paying the price
The Environmental Reporting Collective (ERC) supports nearly 40 journalists working on how the energy and resource constraints in traditional tech hubs are forcing companies to look beyond the U.S. and China, pushing into countries with weaker environmental regulations and less public oversight:
#AI #infrastructure #energy #technology #journalism
An ERC investigation looking into the cost of data center infrastructures powering AI and the people paying the price.Dirty Data — Environmental Reporting Collective
New England’s last coal plant has stopped operating, according to its owners
The last coal-fired power plant in New England, Merrimack Station, has stopped running.
With the closure of that facility, the region is poised to become the first in the United States without a coal plant on its grid (though New York state, which has its own regional grid operator, stopped burning coal in 2020).Granite Shore Power, the company that owns the coal plant in Bow, New Hampshire, said they ceased commercial operations Sept. 12, about a year and a half since they announced they would retire their facility by 2028 as part of a settlement agreement with environmental groups.
New England Will breathe Easier
#WBUR #NPR #Coal #NewEngland #Energy
Granite Shore Power, the company that owns the coal plant in Bow, New Hampshire, said they ceased commercial operations Sept. 12, about a year and a half after they announced they would retire their facility by 2028.Mara Hoplamazian, New Hampshire Public Radio (WBUR)
Something Positive Going on In CA
The 1.6-MW pilot system is among a growing number of initiatives to put solar over waterways. The approach could generate gigawatts of power nationwide.Canary Media
Sunset, Felix Vallotton
I really enjoy the colors, he did interesting things with the clouds and how they catch the light. I don't watch the sunset enough.
The Sun!! we all gotta make friends with the Sun
It’s the largest VPPA signed by a U.S. city and the first time a city will use one to offset residential carbon emissions, according to deal broker Sustainability Roundtable.
#Energy #CarbonEmissions #Cambridge #MA #VPPA
The #food system is one of the most meaningful places to address #ClimateChange.
Have you been curious about switching from gas to #induction? This game-changing cooktop is faster, cleaner, more precise, and a win for the environment.
My new ep of Serving Up Science is all about why it makes sense to switch when it’s time to replace your range. youtu.be/JyTvHQnHq14?si=4twIzt… #energy
Latest comic on Big Tech's climate hypocrisy
#climate #climatechange #climatecrisis #tech #technology #ai #energy #cartoon
I am so excited to receive Michael Webber’s new book, Powering Humanity! a.co/d/0gwhY86
Michael is a leading thinker & practitioner on all things #energy. I’ve been eagerly anticipating this collection bc he is an extraordinary communicator - esp on topics that can be complex.
Michael & I have written many articles together - including a few that found their way into this book! This is a must-read for anyone interested in energy, sustainability & the future of humanity. #books
A new hope for algae biofuel (microalgae, that is)
#algae #biofuels #biofuel #microalgae #fuels #energy #decarbonization #carboncapture #carbonemissions #aquaculture #agriculture #biobased #bioeconomy #bioenergy #renewableenergy #renewable #sdg7 #sustainableenergy #energytransition #science #research
cleantechnica.com/2023/12/19/a…
After ExxonMobil walks away, algae biofuel gets another shot at success and the US Department of Energy is here for it.Tina Casey (CleanTechnica)
#Announcement - Unfiltered.Coop is co-hosting an event on #labor, #energy, #waste, with journalists, unions & academia, in-person in #Tokyo and virtually, Oct 1st.
Details: aajaasiawithunfiltered.peatix.…
Would love to see some @SocialCoop members joining @emi @Matt_Noyes @ntnsndr @chiematsumoto please share!
Globally we produce A LOT of #energy, but did you know the majority of fossil energy gets wasted? In the US alone, two-thirds of that energy is *wasted* as heat.
As Hannah Ritchie has pointed out, we don’t actually need to produce a low carbon equivalent of all of the coal, oil & gas we currently use.
That means we can decarbonize quickly by being less wasteful & more efficient. #ClimateChange #science
in 2013, coal generated 175 times as much electricity as #solar power in the US. Within a decade, in 2022, coal was generating less than 5 times as much electricity (incl. estimated rooftop solar).
So far this year, coal has generated slightly more than twice as much electricity as all solar.
Coal is dying here but needs to die even faster.
#energy #climate #climateChange #ClimateCrisis
eia.gov/electricity/monthly/ep…
While the #game is amazing, forcing current #gaming trends regarding visual fidelity creates such huge file sizes, which are overall bad for the #environment as it requires a lot more processing power, waste of #energy to download and install and forcing consumers to upgrade to more high-end parts.
That, but its also annoying as hell having to dedicate that much space to a single game 😅
I have a feeling its just gonna get worse over time tho...
