QUICK NEWS, June 28: Voters, Including Republicans, Move On Climate; World’s Biggest Wind Turbine; The Landmark New York Solar Price Deal

Voters, Including Republicans, Move On Climate Republican Voters Evenly Split on Climate Change, Poll Finds

Jack Fitzpatrick, June 28, 2016 (Morning Consult)

“Most voters, including about half of Republicans, believe the climate is changing and the federal government should step in to cut greenhouse gases…[In the conservatively oriented poll by Just Win Strategies and TargetPoint Consulting ] 68 percent of all respondents said they want federal government action [on emissions]…Among Republicans, 48 percent supported that statement, and 46 percent opposed it…[T]he vast majority of Democrats (86 percent) and about two-thirds of independents (67 percent) [want action. The poll] also found that only 12 percent of respondents said they were more concerned about environment and climate] than any other issue…[It also] found that despite many Republican officials’ reluctance to directly address climate change, GOP voters don’t uniformly deny that the Earth’s temperature is increasing. Republicans were split evenly at 45 percent…[compared to] 89 percent of Democrats and 72 percent of independents…[A slight majority of Republicans (53 percent) said] they believe they will feel the effects of climate change in their lifetime or already are…90 percent of Democrats and 73 percent of independents [agreed]...” click here for more

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World’s Biggest Wind Turbine World's biggest wind-power turbine unveiled for giant offshore renewable-energy project; The future for alternative energy takes huge leap forwards with structure capable of powering 10,000 homes.

James Billington, June 27, 2016 (International Business Times)

“The world's biggest wind-power turbine…would be one of Earth's biggest man-made structures when fully assembled…[with a 180 meter swept area and capable of powering] 10,000 homes…[Denmark’s LM Wind Power] is readying these giant blades for Adwen's offshore eight-megawatt turbine in France, part of three wind farms that can produce 500-megawatts of energy…[The blades, which increase energy yield 1% per year, are] made from a newly developed material that can withstand harsh off-shore weather…[and conduct lightning strikes safely to ground. The huge] wind-power blades represent a big leap towards lowering the cost of energy offshore, and are also a major move towards [the new energy] future…” click here for more

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The Landmark New York Solar Price Deal New York utilities and solar companies compromise on price of solar energy sold to utilities

June 27, 2016 (The Buffalo News)

“New York’s biggest utilities and some of the nation’s largest solar energy developers, including SolarCity…have formed an unlikely alliance to try to hammer out a mutually acceptable proposal on how much solar power system owners will be paid for the electricity they sell back to the utility…[Utilities now complain] they effectively pay solar customers higher retail prices for power they could purchase from conventional sources at a much lower wholesale price. But solar advocates say the retail price is warranted…The compromise plan would reduce the payments but also place a value on the environmental benefits of solar power and its role in helping utilities avoid having to make costly upgrades to the power grid…If it works, New York would stand out as the rare exception among states that have tackled the highly contentious issue [of net metering…A group of big industrial customers opposes the compromise, arguing it would continue, or possibly expand, subsidies for solar power at the expense of other customers…[An alternative proposal is for a ‘full value tariff’ that] would be structured much like a cellphone bill…” click here for more

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