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Iberdrola-Backed AlgaEnergy May Build Mexico Biomass Plant

AlgaEnergy SA, part-owned by Spain’s Iberdrola SA and Repsol SA, is in talks with potential partners to set up a plant in Mexico to supply the American markets with biomass made from algae.




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Germany’s $2.8 Billion Power Link With Norway Threatened

Talks between Germany and Norway about how to boost the trading of electricity from renewable sources are being held up by concerns that the power cable running under the North Sea won’t ever make money.




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Greenpeace Praises Apple's Increased Commitment to Renewable Energy

Greenpeace issued its annual report on the energy efficiency of Internet companies, praising Apple Inc., Facebook Inc. and other major providers of online services for improved use of energy resources.




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Utilities Threatened by Competitive Renewable Energy Growth

Technology is catching up with Thomas Edison’s electricity industry, eating away at the utility business model that hasn’t changed much in a century.




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CEO of German Utility RWE Says It Should Have Invested in Renewable Energy Sooner

What’s a beleaguered utility to do when forced by the government to close its profitable nuclear power plants?




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Clean Energy Investment Rises 9 Percent, Led by Solar-Power Demand

Clean energy investment rose by 9 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier on surging demand for rooftop solar panels from the U.S. to Japan.




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UK Awards First Guaranteed Power Price Contracts to Biomass, Offshore Wind Projects

Drax Group Plc, Dong Energy A/S and SSE Plc will get guaranteed power prices for U.K. biomass and offshore wind plants, the first renewable energy projects to benefit from a new aid program.




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EU Needs Low-Carbon Energy Union, Ministers’ Advisory Panel Says

The European Union needs an ambitious emissions-reduction goal, targets for energy- efficiency and renewables as well as tools to foster investment under its planned 2030 policies, an advisory panel to 14 ministers said.




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Obama Delay on Biofuel Rule Puts Intended Beneficiaries in Bind

In the arid Imperial Valley of California, Tim Brummels is trying to turn an agricultural cousin of sugarcane into low-carbon ethanol.




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India to Sart Construction on German-backed $8 Billion Renewable Grid Project

India will begin construction this year on an $8 billion project backed by Germany’s development bank to upgrade its grid to handle a more than doubling of renewable power capacity by 2022.




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Green Whiskey: Scottish Distillery To Be Powered by Combined Heat and Power Plant

Scotland’s Macallan whisky distillery is set to get most of its heat requirement from a combined heat and power plant part-funded by the government.




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Australia's Renewable Industry Imperiled Pending Policy Review

A government-appointed panel gave Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott two options to cut emissions more cheaply: either scrap or weaken its main clean energy program.




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Chevron’s Search for Plant-Based Alternative Fuels Flounders

Chevron Corp.’s attempts to turn plants into alternative fuels for profitable, large-scale production have failed.




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Australia Seeks to Reduce Renewable Energy Target to ‘Real’ 20 Percent

Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s government will negotiate with the opposition to cut Australia’s renewable energy target and exempt industries such as aluminum and copper smelting.




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UN Sees Irreversible Damage to Climate Caused by Fossil Fuels

Humans are causing irreversible damage to the planet from burning fossil fuels, the biggest ever study of the available science concluded in a report designed to spur the fight against climate change.




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Khosla-Backed Biofuel Firm Kior Files Bankruptcy, Plans Sale

Kior Inc., a maker of biofuels from crops such as switchgrass, wood chips and corn husks, filed for bankruptcy protection with a plan to sell its assets to affiliates of backer Vinod Khosla if no better offer emerges.




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Obama to Pledge $3 Billion for Climate Change Fund

President Barack Obama will pledge $3 billion to a United Nations climate-change fund that’s intended to help poor nations boost renewable energy and counter the ill effects of global warming.




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Effects of Increased Solar and Wind Energy on Hydro Plant Operation

In many countries, needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have led to increased installation of intermittent renewables such as wind and solar.




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Want to Buy a Used German Power Plant? Shipping Is Included

Germany’s utilities, battered by the country’s shift to wind turbines and solar panels, would be glad to sell you a power plant on the cheap. They’ll even pack it up and ship it to another country.




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Africa’s First Grid-Connected Biogas Plant to Start in Kenya

Africa’s first grid-connected biogas plant will begin supplying power by March 1, according to Johnnie McMillan, managing director of Tropical Power Kenya Ltd.




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India Renewables Boom Aided by International Funds

India said cheaper credit along with foreign investment will help the world’s third-largest polluter fund an ambitious renewable energy program that would build green power plants faster than China.




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UK Coal-to-Biomass Conversion Project to Be Probed by EU

U.K. subsidies for RWE AG’s Lynemouth power plant face a European Union probe amid concerns government aid would give the company too much to convert the site from coal to biomass and may hamper competition.




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Apple To Build Two Renewable-Powered Data Centers in Europe

Apple Inc. plans to spend 1.7 billion euros ($1.9 billion) building data centers in Ireland and Denmark in its biggest European investment, with the facilities set to run services such as iTunes and maps for users of its devices.




