renewable energy16
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The Energy to Fight Injustice
The enormity of these anti-nuclear policy decisions is difficult to exaggerate. Energy consumption is an inescapable requirement of development, and renewable energy sources alone cannot satisfy the energy demands of China and other developing nations. They now have no choice but to burn massive amounts of coal if they wish to raise their living standards.
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For a Wind-Powered City, Heat Pumps Are Key
Replacing conventional building boilers with electric heat pumps in New York City buildings could substantially increase the viability of renewable energy use in the city, according to a recent study from researchers from the Earth Institute’s Sustainable Engineering Lab.
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Aruba’s Sustainability Agenda
For many people, the island of Aruba probably generates images of Caribbean vacations and sunny beach resorts. However, those images should also include wind turbines, solar panels and renovated infrastructure, to capture the sustainability agenda that is moving Aruba towards a fossil fuel-free economy. Last week, Earth Institute Executive Director Steven Cohen hosted the prime…
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Charting the Course to a Renewable Energy Future
As environmentalists have pushed for greater investment in wind and solar energy, critics have insisted that renewable sources of power could never provide more than a fraction of world energy demand. Evidence is mounting, however, that the critics are wrong.
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The Microgrid Solution
Last October, Superstorm Sandy provoked widespread frustration and fear after it left more than 7.5 million people in the New York Metro area without power. In the hardest hit areas, outages lasted two weeks or more. These failures led many observers to wonder if America’s aging electrical grid was up to dealing with emerging climate…
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Rare Earth Metals: Will We Have Enough?
Cell phones, iPads, laptops, televisions, hybrid cars, wind turbines, solar cells and many more products depend on rare earth metals to function. Will there be enough for us to continue our high-tech lifestyle and transition to a renewable energy economy?
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Giulio Verne and the Windmills
Like some Quixotic dream, at long last the formerly Dutch island of Manhattan reaches westward for windmills.
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Is Biomass Really Renewable?
Ninety percent of all existing biomass power plants use wood residue and there are currently 115 power plants in development that will burn biomass to generate electricity. But just how renewable is biomass energy?
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The Policy Buffet (Part 4): Eulogizing the Climate Bill that Wasn’t
On July 22, just days before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared that the last decade was the warmest on record, the United States Senate abandoned its effort to put a price on carbon. Comprehensive climate and energy legislation was on life-support for weeks until Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) announced that…
Columbia Climate School has once again been selected as university partner for Climate Week NYC, an annual convening of climate leaders to drive the transition, speed up progress and champion change. Join us for events and follow our coverage.
