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Banning Foreign Trash

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Since the 1980s, China has been the largest importer of foreign trash.  In 2012, up to 56% of global exported plastic waste wound up in China.  The trash has been both a valuable resource for the country’s booming manufacturing sector as well as an enormous source of environmental and health problems.   

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A Giant Solar Thermal Plant For Australia

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A project planned for sunny South Australia will be the world’s largest single solar thermal power plant when it comes on line in 2020.   The Aurora Solar Energy Project will have a capacity of 150 MW, which is enough to supply 90,000 people with electricity.

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New York’s Solar Boom

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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently announced that the state’s support for solar power initiatives has resulted in an 800% increase in industry growth since 2011.   New York’s various renewable energy programs have resulted in $1.5 billion in investments.  The NY-Sun Initiative has produce a 10-fold increase in solar projects in several regions of the state.  The Mohawk Valley led the way with an almost 16-fold increase in solar capacity.

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The Largest Battery Storage Substation

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At the end of last year, Southern California Edison turned on the largest lithium-ion battery storage facility in the world in Ontario, California.   It is a substation with 80 megawatt-hours of capacity, enough energy to power 2,500 households or charge 1,000 Tesla cars a day.

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Clean Power Is Cheap Power

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There are many good reasons why we should be making the transition from fossil fuel energy sources but the one that is likely to be the most persuasive is strictly economic.  It has long been said that the renewable energy future will truly arrive when installing new solar panels is cheaper than a comparable investment in coal, natural gas, or other options.

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Offshore Wind In Europe

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The U.S. has just turned on its first offshore wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island.  In the meantime, offshore wind continues to grow by leaps and bounds in Europe.   Wind energy in the European Union accounts for 12% of its electricity supply.  Until 2011, offshore wind comprised only 5-10% of the newly-installed wind energy capacity; now it about one third of the new installations.

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WAMC Northeast Public Radio

WAMC/Northeast Public Radio is a regional public radio network serving parts of seven northeastern states (more...)