A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week.
Editor's Pick
Tesla is building a 'virtual power plant' using people's homes
South Australia is working with Tesla to install solar power systems on residents homes. Image: REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
The state government of South Australia announced Sunday that it had struck a deal with Tesla to install as many as 50,000 solar-power systems on homes, at no cost to residents.
The system would include both solar panels and Tesla Powerwall batteries, and would become part of a decentralized electric grid managed by software. The system would be funded in part by revenues from electricity, which would not belong to the owners of the homes where the systems were installed.
A pilot version of the program has already begun, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation spoke to one early recipient whose electric bills had declined substantially. One projection suggested energy bills for participating households would drop by 30%.
Tesla is building a 'virtual power plant' using people's homes by David Z. Morris, Fortune/World Economic Forum
Links posted on Facebook
Sun Feb 4, 2018
- Why Cape Town Is Running Out of Water, and Who’s Next by Graig Welch, National Geographic, Feb 2, 2018
- Oil Giant Sues Other Oil Giant Over Climate Change Because This Is Our World Now by Brian Kahn, Earther, Feb 2, 2018
- Why Climate Deniers Target Women by Jeremy Deaton, Climate Nexus, Feb 2, 2018
- Trump's Arctic Oil, Gas Lease Sale Violated Environmental Rules, Lawsuits Claim by Sabrinna Shankman, InsideClimate News, Feb 2, 2018
- How Did 'Climate Change' and 'Global Warming' Turn Into a Misleading Trump Talking Point? by Bob Henson, Category 6, Weather Underground, Jan 29, 2019
- How climate change threatens Indonesia's marine tourism by Kathryn Curzon, The Jakarta Post, Feb 2018
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White House withdraws controversial nominee to head Council on Environmental Quality by Juliet Eilperin & Brady Dennis, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Feb 4. 2018
- ‘Extreme’ rainstorms becoming more common in Seattle, says city meteorologist by Daniel Beekman, Seattle Times, Feb 3, 2018
Mon Feb 5, 2018
- New research, January 22-28, 2018 by Ari Jokimäki, Skeptical Science, Jan 3, 2018
- More U.S. drought in a second-year La Niña? by Nat Johnson, ENSO Blog, NOAA's Climate.gov, Feb 1, 2018
- Universities Should Encourage Scientists to Speak Out about Public Issues, Opinion by the Editorial Board of Scientific American, February 2018 Print Edition
- Climate change impact on Antarctica becomes clearer as scientists make progress by Kate Doyle, ABC News (Australia), Feb 5, 2018
- Exxon Studies Climate Policies and Sees ‘Little Risk’ to Bottom Line by Brad Plumer & Hiroko Tabuchi, Climate, New York Times, Feb 2, 2018
- The Arctic has inversions just like Utah, and they could be making climate change worse by Emma Penrod, Salt Lake Tribune, Feb 5, 2018
- The Science Of Global Warming And The Causes & Prevention Of Climate Change (Part 1) by Andy Miles, Clean Technica, Feb 3, 2018
- The Science Of Global Warming And The Causes & Prevention Of Climate Change(Part 2) by Andy Miles, Clean Technica, Feb 4, 2018
Tue Feb 6, 2018
- Scientists Find Massive Reserves Of Mercury Hidden In Permafrost, Press Release, American Geophysical Union (AGU), Feb 5, 2018
- Texas Got 18 Percent of Its Energy from Wind and Solar Last Year by Robert Fares, Scientific American, Jan 29, 2018
- A Trip to a Museum for Convincing Americans About Climate Change by Laura Raskin, The Atlantic, Feb 5, 2018
- Keeping the world below 2°C of warming needs tech we don’t have by Scott K Johnson, Ars Technica, Feb 5, 2018
- Troubled by Trump's Climate Denial, Scientists Aim to Set the Record Straight by Georgina Gustin, InsideClimate News, Feb 5, 2018
- A beginner’s guide to the debate over 100% renewable energy by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Feb 6, 2018
- Humans need to become smarter thinkers to beat climate denial by Dana Nucitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Feb 6, 2018
