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☆ This technology could transform one of the world’s dirtiest industries. Experts say it’s way off pace
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-23 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

This complex will be world’s first large-scale “green steel” project, according to H2 Green Steel, the Swedish company behind the multi-billion-dollar mill. Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesWhile projects like H2 Green Steel show momentum is growing, experts say the pace is far too slow. Northern Sweden is also home to the HYBRIT green steel pilot plant — which is one step ahead. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a visit to Hybrit Steel Plant in Lulea, Sweden, on May 30, 2023. But there’s also the challenge of producing large amounts of green hydrogen, which will require huge amounts of renewable energy.

Persons: Peter Boer, Dhiraj Singh, ”, Mohamed Atouife, Daniel Acker, ” Atouife, HYBRIT, Biden, Antony Blinken, Jonas Ekstromer, Martin Pei, SSAB, ” Pei, Chathurika, Caitlin Swalec, Jonathan Nackstrand, Pei, there’s, –, Philipp Verpoort, “ It’s, Princeton’s, Swalec, Chris Greig, ” Greig, RMI’s Gamage Organizations: CNN, Green Steel, Tata Steel, Bloomberg, Getty, Rourkela Steel, Princeton University, Volvo, Hybrit Steel, TT, Agency, AFP, “, Mountain Institute, Global Energy Monitor, Potsdam Institute, Climate Impact, Potsdam, Princeton University’s Andlinger Center for Energy, Workers, Jiangsu Shagang, Co, European Union Locations: Sweden, Boden, Swedish, Wijk aan, Netherlands, Odisha, India, Indiana, Portage , Indiana, Northern Sweden, Cleveland, Ohio, Middletown, Mississippi, Lulea, Luleå, AFP, China, Europe, Japan, Jiangsu, Huai'an, Jiangsu Province, European

☆ Fewer homeowners are remodeling, but demand is still 'solid'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Skynesher | E+ | Getty ImagesFewer homeowners have been taking on remodeling projects, reports show. The Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity, an outlook measuring home improvement and repair spending on owner-occupied homes, peaked at 17.3% in the third quarter of 2022. The NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index by the National Association of Home Builders reflects a similar decline. In a release for the group's first quarter report, NAHB Remodelers Chair Mike Pressgrove noted that "demand for remodeling remains solid, especially among customers who don't need to finance theirprojects at current interest rates." The increase in home improvement spending, along the decrease in projects, suggests inflation corroded household budgets, according to the home services website.

Persons: Robert Dietz, NAHB, Mike Pressgrove, remodelers, That's, It's, Redfin Organizations: Getty, Westlake Royal, National Association of Home Builders, RMI, NAHB, Homeowners, State, Angi Locations: U.S

☆ Landfills are spewing even more methane into the atmosphere than we thought
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Landfills are a large driver of the climate crisis due to their high methane leaks. A recent study found methane emissions from landfills were 40% higher than reported. Advanced methods like remote sensing can help detect and fix landfill methane leaks faster. Methane leaks from landfills were, on average, 40% higher than what's been reported to the federal government, according to a study published in the journal Science. Many large landfills capture methane gas so it can be reused as energy, but that infrastructure can leak.

Persons: —, what's, Dan Cusworth, Cusworth Organizations: Service, Science, Carbon Mapper, Arizona, University Landfill, Carbon, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, RMI, Defense Fund Locations: Southern California, Pennsylvania

Lou Whittaker saved dozens of lives during numerous rescue efforts over his career, RMI said. Lou Whittaker declined to join the Everest expedition that made his brother famous because he and a partner were planning to open a sporting goods store in Tacoma. Lou Whittaker took thousands of clients up Mount Rainier, and made it a point of pride how his company trained its guides and clients alike. Lou Whittaker survived avalanches, severe storms and other harrowing episodes, and he lost several friends or clients on expeditions. Lou and Jim Whittaker led the party that attempted to recover the victims, but they were never found.

