QUICK NEWS, April 11: Federal Judge OKs Kids' Lawsuit Against Climate Change; Solar Even When It Rains; New Supports Emerge For EVs
Federal Judge OKs Kids' Lawsuit Against Climate Change Federal Court Rules On Climate Change In Favor Of Today's Children
James Conca, April 10, 2016 (Forbes)
“In the first lawsuit to involve a planet, [Oregon Federal Court Judge Thomas Coffin ruled] in favor of twenty-one plaintiffs, ages 8 to 19, on behalf of future generations of Americans in a landmark constitutional climate change case brought against the Federal Government and the Fossil Fuel Industry…The lawsuit alleges that the Federal Government is violating the Plaintiffs’ constitutional and public trust rights by promoting the use of fossil fuels…[Judge Coffin wrote that ‘Plaintiffs give this debate justiciability by asserting harms that befall or will befall them personally and to a greater extent than older segments of society…[T]he intractability of the debates before Congress and state legislatures and the alleged valuing of short-term economic interest despite the cost to human life, necessitates a need for the courts to evaluate the constitutional parameters of the action or inaction taken by the government…’ Most importantly, the judge unequivocally rejected all arguments raised by the Federal Government and the Fossil Fuel Industry in their Motions to Dismiss that sought to deny the youth their fundamental rights under the constitution and public trust doctrine…” click here for more
Solar Even When It Rains Graphene solar panels could create energy even when it’s raining
Mihai Andrei, April 11, 2016 (ZME Science)
“A new solar cell prototype [uses graphene layers to coat the solar panels and] may change the way we use solar panels…if it can also be efficient outside the lab…[Research from Ocean University of China created a solar panel] that can generate electricity when it’s raining, as well as when it’s sunny…[The key innovation is a one atom thick blanket of graphene that separates] the positively charged ions in rain (including sodium, calcium, and ammonium)…[and generates] electricity. This could happen because rain drops are never pure water (two hydrogen and one oxygen atom), but contain several types of salts in varying quantities…So far, they were able to generate 6.53 percent solar-to-electric conversion efficiency from their customised solar panel…[but graphene reduces the efficiency of the energy generation through solar light…[I]f they could create more energy from rain drops then what is lost this way, then the solar panels could become commercially viable. The durability of such a device will also have to be tested…” click here for more
New Supports Emerge For EVs Electric Vehicle Incentives
1Q 2016 (Navigant Research)
“Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) provide a number of advantages over conventional internal combustion engine-powered vehicles…[including cost reductions and avoiding] gas stations, oil changes, and emissions tests…[but] they have not yet been significant enough to justify the high premium that must be paid for the technology…PEVs also enable owners to minimize oil consumption to suit environmental and/or geopolitical concerns…Most global governments and the electric power sector benefit from these impacts…[so national, state, and local governments and utilities in developed and some developing regions have] established policies to ensure supply and demand for PEVs. Although supply-side policies have been fundamental to broad PEV market development, demand-side policies have been particularly effective at driving sales growth to specific markets…” click here for more
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