Summary
In today’s edition, we can only hope, as Bonn UN climate talks seek to turn words into action. Also, in the Water section, learn about hydropower’s Achilles Heel: Drought. Finally, a maddening question (and may be an answer to it): Why even the people who worry the most about climate change often take little action?
Quote of the day
“We’re going to save on [the EPA] because they’re not doing it. They are making it impossible for our country to compete”.
Donald Trump, in the Guardian’s story Does Donald Trump represent a step forward for climate change action?
Lead stories
Bonn UN climate talks seek to turn words into action
Deutsche Welle
Delegates to the latest round of talks following the Paris Agreement began their work on Monday to work out a detailed plan on how governments are to report and monitor their national plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
http://bit.ly/1qpXcx1
Maldives minister: UN talks must deliver clean power surge
By Thoriq Ibrahim – Climate Change News
The United Nations climate change agreement reached in Paris last year marked the culmination of over 20 years of contentious negotiations to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
http://bit.ly/1WB7VDq
Global warming worsens with record temps, widespread coral bleaching
By Gregg Zoroya and Doyle Rice – USA TODAY
Six months after 195 nations vowed tougher action to curb global warming, the problem has only grown worse, with higher accumulations of greenhouse gas emissions, record worldwide temperatures and widespread coral bleaching from hotter ocean waters.
http://usat.ly/1NwnoRQ
Does Donald Trump represent a step forward for climate change action?
By Kate Aronoff – The Guardian
Donald Trump will have a climate plan and it will be ugly. For now, the Republican frontrunner is pedaling the kind of denialism his party loves, having called global warming everything from a “hoax” to a “con job” to aChinese plot.
http://bit.ly/259EsF3
Why even the people who worry the most about climate change often take little action
By Chelsea Harvey – Washington Post
When it comes to encouraging action against climate change, getting the public to care about the issue — or just believe it exists — is a primary preoccupation for scientists and activists. But it turns out that even people who are the most worried about the problem are often not taking much public action about it.
http://wapo.st/200uHSO
Events
CARBON EXPO 2016
Global Carbon Market Fair and Conference
May 25-27, 2016
Cologne
http://jlne.ws/1mg8bqR
Cleantech Innovate Scotland
June 9, 2016
http://jlne.ws/1mg6nOG
Carbon
France Seeks German Support for Carbon Emissions Floor Price
By Francois De Beaupuy and Geraldine Amiel – Bloomberg
French Environment and Energy Minister Segolene Royal plans a domestic floor price for carbon of about five times the current European level and hopes Germany and other European nations will follow.
http://bloom.bg/24Wt1gH
Natural gas / coal
Long-term gas contracts still needed in Europe, but with flexibility: Uniper CEO
Platts
The head of Germany’s Uniper said long-term gas supply contracts will remain a necessary component for sharing risk between buyers and sellers in the European market, but they must be flexible to reflect prevailing market conditions.
http://bit.ly/1OxgsPg
Renewables Are Leaving Natural Gas In The Dust This Year
By Joe Romm – Think Progress
In the first three months of 2016, the U.S. grid added 18 megawatts of new natural gas generating capacity. It added a whopping 1,291 megawatts (MW) of new renewables.
http://bit.ly/1V79uam
***LB: Also in this story “The renewables were primarily wind (707 MW) and solar (522 MW). We also added some biomass (33 MW) and hydropower (29 MW). The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) latest monthly “Energy Infrastructure Update” reports that no new capacity of coal, oil, or nuclear power were added in the first quarter of the year.”
Six Threats For The U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas Business
By Jude Clemente – Forbes
Combined with lower than expected growth, both oil-linked contract prices and spot prices have plummeted and narrowed the price differentials between the three major markets: the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
http://onforb.es/1TUAFA1
Coal shipping threat to Great Barrier Reef
ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies
Australian researchers have raised fresh concerns that a major shipping disaster could harm the Great Barrier Reef, with new research revealing coal dust in seawater can kill corals and slow down the growth rate of seagrasses and fish.
http://bit.ly/1slnEJn
In Texas, Market Forces Driving Shift From Coal, Study Says
By Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune
Texans are on pace to rely more heavily on natural gas, wind and solar energy to power their lives in the coming decades — and much less on coal.
http://bit.ly/1V79s2r
Power
Germany: 100% renewable power becomes a reality
ICIS
Germany met all of its power demand through renewable energy for a brief spell lasting around an hour on Sunday afternoon, new figures show, in what was a first for Europe’s largest electricity market.
http://bit.ly/1XhL0LK
***LB: Also in this story “On Sunday, the brief 100% renewables window occurred between 13:00 and 14:00 Berlin time, as almost 23GW of wind power – robust generation even by Germany’s high standards – combined with more than 16GW of solar to meet typically subdued Sunday demand.”
Neo Solar Power remains in the black during Q1
By Christian Roselund – pv magazine
The Taiwanese PV maker squeezed out narrow positive margins, as its second quarter of profitability following the imposition of U.S. import duties.
http://bit.ly/24WuaVe
South Africa seeks partners for 600 MW gas power plant, solar parks
Reuters
South Africa’s department of energy is seeking private investors to partner in the development of a 600 megawatt (MW) gas-fired power plant and three solar parks in the Northern Cape province.
http://bit.ly/1qpZtbt
ReNew Power turns to solar as sector grows
By Megha Bahree – Nikkei Asian Review
After five years in the clean energy sector, India’s ReNew Power Ventures is now taking the government’s lead and turning its focus to solar power.
http://s.nikkei.com/22eFNW2
***LB: Also in this story “Backed by Goldman Sachs, the company is hoping to double its business in the next year, boosted by growth in the highly competitive industry.”
Companies propose deep-water wind farms off Hawaii shores
By Cathy Bussewitz – Phys.org
Massive wind turbines could end up floating in deep ocean waters off Hawaii’s shores under proposals to bring more renewable energy to the islands.
http://bit.ly/1NworBg
Clean tech
Cleantech Solutions International Reports First Quarter 2016 Results
PRNewswire
Cleantech Solutions International, Inc., a manufacturer of textile dyeing and finishing machines as well as metal components and assemblies used in various clean technology and manufacturing industries and, since the first quarter of 2015, the petroleum and chemical industries, today announced its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2016.
http://prn.to/22eGajj
Perovskites Key to New Type of Hydrogen Fuel Cell
By Charles Q. Choi – Spectrum
Crystals known as perovskites promise to revolutionize solar cells. Now researchers have found that they could improve fuel cells as well.
http://bit.ly/1XwiExL
Riversimple unveils two new hydrogen fuel cell models in London
By Sebastian Blanco – Autoblog
Riversimple made a splash at the London Motor Show earlier this month not only with more details about its crowdfunding plans for the Rasa vehicle as well as two new hydrogen fuel cell concept images.
http://bit.ly/1Oxhyup
Water
Drought: Hydropower’s Achilles Heel
International Rivers
Drought: The news has been full of it. Fish are disappearing from markets from Zimbabwe to Vietnam because of it. Kenyan barristas are making “camelcinos” because drought has made cow milk scarce. And in India, men from some villages are even finding it hard to get wives because the water shortage makes them look like a bad bet.
http://bit.ly/1Xwj5YY