Persons: — Lou Whittaker, Rainier, “, Whittaker, Jim Whittaker —, Jim Whittaker, Lou Whittaker, Camp, “ Lou Whittaker, Jim, ”, Ed Viesturs, Lou Whittaker's, Peter, Lou, Everest, he'd, ” Lou Whittaker, Ingrid, Kim Organizations: SEATTLE, Everest, RMI Expeditions, Boy Scouts, Olympus, RMI, Mountaineers, Rainier Mountaineering Inc, Mount Rainier, U.S, Associated Press, Seattle Times Locations: American, Washington, Seattle, Port Angeles, Mount, Camp Hale , Colorado, Rainier, Denali, Tacoma

☆ US Needs to Build Marshall Islands' Trust Over Cold War Nuclear Dump -US Agency
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. conducted 67 nuclear bomb tests on the Marshall Islands from 1946 to 1958. In the late 1970s it deposited radioactive soil and debris from six of the islands into an unlined crater created by one of the tests. The Department of Energy, which in the report concurred with the recommendation, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Marshall Islands embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It also examines radioactive contamination in Greenland resulting from U.S.

Persons: Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON, Tom Carper, Timothy Gardner, David Brunnstrom, Leslie Adler Organizations: U.S, Office, U.S . Congress, RMI, Department of Energy, DOE, GAO, Marshall, Democrat Locations: U.S, Republic, Marshall, Washington, Spain, Greenland

☆ Satellites are the new climate police for oil and gas polluters
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Fifty oil and gas companies pledged to zero out methane emissions by 2030 at the UN climate summit. Satellites are the next tool that will hold oil and gas companies accountable in their promise to cut methane emissions and slow global warming. Many state-owned oil companies signed on, including the UAE's Adnoc, as well as Saudi Arabia's Saudi Aramco. This, in turn, means oil and gas companies responsible for the plumes can be notified faster and potentially take action. The country's state-owned oil companies are also absent from the "decabonization charter" announced in Dubai.

Persons: Adnoc, Catherine Boudreau, Erin Snodgrass, Michael Bloomberg, Sultan Al Jaber, Peter Dejong, Fred Krupp, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Melanie Robinson, Robinson Organizations: ExxonMobil, Shell, Service, United, Saturday, Environmental Defense Fund, Bloomberg, UN, Summit, EDF, IEA, RMI, European Union, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, EU, Russia —, World Resources Institute Locations: Saudi Aramco, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Los Angeles, Saudi, Argentina, EU, Glasgow, Scotland, China, Russia

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - U.S. budget wrangling could further delay funding approval for new agreements with Pacific island nations meant to counter Chinese influence, creating an opportunity for Beijing in the strategically vital region, congressional and other sources say. But congressional sources say this looks impossible as lawmakers argue over spending priorities, raising concerns that a further delay could create an opening for China, which has been wooing financially strapped Pacific economies. "It's feeling pretty dead in the NDAA context," the source said, adding that focus had turned to finding other legislation to secure the COFA funding. "It is really incomprehensible given the amount we're talking about ... why Congress cannot get its act together," Yun said. "What we risk is China getting in where we really don't want them – in places like Palau, RMI, FSM.

Persons: Mike Pompeo, Jonathan Ernst, Biden, Mike Johnson's, Joseph Yun, Yun, David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina, Patricia Zengerle, Don Durfee, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S, Pohnpei International, REUTERS, Rights, Federated, Marshall, RMI, Washington, Free Association, National Defense, Reuters, Republicans, Natural Resources, Foreign Affairs, New Republican, Biden, State Department, White House National Security Council, Thomson Locations: Pohnpei, Kolonia, States, Micronesia, Pacific, Beijing, Federated States, Palau, China, Ukraine, U.S, Hawaii, Philippines, Washington

That law, supported by Biden and congressional Democrats, created tax credits to boost domestic EV manufacturing. "The point is that they're manufacturing jobs, whether they be baskets or batteries." A Trump spokesperson pointed Reuters to a recent policy announcement in which the former president said EV manufacturing would harm workers. Biden's campaign pointed Reuters to a statement from Kevin Munoz, a campaign spokesman, who said Trump's plan would mean more Chinese EV manufacturing jobs and fewer American jobs. Still, Ciscomani, who did not respond to comment requests, has generally welcomed individual EV projects, and toured a local EV plant in August.

