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Duke study finds China’s synthetic natural gas plants will have heavy environmental toll; 2x vehicle GHG if used for fuel

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Coal-powered synthetic natural gas (SNG) plants being planned in China would produce seven times more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional natural gas plants, and use up to 100 times the water as shale gas production, according to a new study by Duke University researchers published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

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Berkeley study finds renewable portfolio standards insufficient to meet 2030 GHG emission targets; new policy required

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One possible scenario for the electricity system in the Western US in 2026-29. Under a range of resource cost scenarios, most coal power plants would be replaced by solar, wind, gas, and/or nuclear generation, with intermittent renewable sources providing at least 17% and as much as 29% of total power by 2030. Click to enlarge.

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National Academies Report Examines Hidden Cost of Energy Production and Use in US; Estimates $120B in 2005

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A new report from the National Research Council examines and, when possible, estimates, “hidden” costs of energy production and use—such as the damage air pollution imposes on human health—that are not reflected in market prices of coal, oil, other energy sources, or the electricity and gasoline produced from them.

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PCAST suggests 6 key components for climate change strategy to President Obama; adaptation and mitigation

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Continue efforts to decarbonize the economy, with emphasis on the electricity sector. Key recommended steps here are: Support continuing expansion of shale-gas production, ensuring that environmental impacts of production and transport do not curtail the potential of this approach.

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5 Big Ideas for High-Temperature Superconductors

Cars That Think

In 1911, Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes plunged a mercury wire into liquid helium and noticed that the wire’s electrical resistance vanished. But the materials could show up sooner in a wide array of practical applications, including wind power, energy storage, and nuclear magnetic-resonance machines.

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Will an EV-Filled World Pass The Sulfuric Acid Test?

Cars That Think

In a net-zero future, a future where petroleum and natural gas production enter terminal decline and never return to their past carbon-spewing heights, sulfur production will fall away, too. Those heavy metals are key elements in lithium-ion batteries, electric motors, and other technologies crucial for the renewable transition.

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Honda launches new “Green Path” initiatives for manufacturing and operations; new $210M paint line at Marysville with new 4C2B process

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metals such as mercury, cadmium, lead and hexavalent chrome) that pose a known threat to health or the environment. gigawatt-hours of energy annually, is anticipated to meet more than half of the site’s total electricity needs and offset an estimated 576 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. SOCs are chemical (e.g.,

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