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Japan Panel Considers 16 Percent Cut for Solar Feed-in Tariff

Japan is considering reducing the incentives for developers of solar power projects by as much as 16 percent to reflect lower operating and maintenance costs.




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Sweden, Norway Increase Renewable Target Amid Power Glut Concern

Sweden and Norway agreed to boost their target for renewable energy production amid concerns the additional capacity will exacerbate a power glut and strain the region’s electricity grid.




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Mexico Pledges to Cut Emissions 25 Percent in Climate Change Milestone

Mexico has become the first developing nation to formally promise to cut its global-warming pollution, a potential milestone in efforts to reach a worldwide agreement on tackling climate change.




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Yale Students Cited at Fossil Fuel-Divestment Protest

Yale University police cited 19 students after they staged a sit-in outside President Peter Salovey’s office to push for divestment from fossil-fuel companies.




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US Power Grid’s $2 Trillion Upgrade Needs European Efficiency

A $2 trillion push in the U.S. to blend renewable energy into the power supply and fortify transmission lines against extreme weather means that Americans must act more like Europeans to keep their power costs down.




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Japan Anticipates Clean Energy Will Edge Out Nuclear Power

Japan anticipates that by 2030 clean energy such as solar and hydro will generate slightly more of the nation’s electricity than nuclear power plants.




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Nordic Renewables Boom Set to Exceed Wind Energy Target

Sweden and Norway will probably exceed a joint target for renewable energy production by the end of the decade, industry consultant Nena AS said.




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‘Snail’s Pace’ in Climate Talks, Weak Pledges Frustrate UN Chief

The secretary general of the United Nations is frustrated with the pace of negotiations for what’s intended to be a crucial agreement limiting global warming.

Climate change pledges submitted so far from the world’s leading economies won’t be enough to keep the planet from warming dangerously, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday in New York.

Proposals to reduce heat-trapping emissions need to be “a floor, not a ceiling,” he said.

The global increase in temperatures will exceed 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) under the national pledges already submitted to UN, Ban said. That’s the goal scientists and the UN have set to avoid the worst effects due to global warming.

The proposals submitted to date “will not be enough to place us on a 2-degree pathway,” Ban said.

Without any changes to global emissions, the world is on track to warm by 4 degrees Celsius or more, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Change Janos Pasztor said earlier this month.

World leaders have five months to go before a meeting of almost 200 nations in Paris that’s intended to seal a new global pact to cut planet-warming carbon emissions. If successful, the agreement would be the first ever to require both developed nations like the US and growing economies like China to address climate change.

“The pace of UN negotiations are far too slow,” Ban said. “It’s like a snail’s pace.”

The U.S., the world’s biggest historic source of greenhouse gases, pledged earlier this year to cut its emissions by as much as 28 percent by 2025. The European Union has promised a 40 percent cut by 2030. Several other major economies, including Australia and Japan, have yet to submit climate plans to the UN.




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The Latest Sign That Coal Is Getting Killed

Coal is having a hard time lately. U.S. power plants are switching to natural gas, environmental restrictions are kicking in, and the industry is being derided as the world's No. 1 climate criminal. Prices have crashed, sure, but for a real sense of coal's diminishing prospects, check out what's happening in the bond market.




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Major US Corporations Pledge To Increase Renewable Energy Usage, Decrease Carbon Footprint

Executives from 13 major U.S. corporations are announcing at least $140 billion in new investments to decrease their carbon footprints as part of a White House initiative to recruit private commitments ahead of a United Nations climate-change summit later this year in Paris.

Companies including Apple Inc., Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co., and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. will join Secretary of State John Kerry and top administration officials at the White House for the announcement. In addition to pledges to cut emissions, provide financing to environmentally-focused companies, and reduce water consumption, the companies have said they will procure at least 1,600 MW of new, renewable energy. The White House said in a statement that it expects to announce a second round of similar pledges later this fall from additional companies.

The commitments are being announced as President Barack Obama is looking to build momentum toward a legacy-defining global climate accord in Paris. In addition to company-specific commitments, the corporate leaders on Monday will signal their support for a strong climate agreement out of the United Nations talks. They administration is using the pledges to set an example for companies to find ways to eliminate their carbon emissions.

Climate Talks

“As the world looks toward global climate negotiations in Paris this December, American leadership at all levels will be essential,” the White House said in a fact sheet detailing the announcement.

The administration’s actions are pushing the issue into the 2016 presidential debate. Hillary Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, released an energy strategy saying she would both defend and go beyond Obama’s efforts. Republican candidates have criticized the administration’s initiatives as costly to the economy and unnecessary.

Among the pledges, aluminum manufacturer Alcoa Inc. has agreed to reduce emissions by 50 percent from its 2005 levels, while agricultural giant Cargill Inc. says 18 percent of its total energy use will come from renewable sources.