Persons: Rebecca Cook, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Joe Biden, Biden, Trump, Mike Morey, SKDK, Andrew Reagan, Kirsten Engel, EVs, Jesse Williams, Joe, Anna Kelly, DeSantis, Kevin Munoz, Munoz, Brian Kemp, Wendy Davis, Engel, Juan Ciscomani, Ciscomani, Gram Slattery, Nichola Groom, Jarrett Renshaw, Alistair Bell Organizations: General Motors, Bolt, Orion Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, Florida, Democratic, Republican, EV, Power, Reuters, Democrats, Energy, America, Environmental Defense Fund, Biden, RMI, Republican Party, Trump, United Auto Workers, UAW, Republican National Committee, United States, Climate Power, League of Conservation Voters, Thomson Locations: Lake Orion , Michigan, U.S, Georgia , Arizona , Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin , Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan , Georgia, Arizona, America, North America, Decatur County , Georgia, China, South, United, Georgia, Rome , Georgia, Washington, Los Angeles

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is one of three sprawling but sparsely populated nations that have U.S. ties governed by so-called Compacts of Free Association (COFAs), under which Washington is responsible for their defense and provides economic assistance, while gaining exclusive military access to strategic swathes of ocean. Yun told Reuters he planned to sign the COFA deal with RMI Foreign Minister Jack Adding in Honolulu, Hawaii, at 2 p.m. local time (0000 GMT Tuesday). Analysts and former officials had blamed a delay in finalizing the Marshall Islands COFA on U.S. State Department lawyers wanting to control how new funds were spent and objecting to their being earmarked to address the nuclear legacy, fearing this could lay the U.S. open to more claims. A person familiar with the deal said all current federal programs, including education programs and the U.S. Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Michael Martina; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Joe Biden, Louis Mapou, Hu'akavemeiliku Siaosi, Surangel Whipps, Kausea Natano, Joseph Yun, Biden, Yun, Jack, David Kabua, David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina, Sandra Maler Organizations: U.S ., Country, New, Tonga's, Tuvalu's, United, Reuters, The, Marshall, Free Association, Washington, Northern, RMI, RMI Foreign, U.S . Congress, . State Department, U.S, U.S . Postal Service, Thomson Locations: U.S, Federated States, Micronesia's, WASHINGTON, United States, Marshall, Pacific, The Republic, China, Northern Pacific, Palau, Micronesia, Washington, Honolulu , Hawaii, Kwajalein

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is one of three sprawling but sparsely populated nations that have U.S. ties governed by so-called Compacts of Free Association (COFAs), under which Washington is responsible for their defense and provides economic assistance, while gaining exclusive military access to strategic swathes of ocean. Yun said he signed the agreement with RMI Foreign Minister Jack Ading in Honolulu, Hawaii, at a ceremony also attended by Marshallese President David Kabua. Analysts and former officials had blamed a delay in finalizing the Marshall Islands COFA on U.S. State Department lawyers wanting to control how new funds were spent and objecting to their being earmarked to address the nuclear legacy, fearing this could lay the U.S. open to more claims. A person familiar with the deal said all current federal programs, including education programs and the U.S. Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Michael Martina; Editing by Sandra Maler and Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Joe Biden, Louis Mapou, Hu'akavemeiliku Siaosi, Surangel Whipps, Kausea Natano, Joseph Yun, Biden, Yun, Jack Ading, David Kabua, David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina, Sandra Maler, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: U.S ., Country, New, Tonga's, Tuvalu's, United, Marshall, Reuters, The, Free Association, Washington, Northern, RMI, RMI Foreign, U.S, Congress, . State Department, U.S . Postal Service, U.S . Congress, Thomson Locations: U.S, Federated States, Micronesia's, WASHINGTON, United States, The Republic, China, Northern Pacific, Palau, Micronesia, Washington, Honolulu , Hawaii, Marshall, Kwajalein

☆ States announce major push to get to 20 million installed heat pumps, a cleaner alternative to gas furnaces that also provide AC
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

A coalition of 25 state governors announced a major push to reach 20 million deployed heat pumps by 2030, they said in New York City on Thursday. Heat pumps are energy efficient replacements for fossil fuel powered furnaces and air conditioners. Heat pumps can also save consumers money -- around $300 a year in the United States, according to the IEA. In places like Europe, where gas prices are higher, having a heat pump can save customers around $900 a year, the IEA says. Maine, for example, has been remarkably successful in installing heat pumps with its own legislative action.

