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☆ Exclusive: U.S. blocks more than 1,000 solar shipments over Chinese slave labor concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Nov 11 (Reuters) - More than 1,000 shipments of solar energy components worth hundreds of millions of dollars have piled up at U.S. ports since June under a new law banning imports from China's Xinjiang region over concerns about slave labor, according to federal customs officials and industry sources. The agency would not reveal the manufacturers or confirm details about the quantity of solar equipment in the shipments, citing federal law that protects confidential trade secrets. But the companies have halted new shipments to the United States over concerns additional cargoes will also be detained, the industry sources said. The sources asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. CBP has previously said that it had detained about 1,700 shipments worth $516.3 million under UFLPA through September but has never before detailed how many of those shipments contained solar equipment.

In a 250-page proposed decision, regulators outlined reforms to the so-called "net energy metering", a state policy that issues credits to solar energy customers for generating excess electricity and feeding it back to the grid. The proposal will not affect current home solar owners and will maintain their current compensation, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said. Shares of rooftop solar system providers, including Sunrun Inc (RUN.O), SunPower Corp (SPWR.O) and Sunnova Energy International Inc (NOVA.N), closed 20% to 27% higher on Thursday. "This has been an overhang for rooftop solar stocks that would be alleviated if passed similar to today's proposal," said Morningstar analyst Brett Castelli. "The CPUC's new proposed decision would really hurt.

☆ California's incentive proposal for rooftop solar targets low-income households
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OAKLAND, Nov 10 (Reuters) - California regulators on Thursday made a new proposal for incentivizing rooftop solar systems, a contentious matter as the state tries to expand renewable energy and respond to critics who want more equitable distribution of incentives. Shares of rooftop solar system providers, including Sunrun Inc (RUN.O), SunPower Corp (SPWR.O) and Solaredge Technologies Inc (SEDG.O), were up between 12% and 26% in afternoon trading. The new policy proposals outlined by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) include an additional $900 million to support battery and solar systems, mostly for low-income customers. The proposal will not affect current home solar owners and will maintain their current compensation, the CPUC said. Reporting by Peter Henderson, Nichola Groom and Ruhi Soni; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. must make much deeper emissions cuts to meet climate goals -government report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 7 (Reuters) - The United States needs to make far faster and deeper cuts to greenhouse gas emissions over the next three decades to meet international goals to rein in the worst effects of climate change, according to a government report issued on Monday. The United States is the world's second biggest emitter after China. The United States reduced emissions by 12% between 2007 and 2019, the report said, thanks to the adoption of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar and improved efficiency. The report laid out the harms climate change is already exacting in every part of the country in the form of drought, wildfires, heatwaves and other extreme events. It also cast climate change as a risk to "the things Americans most value" such as safe homes, healthy families, reliable public services and a sustainable economy.

☆ EXCLUSIVE Cheniere seeks 18 months to upgrade LNG turbines that failed pollution tests-document
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Cheniere is one of only two LNG providers with turbines subject to the rule, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data. He asked the state for 18 months to make changes to and retest the turbines. In the meantime, the company said it would take steps to minimize formaldehyde emissions, including taking a turbine offline or replacing components. In September, Cheniere submitted test results to Texas regulators that showed formaldehyde emissions at that facility were well below the EPA threshold. Cheniere has big plans to expand the Texas and Louisiana plants in coming years.

The United States is among over 100 countries that have pledged to cut their methane emissions 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels. They also say smaller wells often produce only insignificant methane emissions that don't warrant the cost and effort of a monitoring program. The problem, environmentalists say, is that collectively, the smaller wells produce a massive amount of climate-damaging methane. Exempting wells that produce less than 6 barrels per day would effectively exclude more than 80% of those marginal wells from the EPA rule, according to KIOGA. The supplemental ruling could also address the industry's use of flaring, or the deliberate burning of excess natural gas from well sites, which can also lead to methane emissions.

☆ Germany's Solar Valley could shine again as Europe strives to close energy gap
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Riham Alkousaa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

It is also reacting to a new U.S. law that has raised concern the remains of Germany's formerly-dominant solar industry could relocate to the United States. China's production is also around 10%-20% cheaper that in Europe, separate data from European Solar Manufacturing Council ESMC shows. Dries Acke, the Policy Director at industry body SolarPower Europe, said the body had written to the European Commission urging action. Berlin-based residential solar energy supplier Zolar said orders have risen by 500% year-on-year since the Ukraine war began in February, but clients might have to wait for six-to-nine months to get a solar system installed. "The signs for the solar industry in Germany are much, much better now," he said.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with 17 industry groups representing more than 1,000 firms in the clean energy supply chain, more than 2,000 utilities and more than 1 million American workers, a Treasury official said. The Treasury guidance will tell companies how they can take advantage of clean energy tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act. The incentives are crucial for companies seeking to invest in solar and wind power, electric vehicles, clean energy manufacturing, and energy efficiency. The act extends 30% tax credits for wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources, and offers incentives for carbon capture and tax credits of up to $7,500 on zero-emission electric vehicles. The roundtable follows Treasury's issuance of six notices requesting public comments on topics such as tax credits for wind, solar and nuclear power, incentives for energy-efficient homes and clean vehicle credits.

☆ U.S. awards $1 billion to electrify school bus fleets
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 26 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Wednesday unveiled nearly $1 billion in awards to U.S. school districts to replace aging, gas-fueled school buses with cleaner, mainly electric models. The funding is the first tranche of $5 billion that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hand out over five years through a clean school bus program created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021. The EPA's clean school bus program is part of a broader push by the administration to upgrade public school infrastructure and reduce pollution from old buses. Transitioning to an electric school bus fleet nationwide would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5.3 million tons per year, according to a study by the non-profit Public Interest Research Group. Last month, EPA said it would nearly double its planned $500 million in clean bus awards for this year due to overwhelming demand from school districts.

