QUICK NEWS, November 3: SOLAR TRANSFORMS DEAD LAND; THE BEST EV FOR EVERYBODY; COOLING MAKES IT HOTTER

SOLAR TRANSFORMS DEAD LAND PSE&G utilizes landfills to generate more solar energy

November 2, 2015 (Penn Energy)

“Since 2009] through more than $500 million and 2,000 new jobs, [the Public Service Electric and Gas Co (PSE&G)] Solar 4 All program has brought more than 100 megawatt-dc to New Jersey homes and businesses…Three of the 26 solar projects active today are located on top of landfills [and the company views landfills as ideal spots to set up solar farms]…Recently, the company announced it reached the halfway point in constructing another solar farm atop a landfill…While [Waste Management of New Jersey] will continue to own the landfill, PSE&G will own and operate the L&D Solar Farm…[B]y the end of 2016, New Jersey landfills and brownfields will have the capacity to produce nearly 53 megawatts of solar energy through solar farms built on top of them…[PSE&G] has an overall goal of creating 125 MW-dc…Aside from utilizing landfills and brownfields, the company has also used the space-saving innovation, pole-attached solar…” click here for more

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THE BEST EV FOR EVERYBODY Best Electric Car For The Average American

Zachary Shahan, November 2, 2015 (Clean Technica)

“…[The best electric car for the ‘average American’ depends on what you consider average…[A] short-range electric car like the Nissan LEAF (84 miles of range), BMW i3 (81 miles of range), VW e-Golf (83 miles of range), or Kia Soul EV (93 miles of range)…[is really adequate for the average person because] ~99% of trips are under 50 miles (leaving plenty of room for buffer) and ~90% of days have a total of just ~70 miles of driving (with plenty of time between trips to charge — whether from a charging station or a typical electricity outlet)… [A] new Mitsubishi i-MiEV ($22,995), Smart Electric Drive ($25,000), Chevy Spark EV ($25,995), VW e-Golf ($28,995), Nissan LEAF ($29,010), or Ford Focus Electric ($29,170) fall below the average [$31,000] new car price… even before you subtract the $7,500 federal EV tax credit and any other incentives available…So, basically, any electric option [except Tesla] on the market is as cheap or cheaper than the average new car bought in the US…[After that, it is] personal preferences…[T]he case is well enough made that the i3 is the best electric car for the hypothetical average American…But if you want more space and seating, the Soul EV, LEAF, or e-Golf probably is. If you want a normal-looking car, the e-Golf is surely your best option. If you want better fast charging options, the LEAF is probably the best electric car for you…” click here for more

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COOLING MAKES IT HOTTER "Global Warming," More Air Conditioning, and More Energy

Jude Clemente, November 1, 2015 (Forbes)

“In our IPCC-reported warming world, one key area that will require massive amounts of more energy is…cooling. The world now faces surging demand for air conditioning, refrigeration, etc…[The U.S.] residential air conditioning needs alone devour 6-8% of the country’s electricity, or about 290 terawatt hours per year, more electricity than is used in all sectors in Mexico, with 125 million people…[H]ome central air conditioning systems can gobble up over 3,000 kWh per year, or more electricity per capita than is used by more than half of the world…The air conditioners in our cars alone use some 655,000 barrels of gasoline per day, more gasoline than Germany and Italy use in total combined…[T]he world’s cities are now adding the metropolitan areas of Tokyo, Mexico City, and New York City combined…every year…According to the EPA, cities can be a whopping 22°F hotter at night than surrounding areas...[Even with newer, more efficient equipment] global electricity consumption for home cooling will still increase nearly 8-fold by 2050…” click here for more

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