Persons: Matt Johnson, Jay Inslee, Inslee, Kathy Hochul, Ali Zaidi, Zaidi Organizations: Energy, RMI, International Energy Agency, IEA, U.S . Climate Alliance, Washington, Washington State Department of Health, Brookings Institution, New, Infrastructure Investment, Jobs Locations: New England, Windham , Maine, New York City, United States, Europe, U.S, Washington , New York, California, Seattle , Washington, Seattle, Georgia, it's Maine, Maine

☆ As prices fall, two thirds of global car sales could be EVs by 2030- study
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Nick Carey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A parking bay reserved for electric car charging can be seen on display in London, Britain, October 19, 2018. Batteries are expensive and account for around 40% of an EV's price tag, a cost that has so far made them unaffordable for many consumers. But those prices are steadily coming down as carmakers invest in new battery chemistries, materials and software to make more efficient EVs, RMI senior principal Kingsmill Bond told Reuters. EV sales in the European Union jumped almost 61% in July versus the same month in 2022, accounting for 13.6% of all car sales. The European Union aims to ban the sale of new fossil-fuel models from 2035.

Persons: Simon Dawson, Kingsmill Bond, RMI's Bond, Nick Carey, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rocky Mountain Institute, RMI, European Union, Union, United, Reuters, Research, Exeter University's, Energy Innovation, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Europe, U.S, China, United States, California, New York, Exeter, India

That is by far the most ever spent on clean energy in a year. Solar and Wind Power Have Taken Off Electricity generation per year, in terawatt hours China 600 TWh 500 Solar Wind U.S. China 400 E.U. It would shred regulations designed to curb greenhouse gases, dismantle nearly every federal clean energy program and boost the production of fossil fuels. 1 2 3 4 5 Even Tulsa, with its strong links to oil and gas, is embracing clean energy. “But we also understand that energy is energy, whether it is generated by wind, steam or whatever it might be.”Around the country, clean energy is taking root in unlikely locales.

Persons: ”, Fatih Birol, Al Gore, Crews, Francis Energy, Dewey, Bartlett Jr, “, J.W, Peters, Mr, Lazard, Gregory Nemet, —, Biden, Tesla, Giovanni Bertolino, Jon Creyts, Steve Uerling’s, Uerling, Cathy Zoi, It’s, Mary Barra, ’, Barra Organizations: Buses, Port, International Energy Agency, India India, Energy, The New York Times, Heritage Foundation, Republican, Ford, University of Tulsa’s School of Petroleum Engineering, “ Oil, Drillers, Navistar, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, Francis, Solar Power, U.S . Steel, Gas, University of Wisconsin -, Panasonic, United, European Union, United States ’, General Motors, RMI, Ford Fusion, Tesla, Postal Service, Amazon, Peterbilt, Companies, Francis Energy, BMW Group, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Benz Group Locations: Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Port of Los Angeles, Houston, Europe, United States, America, China, Britain, terawatt, India, U.S, States, Beijing, London, Tokyo, Washington, Oslo, Dubai, Tulsa, Okla, Italian, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Texas, Galveston, In Arkansas, Republican, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Georgia, Korean, Nevada, tailpipes, California, New York, San Francisco, Canada, South Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Steve Uerling’s Tulsa, E.U, G.M

☆ Curbing Contrails: A Climate Solution in the Skies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( David Gelles | More About David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Case in point: contrails, those wispy white lines that trail some airplanes flying high in the sky. Contrails, short for condensation trails, are produced when exhaust from jets mixes with water vapor at extremely high altitudes, forming minuscule ice particles. Scientists have known for decades that in some cases, contrails spread out across huge areas, trapping heat in the atmosphere. Yet studies have estimated that contrails are responsible for as much as 35 percent of all of the planetary warming attributable to aviation. “We now know enough about contrails and their impact to know we need to do something about it,” said Andrew Chen of RMI, a nonprofit that promotes sustainability.

