Energy and Environment News Roundup – 8.10.12

CLIMATE 

Climate change challenges power plant operations (via Washington Post)

National Academies report says climate models need to evolve substantially to deliver desired detail (via Green Car Congress)

Study: hurricanes whip up faster in warming world (via CBS News)

Climate change causing global forest die-off (via Mongabay)

Mangrove deforestation three times worse for climate than rainforest loss (via Mongabay)

Study finds African farmers must do more to beat climate change (via Reuters)

Patagonian glaciers melting faster than expected, report finds (via The Daily Climate)

RENEWABLES 

The US and China’s thin-film PV firms impact on India’s solar industry (via Greentech Media)

Small-scale, distributed renewables: tiny, but growing fast around the world (via Grist)

China pushes wind power, but no quick payoff for producers (via Reuters)

Australia’s New South Wales state pledges streamlined renewables planning process (via Renewable Energy World)

Italy’s solar power production passes its wind power production (via CleanTechnica)

US solar market spikes with 742MW in solar installations in Q2 2012 (via Greentech Media)

Budding geothermal markets light up East Africa (via Climate Progress)

1GW solar project in the works in California (via GigaOm)

Harnessing the power of crowds for community renewables (via Climate Progress)

OIL 

Shell begins oil drilling off Alaska coast (via Associated Press)

BP executives sought to blame “blue collar rig workers” for Gulf oil spill (via Reuters)

How Hurricane Isaac stirred up oil from the BP spill (via StateImpact Texas)

NUCLEAR

Climate change expert calls for nuclear power “binge” to avert global warming (via The Guardian)

Oldest French nuclear reactor to close by 2017 (via United Press International)

TRANSPORTATION 

The future of electric cars: lighter vehicles, more miles per charge (via Seattle Times)

Shipping industry eyes hydrogen fuel cells as pathway to emissions reductions (via Green Car Congress)

Can Chevy sustain Volt sales after incentives end? (via Green Car Reports)

Boeing forecasts China will need 5,260 new airplanes by 2031 (via Green Car Congress)

GRID 

With better data, utilities can fix power lines before they fail (via Greenbang)

Building cheap batteries to circumvent the grid (via MIT Technology Review)

Municipal utilities: the next wave of smart grid investment (via SmartPlanet)

2012: not the summer of smart grid to the rescue from peak demand (via Greentech Media)

Final environmental report released on 1.1GW California renewable energy transmission line (via Renew Grid)

NATURAL GAS 

EU raises fresh concerns over environmental impact of shale gas (via BusinessGreen)

EMISSIONS 

UN’s carbon offset scheme issues one billionth credit (via BusinessGreen)

EU’s total greenhouse emissions down 2.5% in 2011 (via Green Car Congress)

TAR SANDS 

Shell oil sands project may set precedent for carbon capture and sequestration (via AOL Energy)

CLEAN TECH 

Fuel cell shipments will triple in 2012, review says (via Environmental Leader)

LED bulbs widening gap in energy efficiency (via Yale e360)

LED light bulbs do least environmental harm, says Pacific Northwest National Lab (via The Oregonian)

COAL

Asia risks water scarcity in coal power embrace (via Bloomberg)

POLITICS 

Renewable energy is Obama’s goal for next term, aide says (via Bloomberg)

Obama and Romney drill for energy answers (via Forbes)

A presidential race low on energy (via Washington Post)

OPINION 

Seeking elusive energy independence (via National Journal)

What’s to blame for lost coal jobs (via CNN Money)

Hot air about cheap natural gas (via Rocky Mountain Institute)

OTHER NEWS 

An additional listing of clean energy and climate news is posted at Climate Progress