Scientific consensus tells us that to stabilize the climate, we must achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 (27 short years) so that any remaining carbon emissions are balanced with carbon removal.
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Bat Fatalities at Wind Turbines
Investigating the Causes & Consequences Wind energy is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world It represents an important step toward reducing dependence on nonrenewable sources of power. However, widespread deployment of industrial wind turbines has unprecedented adverse effects on certain species of bats that roost in trees and migrate. Bats are beneficial consumers of agricultural insect pests, and migratory species of bats provide free pest-suppression services across ecosystems and international borders. Although the underlying causes of bat fatalities at wind turbines remain unknown, potential clues can be found in the patterns of fatalities. TSH scientists, in collaboration with other U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) science centers as well as…
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TOP TEN Clean Energy Developments of 2018
2018 showed that clean energy is becoming more and more the norm. And we’re not just talking about Bradley Cooper standing in front of a field of wind turbines in the hit movie, A Star is Born. In spite of the lack of action from the US federal government, the world is moving forward on clean energy. From India to the Caribbean to businesses and cities in the United States, 2018 was a great year for energy efficiency, electric vehicles, solar and wind energy, and more. Here we list our top ten clean energy developments of the year. 1. Carbon-Free Electricity is All the Rage Xcel Energy committed to supplying…
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Time Flies
A Five Year Trend Towards Renewables They say that time flies when you’re having fun. If that’s true, then we’re having a ball, because it seems like only yesterday that the first issue of our Green Living Journal hit the streets of Portland in 2008. That’s right, we are five years old, we have published 360,000 copies of our Journal, and we are optimistic about the future because of the changes that have taken place in those five years. Optimistic? How can we, or anyone else, be optimistic, given the present state of affairs? With civilization on the brink of collapse, are we not all in the proverbial handbasket? Where…
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Where were you in 1991?
Solar Energy International Was Just Getting Started Teaching the World About Renewable Energy Technologies. Solar Training and Renewable Energy Education – Celebrating 20 Years For 20 years, Solar Energy International has been dedicated to hands-on and online solar training and renewable energy education in wind, micro-hydro, sustainable building and developing world technologies. Solar Energy International also works with grassroots and development organizations to promote sustainability and improve quality of life worldwide through viable outreach programs. SEI Training Programs Through our Renewable Energy Education Program (REEP), SEI offers hands-on workshops and online courses in solar PV, wind, micro-hydro, solar hot water and natural home building. SEI Development Work SEI works cooperatively with grassroots and…
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Purple Wind Turbines May Be Less Likely to Harm Birds
Researchers Chloe Long, Dr. James Flint, and Dr. Paul Lepper, all colleagues at the Loughborough University in the United Kingdom, conducted experiments to learn whether color might play a role in attracting insects to wind turbines. They measured how many insects were attracted to different colored cards laid out in random order next to a 43-foot-tall three-blade wind turbine. The experiments showed that insects are most attracted to yellow followed by white and light gray. The researchers discovered that the color least attractive to insects was purple and reasoned that wind turbines painted purple would likely kill fewer birds and bats: Birds and bats are often hit when…