Persons: ”, Andrew Chen Organizations: RMI

☆ We can’t air-condition our way out of America’s heat crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Extreme heat in the summer has become America’s brutal new reality. It would also include building code changes that require multi-family homes provide cooling the same way they do heating. Heat waves and mirage create an impressionistic scene on Sierra Highway during a scorching day on Saturday, July 15, 2023. Cities are warmer than their surrounding areas, a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect, and they need to be better designed to keep people cool, researchers say. They were designed 40 years ago when summer temperatures were much cooler,” Mark Wolfe said.

Persons: haven’t, ”, Mark Wolfe, hasn’t, ” Wolfe, Myung J, Chun, Rushad Nanavatty, National Weather Service hasn’t, Kelly Turner, “, Turner Organizations: New, New York CNN, National Energy Assistance, ’ Association, Southland, Los Angeles Times, RMI, Cool Coalition, United, US Department of Energy, Centers for Disease Control, Low Income, Energy Assistance, nonpayment, LIHEAP, CDC, National Weather Service, Solutions, UCLA, Environmental Protection Agency Locations: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, United Nations, Washington, DC, Arizona, Maricopa, Yuma, York City, Miami, Dade County

Solar and wind power generation is set to triple by 2030, according to a new report from the Rocky Mountain Institute, leading to a disruption in the global electricity sector. According to the report, solar and wind power will fuel 33% of electricity generation in 2030, up from 12% in 2022. RMI predicts solar energy, which is already the cheapest energy source in history, will halve in price by 2030, continuing the dramatic downward trajectory of solar and wind energy costs. CNBC Pro used FactSet data to screen for companies that are well-positioned to outperform from the rise of solar and wind energy production. Maxeon shares have popped 68% in 2023 and could jump another 50%, per the average price target on shares.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Andrew Percoco, Percoco, MAXN, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Rocky Mountain Institute, RMI, CNBC, New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, Technologies, SolarEdge Technologies, Enphase Energy

☆ Why the U.S. Electric Grid Isn’t Ready for the Energy Transition
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Nadja Popovich | Brad Plumer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +13 min

Power lines 100KV 345kV 500kV Data reflects the contiguous U.S. Power lines 100KV 345kV 500kV Data reflects the contiguous U.S. Power lines 100KV 345kV 500kV Data reflects the contiguous U.S. Power lines 100KV 345kV Data reflects the contiguous U.S. Power lines 100KV 345kV 500kV Data reflects the contiguous U.S. That makes it hard to build the long-distance power lines needed to transport wind and solar nationwide. To make the plan work, the nation would need thousands of miles of new high-voltage transmission lines — large power lines that would span multiple grid regions. Utilities are sometimes wary of long-distance transmission lines that might undercut their local monopolies. “The grid is already a critical element of our energy system,” said Matteo Muratori, an analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

☆ New York poised to pass first statewide law banning natural gas in new buildings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The law would likely take effect in 2026 for most new buildings under seven stories and in 2029 for larger buildings. The statewide ban would follow legislation passed by New York City in 2021 that bans natural gas hookups in new buildings by the end of this year. New York was the sixth-largest natural gas consumer among the states in 2020, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. And in 2021, the residential sector — where three out of every five households use natural gas for heating — comprised over one-third of the natural gas delivered to New York residents, the agency found. "New York state is leading the way in ending America's devastating addiction to fossil fuels," said Food & Water Watch Northeast Region Director Alex Beauchamp.

