News

Weekly Newsflash: Clean energy investments, Mass. House members support solar industry bill

In the latest installation of Greentown Labs’ weekly news flash, we highlight pieces that dig into climate change’s impact on the weather, why the U.S. military is looking into renewables for, and more! We hope this quick summary is a helpful resource as you catch up on your cleantech and energy news from last week. Happy reading! đŸ˜‰

Boston Globe: Clean Energy Industry Goes Mainstream Amid Investments

Global investments in clean energy hit a record $329 billion last year, up 4 percent from 2014, according to data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, a research unit of Bloomberg LP, the financial news and information company. US investments in the sector jumped to $56 billion last year, up 7.6 percent compared with 2014.

Boston Globe: Two-thirds of Mass. House members back pro-solar industry bill

In November, nearly everyone in the state House of Representatives voted for a solar bill that the solar industry vigorously opposed. But now, with the issue bottled up in a conference committee, roughly two-thirds of the House’s members have reversed course and are rallying to the industry’s cause. A group of 100 lawmakers have signed a letter to the committee urging members to endorse legislation that includes a level of incentives the solar industry could support.

Fortune: United Airlines to Power Flights with Waste

Despite rock bottom oil prices and lackluster demand for biofuels in the U.S., United Airlines announced on Friday that it plans to power thousands of commercial flights between Los Angeles and San Francisco with biofuel created from farm waste like animal fats and oils.

New York Times: What Weather is the Fault of Climate Change?

Understanding how climate change is affecting extreme weather is critical for insurers, policy makers, engineers and emergency managers as they assess risk and figure out how to make communities more resilient. This knowledge can help to steer decisions on where and how to build or rebuild after a storm or flood, or whether to build or rebuild at all. And those are decisions we’re going to face with increasing frequency as the planet continues to warm.

Scientific American: Energy Security Drives U.S. Militaries to Renewables

Concerns over energy security are spurring branches of the military to get more electricity from renewable sources, inching the Pentagon toward governmentwide climate goals. But environmental concerns are not a key driver for the Defense Department, the nation’s largest consumer of energy. Instead, military officials say that safer sources of power are needed to enhance national security. That’s a bigger motivation than reducing emissions.

The Hill: Supreme Court ruling on Clean Power Plan doesn’t halt EPA action or change timeline

Last month, the Supreme Court unexpectedly issued a “stay” of the Clean Power Plan, the centerpiece of the Obama administration’s efforts to mitigate climate change. This decision unquestionably bars the EPA from enforcing any of the rule’s requirements until the lawsuits against it are fully resolved. But opponents claim that the stay requires the EPA to halt all work related to the rule.Â