Virtual Power Plants Offer A Climate-Forward Response To Increasingly Hot Summers

Phone lines in Africa and South Asia would never have gotten to the poor - but these places have leapfrogged over last-century technology and gone straight to mobile phones. Now the same thing is happening with off-grid solar power: the fastest -- perhaps the only – way to power the poor.

In light of climate change, New York State's Common Retirement Fund, the country's third-largest pension fund, decided to invest in a way that rewards companies with low carbon footprints.

Most people are unaware of how much food they waste. Food waste campaigns across the world are using creative marketing to raise awareness and encourage behavior change.

Solar power is an important renewable energy in Germany, but when the sun is out, it can overpower the grid. Likewise, when the sun is not out, the reception of solar power decreases. Germany has piloted battery installations that store solar energy for use when the sunlight is not plentiful and has successfully incentivized citizens to use them to lower costs.

After “the shock” that laid off many coal miners in Delta County, Colorado, the area is experiencing a resurgence. Population is growing, finally, and a fiber optic internet company has stimulated the economy with new jobs. The company, Lightworks Fiber, has been on hiring spree, with 40 positions they are still looking to fill. It’s still a big transition from the coal economy - but not necessarily a bad one.

The World Nuclear Association counts 50 nuclear power plants being built, with 150 more in the planning stages. After the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, nuclear plants on coasts began to be built with contingencies that account for sea-level rise. But new studies suggest that many such plans rely on outdated climate change projections.

Melting glaciers threaten the Swiss Alps, especially the hydropower it provides. The idea of building a dam as a back-up way to generate power is catching on. The permitting process just began, but construction will need to be fast before further dramatic melting occurs.

In a small town in Kenya called Machakos, several solar power startups are bringing light and electricity to families who previously went without. Using a pay-as-you-go mobile payment system and a single solar panel, customers receive three light bulbs, a phone charging station, and a radio. This new method is much cleaner and more affordable than the previously-used kerosene and allows people to make a livelihood for themselves even after the sun goes down.

After sitting abandoned for 20 years, 27-thousand tons of plastic carpet are in the beginning processes of being removed. The pile, located in an old rifle range in Warren, Maine, is being transported to a local cement plant who uses such materials to burn for fuel. The disposal is being funded by the Department of Environmental Protection, but with such a massive amount, risks only being partially disposed.

In a collaborative effort between developers, power companies, and the government, a new apartment complex in Utah will be almost entirely powered by solar energy. The complex, developed by Wasatch Premier Communities, will work with Rocky Mountain Power to determine how to integrate such technology into the region’s electricity grid. This kind of development is gaining ground in Utah, and those in the industry hope to educate others of the benefits of going electric.