QUICK NEWS, November 24: THE ‘ECOSYSTEM’ THAT FUNDS DENIAL; GE MAKES MAJOR MOVES IN WIND; THE MANY WAYS OF SOLAR

THE ‘ECOSYSTEM’ THAT FUNDS DENIAL Why are so many Americans skeptical about climate change? A study offers a surprising answer.

Joby Warrick, Novdmber 23, 2015 (Washington Post)

“Climate change has long been a highly polarizing topic in the United States, with Americans lining up on opposite sides depending on their politics and worldview. Now a scientific study sheds new light on the role played by corporate money in creating that divide…The report, a systematic review of 20 years’ worth of data, highlights the connection between corporate funding and messages that raise doubts about the science of climate change and whether humans are responsible for the warming of the planet. The analysis suggests that corporations have used their wealth to amplify contrarian views and create [an ‘ecosystem of influence’ to give] an impression of greater scientific uncertainty than actually exists…” click here for more

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GE MAKES MAJOR MOVES IN WIND 3 Ways General Electric Just Got Serious About Wind Energy; General Electric Company wants to win the wind war.

Justin Loiseau, November 23, 2015 (Motley Fool)

"General Electric Company is taking its wind energy growth strategy to the next level…After folding in recently acquired Alstom's power and grid business, General Electric Company just announced that it's officially creating its own renewable energy business unit…The move makes sense. Alstom brings with it a suite of complementary renewable resources, expanding both the scope and quality of General Electric's current offerings. Globally, Alstom laid claim to the world's largest installed renewable energy base (370,000 MW)…While ‘growth by acquisition’ of a $10.6 billion company and a business unit restructuring may not seem like major signals that General Electric Company is getting serious about wind energy, there are three reasons that this is actually a big deal. Click through the slideshow below for three ways these recent developments signal GE's seriousness…” click here for more

3 Ways General Electric Just Got Serious About Wind Energy from The Motley Fool

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THE MANY WAYS OF SOLAR Solar energy is for everyone

Sean Gallagher, November 24, 2015 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

“…[S]olar benefits all Americans, of all income levels…As with any new technology, early adopters of solar tended to have higher incomes…But as solar prices have plummeted by more than 50 percent over the last decade, multiple reports outline how rooftop solar systems are overwhelmingly adopted in middle-class neighborhoods with median incomes ranging from $40,000 to $90,000…Though sometimes mischaracterized as a ‘subsidy,’ the net metering policies under which most rooftop solar customers are billed is simply a compensation mechanism that recognizes that clean energy — produced near the site where it’s consumed and primarily during expensive peak hours — is more valuable than generic ‘brown’ power…[For] customers who haven’t been able to go solar themselves, statewide low-income solar initiatives, solar leasing programs and community solar projects broaden access to solar…” click here for more

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