Solar power from Sahara a step c;oser
Solar power from Sahara a step closer
The German-led Desertec initiative believes it can deliver power to Europe as early as 2015
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- guardian.co.uk, Sunday 1 November 2009 14.20 GMT
- Article history
The technology is not new – it is the scale of the Desertec initiative which is a first
A $400bn (£240bn) plan to provide Europe with solar power from the Sahara moved a step closer to reality today with the formation of a consortium of 12 companies to carry out the work.
The Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII) aims to provide 15% of Europe’s electricity by 2050 or earlier via power lines stretching across the desert and Mediterranean sea.
National Grid plan for local waste-to-biogas plants
National Grid plan for local waste-to-biogas plants
Ecologist
8th October, 2009
Electricity operator National Grid believes that with the right Government incentives, renewable gas could be produced from our waste and fed straight into the mains
Less than a year after announcing that up to half the UK’s homes could be heated with renewably generated ‘biogas’ derived from food waste, National Grid has unveiled a bold plan for how the gas could be produced on a local level.
Mountains look better with their tops on
Mountains look best with their tops on (Source grist)
Coal River Mountain, a symbol of hope, is slated for destruction 8
Posted 5:12 PM on 24 Oct 2009
by Matt Wasson
Coal River Mountain may be flashing the world topless without your help.Reports are coming in from residents of West Virginia’s Coal River Valley that Massey Energy has begun mountaintop removal mining operations on Coal River Mountain. Sprawling across thousands of acres of diverse and pristine hardwood forests, this mountain is home to the tallest peaks ever permitted for destruction in the state of West Virginia. The mountain also became a powerful symbol of hope for a better future in the Appalachian coalfields after a study showed those peaks and ridges have wind resources as high as “Class 7,” which is the highest rating on the scale.
UN report slams existing biofuel policies
UN report slams existing biofuel policies
Planting on abandoned land may not be as beneficial to environment as previously thought. From BusinessGreen.com, part of the Guardian Environment Network
- guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 20 October 2009 17.08 BST
- Article history
A more sophisticated approach needs to be taken towards the development of biofuels if the emerging industry is to ensure it does not damage the environment, according to a major new UN report released last week.
Oil prices hit high but report warns of supply crunch
Oil prices hit high but report warns of supply crunch
• US light crude oil futures pushes above $79 a barrel
• Report blames government for ignoring supply problem
- guardian.co.uk, Monday 19 October 2009 23.00 BST
- Article history
Oil prices have pushed above $79 a barrel, but a new report claims the world is facing a supply crisis. Photograph: Hasan Jamali/AP
World oil prices hit their highest point for a year yesterday, as a major new report urged governments around the world to take drastic action to head off an approaching oil supply crunch.
US light crude futures pushed above $79 a barrel, supported by the view that a recovering world economy would raise demand for crude. Oil prices have more than doubled from the low point they hit in the spring, but are still around half the all-time high of nearly $150 a barrel they reached in early summer last year.
Sun goes down on solar schools
Sun goes down on solar schools
Lenore Taylor | October 16, 2009
THE Rudd government’s $480 million “national solar schools” program was quietly suspended yesterday afternoon via a notice posted on the popular scheme’s website.
“The National Solar Schools Program has been suspended to any new claims in 2009-10. This suspension takes effect as of 3:00pm 15 October 2009,” the notice said.
A spokesman for Environment Minister Peter Garrett, who did not formally announce the program’s closure, said 1300 schools had been approved under the program last year and 500 had already been approved this financial year, with another 700 “still in the pipeline for assessment”.