Once there was a mountain here. Mountaintop removal mine in Pike County, Kentucky just off U.S. 23. Photo by Matt Wasson, Wikimedia Commons.
* Coal companies are in trouble because of low prices. They keep pulling coal out of the ground, taking a steady loss rather than one big write-down, in the hope that prices will bounce back. That, of course, is only adding to the supply glut in the US, the world's second-biggest producer, and driving prices down further. [Bloomberg]
* One of the more hilarious criticisms of renewable energy is that it costs too much. A report says the economies of China, the EU, and the US could save as much as 500 billion a year in fossil fuel imports alone if they switched to 100% renewable energy. There would be many other large benefits as well. [CleanTechnica]
* One of the top utility companies in the US, Pacific Gas & Electric, recently achieved a new milestone with regard to solar energy - the company now has more than 150,000 solar customers connected to the wider electric grid. PG&E currently connects an average of 4,000 new solar customers every month. [CleanTechnica]
* Tennessee Valley Authority's draft Integrated Resource Plan for the next 20 years says under most scenarios TVA would benefit by importing at least 1,750 MW of wind power from Texas and Oklahoma. Clean Line Energy LLC wants to bring about twice that amount to the Tennessee Valley. [Chattanooga Times Free Press]
AND A RECENT OPINION PIECE THAT SHOULD NOT BE MISSED:
* "A Reagan approach to climate change" George Shultz says observations of a changing climate are simple and clear, so he concludes that the globe is warming and that carbon dioxide has something to do with that fact. He says those who say otherwise will wind up being mugged by reality, and he proposes a carbon tax. [Washington Post]
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