Electricity from Renewable Resources: Status, Prospects, and Impediments

National Academies Press http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12619#toc [Description] A component in the America’s Energy Future study, Electricity from Renewable Resources examines the technical potential for electric power generation with alternative sources such as wind, solar-photovoltaic, geothermal, solar-thermal, hydroelectric, and other renewable sources. The book focuses on those renewable sources that show the most promise for initial commercial deployment … Continue reading »

Periodic Climate Cooling Enhanced Natural Disasters and Wars in China during AD 10–1900

Proceedings of the Royal Society / Zhibin Zhang, Huidong Tian, Bernard Cazelles, Kyrre L. Kausrud, Achim Brauning, Fang Guo, Nils Chr Stenseth http://tinyurl.com/2dh6vbz [Abstract] Recent studies have linked climatic and social instabilities in ancient China; the underlying causal mechanisms have, however, often not been quantitatively assessed. Here, using historical records and palaeoclimatic reconstructions during AD … Continue reading »

Climate Stabilization Targets: Emissions, Concentrations, and Impacts over Decades to Millenia

National Academies Press http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12877 (free PDF available with registration) [From homepage] Emissions of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels have ushered in a new epoch where human activities will largely determine the evolution of Earth’s climate. Because carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is long lived, it can effectively lock the Earth and future … Continue reading »

Coal Power Plants: Opportunities Exist for DOE to Provide Better Information on the Maturity of Key Technologies to Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions

GAO http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10675.pdf [From Summary] Congress asked GAO to examine (1) the maturity of [CCS and plant efficiency technologies]; (2) their potential for commercial use, and any challenges to their use; and (3) possible implications of deploying these technologies. To conduct this work, GAO reviewed reports and interviewed stakeholders with expertise in coal technologies…. DOE does … Continue reading »