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The Island Where Everyone Owns the Wind

Andrew Wear

December 25, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Denmark, Samso Island

Denmark’s Samso Island has not only succeeded in generating 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy - which is the nation’s goal by 2030 - it is now carbon negative. Locals initially pushed back on the idea of loud and unsightly windmills but had a change of heart when part ownership of the turbines was offered. Samso Island’s success in addressing climate change so effectively was a result of civic participation and the opportunity for economic development.

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Could Carbon Dioxide Be Turned Into Jet Fuel?

Eric Niiler

December 22, 2020 |

Wired |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Oxford, England

Scientists at Oxford University have come up with a process that could turn carbon dioxide into jet fuel. The greenhouse gas, which is a major contributor to climate change, is constantly emitted by the aviation industry and this method would allow for that gas to be recycled into a liquid fuel for flights. Scaling the experiment has its challenges, but the process could result in net-zero emissions from airplanes.

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Breaking Buildings' Addiction to Fossil Fuels

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Alex Blumberg

December 10, 2020 |

Gimlet Media |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

BlocPower retrofits buildings with energy-efficient equipment in financially underserved communities by offering loans to building owners for no money down. The company has completed about 1,000 projects by bundling the financing for many projects and finding investors willing to provide capital for the larger sum, which reduces investor risk. The group also created technology to reduce the costs of building inspections and energy usage monitoring. The new equipment increases building values and reduces energy costs so that owners pay less in monthly loan repayments than they would with the old equipment.

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Budget-strapped Wyo towns bypass state with climate efforts

Dustin Bleizeffer

December 08, 2020 |

WyoFile |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Laramie, Wyoming

Several counties in Wyoming are "breaking with state policy" in order to introduce initiatives and efforts aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Although the state controls financial allocations, city and county governments as well as community-driven efforts have still resulted in a reduction of electrical consumption and fossil fuel consumption.

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A System for Sharing Household Heat Is Growing Beneath France

Chad Small

December 04, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: France, Paris

In Paris, about 7,500 buildings are heated using geothermal energy, a cost-saving and carbon neutral energy source. Water is drawn from deep below ground at a central location and heated by the earth, and then sent via underground pipes to individual buildings. The Bagneux and Chatillon district has scaled up the system, providing heat to over 40,000 people. Districts created joint ventures to reduce construction costs and residents do not notice the energy source shift because when the temperature drops to a point where geothermal energy is not viable, gas boilers automatically keeps the heat flowing.

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How sunshine can make the railways greener

Richard Kenny

November 24, 2020 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Australia, Byron Bay, New South Wales

As a way to reduce the amount of diesel fuel that powers trains, governments and transit companies around the world are turning to solar panels as a way to utilize renewable energy. In Australia, a solar train launched in 2017 that uses lithium-ion batteries that are charged by solar panels on the roof of the carriages. And a rail line in the United Kingdom uses energy from a solar farm to keep the train running. Scaling solar panels for nation-wide transit systems can be challenging, but many countries are committed to eliminating the use of fossil fuels on their rail networks.

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Crowdfunded solar puts Red Lake Nation on a path to energy sovereignty

Frank Jossi

November 13, 2020 |

Energy News Network |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Red Lake Indian Reservation, Minnesota

The Red Lake Nation in Minnesota is building a 240-kilowatt solar array on top of a workforce training center, which will generate about half of the building’s electricity. This project was financed through crowdfunding, where they raised $250,000 from religiously inclined microlenders. The goal: to allow the tribe to have energy sovereignty, create higher-paying jobs, and maintain a healthy environment.

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For Virginia transit agency, electric buses help to meet climate, equity goals

Elizabeth McGowan

November 05, 2020 |

Energy News Network |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Virginia

Electric buses will be hitting Virginia’s busiest transit corridor as a result of the implementation of the Transportation and Climate Initiative. The plan aims to reduce carbon emissions, create a sustainable economy, and invest in underserved communities.

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Yemen's ‘microgrid girls' power community amid war and COVID-19

Veronique Mistiaen

October 18, 2020 |

Al Jazeera |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Yemen, Abs

A solar-grid station is powering rural Yemeni communities on the front-line of the war and in the midst of COVID-19, while also empowering women who typically have very few professional opportunities. The microgrid project supplies the community with affordable and clean energy, replacing expensive diesel generators which are bad for the environment. Electricity bills have been cut by 65 percent, an impressive gain in one of the world's poorest country. Thousands of entrepreneurs have generated income based on the new electricity source and many more have benefitted from new services and products available.

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‘Energy Aggregation' Has the Potential to Transform How We Get Power, But Hurdles Remain

Chad Small

October 14, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, California

California communities are turning to “community choice aggregators,” which allows them to buy electricity from green providers and have more control over the energy grid. However, the financial pressure for these programs to offer competitive rates as public utilities can mean that the programs might increase their dependence on cheaper, less green energy sources. So far, 21 of these community-choice programs are in the Golden State, serving 10 million customers.

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