Jan 31 (Reuters) - Solar panels and home batteries have soared in popularity because they allow consumers to generate and store their own carbon-free power and save on their electricity bills. When used this way, they are called virtual power plants, or VPPs. "Virtual power plants are at the center of that." U.S. solar companies including Sunrun Inc (RUN.O) and SunPower Corp (SPWR.O) have pooled some of their customers' systems into virtual power plants in California, Hawaii and New England. Sunrun last year, for example, operated a virtual power plant with thousands of homes in New England that provided 1.8 gigawatt-hours to the grid during June through August.

☆ Chef Alison Roman loves her induction stove. Twitter has so many questions.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Those questions and comments rolled in for the celebrity chef Alison Roman on Wednesday after she tweeted that she owns an induction stove "by choice." Induction units are five to 10% more energy efficient than conventional electric stoves, and three times more efficient than gas stoves. Copper or aluminum cookware won't work on an induction stove — magnetic metals like cast iron and some stainless steels are best. The majority of US homes already use conventional electric stoves, while about 38% use gas stoves, according to the US Energy Information Administration. The Inflation Reduction Act authorized an $840 rebate for low- and middle-income households that don't already have an electric stove.

☆ GM, Ford, Google partner to promote 'virtual' power plants
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Valerie Volcovici | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The GM logo is seen on the China Headquarters in Shanghai, China, August 29, 2022. REUTERS/Aly SongWASHINGTON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Companies including GM, Ford, Google and solar energy producers said on Tuesday they would work together to establish standards for scaling up the use of virtual power plants (VPPs), systems for easing loads on electricity grids when supply is short. Energy transition nonprofit RMI will host the initiative, the Virtual Power Plant Partnership (VP3), which will also aim to shape policy for promoting the use of the systems, the companies said. Virtual power plants pool together thousands of decentralized energy resources like electric vehicles or electric heaters controlled by smart thermostats. VPPs have already improved grid reliability in such countries as Germany and Australia and in some U.S. states.

☆ A flurry of environmental tax breaks just came into effect thanks to last year's climate bill. From solar to electric vehicles, here's how you could save thousands of dollars.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The bill includes tax credits for electric vehicles, solar panels, and home energy updates. At that price, the claimable tax credit would be $6,000. The tax credit for solar is set to last until 2032, at which point it will lower and then expire in 2035 unless Congress renews it. As of January 1, a household can claim a tax credit of up to $150 for an energy audit conducted by a professional inspector. Buying an electric vehicleIncentives to purchase new or used electric vehicles were also boosted in the new climate bill.

☆ That gas stove you're cooking on could be giving your kids asthma, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

About 650,000 kids in the US likely have asthma because of gas stoves, a study found. The momentum was met with an opposition campaign by the gas industry and their allies in state legislatures. The gas industry also often points out that proper ventilation significantly reduces the concentration of pollutants from gas stoves. The Consumer Product Safety Commission could also regulate pollutants from gas stoves or require warning labels, Seals said. The commission's head, Richard Trumka Jr., in December indicated the agency was headed in that direction and said an outright ban on new gas stoves was "a real possibility," The Hill reported.

☆ A Colorado man says his green home renovation paid off during a winter storm when temperatures dropped below -10 degrees
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chaz Teplin spent $30,000 to electrify his home and tracked what happened during the winter storm. The winter storm that blanketed much of the US in late December put Chaz Teplin's green-home renovation to the test. Modern heat pumps can keep homes warm from snowy Colorado to chilly Maine and come with a fail-safe known as electric-resistance heating. Despite the name, heat pumps both warm and cool a home by circulating heat from indoors to outdoors and back again. After the winter storm, Teplin said he compared notes with a neighbor who has a gas-powered system.

☆ Electric cars won't just solve tailpipe emissions — they may even strengthen the US power grid, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Millions more electric vehicles on the road could make the US power grid more resilient. However, energy and transportation experts say that with some planning, utilities are fully capable of handling more clean cars plugging in. Better yet, electric SUVs, trucks, and buses can strengthen the grid if deployed smartly. EVs can store energy for when it's needed mostWhen electric cars are parked (which is most of the time), their batteries can collectively become a valuable asset to the greater grid, experts say. Electric cars could do just that, he said.

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