News Coverage

Solar Trust said today that it will convert a 500-megawatt solar thermal power plant it had been planning in Blythe, California into a 500-megawatt plant made from photovoltaic panels. The shift comes because of “improved market conditions” for building power plants with PV modules.

WASHINGTON—The Interior Secretary Wednesday approved the highest capacity solar-panel plant ever constructed on public-owned land. The approval cleared a permitting hurdle for First Solar Inc.’s 550-megawatt Desert Sunlight project, which needed to pass an environmental review from the Interior Department because it is being built on federal land.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. reported its second deadly radiation reading in as many days at its wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant north of Tokyo. The utility known as Tepco said yesterday it detected 5 sieverts of radiation per hour in the No. 1 reactor building. On Aug. 1 in another area it recorded radiation of 10 sieverts per hour, enough to kill a person “within a few weeks” after a single exposure, according to the World Nuclear Association. Radiation has impeded attempts to replace cooling systems to bring three melted reactors and four damaged spent fuel ponds under control after a tsunami on March 11 crippled the plant. The latest reading was taken on the second floor of the No. 1 reactor building and will stop workers entering the area.

By REBECCA SMITH   |   WSJ  |   Link to article Federal energy regulators approved a major rule change that they said would lead to more big electricity transmission lines getting built in the U.S. The new order, adopted Thursday, should particularly benefit wind- and solar-energy projects, which are often located in remote places […]

By Ashlie Rodriguez  |  LA Times Blog: Greenspace Environmental news from California and beyond  |  Link to article A new statewide survey of environment issues conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California found more residents favor climate change policy, want to cut greenhouse gas emissions and believe they are already experiencing the effects of […]

By Katie Glueck  |  WSJ Blogs  |  Link to article New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he will donate $50 million to the Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy group, to promote the organization’s fight against coal-fired power plants. Mr. Bloomberg announced the gift, which will be spread over four years, at a GenOn coal plant in […]

By Hannah Northey, E&E reporter Federal regulators finalized far-reaching rules today that revamp how the United States plans, builds and allocates costs for new power lines. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted 5-0 to approve rules calling for transmission providers to participate in regional planning and cost-allocation methods and to consider state and federal goals […]

By MATTHEW L. WALD  | The New York Times  |  Link to article WASHINGTON – Federal regulators laid down principles on Thursday for planning and paying for new power lines, part of a long-term policy effort to help the nation’s electricity grid grow enough to meet the demands of renewable energy and a competitive electricity market. […]

By HIROKO TABUCHI  |  The New York Times  |  Link to article MINAMISOMA, Japan – Even after explosions rocked the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Kuniaki Sato, who raises cattle here about 20 miles from the crippled complex, said he had received no clear warning from the government about the possible dangers of radiation to […]