Coca-Cola Co. said it would drive down the carbon footprint of its beverage production by 25 percent over the next five years, while Google says it plans to triple its purchases of renewable energy over the next decade. Berkshire Hathaway says it plans to invest up to an additional $15 billion in the construction and operation of renewable energy generators, while Bank of America Corp says it will increase its environmental business initiative by $75 billion over the next decade, according to the White House

Other participating firms include Wal-Mart, United Parcel Service Inc., PepsiCo Inc., Microsoft Corp., General Motors Inc.

The corporate commitments won’t be the administration’s only major climate announcement in the next few weeks. The Environmental Protection Agency is set to present final regulations that aim to reduce carbon emissions from power plants by 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 later this week.

While visiting Kenya over the weekend, Obama repeatedly praised the country for its efforts to address climate change, saying its efforts tor educe emissions “has put it in the position of being a leader on the continent.” And next month, the president will travel to Alaska for an international summit on Arctic climate issues.

©2015 Bloomberg News

For more, see Big Companies, Big Renewable Investments.




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The Clean Power Plan: Justice Delayed

In the case of the Fossil Fuel Industry, et. al. VS Earth, et. al., I find myself asking—not for the first time—is justice delayed, justice denied? It should come as no surprise that I am convinced it is.




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Part IV: Justice Delayed — Will Politics Trump Justice in the Case of the Clean Power Plan?

By the time this column is published, oral arguments in the legal challenge to the Clean Power Plan will have already been made. The en banc panel of 10 appeals court judges is not likely to render its decision before the New Year.  No matter the opinion, it will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.




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Taking Point: IBM, NVIDIA Collaborate at the Network’s Edge

NVIDIA is expanding its long-standing collaboration with IBM to accelerate the deployment of edge networks. Businesses are deploying these networks around the world as they switch on IoT sensors and extract real-time insights from the masses of data they generate. Today, IBM announced new solutions for edge computing including the IBM Edge Application Manager on Read article >

The post Taking Point: IBM, NVIDIA Collaborate at the Network’s Edge appeared first on The Official NVIDIA Blog.




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NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute Instructor-Led Training Now Available Remotely

Starting this month, NVIDIA’s Deep Learning Institute is offering instructor-led workshops that are delivered remotely via a virtual classroom. DLI provides hands-on training in AI, accelerated computing and accelerated data science to help developers, data scientists and other professionals solve their most challenging problems. These in-depth classes are taught by experts in their respective fields, Read article >

The post NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute Instructor-Led Training Now Available Remotely appeared first on The Official NVIDIA Blog.




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Medical AI Startup Quickly Shifts Strategy to Fight COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the world like few events before it. But for Shukun Technology, a response required “a minor change in our strategy,” according to its chief technology officer, Chao Zheng. That’s because Shukun, a startup founded by some of China’s brightest AI and medical minds, was busy refining its AI-powered platform to Read article >

The post Medical AI Startup Quickly Shifts Strategy to Fight COVID-19 Pandemic appeared first on The Official NVIDIA Blog.




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Taking Point: IBM, NVIDIA Collaborate at the Network’s Edge

NVIDIA is expanding its long-standing collaboration with IBM to accelerate the deployment of edge networks. Businesses are deploying these networks around the world as they switch on IoT sensors and extract real-time insights from the masses of data they generate. Today, IBM announced new solutions for edge computing including the IBM Edge Application Manager on Read article >

The post Taking Point: IBM, NVIDIA Collaborate at the Network’s Edge appeared first on The Official NVIDIA Blog.




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NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute Instructor-Led Training Now Available Remotely

Starting this month, NVIDIA’s Deep Learning Institute is offering instructor-led workshops that are delivered remotely via a virtual classroom. DLI provides hands-on training in AI, accelerated computing and accelerated data science to help developers, data scientists and other professionals solve their most challenging problems. These in-depth classes are taught by experts in their respective fields, Read article >

The post NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute Instructor-Led Training Now Available Remotely appeared first on The Official NVIDIA Blog.




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Medical AI Startup Quickly Shifts Strategy to Fight COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the world like few events before it. But for Shukun Technology, a response required “a minor change in our strategy,” according to its chief technology officer, Chao Zheng. That’s because Shukun, a startup founded by some of China’s brightest AI and medical minds, was busy refining its AI-powered platform to Read article >

The post Medical AI Startup Quickly Shifts Strategy to Fight COVID-19 Pandemic appeared first on The Official NVIDIA Blog.




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Bible Questions and Answers, Part 66 (Selected Scriptures)

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.




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The Supernatural Birth of Jesus (Selected Scriptures)

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.




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What the Magi Mean to Christmas (Selected Scriptures)

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.




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Bible Questions and Answers, Part 65 (Selected Scriptures)

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.




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What the Magi Mean to Christmas, Part 2 (Selected Scriptures)

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.




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The Geography of Christmas Prophecy (Selected Scriptures)

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.




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Your Responsibility to the Church, Part 1 (Selected Scriptures)

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.




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Your Responsibility to the Church, Part 2 (Selected Scriptures)

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.




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Christ, the Head of the Church (Selected Scriptures)

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.