Alternative Clean Energy Roundup: 6 March 2013

EPA, Energy Department can tackle climate change on several fronts

March 5 2013 - Now that President Obama has selected his top climate and energy policymakers, having nominated Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicist Ernest Moniz as energy secretary and Environmental Protection Agency air and radiation administrator Gina McCarthy to head EPA, the question still looms: how much can they get done using executive authority alone?

The answer: quite a lot, but it will involve taking some political risks. So here’s a list of some of the options McCarthy and Moniz will take, assuming both of them win confirmation. read more>>>

Group ups ante on renewable energy

03/05/2013 - A coalition of clean energy, labor, business, religious and other groups is calling for half the power produced in the state to come from renewable sources by 2030 -- 40 percent from sources such as wind energy plus another 10 percent from solar.

In 2007, Minnesota set a standard of roughly 25 percent from renewable sources by 2025. "Now we must build on that foundation and take a next big step forward," said Michael Noble, executive director of St. Paul-based Fresh Energy.

Noble and others announced the launch of the "Minnesota Clean Energy & Jobs" campaign Tuesday, March 5, at a news conference near the state Capitol. read more>>>

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China looks to green economy to hit GDP growth target of 7.5 per cent

Country also puts focus on consumers to drive growth.

05 March 2013 - At the annual meeting of the National People's Congress in Beijing, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao announced that the growth target for the PRC would remain at 7.5 per cent, the same as last year. In 2012, China only just made the target, as growth slowed to its most leisurely rate in 13 years, expanding by "just" 7.8 per cent.

While the growth goal remains the same, China has lowered its inflation goal to 3.5 per cent, and is planning to increase its budget deficit by 50 per cent to £128bn to "maintain support for economic growth", according to Jiabao. read more>>>

Artificial Leaf: Solar-To-Fuel Roadmap Developed for Crystalline Silicon

Mar. 4, 2013 — Bringing the concept of an "artificial leaf" closer to reality, a team of researchers at MIT has published a detailed analysis of all the factors that could limit the efficiency of such a system. The new analysis lays out a roadmap for a research program to improve the efficiency of these systems, and could quickly lead to the production of a practical, inexpensive and commercially viable prototype.

Such a system would use sunlight to produce a storable fuel, such as hydrogen, instead of electricity for immediate use. This fuel could then be used on demand to generate electricity through a fuel cell or other device. This process would liberate solar energy for use when the sun isn't shining, and open up a host of potential new applications. read more>>>

New arrivals from Greenlivingeveryday.com.

Lancaster, California to Require All New Homes to Have Solar Panels

03/04/13 - We’ve heard of mandatory recycling and composting, but mandatory solar panels? Lancaster, California — a small city of about 150,000 people in the high desert near Los Angeles — is planning to update its residential zoning code to require homebuilders to add solar panels to all new-construction homes. The move was announced by Republican mayor Rex Parris while speaking at an event hosted by Lancaster homebuilder KB Home. The new requirement would require all new-construction single-family homes built after January 1, 2014 to include at lease a 1.0 kilowatt solar system.

This isn’t the first time that Lancaster has made headlines for its investment in solar energy. In 2010, the town partnered with SolarCity to develop about 27 megawatts of solar energy to power City Hall, local parks, and a variety of businesses and residences. read more>>>

U.K. marine energy proving grounds to collaborate on wave and tidal energy

03/04/2013 - A collaboration agreement will see two of the United Kingdom's marine energy testing facilities work together to support the development of the U.K.'s wave and tidal energy sector.

The agreement will see England's South West Marine Energy Park and Scotland's Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Energy Park join forces to share natural and business resources. read more>>>