QUICK NEWS, May 15: Younger Republicans Starting To Get Climate Change; California’s Solar Bump; Where The Wind Is

Younger Republicans Starting To Get Climate Change Many Republican Millennials differ with older party members on climate change and energy issues

Cary Funk and Meg Hefferon, May 14, 2018 (Pew Research Center)

“There are significant divides between younger Republicans – Millennials born between 1981 and 1996 – and their elders in the GOP on a range of environmental and energy issues. One notable difference is that…[a]bout a third (36%) of Millennials in the GOP say the Earth is warming mostly due to human activity, double the share of Republicans in the Baby Boomer or older generations, according to a Pew Research Center survey…In addition, 45% of Millennial Republicans say they are seeing at least some effects of global climate change in the communities where they live, compared with a third of Republicans in the Baby Boomer or older generations…Millennials are less inclined than older generations in the GOP to support increased use of fossil fuel energy sources…44% of Millennial Republicans support the increased use of offshore drilling, compared with 75% of Republicans in the Baby Boomer and older generations…[However, 44% of Republicans across all generations] say policies aimed at reducing the effects of climate change make no difference for the environment, and around a quarter believe such policies do more harm than good…” click here for more

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California’s Solar Bump California Puts Solar on the Roof and Up For Grabs; A mandate may not be the guaranteed boon to established companies investors think.

Liam Denning, May 14, 2018 (Bloomberg News)

“…[The debates have begun about whether the new California law requiring rooftop solar on all new houses] is cost-effective versus other climate-friendly measures…They’re valid debates…Large residential solar companies such as Sunrun Inc. look like obvious winners…[Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF)] estimates the mandate could boost residential solar deployment in California in 2020 by 200 to 300 megawatts, or 23 to 34 percent — on top of a market already growing at more than 9 percent…Builders might partner with established residential solar firms…[or a] homebuyer might pay the construction firm for the house and simultaneously contract with the solar partner…Financing could be done either through existing loan or lease products or, if preferable, rolled into the mortgage…This seems to hold out the prospect of all-in unit costs for residential solar falling dramatically…[because] more than two-thirds of the cost of a typical rooftop system in California relates not to equipment but to such things as marketing, permitting and installation…[But new] value propositions are needed…[because distributed solar power is already] pushing more electrons onto a glutted mid-afternoon market…California’s new mandate tees up a huge experiment in brands and services potentially picking up the slack as residential solar’s commodification accelerates…” click here for more

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Where The Wind Is Every one of America’s 57,636 wind turbines, mapped

Christopher Ingraham, May 11, 2018 (Washington Post)

“…[A massive new U.S. Geological Survey database of over 57,000 commercial wind turbines shows that California’s Kern County, Riverside County, and Alameda County, Texas' Nolan County, and Oregon's Gilliam County are the top five wind regions There are 2,501 counties] with no commercial wind energy…There's a lot of variation in average annual wind speeds in the U.S….[In the southeast,] there are hardly any commercial wind projects…[T]here are also political considerations…[Wyoming] ranks seventh in the nation in terms of its potential wind-power generation…[but] 17th in terms of installed capacity…[It] is one of just two states that tax wind power (Oklahoma is the other), which renewable energy advocates say has stifled the development of the industry there…A number of states, primarily in the South but also in windier states like Nebraska and Wyoming, also lack legal mandates on how much electricity must come from renewable sources…[and] lag on wind-power…[But costs are falling so fast that] the industry is being driven more and more by plain economics…[The Department of Energy forecasts] over 400 gigawatts of installed wind-power capacity in the United States by 2050…[up from today’s] 89 gigawatt capacity…” click here for more

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