The coal plant in Shamokin Dam, Pa., is a local landmark that delivered electricity to this region for more than six decades. It closed in 2014, and the state hopes to lure new businesses to the site. Jeff Brady/NPR Nearly 300 coal-fired power plants have been “retired” since 2010, according to the Sierra Club. It’s a trend that continues despite President Trump’s …
Learning from Energy Democracy and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
We are Kentuckians. We believe that today we have our best chance in decades to build New Power in Kentucky. New Power means thousands of new jobs, healthy communities and opportunities for our children. But we have to address the problems caused by Old Power – old political power, old economic power and old energy power. We have to: make …
Power Plant Securitization and Loan Refinancing: The law obligates customers to pay the cost of grid infrastructure built by monopoly utilities only if it can be shown to be a wise investment
The key question is, in utility regulator speak, “prudency.” Should customers have to pay for ill-advised or imprudent investments? The law obligates customers to pay the cost of grid infrastructure built by monopoly utilities only if it can be shown to be a wise investment. Energy Outreach Colorado, which helps low-income households with their energy bills, is against the approach. …
Has Seattle Found the Solution to Driving Alone to Work? How a fast-growing city has invested heavily in mass transit alternatives to keep a lid on gridlock
By ERICK TRICKEY, Politico, May 23, 2019 Read more Erick Trickey is a writer in Boston. SEATTLE—Three years ago, this fast-growing, hilly city of 725,000 people took a huge leap toward a longtime civic dream: becoming a place where it’s easy to live without driving every day or without owning a car at all. In March 2016, the region’s Link light-rail system, which ran …
Every dollar spent on energy transition would pay off up to seven times: Global economy would save up to $160 trillion by shifting to renewables, electric cars
Imagine a world where 85% of all electricity comes from renewable sources, there are over one billion electric vehicles on the road, and we are on track to preserve a livable climate for our children and future generations. We already know that every dollar spent on energy transition would pay off up to seven times: Global economy would save up to …
Complete Streets Strategy and Networks for St. Petersburg, FL
St. Petersburg, FL approves complete streets plan, by Katie Pyzyk, May 6, 2019, Smart Cities Dive The St. Petersburg, FL City Council approved its Complete Streets Implementation Plan, a guide for how the city’s streets will be designed and function over the next 20 years. The plan aims to help make streets safer and more accessible for users for all modes of …
Denver Climate Initiative in the works: would fund efficiency, heating system transition, and job training
On June 1st 2017 Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock released the following statement in anticipation of the White House pulling out of the Paris climate accord, “… A decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement would threaten every American community’s health and safety, not to mention impact our global alliances. Disengagement and failure to act not only demonstrates a lack of leadership on climate …
Could Barcelona’s plan to push out cars and build superblocks work in the US? A few US citiesmight have the infrastructure and civic will to follow in Barcelona’s footsteps.
By David Roberts@drvoxdavid@vox.com Apr 12, 2019 This is part five in a five-part series about the comprehensive urban plan being implemented in Barcelona, Spain, which would reclaim more than half the streets now devoted to cars for mixed-use public spaces, or “superblocks.” This reporting project was supported by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, where the author, David Roberts, is …
Cities leading the way off cars and pollution
BY ADELE PETERS Fast Company, March 2019 In downtown Cairo, it’s not uncommon to see streets clogged with cars. But in a proposed redesign for a central thoroughfare, they’re hard to spot. Instead, in the concept illustration for what looks like the Egyptian version of Amsterdam, a two-way bike lane, a sidewalk, and a plaza filled with palm trees replace the sea of …
Energy Storage 2019
The cost of battery storage is accelerating the demand for battery storage. And that is driving a sea change in the utility industry. Unthinkable just a few years ago, building new wind and solar farms coupled with battery storage is now less expensive than constructing new generating facilities powered by natural gas. They are also less expensive that continuing to operate nuclear …