A Minneapolis community solar garden developer has begun building five projects aimed at reducing electricity costs for low-income consumers. Frank Jossi of Midwest Energy News takes a look at the communities who are benefiting from solar and why Minnesota in particular has succeeded in helping develop prosumers.
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Desert solar project could power 5 million EU homes
A consortium of clean energy developers has applied for permission to build a gigantic solar power plant on the edge of the Sahara desert, which will be linked to Europe by a number of undersea cables and could power over 5 million homes. Sam Morgan of Euractiv explains.
National Energy Transition: Morocco Makes First Steps in Carbon Market
The State Secretariat for Sustainable Development organized the National Carbon Market Conference on Friday, July 7 in Rabat. There it announced Morocco’s integration to the carbon market, two weeks after the adoption of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development. Chaima Lahsini of Morocco World News explains.
The modern wind sector – and the Energiewende – turns 30 today
When was the Energiewende born? Lots of dates are tossed around, but one German press report argues that it all started today 30 years ago, when a test wind farm was connected to the grid. Craig Morris says it’s as good a starting point as any for Germany’s energy transition, but the project really launched the global wind power sector.
Is the Tesla Model 3 our ride to a sustainable future?
Automakers should see this month’s news—and the news yet to come—as a call to action for a bolder transportation vision. Traditional engines are on their way out, but it’s not enough to just replace gas with electric. Eliot Metzger and Alyssa Fischer explain.
Wind power hit record low price in German auctions. Few are happy.
Germany’s Network Agency has announced the results of the second round of onshore wind auctions. The new price is 4.29 cents/kWh, a quarter lower than the 5.71 cents from the first round. So why all the criticism? Craig Morris explains.
How will US solar eclipse affect solar power?
On August 21, a solar eclipse will pass over the continental United States. Attention is now being paid to the impact on solar power generation. Germany’s solar eclipse of 2015 provides some answers. Craig Morris says the impact will be negligible.
Are renewables good for democracy? Not necessarily.
In Carbon Democracy, Timothy Mitchell describes how people’s ability to sabotage the economic system strengthened democracy. Craig Morris wonders what the future holds – and if the year 2050 might be cleaner, but also less democratic.
“Free trade” should be called “forced trade”
Timothy Mitchell’s Carbon Democracy says that our fossil fuel consumption has shaped the state of our democracies in ways poorly understood. A look at the role of the oil sector from colonialism until today sheds light on the impact. Craig Morris takes a look.
How coal and oil impact democracy differently
Because it was vulnerable to worker sabotage, the coal sector provided an environment in which democracy could grow stronger, at least up until the mid-20th century, when oil began to replace it – not only as a source of fuel, but as a way of keeping democratic demands in check. Craig Morris goes in-depth.