About the Author
Michelle Lewis is a writer and editor on Electrek and an editor on DroneDJ, 9to5Mac, and 9to5Google. She lives in St. Petersburg, Florida. She has previously worked for Fast Company, the Guardian, News Deeply, Time, and others. Message Michelle on Twitter or at michelle@9to5mac.com. Check out her personal blog.
Yesterday
Texas leads the US in wind power — and now it’s ramping up solar, too
Texas likes to do things big. The Lone Star State leads the US with the most energy generated by wind power, and now it’s ramping up solar, which is projected to be the fastest-growing contributor to the state’s power grid in the next three years.
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
February 19
Mandy Gunasekara, the self-proclaimed “chief architect of the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord,” is tipped to replace Ryan Jackson, the EPA’s chief of staff, who will step down on February 21. (Michael Molina will be acting chief of staff.) Jackson is to become the top lobbyist for the National Mining Association (yes, really).
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
February 18
Electrek compiled how three environmental and political groups — The Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, Build a Movement 2020, and Greenpeace — grade the presidential candidates on environmental and climate-change issues.
As we previously wrote in Climate Crisis Weekly, The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication reported that among all registered voters, global warming is ranked fifth and environmental protection is ranked eighth as the “most important issue” when it comes to deciding who they’ll vote for.
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
February 17
How fourth-graders won their campaign for school solar panels
A group of fourth-graders at Big Hollow Primary School in Ingleside, Illinois, completed a writing and science project three years ago on why solar power would be beneficial to the Big Hollow District 38 campus. Their primary school, as well as a middle and high school, make up the campus.
The system will go live next month, and the campus will have enough energy to cover about 85% of the district’s power needs and save about $90,000 a year.
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
February 15
February 14
Why Wyoming’s coal habit is turning it into an energy dinosaur
The Wyoming legislature proposed a bill this week that would have penalized — yes, penalized — utility companies for using green energy to supply electricity to customers. Fortunately, the bill didn’t receive sufficient votes to advance.
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
February 13
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
February 12
US House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) (pictured, with Donald Trump) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Greg Walden (R-OR) introduced climate-change legislative proposals today in an attempt to shift the Republican party’s message on climate change from nothing to something.
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
February 11
Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) introduced the Clean Economy Act of 2020 today. The act’s purpose is to put the United States on a pathway to achieve net-zero emissions by no later than 2050.
The bill is co-sponsored by 32 senators — all Democrats — as well as Angus King of Maine, who is an independent.
To say that Tesla’s performance in extremely cold temperatures is a regular talking point among EV drivers (and those of us at Electrek) is a bit of an understatement. For example, Tesla Model Y prototypes were recently spotted cold-weather testing in Minnesota snow in January, and in December, Tesla started offering anti-ice window treatment after some winter issues.
But Tesla Model 3 owner Thomas Nilsen, who lives in Norway’s Arctic Circle, tells Electrek that his EV performs even better in the freezing north than his previous ICE (no pun intended) vehicle.
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
February 10
Trump’s fiscal 2021 budget slashes the EPA by 26%
Donald Trump proposed a $4.8 trillion budget plan today that proposes cuts to several programs, including a 26% reduction for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently released its “Annual Energy Outlook 2020” report.
Policy analysts Rachel Fakhry and Robert Harding of the Natural Resources Defense Council wrote an expert blog on Friday that summarized the report’s findings.
