How bad are things for U.S. coal? Very bad, but that’s very good for environment. Now the question is whether other countries will cut back on coal as well.
Will nuclear subsidies stifle competition?
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A former state regulator and member of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission argues that subsidizing reactors to keep them running is unnecessary and will be bad for consumers and the environment.
The FitzPatrick nuclear plant in Oswego, New York will receive state subsidies to continue operating through 2029.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory commission/Flickr
A nuclear engineer makes the case that nuclear power plants are important resources and should receive economic rewards for providing steady supplies of carbon-free electricity.
Australia will likely have to close more coal power stations to meet climate targets.
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Australia’s energy watchdog has warned that closing coal power stations could leave us vulnerable to supply problems. But not if we help take the pressure off the grid.
Treasurer Scott Morrison blocked the sale of the Ausgrid lease on national security grounds.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Scott Morrison has rejected Chinese bids for the 99-year lease of 50.4% of Ausgrid, the NSW electricity distribution system, for security reasons.
No nukes: a 1979 rally against the construction of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, which is slated to shut down by 2025.
Jessica Collett/Shaping San Francisco Digital Archive
Phasing out fossils fuels would go a long way to stopping dangerous climate change – but it might be harder than we thought.
An LNG tanker leaves Gladstone, Queensland. Gas development is one of the drivers behind Australia’s increasing emissions and electricity demand.
AAP/Dan Peled
Over the past year Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions from electricity rose 2.7%.
In Nigeria 96% of households are connected to the grid, but only 18% of these connections function more than about half the time.
Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters
Africa still has numerous electricity challenges to overcome, but several countries are getting it right when it comes to providing electricity to their people.
Longannet, the last coal-fired power plant in Scotland, has closed. It might be good news for climate change, but it also signals major problems ahead.
Energy in South Africa did not feature as a major part of the 2016 budget speech – unlike in 2015.
Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko
South Africans spend billions of rands paying for services that should be provided by government, thus making the tax burden considerably higher than what appears in official tax data.
There’s a good reason to connected to the electricity distribution network.
Flickr/Indigo Skies Photography
If you’re worried about rising electricity prices, then going off-grid sounds attractive. But why not create an intelligent network of solar-powerd batteries that can reduce prices for all?