Climate Climate & Energy
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Home Energy Score could be a much-needed MPG for houses
The score gives a simple 1-10 rating of a home's energy performance and then -- this is the exciting part! -- a higher score owners might achieve if they take recommended steps like adding insulation, installing a programmable thermostat, shutting down the steel refinery in their basement, etc. So a home might achieve a 6 and have an expected upgraded score of 8.
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Feed-in tariff champion Hermann Scheer leaves big legacy
The recent death of German renewable energy advocate Hermann Scheer -- dubbed the sun king or even the Stalin of renewables -- is a unique opportunity to reflect on his largest legacy, the feed-in tariff, a policy responsible for the rise of the renewable energy industry.
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The smart grid could help you be smarter about your home electricity use
The smart grid, we?re told, will integrate renewable energy and decentralize power production. But what?s in it for you and me?
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Electric Bicycle Evolution
I spotted an interesting looking electric bicycle in front of my neighborhood grocery store a while back. The picture you see below came from an owner’s manual I found on the internet. It has some nice features like: 1) A centered kickstand (electric bikes tend to be top heavy)2) Front and rear disc brakes […]
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Acclaimed author Terry Tempest Williams reflects on BP's oil disaster
Author Terry Tempest Williams traveled the length of the Gulf of Mexico to see the fallout from BP's Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. Read the interview
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Climate scientists say enough is enough and mobilize an army
Scientists now realize the facts don't speak for themselves and plan to take on climate change deniers.
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The focus on big projects holds back solar in U.S.
While the government lavishes loans and expedites project reviews on public land for multi-megawatt solar projects, it's solar PV that's turning sunshine into electricity.
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Big exciting news about building codes. No, really
Maybe it's more inspiring to look at glitzy new green developments like UniverCity or Vancouver's Olympic Village, but these new energy codes improve every new home by 30 percent, not just the ambitious projects.
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Provincial feed-in tariffs spurring community power
Ontario will soon have the largest installed base of community-owned renewable generation in North America.
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Coal industry continues its shady practices
No surprise here, the coal industry is part of the polluters throwing money around to support candidates who will keep the loopholes and handouts in place. But the shady politics don't stop there. If you ever wanted evidence that the coal industry is corrupting our politics, look no further than the state of Kansas and the decision by Gov. Mark Parkinson to fire his chief environmental official Rod Bremby.
