A round-up of the top climate and energy news.
The Obama administration, moving swiftly on the president’s promise to expedite the southernmost portion of the disputed Keystone XL pipeline, has granted construction permits for part of the route passing through Texas, officials said on Tuesday. [New York Times]
The key question is whether this progress will continue. Will U.S. carbon emissions keep falling? Or were the past five years just a weird blip? [Wonk Blog]
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Tuesday that it was “highly likely” that the agency would grant Shell permits to begin drilling exploratory wells off the North Slope of Alaska as early as next month. [New York Times]
Firefighters again will battle inferno-like conditions on Wednesday as they try to tame an explosive wildfire that has already chased some 32,000 residents from their homes near Colorado Springs, Colorado. [CNN]
Vacation homes and commercial properties in flood-prone areas could see their flood-insurance premiums more than double over a four-year period under a bill poised to clear the Senate this week. [Wall Street Journal]
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, whose administration has called solar power an economic “albatross,” is expected to sign legislation that would increase the amount of solar energy state utilities must buy. [Bloomberg]
Solar panel manufacturers face three more years of tough conditions until the market shuts down excess production capacity, according to a new report issued on Tuesday by renewable power consultancy GTM Research. [Reuters]
Controversial plans to build a major coal-fired power station in Ayrshire using unproven “clean coal” technology have been abandoned, to the delight of environmental campaigners. [Guardian]
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When Obama appointed Salazar and Chu, we wondered where his heart was. Salazar is an oil company employee, and has done just what we expected. Chu failed to stand on principle or resign. Nobody in the entire administration is saying or doing what has become quite necessary, apart from a few legal ruling- driven EPA decisions. Meanwhile, all of the news about climate is far worse than in early 2009. It’s disheartening.
The 3.5 KW PV array going up on my roof today costs $6.5/Watt, including $1/Watt panel cost, which leaves $5.5/Watt BOS cost.
Watching the installers retrofit this system on my old house brings the $1/Watt PV gift into extremely clear focus:
Every new building in the world should have PV built in to the roof. Why? Because retrofitting will nearly always add more than $1/Watt to the cost compared to building it in from the get-go. That means that even if PV became free, retrofitting will always cost more than building it in when new.
PV at $1/Watt is an astonishing gift that we weren’t ready for. We aren’t ready yet. So, let’s get ready to use this manna from heaven. Let’s build PV in to every new building. (This is not trivial. It means working with architects, builders, utilities, and governments. The goal: BOS cost of zero.)
The BOS costs are lowest in new buildings. PV at $1/Watt should be at least as prevalent as central air and central heating. Heck, PV should be as prevalent in new construction as windows and doors.
PV panels at $1/Watt are here. Now. Today. Let’s stop moaning and put ‘em where the sun shines.
Don’t forget: contemplating having PV or solar hot water on the roof, in the NH, pretty much means making sure the roof is flat, or faces south. Also, a clear view of the sun most of the day. Which means looking for, or building, such a roof. Even orienting the whole neighborhood that way, when first developed. I wish I’d thought of that in 1985, or lucked into it without thinking about it.
An additional energy and climate news roundup is posted at http://www.marcaccicomms.com/news/energy-and-environment-news-roundup-6-27-12/
Yet another excellent round-up.
Thanks.
Hope Joe doesn’t mind you “advertising” here.
If Obama is a Democrat, that’s not what I am.