Henry Harrell"s Blog: December 24 Green Energy News

Headline News:

“Year of reckoning for climate change” • The Thomas Fire has demonstrated to Southern Californians how climate change can be consequent for us. One event is not typically attributable to climate change, but it is just the latest in a series of $1 billion weather events and climate disasters that has made 2017 the worst year on record. [Ventura County Star]

Thomas fire, just another $1 billion weather event in 2017 (Mike Eliason | Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP

Energy startups have been using blockchain for sharing electricity in microgrid trials from Texas to Tasmania for a year or so. But now companies are moving from trials to commercial projects, leveraging the distributed ledger technology for trading and payments on scales ranging from neighborhoods to city-wide and even national. [Daily Times]
Kuujjuaq, the largest Inuit community of the Nunavik territory, is leading the way on solar energy for the region with a project that saved more than 400 liters (105.67 gallons) of diesel between September and October, by providing 1,100 kWh from solar panels. This follows successful use of solar power in Alaska as a model. [Futurism]
Alliant Energy Corp’s Iowa utility company is adding a wind farm in central Iowa to serve its customers in that state. The wind farm will have 69 turbines with a capacity 170 MW. Output is expected to be enough to provide for the annual needs of about 50,000 homes. Construction will start in 2018 at a cost expected to be $300 million. [Madison.com]
California’s freakish, “rainy-season” Thomas Fire is only 65% contained. It is expected to burn into the new year, during what is normally the area’s wettest season. The Los Angeles Times reports that the Thomas Fire has done that despite a record number of firefighters (8,500) and amount of money spent ($175 million). [National Observer]

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