Whenever I need cheering up about the climate, things like this really help:
"During the 2010s the levelised cost (that is the average lifetime cost of equipment, per megawatt hour of electricity generated) of solar, offshore wind and onshore wind fell by 87%, 62% and 56%, respectively"
And that dramatic fall in costs isn't stopping.
Even the most short-term thinkers must be convinced by that!
(Quote from this paywalled Economist article: economist.com/schools-brief/20… )
It has been changed before, but never as fast or fully as must happen nowThe Economist
New job, new #introduction post!
I work at Heriot-Watt's #Orkney campus in the far north of #Scotland. Programme lead for MSc in #Renewable and Sustainable #Energy Transition. Research at the intersection of #renewable #energy & physical #oceanography. Member of icnz.org/
Not my first career.
I care about the #reproducibility of computational science. I'm a fellow of the Software Sustainability Inst (software.ac.uk) and instructor for Software Carpentry (thecarpentries.org).
The Islands Centre for Net Zero will address the need for fundamental change in how we approach the energy transition across Orkney, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides.Islands Centre for Net Zero
In the U.S., recent annual estimates of bird deaths due to:
Cats = 2.4 billion bird deaths
Collisions from building glass = 600 million bird deaths
Land wind turbines = <200,000 bird deaths
Some politicians claim wind turbines “kill all the birds.”
But… they’re not really worried about birds. Rather, they prefer we stick with oil & gas over renewable #energy.
statista.com/chart/amp/15195/w… #climatechange
This chart shows the annual estimated bird mortality for selected anthropogenic causes in the U.S.Sarah Feldman (Statista)
As a scientist who studies #science policy & risk communication, as a science journalist who has been writing in popular outlets about #ClimateChange & #scicomm for 20 years, & as a former congressional staffer focused on #climate & #energy policy in the early 2000s… This article is frustrating.
“Scientific communication failures linked to faster-rising seas”
“Data shows for the first time that the peak demand for electricity this summer will exceed the amount we can generate from on-demand, dispatchable power, so we will be relying on #renewables to keep the lights on.”
But rather than fix the grid, #Republicans spent their time in the #Texas legislature trying to block renewable #energy:
texasobserver.org/88th-session…
#environment #infrastructure #ClimateChange #TXlege #politics #news #USpol #OilAndGas
Losers during the 88th session of the legislature included taxpayers, teachers, trans youths, and anyone who uses electricity.Texas Observer Staff (The Texas Observer)
1) Just a reminder that as #AI and #chatbots are taking off, demand for #electricity and other #energy usage will also increase. We should keep this in mind as we discuss advances in #InformationTechnology.
2) As #SenatorWarren pointed out recently, big-money #ransomware #cybercrimes will only use #cryptocurrency for payments.
I don't foresee the politicians, who are in the hands of big-money donors, ending #crypto completely. But at the very least they should find a way to regulate it and bring it under control.
Science Debate - the ngo I cofounded with an incredible team - lives on as Science on the Ballot!
It’s now part of the National Science Policy Network - a network of advocates for science, built by & for young scientists. They will carry the mission forward, pressing U.S. candidates to address #science #policy issues like #ClimateChange, #energy & public health before the 2024 election.
I’m so excited to watch them shine!
For more on how to volunteer or get involved: scipolnetwork.org/science-on-t…
Meanwhile, in battery news...
Researchers at Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) have developed an oxygen-ion battery with a storage capacity that doesn't decrease over time, leading to an extremely long lifespan compared to other batteries.
This battery can be produced without rare metals and could be used for in large energy storage systems, e.g., to store electrical energy from renewable sources.
techxplore.com/news/2023-03-ox…
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#energy #batteries #sustainability #technology
Lithium-ion batteries are ubiquitous today, but that does not mean that they are the best solution for all areas of application. TU Wien has now succeeded in developing an oxygen-ion battery that has some important advantages.Science X (Tech Xplore)
I'm involved with a great charity called WindEmpowerment (windempowerment.org/), a global federation of organizations locally manufacturing small wind turbines for sustainable rural electrification, mostly based on the Piggott turbine design.
We're overhauling our website and communication vectors, and we may open a fedi/mastodon account. Does anyone have recommendations for a relevant server? Thanks!
#nonprofit #energy #RuralElectrification #LocalManufacturing #WindEnergy #OpenSource
Don't get me wrong, I have a deep detestation for megacities and skyscrapers BUT I must say that from a purely #science point of view, the idea is interesting 🤔
The idea : #RenewableEnergy is intermittent, so #energy storage and release will be critical in the next few decades. IIASA researchers have put forth a fascinating solution, proposing to turn skyscrapers into giant gravity batteries for remarkably cheap renewable energy storage 🌆⚡