- Humanity will need to make some drastic changes if it wants to keep the 'good life' going by Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, Feb 5, 2018
Wed Feb 7, 2018
- Tesla, Australia to turn 50,000 homes into power generators, AFP News, Feb 4. 2018
- Thousands evacuated in Indonesian capital over floods by Kanupriya Kapoor, Andy Mangelsdorf & Agustinus Beo Da Costa, Reuters, Feb 6, 2018
- Cape Town is almost out of water. Could Australian cities suffer the same fate? by Ian Wright, The Conversation AU, Feb 7, 2018
- Lukewarmer’ wrong again about climate change impacts, Commentary by Bob Ward, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, Feb 5, 2018
- More flaws in estimates of the economic impacts of climate change, Commentary by Bob Ward, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, Feb 7, 2018
- If the world builds all its planned coal plants, climate change goals are doomed, scientists say by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Feb 7, 2018
- No Drop in U.S. Carbon Footprint Expected Through 2050, Energy Department Says by John H Cushman Jr, InsideClimate News, Feb 6, 2018
- Trump Wants Offshore Drilling, but States Are Choosing Wind Energy by Brittany Patterson, ClimateWire/Scientific American, Feb 5, 2018
Thu Feb 8, 2018
- UK built half of Europe's offshore wind power in 2017 by Adam Vaughn, Environment, Guardian, Feb 7, 2018
- Models Coming into Agreement on Widespread Effects of Arctic Sea Ice Loss by Bob Henson, Category 6, Weather Underground, Feb 5, 2018
- On the Side of Climate Solutions: An Interview with Paul Lussier by Catherine Halley, JSTOR Daily, Feb 7, 2018
- Loss of beloved local rink ignites calls for climate action by Mitchell Beer, National Observer, Feb 7, 2018
- Long-term climate variability ‘could fall’ as the world warms by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Feb 6, 2017
- Churches warn firms over pay, gender and climate change by Angela Monaghan, The Guardian, Feb 7, 2018
- EPA chief Pruitt reveals Trump climate policy is built on a lie by Joe Romm, Think Progress, Feb 7, 2018
- Glaciers, Ice Sheets, and More: A Primer on the Different Types of Polar Ice by Lauren Harper, Earth Instittue, State of the Plaent, Columbia University, Feb 5, 2018
Fri Feb 9, 2018
- Waves of Change by Melissa Márquez, Lateral Magazine (AU), Feb 5, 2018
- Does energy storage make the electric grid cleaner? by Naga Srujana Goteti, Eric Hittinger & Eric Williams, The Conversation US, Feb 2, 2018
- Mulroney attacks Trudeau’s climate policy by Carl Meyer, National Observer, Feb 8, 2018
- New Study Finds Cutting Oil Subsidies Will Not Stop Climate Change by Chelsea Harvey, ClimateWire/Scientific American, Feb 8, 2018
- Reduced Energy from the Sun Might Occur by Mid-century; Now Scientists Know by How Much, News, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Feb 5, 2018
- The “Arrogance” of Republicans’ Favorite Attack on Climate Scientists by Emily Atkin, New Republic, Feb 8, 2018
- How to Change Your Mind About Climate Change by David Kirtley, Skeptical Science, Feb 7, 2018
- This picture book about climate change won’t freak your kids out by Alessandra Potenza, The Verge, Feb 4, 2018
Sat Feb 10, 2018
- Mulroney attacks Trudeau’s climate policy by Carl Meyer, National Observer, Feb 8, 2018
- Canadian solar companies sue Trump over tariffs by Timothy Cama, The Hill, Feb 8, 2018
- Climate change is increasing flood risks in Europe by John Abraham, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Feb 8, 2018
- Tesla is building a 'virtual power plant' using people's homes by David Z. Morris, Fortune/World Economic Forum, Feb 6, 2018
- The US Solar Industry Records First Year of Job Losses by Emma Foehringer Merchant, Greentech Media, Feb 5, 2018
- Seven Lessons On Starting a Worldwide Movement for Change by Naresh Giangrande, Transition Network.org, Feb 9, 2918
- Climate Change Is Giving Us 'Pre-Traumatic Stress' by Daniel Oberhaus, Motherboard, Feb 4, 2018
- Pruitt Squirming Away From The Weight of Climate Evidence by Rachel Liker (Union of Concerned Scientists), Common Dreams, Feb 9, 2018
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