QUICK NEWS, Sept. 9: CLIMATE CHANGE TO GET MORE THAN HALF OF ALL BIRDS; U.S. OFFSHORE WIND STARTS BUILDING; THE EMERGENCE OF COMMUNITY SOLAR

CLIMATE CHANGE TO GET MORE THAN HALF OF ALL BIRDS Half of North American bird species threatened by climate change

Lois Shahagun, Sept. 8, 2014 (LA Times)

“Half of all bird species in North America — including the bald eagle — are at risk of severe population decline by 2080 if the swift pace of global warming continues, the National Audubon Society concluded…[ In the first comprehensive species study of its kind, Audubon] examined more than 500 bird species and determined that more than 300 in Canada and the United States face large climate shifts that could reduce their habitat by half or more by 2080. The changing environment will force birds to adapt to new habitats with different temperature and precipitation rates if they are to survive…By 2080, the bald eagle, the national symbol of the United States, could see its habitat decrease by 75%, the report says…All of the habitat of the common loon, the state bird of Minnesota, could disappear in the lower 48 states…” click here for more

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U.S. OFFSHORE WIND STARTS BUILDING U.S. offshore wind power nears takeoff with 14 projects

Wendy Koch, Sept. 6, 2014 (USA Today)

“Long stymied by high costs and local opposition, offshore wind is finally nearing takeoff in the United States as 14 projects enter ‘advanced stages’ of development, [ a Navigant Consulting/Energy Department study reports]…Two of the projects — Cape Wind in Nantucket Sound off the coast of Massachusetts and Deepwater's Block Island off Rhode Island — have moved into the initial stages of construction while the others have obtained a lease, conducted extensive studies or obtained a power purchase agreement. Nine are located on the East Coast…These projects represent about 4.9 gigawatts of possible capacity…[O]ffshore wind holds much greater potential [than onshore wind which has now reached a 61 gigawatt capacity and meets nearly 4.5% of U.S. electricity demand] for the United States…[T]he biggest obstacle for offshore wind projects are their high installation costs…Still, his three-year study found that a massive scale-up of 54 gigawatts of offshore wind power [by 2030] could yield…$7.68 billion a year in lower U.S.energy costs, because power generation would be closer to where it's consumed…” click here for more

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THE EMERGENCE OF COMMUNITY SOLAR 'Community solar' power grows in Colorado

Sept. 5, 2014 (Denver Business Journal via (NBC 9 News)

“The amount of electricity generated by ‘community solar’ power systems has grown rapidly in the last few years in Colorado — and may be poised for even bigger growth…[It is] commercial-sized solar power systems in which individuals or businesses can buy or lease individual solar power panels — and get credit off their monthly bill for the renewable power generated by the systems. The systems generally range in capacity between 500 kilowatts and 2 megawatts…[and allow solar ownership for] homeowners and business people who want solar power but can't put a system on their own rooftops because they rent the home, live in an apartment complex, or the roof is too shaded or faces the wrong direction…The first system came online in Colorado in 2009…” click here for more

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