QUICK NEWS, November 2: VOTERS WAKE UP TO NEW ENERGY FIGHT; FARMING SUN; BIG WIND COMES TO MARKET

VOTERS WAKE UP TO NEW ENERGY FIGHT Voters Paying Close Attention To Energy Issues

November 2, 2015 (Plugged In via Scientific American)

"...Prior to elections, we tend to break things down by political affiliation, but our voting preferences don't merely fall neatly along party lines. Age plays a significant role in our priorities--just consider [the most recent University of Texas Energy Poll. Millennails are clearly thinking about energy policy but] 65 percent of all Americans say they are more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who supports taking steps to reduce carbon emissions--not all that surprising given that 76 percent now say that climate change is occurring...[and 63 percent]would be more likely to vote for someone who supports increased funding for scientific and university research into new energy technologies...[62 percent are more likely to support a candidate who wants to require utilities to obtain a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sources...45 percent of Americans say energy issues will significantly influence the candidate they choose next November. In other words, presidential candidates would be wise to come up with a comprehensive energy plan..." click here for more

click to enlarge/

Tweet

FARMING SUN Could Solar Energy Be California's Next Cash Crop? Strapped by drought, farmers are increasingly sowing solar panels rather than seeds.

Christina Nunez, October 30, 2015 (National Geographic)

“…[Many farmers in California’s Central Valley and elsewhere] are turning land over to solar developers, planting photovoltaic panels instead of crops…California's punishing drought is sparking fierce debates over water allotments for agriculture, and more than 500,000 acres will lie fallow this year. At the same time, the state is fighting climate change more aggressively than ever with a new law requiring half of all electricity to come from renewable sources like solar and wind by 2030…All of that clean energy needs real estate, and farmers have land available…[A] lmost a third of California's big solar facilities—those capable of generating one megawatt or more—stand on croplands or pastures…[A] solar deal isn't necessarily a permanent switch. Instead, it can be 25- or 30-year lease that allows the farmer to reclaim the land for crops at the end of the term…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet

BIG WIND COMES TO MARKET Siemens confirms first order for 7-MW offshore wind turbine

Mariyana Yaneva, October 29, 2015 (SeeNews Renewables)

“German industrial group Siemens AG…received its first order for the new 7 MW offshore wind turbine with 47 units going to a project of Danish utility Dong Energy A/S…[T]he German company will supply, install and commission 47 direct drive wind turbines with a rotor diameter of 154 meters at the Walney Extension East project [off the British west coast in the Irish Sea near the Walney 1 and 2 offshore wind farms, each equipped with 51 Siemens turbines with a capacity of 3.6 MW each]…Service for the plant will be provided jointly by Siemens and Dong Energy for a period of five years…Installation of the turbines is expected to start at the beginning of 2018…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet