Energy

Trump never saw a Wind Farm in China, but Beijing has half of all Installed Wind Capacity and will Eat America’s Lunch in this Industry

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The dufus-in-chief perorated on Friday once again on wind power, complaining that the components are made in China but that “I have never seen a wind farm in China. Why is that? Somebody check that out.” His just-passed tax bill eliminates federal incentives for the industry, ensuring a vast slow-down […]

China

America’s worsening Solar Gap with China, which installs 100 Panels per Second

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – According to Asia Society Policy Institute Senior Fellow Lauri Myllyvirta, China installed 93 gigawatts of solar in May, along with 27 gigawatts of wind. She points out that this is equivalent to 100 solar panels being put in every second. China has passed the 1 terrawatt milestone for installed solar […]

Donald Trump

Trump can’t Stop the Green Energy Revolution any More than Horses could Stop the Automobile

Alfred W. McCoy

( Tomdispatch.com ) – He lived over 1,000 years ago, but King Canute’s life still has some important lessons for our own time. After conquering England, Denmark, Norway, and part of Sweden, he forged a vast North Sea empire that made him, by the year 1030, the greatest of all the Viking kings. At that […]

Solar Energy

Recycling Solar Panels will Reduce Waste, but We Should Repair and Reuse First

The Conversation

By Deepika Mathur, Charles Darwin University and Robin Gregory, Charles Darwin University (The Conversation) – Australia’s rooftop solar industry has renewed calls for a mandatory recycling scheme to deal with the growing problem of solar panel waste. Only about 10% of panels are currently recycled. The rest are stockpiled, sent overseas or dumped in landfill. […]

Featured

Women’s Cancer Rates are Rising in the Oil Gulf: is Global Heating causing it?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Human-caused global heating is hitting the Middle East hard, and rates of cancer in Middle Eastern women are increasing. Is there a correlation? This is the question asked by Wafa Abu El Kheir-Mataria and Sungsoo Chun at Frontiers . These scholars are at the American University in Cairo, my alma […]

Africa

Ocean currents can generate electricity – and our Study shows Africa’s Seas have some of the Strongest

The Conversation

By James H. VanZwieten Jr., Florida Atlantic University; Gabriel Alsenas, Florida Atlantic University; Mahsan Sadoughipour, Florida Atlantic University, and Yufei Tang, Florida Atlantic University (The Conversation) – The world’s oceans cover more than 70% of Earth’s surface. They’re filled with currents, some much stronger than the fastest flowing large rivers. These currents can be harnessed […]

Agrovoltaics

Solar Panels’ Shade helps boost Colorado grassland Productivity in dry Years

The Conversation

By Matthew Sturchio, Colorado State University (The Conversation) – Grasses growing in the shade of a solar array were only a little less productive than those growing nearby in open grassland during years of average and above-average rainfall – but in a dry year, the shaded plants grew much better than those growing in full […]

Featured

Turkiye gets 11% of its Electricity from Wind, plans $1.5 Bn. Investment this year

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Turkiye’s wind power sector continues to grow, albeit at a somewhat slower pace than at the beginning of this decade. The country gets 11% of its electricity from wind. Turkiye is third in Europe for onshore wind power growth, It installed 1.5 gigawatts of new wind in 2024, more than […]

Featured

Morocco Plans Floating Solar PV over Reservoirs to Stop Evaporation

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Morocco is on a green energy roll, as the government’s far-sighted plan to move the North African country to renewables makes it a leader in the region. The installed renewables capacity increased 5% from 2021 to 2025, to 12 gigawatts, according to an announcement in mid-May of the Minister of […]