QUICK NEWS, November 20: The U.S. Is Starting To Get It; New Energy Buying Goes Mainstream; House, Senate To Face Off Over Wind Support
The U.S. Is Starting To Get It Battered by extreme weather, Americans are more worried about climate change; After months of intense hurricanes, heat waves, and droughts, a survey finds a record number of Americans worried about climate change
Dana Nuccetelli, November 20, 2017 (UK Guardian)
“…Americans are still poorly-informed about the causes of global warming. Only 54% understand that it’s mostly human-caused, while 33% incorrectly believe global warming is due mainly to natural factors…[even though] the lastest science shows humans are responsible for 1°C global surface warming over the past 150 years – approximately 100% of the warming we’ve observed…[According to the just-released Climate Change In The American Mind, Americans are nevertheless growing increasingly concerned about climate change. A record 22% are very worried about it (double the number in the March 2015 survey), and 63% of Americans are at least somewhat worried about climate change. That’s probably because they perceive direct climate impacts – 64% of survey participants think that global warming is affecting the weather, and 33% said it’s having a big influence…Americans also connecting the dots to specific extreme weather events. About 54% said that climate change worsened the extreme heat waves, wildfires, and hurricanes that pummeled the country in 2017…” click here for more
New Energy Buying Goes Mainstream NREL Study: ‘Demand For Green Power Is Ubiquitous’ In The U.S.
Joseph Bebon, November 16, 2017 (Solar Industry)
“…The U.S. voluntary green power market continues to grow, with about 6.3 million voluntary customers buying 95 million MWh of renewable electricity in 2016, a 19% increase in sales from 2015…[and the] voluntary green power market represents about 28% of all U.S. non-hydro renewable electricity sales [according to Climate Change In The American Mind]. The vast majority of green power customers are residential…[but] large non-residential customers have driven significant increases in green power sales in recent years. Non-residential customers – especially corporations – are finding new ways to procure green power through power purchase agreements and innovative utility renewable contracts. Electricity customers can also purchase green power through utility green pricing, unbundled renewable energy certificates, competitive suppliers, community choice aggregations, and community solar…[D]emand for green power is ubiquitous; customers buy green power in every state in the U.S. in both urban and rural areas. Green power generation is similarly widespread, with contributions from every state and 18 different states generating more than 1 million MWh of green power in 2016…” click here for more
House, Senate To Face Off Over Wind Support U.S. House Tax Bill Bad for Wind Energy; Renewable projects fare better under the Senate’s tax reform measure.
Sonia Smith, November 17, 2017 (Texas Monthly)
“Abundant wind, a self-contained electrical grid, and renewable friendly subsidies led Texas to become the national leader in wind energy…[Wind turbines have replaced pump jacks on the state’s landscape. Its installed] wind capacity has more than doubled in the last seven years, to 21,450 megawatts…[But] the U.S. House approved a bill provision that would retroactively cut the production tax credit (PTC) for wind, geothermal, and “closed-loop” biofuel facilities]. Critics say these changes, if they make it into law, will chill growth in the [industries] and derail billions of dollars worth of planned projects…[The renewable energy PTC provides a 2.3-cent per kilowatt hour tax incentive for the first ten years’ output of renewable plants that broke ground in 2015 and 2016. Under a] 2015 phaseout deal, projects breaking ground this year receive 80 percent of the credit, while those starting construction in 2018 and 2019 would get 60 percent and 40 percent respectively…[The House plan cuts the 2.3-cent-per-kilowatt-hour tax credit to 1.5 cents and retroactively changes eligibility. Provisions in the Senate version of the bill protect the PTC. The differences will force a showdown before the bill can be sent to the president]…” click here for more
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