QUICK NEWS, October 24: Small Wins In Climate Fight Point The Way To Victory; Seeing The Real Wind At Last; Al Gore Calls Florida Solar Amendment “Phoney Baloney”

Small Wins In Climate Fight Point The Way To Victory The Guardian view on climate change: good news – but not yet good enough; Eleven of the last 12 months have been the hottest on record. Though progress on cutting carbon emissions is encouraging, more must be done

Editorial, 23 October 2016 (UK Guardian)

"The Montreal protocol is the most successful environmental treaty in history…[but some of the chemicals left in place] had an effect on the climate thousands of times higher than carbon dioxide. This month, world governments agreed to address that by eliminating the substitute chemicals – called HFCs – potentially reducing rising temperatures by as much as 0.5C in a relatively short time…The International Civil Aviation Organisation agreed this month to measures to combat the [GHG] impact of flying…[and this week international shipping will debate similar rules…These progressive moves, though belated and insufficient, must be welcomed. They represent an unprecedented run of helpful measures…[and] the Paris accord itself has now been ratified…[BUT] September was the hottest on record…making 11 out of the last 12 months record-breakers. This year is expected to set a new record – as last year did, and 2014 before it…To achieve what is needed before the window closes, we must recapture the sense of urgency that motivated the Montreal protocol…Climate change may be slow-burning…but it is no less threatening…” click here for more

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Seeing The Real Wind At Last The 8 Most Interesting Things Going On in the Wind Market

October 21, 2016 (Electrical Construction and Maintenance)

“The first offshore wind farm in the u.s. was just completed…[The price of wind is probably going to get a lot cheaper… The wind industry could provide 20% of total U.S. power by 2030… The tallest wind turbine in the U.S. was just built in Iowa…[and] 31% of [Iowa’s] electricity was generated from wind last year. That’s the highest percentage by any state in the country by far, leading second-place Kansas by 7%. What’s the nationwide average? About 5%... Global employment grew by more than 5% in 2015, thanks in large part to high installation rates in China, the U.S. and Germany… Wind has become a cash crop for farmers…Landowners who sign [lease] agreements usually get between $7,000 and $10,000 per turbine, per year… Scotland just produced enough wind energy to power the entire country for a day…” click here for more

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Al Gore Calls Florida Solar Amendment “Phoney Baloney” Utilities behind solar amendment are trying to trick voters into ending net metering, Al Gore says

Josh Gillin, October 21, 2016 (Politifact)

“…[While campaigning for Hillary Clinton in Florida, former Vice President Al Gore] said the utility companies that back Amendment 1 make it sound like it fosters solar, but the true aim is darker..[and it is] a ‘phony baloney’ initiative propped up by utilities…[The Florida Supreme Court determined the language of Amendment 1, called ‘Rights of Electricity Consumers Regarding Solar Energy Choice’ is] not misleading and approved it 4-3. It is widely considered a deliberate attempt by utilities to erect barriers to competition and prevent third-party leasing of solar…[Audio surfaced this month of a utility lobbyist saying the amendment, backed by almost $22 million from utilities, would] ‘completely negate anything they (pro-solar interests) would try to do either legislatively or constitutionally…’

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[C]ritics like Gore say it will allow utility companies to end a process called net metering…[which] allows someone to sell excess solar-generated power to the utilities…[and get] a lower bill because they draw less electricity from the traditional, power plant-supplied grid…Utility companies nationwide have argued that this is unfair, because homes with solar panels are getting all the benefit of being connected to the grid without having to pay as much for the upkeep of generators and transmission lines…A Brookings Institution study in May looked at net metering in several states and concluded that when solar customers sell their power back to the electric utility through net metering, it actually helps non-solar customers in a few ways…The amendment is widely considered to be deceptively worded and erects barriers to solar power that would favor traditional utilities. Gore is right to warn solar proponents it would work against their broader efforts…[But] he went a bit too far to say the amendment would automatically grant utilities unchecked ‘authority’ to kill net metering. We rate his statement Half True.” click here for more

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