☆ U.S. sets March date for Gulf of Mexico drilling auction
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 20 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Thursday said it will hold a Gulf of Mexico drilling auction in March of next year to satisfy a requirement in the government's new climate change law. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe sale would be the first Gulf of Mexico oil and gas auction mandated under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which President Joe Biden signed into law in August. Biden paused drilling auctions on federal lands and waters shortly after taking office as part of a climate change agenda. The IRA requires that BOEM now hold offshore auctions in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska that the administration canceled earlier this year. It is also in the process of finalizing a five-year proposal for offshore oil and gas development.

And demand for the greener fuel has dried up, according to Reuters interviews with nine LNG market analysts, industry officials and traders. Several gas drillers, including in the world’s top gas producer the United States, told Reuters they have invested in finding and plugging greenhouse gas emissions associated with production, transport and processing. Since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, gas prices have soared about 25% in the United States and 32% in Europe . To export gas, the fuel must be supercooled into LNG and then shipped across the sea, a process that produces substantial additional greenhouse gas emissions. Other U.S. LNG suppliers, like Cove Point LNG and Cameron LNG, also told Reuters they are not certifying their cargoes.

"Look we all love Emmanuel the Emu but he has avian flu. Avian flu experts, too, said touching an infected emu isn't advisable, given that the virus can jump from animals to humans in rare cases. H5N1, the bird flu strain currently spreading, is highly contagious among birds, and it can be deadly to them. "Once an avian virus can move to mammals, now we’re in the realm of 'Yeah, we better be careful.'" All three experts said scientists are watching this bird flu closely even though the risk to humans is low.

☆ U.S. to hold offshore wind power rights sale off California coast in December
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 18 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday said it would hold the first ever sale of offshore wind development rights off the coast of California on Dec. 6, a big step forward in expanding the nascent U.S. industry to Pacific waters. Previous federal offshore wind lease sales have all been for leases in the Atlantic Ocean. By 2035, Interior aims to have 15 gigawatts of floating offshore wind capacity. The goal is aligned with the administration's other target for permitting 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030. She said the department is "moving forward at the pace and scale required to help achieve the President's goals to make offshore wind energy, including floating offshore wind energy, a reality for the United States."

Senator Joe Manchin's bill to speed energy permitting as a handout to fossil fuel companies, but clean energy advocates said the bill's failure would hinder the rapid expansion renewable power needs to combat climate change. Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pulled Manchin's bill from temporary government funding legislation on Tuesday after it did not gain enough support. Clean energy backers said the permitting provision could still be attached to other bills later this year that must be passed, such as a big appropriations legislation. Jesse Jenkins, a clean energy expert at Princeton University, tweeted on Tuesday that the permitting bill had been "a big mixed back for climate & the environment." "We still need to build new clean energy & transmission at unprecedented pace!"

An LNG tanker is guided by tug boats at the Cheniere Sabine Pass LNG export unit in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, U.S., April 14, 2022. “Our turbine engineers determined a repair could improve the emission performance of the turbine," Robert Gray, senior environmental coordinator for the Sabine Pass plant, wrote. EPA spokesperson Tim Carroll said "the agency will work with Cheniere to assure they meet Clean Air Act obligations." Colin Cox, an attorney with the Environmental Integrity Project, said it was important for Cheniere to monitor the turbines to ensure continuous compliance moving forward. Louisiana and Texas regulators are responsible for overseeing compliance with federal clean air laws and regulations for facilities in their respective states.

☆ A fost prezentată lista lungă de cărți selectate pentru International Booker Prize 2021
▼ + stars: | 2021-03-30 | by ( Onixmedia Srl | ) diez.md time to read: +4 min

A fost prezentată lista lungă de cărți selectate pentru International Booker Prize 2021Opere semnate de autoarea rusă Maria Stepanova, romancierul francez Eric Vuillard şi scriitoarea chineză Can Xue se numără printre cele 13 titluri selectate pe lista lungă a International Booker Prize 2021Prestigioasa distincţie literară recompensează cea mai valoroasă operă de ficţiune tradusă în engleză şi publicată în Marea Britanie sau Irlanda, potrivit site-ului oficial al evenimentului, citat de AGERPRES. Lista lungă a International Booker de anul acesta cuprinde romane scrise în 11 limbi şi scriitori din 12 ţări, multe dintre opere depăşind frontierele unui singur gen literar. Cu toate acestea, o temă iese în evidenţă – migraţia, durerea sa, dar şi interconexiunea fertilă a lumii moderne”, a spus preşedinta juriului, Lucy Hughes-Hallett. Premiul literar International Booker Prize este oferit anual celei mai bune cărţi scrise într-o altă limbă, tradusă în engleză şi publicată în Marea Britanie sau Irlanda. În 2020, premiul a fost câştigat de Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, din Olanda, pentru romanul „The Discomfort of Evening”.

Persons: Maria Stepanova, francez Eric Vuillard, Albert Einstein, Erwin Schrödinger, Judith Schalansky, Lucy Hughes, Aida Edemariam, Neel, George Szirtes, Karen Gernant, Chen Zeping, David Diop, Anna, Nana Ekvtimishvili, Elizabeth Heighway, Mariana, Megan McDowell, Adrian Nathan, Olga, Martin Aitken, David Doherty, Jackie Smith, Elisabeth Jaquette, Maria, Sasha, Andrzej Tichy, Eric Vuillard, Mark Polizzotti, Lucas Rijneveld Organizations: International Booker, AGERPRES, Man Booker, International Booker Prize, Gikuyu, Booker Prize Locations: francez, Britanie, Irlanda, Man, Gikuyu and, Coventry, Olanda

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