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Los Angeles Seeks to Add 1.3 Gigawatts of Solar Power by 2020


Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently announced plans for Los Angeles to supply 10% of its electricity generation from solar power. Dubbed “Solar LA”, the ambitious plan would create the largest installed base of solar power of any city in the world.

Mayor Villaraigosa told reporters at the plan’s unveiling last month, “Our solar initiative is the largest of any kind anywhere in the world. When it takes full effect, LA will have 1,280 megawatts more capacity — more than exists in the entire United States today.”

East African geothermal tests successful


Geothermal energy generation in Africa could take a leap forward in 2009 after exploratory studies in Kenya exceeded all expectations, it was announced yesterday (9 December).

A new enterprise — the African Rift Geothermal Development Facility (ARGeo) — will drive forward the plan to harvest the steam locked among the rocks under East Africa, according to leaders of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the UN Environment Program (UNEP). They made their announcement at the UN Climate Change Conference, in Poznan, Poland.

Alternative Fuels Take Root in Refugee Camps


The land surrounding Kalma camp in South Darfur is dotted with small craters. Much of this landscaping has been done by women who live in the largest refugee camp in Sudan. They walk for hours scavenging the arid environs for firewood to use for cooking or to sell to support their families. First the women cut down the few existing trees in the area, and then when no trees are left they dig up the roots, leaving the ground pock-marked.

Low Carbon, Clean Energy, Growth, Jobs & Geothermal


There’s been much high end academic research and political debate about the relative costs and benefits of transitioning to low carbon societies and renewable energy sources in countries with industrially developed and developing economies alike. There’s likely to be a lot more going forward, particularly as United Nations Conference of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol members continue their quest to hammer out a successor to the Kyoto Protocol by next December when they meet in Copenhagen, and as the Obama administration and the US Congress set their agenda for the first year of a new presidency.

EU bans low-efficiency light bulbs from 2012


EU governments have agreed a phase-out timetable to remove from the market all incandescent light bulbs and low-efficiency halogen bulbs by 2012 at the latest. The restrictions will be introduced as “implementing measures” under the energy-using products (EuP) directive and will begin to bite from next year.

Get Solar Panels Without Dealing with Extra Bills


Going solar seems to get easier by the day — both logistically and financially. Before, homeowners had to save up to pay the huge upfront cost of buying and installing solar panels. Now, would-be solar energy users don’t need to put up startup funds — nor do they even have to deal with an extra repayment bill!

First Hybrid Solar and Gas Power Plant Under Construction


The sunshine state is in the spotlight for a groundbreaking solar plant that will add solar thermal collectors to an existing gas fired power plant. The result will save 2.75 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions over 30 years, while providing reliable power.

Natural gas power plants are criticized for generating power from a costly fuel source. Solar power is criticized for generating electricity only when the sun shines (although solar energy storage is solving this problem). Could this hybrid power plant be a marriage made in heaven?

Clean Energy Poised to Phase Out Coal and Avert Catastrophic Climate Change


Washington, D.C.- New technologies will permit rapid decarbonization of the world energy economy in the next two decades, according to a new report from the Worldwatch Institute. These new energy sources will make it possible to retire hundreds of coal-fired power plants that now provide 40 percent of the world’s power by 2030, eliminating up to one-third of global carbon dioxide emissions while creating millions of new jobs.

Monitoring carbon storage ‘more effective than closing power plants’


[NAIROBI] Using existing technologies to monitor carbon storage in developing country landscapes could save more carbon than closing 1400 coal-burning power plants, according to new research by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF).

The study will be presented in Poznan, Poland, at the Conference of the Parties (COP 14), an international gathering of experts working to ensure the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) effectively and fairly discourages activities that boost harmful emissions.

Hot air: UN climate talks to create 13,000 tonnes of carbon


Staging a global forum on climate change is a dilemma, for it adds to very problem it is trying to solve.

Around 13,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) will add to Earth’s greenhouse effect from the December 1-12 meeting of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UNFCCC said.

Alternative Energy and Fuel News - ENN