News Roundup
News Roundup for June 29
SMART GRID COMRADES
President Obama
President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev have agreed on an action plan to start an energy-efficiency and smart grid project. The plan will “promote innovation in the U.S. and Russian economies,” the presidents said in a joint statement, and help reduce national levels of carbon emissions. The plan’s smart grid aspect will match cities in both countries to share best practices and technical information. There also is energy management and technical assistance to improve efficiency in government buildings in both countries.
NO MORE TALK
The CEO of the FutureGen Industrial Alliance has said it’s time to start building the nation’s first full-scale, carbon capture power plant in Illinois. “It’s time for us to stop talking about the need and do something,” Michael Mudd told a group of utility executives attending a conference in Washington, D.C. He was referring to the Department of Energy’s decision to delay action on the project by extending its cooperative agreement with FutureGen. “We have to find a way to break through and get the government to make a decision,” he said.
RENEWABLE GARDEN
Office workers in Cleveland are making good use of recycling as they tend to their rooftop garden. Employees at Forest City Enterprises, a national real estate company, used recycled pots and planters made from file cabinets to hold their flowers and such vegetables as tomatoes, eggplants and cucumbers. The 5,000-square-foot garden also two rotating compost bins, to be filled with garden waste and kitchen scraps.
NOT THE LOW PRICE
Walmart is looking to roll back the cost of electricity generated by the Cape Wind project off Cape Cod. In filings with the state of Massachusetts, Walmart said the high prices set by the offshore wind farm’s first contract to sell electricity will mean higher costs for the retailer, which has 28 stores in Massachusetts. A Walmart spokesman says the company “supports the intent” of Cape Wind but questions the National Grid’s cost estimates and how they will be passed on to customers.
—Based on news and wire reports
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