QUICK NEWS, September 28: MORE SCIENCE AGREEMENT ON CLIMATE; CALIFORNIA TO FLOAT WIND; OIL GUY LIKES SOLAR

MORE SCIENCE AGREEMENT ON CLIMATE Study: Most Non-Climate Scientists Agree on Global Warming Too

Justin Worland, September 27, 2015 (Time)

“…Supporters of policies to address man-made climate change are quick to cite research showing 97% of climate scientists believe that humans are contributing to global warming…[New research now shows] nearly 92% of biophysical scientists [in fields like biology, chemistry and physics] surveyed believe that human activity has contributed to global warming. Nearly 94% said they believe global temperatures are rising…The study’s design specifically addresses the belief that scientists who are skeptical of climate change come from fields outside of climate science. The new research weakens that argument…The consensus among scientists on climate change stands in sharp contrast to the views of the general public in the United States. Less than two-thirds of Americans believe change is happening. And only 40% believe it’s caused by humans…” click here for more

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CALIFORNIA TO FLOAT WIND Wind-energy company eyes waters off Morro Bay for floating turbines

Stephanie Finucane, September 26, 2015 (Fresno Bee)

“In a generation or two, offshore wind farms could be as common along the California coast as offshore oil rigs are today…Trident Winds LLC has approached the city of Morro Bay with a proposal to install about 100 floating turbines 15 miles offshore. It’s a 1,000-megawatt project that would produce enough energy to power 150,000 households. The turbines would rise 360 to 400 feet above sea level, would cover about 63 square miles and would be spaced about half-a-mile apart…A transmission cable would run from the wind farm through [an existing oil] pipeline and on to the Morro Bay Power Plant switchyard, which is connected to the state power grid…Morro Bay was chosen both for its constant offshore winds and because the existing infrastructure minimizes the onshore work that would be required…[Because cost and environmental issues are involved,] it could take as long as five years to make it through California’s permitting process…” click here for more

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OIL GUY LIKES SOLAR Why an oil guy believes solar has a big future

Scott Nyquist, September 26, 2015 (Fortune)

“…I’m an oil guy…But I am also bullish on solar…There is no contradiction here. The point of energy is to move people around the world, to keep us warm (and cool), and to power an industrial economy that has created more wealth in the last 150 years, by far, than in any other time…There are lots of ways to provide energy. Which technology makes sense at any given time is a matter of geography, economics, and policies. And what I am seeing is that solar is building potential on all three dimensions, for three reasons…It is getting cheaper and better…Public support is steady…[and] Sun-rich countries are getting serious. This matters because solar obviously has the most low-cost potential in places that get a lot of sun…[A]s costs come down, a number of developing countries are seeing solar as a realistic option… [I do not believe] the end of fossil fuels is nigh…There is room for both; in fact, there is a need for both.”click here for more

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