QUICK NEWS, June 25: COAL CUTS TAKE U.S. TO WORLD LEADING EMISSIONS CUTS: BIGGER WIND = GREENER WIND; BRIGHTSOURCE BUYS BROKE SOLAR POWER PLANT

COAL CUTS TAKE U.S. TO WORLD LEADING EMISSIONS CUTS America Leading the World in CO2 Emission Decrease Thanks to Reductions in Coal Use; Grassroots Fight to Move “Beyond Coal” Having Clear Effect

June 18, 2012 (Sierra Club)

“Since 2006, the U.S. has seen the largest reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of any country or region…[A]ccording to a recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA)…U.S. CO2 emissions have fallen by 7.7 percent or 430 million metric tons, primarily due to a decrease in coal use. This decrease in carbon emissions is equal to eliminating the annual greenhouse gas emissions from more than 84 million passenger vehicles or more than 53 million homes.”

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“While America has long been criticized by the international community for not taking a leadership role in reducing carbon emissions, it’s clear now that the work being done to move the country beyond coal is having a significant effect. Coal was responsible for 33 percent of U.S. electricity [in May 2012], down from 50 percent just 10 years ago…CO2 emissions from the average American are now at the same levels that they were in 1964…[T]hese reductions put America on track to meet and even exceed the goal President Obama set in the Copenhagen Accord of decreasing U.S. CO2 emissions by 17 percent by 2020…”

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BIGGER WIND = GREENER WIND Wind Power Electricity: The Bigger the Turbine, The Greener the Electricity?

Marloes Caduff, Mark A. J. Huijbregts, Hans-Joerg Althaus, Annette Koehler, and Stefanie Hellweg, April 4, 2012 (Environmental Science and Technology)

“…Wind energy is a fast-growing and promising renewable energy source. The investment costs of wind turbines have decreased over the years, making wind energy economically competitive to conventionally produced electricity…[A] new study quantifies whether the trend toward larger turbines affects the environmental profile of the generated electricity…”

“Previously published life cycle inventories were combined with an engineering-based scaling approach as well as European wind power statistics. The results showed that the larger the turbine is, the greener the electricity becomes.

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“…This effect was caused by pure size effects of the turbine (micro level) as well as learning and experience with the technology over time (macro level)…”

“…The environmental progress rate was 86%, indicating that for every cumulative production doubling, the global warming potential per kWh was reduced by 14%. The parameters, hub height and rotor diameter were identified as Environmental Key Performance Indicators that can be used to estimate the environmental impacts…”

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BRIGHTSOURCE BUYS BROKE SOLAR POWER PLANT BrightSource Buys Palen Solar Plant From Bankrupt Solar Trust Of America

22 June 2012 (Solar Industry)

"BrightSource Energy Inc. has placed the winning bid for Solar Trust Of America's 500 MW Palen solar plant, which is under development in Riverside County, Calif."

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"Solar Trust of America filed for bankruptcy in April, triggering questions about the fate of its solar projects under development…BrightSource has not yet revealed specific details on construction plans for the Palen plant."

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