Tag Archives: Cleantech

Renewables Supply 56% of Denmark’s Domestic Electricity

By Roy L Hales

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The numbers fluctuate. At 10:19 AM Pacific Time, on December 13, wind turbines fed 434 MW into the grid.  There have been days when they produced 140% of the nation’s need. Then there is solar energy and biomass. According to the Danish Energy Agency, renewables supply 56% of Denmark’s Domestic electricity consumption.

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America’s First 100% Electric Municipal Bus System

By Roy L Hales

Porterville, California, is about to make transportation history. The little Californian city only receives an average of 13 inches of rain a year, which makes it particularly vulnerable to atmospheric inversion, which holds in the exhausts from vehicles, agriculture, and other sources. Thanks to a determined city hall, the number of Stage 1 smog alerts declined from over 100 per year, in the 1970s, to almost zero. On December 7, the California Air Resources Board awarded $9.5-million to replace its entire bus fleet. By January, 2018, Porterville should have America’s first 100% electric municipal bus system.

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BC’s First Geothermal Power Project Could Be Weeks From Drilling

By Roy L Hales

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The provincial government has known about our massive potential since 1983. Two years ago the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association (CanGEA) released a report stating British Columbia could develop geothermal for half the cost of hydro. Now, as pipelines and the controversial Site C Dam dominate the headlines, BC’s first geothermal power project could be weeks from drilling.

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What Happened To Energiewende?

By Roy L Hales

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Germany led the world for the number of solar installations during 2012. This relatively small European nation added 7.60 GW of capacity to the grid. Then their numbers started going downward: 3.30 GW of new solar capacity in 2013; 1.56 GW in 2014; 1.4 GW in 2015. As of October 31, only 0.79 GW of new capacity has been added this year. Germany’s critics are once again hailing the imminent demise of this nation’s renewable revolution.  What happened to Energiewende?

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Living With A Trump Presidency

By Roy L Hales

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The American people have spoken. Donald Trump is not Dr Allan Hoffman’s choice for President. While it is still possible that Trump will be more reasonable than his pre-election rhetoric suggests, this is unlikely. Hoffman described Trump as a demagogue who appears to be a climate denier, whose statements about energy were “uninformed, ignorant and terrible.” Never-the-less, he has been elected and, for the next four years, “the American public is going to have to live with that.” Hoffman spoke about the realities of living with a Trump presidency.

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