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  • Solar lights help Kenyan women escape sex-for-fish trap

    March 16, 2021 |

    Thomson Reuters Foundation |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Kenya, Kendu Bay

    A renewable energy project in Kenya is empowering women to catch their own fish instead of relying on “sex-for-fish” deals. Previously, men used to control the mechanisms for catching fish and would only sell to women who would have sex with them. About 400 women have received free solar lights, which allows them to fish at night. The batteries are lightweight and can run up to 120 hours on a single charge. For one woman, using the light also enables her to keep her fish stall open longer, earning her 10 times more than what she used to.

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  • How Giant Batteries Are Protecting The Most Vulnerable In Blackouts

    March 08, 2021 |

    WBUR |

    Radio |

    3-5 Minutes

    Response Location: United States

    States are creating microgrids with the use of large batteries and solar panels in an effort to fortify their utilities infrastructure against extreme weather. Such investments enable communities to prevent prolonged blackouts and therefore stay safe during storms, wildfires, extreme cold, and whatever else climate change might cause in the future.

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  • The Hottest Amenity From Developers? A Power Plant Made of Batteries.

    March 03, 2021 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Salt Lake City, Utah

    An apartment complex in Utah includes a solar battery in every apartment allowing the resident, power utility, and building developer to save costs for generating electricity. Through a unique partnership, the power systems can provide 12.6 megawatts of power for the building, which translates into residents saving up to 40 percent on the energy bills. This setup might not be easy to scale, but the developer plans to expand the model in other states.

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  • The EV tax credit can save you thousands — if you're rich enough

    February 26, 2021 |

    Grist |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States

    A tax credit was supposed to incentive Americans to buy electric vehicles, but testimony from car buyers and research has shown that only people who can afford the full purchase are getting access to the benefit. The tax break gives electric car purchasers a credit on their taxes the following year, but only as much as they owe the government. The purchase could end up costing more than buyers expected, which can be a barrier for people who want to switch to electric.

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  • It looks like the Batmobile, works on solar energy, and could be the future of cars

    February 25, 2021 |

    The Washington Post |

    Multi-Media |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, San Diego, California

    Aptera Motors, a California-based startup, is poised to roll out the first mass-produced solar vehicle this year: for $25,900. The car is a three-wheel, aerodynamic electric vehicle covered in solar cells that can provide energy to drive about 40 miles. The model is not 100 percent efficient with some energy lost in its electrical current conversion and in its drive system, but the creators say it is four times more effect than an average electric vehicle. Still, when the company started taking preorders, they sold out of its first 330 vehicles in 24 hours.

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  • Ten years after Fukushima: could new fuels make nuclear power safer?

    February 23, 2021 |

    Physics World |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Urbana, Illinois

    After the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, scientists are looking for ways to ensure the future of nuclear power is safer. One possibility is improving the protective barrier that surrounds the fuel pellets. They coated the fuel road with chromium and in tests, the new coatings performed well. However, modeling suggests that the chromium-coating might not provide enough time to stabilize a power plant during a meltdown. Still, these materials have started to appear in commercial nuclear reactors and could help reduce fuel waste and save money.

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  • How Vermont's Energy Efficiency Utility Is Helping Businesses Sweat the Small Stuff

    February 23, 2021 |

    Next City |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Bennington, Vermont

    To make their restaurant more energy efficient and to cut its carbon footprint, The Publyk House utilized the services of Efficiency Vermont, a publicly funded energy efficiency utility. As part of their Deep Energy Retrofit program, the utility helped install insulation, LED lighting, and high-efficiency appliances at the restaurant, allowing them to save 50 percent on energy in two years. Since the start of the program, 10 businesses have been able to cut their energy consumption in half.

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  • “Power Companies Get Exactly What They Want”: How Texas Repeatedly Failed to Protect Its Power Grid Against Extreme Weather

    February 22, 2021 |

    The Texas Tribune |

    Multi-Media |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Texas

    After winter storms and freezing temperatures in 2011 and 2014 caused power plants in Texas to shut down, the state’s energy regulators failed to adapt the state’s electric grid for future extreme weather events. Experts say the state’s deregulated energy market, failure to weatherize facilities, and a lack of action from lawmakers to update the power grid caused millions of customers to lose power during the deadly 2021 winter storm.

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  • The Texas Freeze: Why the Power Grid Failed

    February 19, 2021 |

    Wall Street Journal |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Texas

    By relying on the market to give energy suppliers' incentives to keep the power going during extreme weather events, a historic cold snap in Texas revealed cracks in the state’s free-market energy system, which left millions powerless during the storm. Critics of the state’s system say “the alphabet soup of Texas energy oversight bodies” led to inaction and there was a lack of preparation from plant owners to ensure that they could continue to operate in extreme heat and cold temperatures.

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  • To maximize emission cuts, this Boston campus gets its power from the Midwest

    February 18, 2021 |

    Energy News Network |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

    Boston University is getting all of its electricity from a wind farm in South Dakota, which should cover its annual energy needs of 205 million kilowatt-hours. Some energy advocates say the higher education institution should have purchased their renewable energy locally, but the university says their main goal was to maximize its reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. They hope to share their model with other “large energy buyers” and use the wind farm as an educational and research opportunity for students.

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