February 24 Green Energy News

Headline News:

• In the years of 2000 to 2014, Colorado River flows declined to around 81% of the 20th-century average. Researchers found that the higher temperatures in the region since 2000 are responsible for between one-sixth to one-half of the river flow reductions seen since 2000. Forty million people rely on the river for their survival. [CleanTechnica]

Relying on the Colorado River for survival (Erik A Ellison, Wikimedia Commons)

• London has air pollution levels that sometimes exceed those of Beijing. NOx levels have gone well beyond EU legal limits; over a 5 day period in January, their levels exceeded the EU’s legal limit for a full year. The Mayor announced that central London will institute a £10 charge for entering vehicles that don’t meet Euro 4 standards. [CleanTechnica]
• Renewable energy companies from three EU member nations, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands have just announced they will finance and build a total of 735 MW of wind power in Russia. All three have been victims of Putin-backed campaigns boosting anti-democratic candidates in an attempt to split and weaken the European Union. [CleanTechnica]
• The main Standing Rock protest camp near the Dakota Access Pipeline was cleared Thursday, a day after a deadline to leave the area expired, authorities said. There were arrests, but no major conflict after police did not enter the camp. About 100 protesters left voluntarily. Protesters chanted, waved flags, and played drums as they left. [CNN]
• California’s building standards mandate all new residential homes and commercial buildings under 10 stories to have a “solar ready” roof. The proposed California bill SB 71 would shift the focus from “solar ready” to “solar installed”. California would be the first US to requiring renewable energy installations by law. [Sun & Wind Energy]
• Riverkeeper and the Natural Resources Defense Council claim a new study it commissioned puts to rest any lingering doubts over replacement power and shows that the closure of the Indian Point nuclear power plant can be done clean and green, without big increases in electric bills. Indian Points power units will be offline by 2021. [Mid-Hudson News]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

February 24 Green Energy News posted first on Green Energy Times