by Joe Romm (Climate Progress)

Fighting climate change is a money maker.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/06/24/3452323/world-bank-climate-change-economy/

By Kiley Krough (from Climate Progress)

Danish researchers have developed paper-thin OPV (organic photo voltaic) solar cells. Sheet of these cells could be applied to areas such sides of buildings, window curtains, car roofs, just to name a few.  And now Germany — a country that gets half of its energy from solar panels — has invested $21 million dollars to help advance the research.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/06/23/3451684/future-of-solar-technology/

http://www.thelocal.de/20140619/germany-produces-half-of-electricity-needs-with-solar-power

P.S.  Now here’s an idea for P66:  Cover the capped, superfund cleanup site, Selby Slag, with solar panels to power refrigerated (and safer) propane tanks. It could be a two-fer.  P66 complains that refrigerated units would be more expensive to run.  Well, let the sun provide the energy and build a project that won’t wipe out Northwest Rodeo in the event of an earthquake. When the refinery is finally decommissioned, sell the solar power system to a company that could sell energy to PGE…or hook up the town of Rodeo so its residents can live happily “off the grid.”     Just a thought!

KTVU News

The Phillips 66 refinery in Rodeo responsible for dumping more than 740,000 pounds of toxic pollution into the San Francisco Bay.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/new-report-singles-out-worst-polluter-san-francisc/ngP7n/

By Jeff Spross

Boston-based renewable energy company First Wind just finalized agreements to provide a Utah utility with 320 megawatts of solar capacity for the next two decades. And the circumstances of the contracts are yet another example of how falling solar prices are reshaping the market.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/06/20/3451429/utah-solar-purpa/

Yesterday, Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) filed suit against the Bay Area Air Quality Management District for the District’s illegal permitting of the Chevron (“Modernization”) Expansion Project.  CBE had previously requested the District to revoke the permit that allowed Chevron to build a Richmond refinery expansion that could increase air pollution from one of the state’s biggest industrial climate polluters without required emission prevention and environmental reviews.

http://www.cbecal.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/CBE-Press-Release-BAAQMD-Suit.pdf

By Eric de Place and John Abbotts 

This article features and interactive map that shows 276 reported derailment in the Northwest (from Minnesota to Oregon/Washington) in 31 months.  That is roughly one every 3.5 days.

http://daily.sightline.org/2014/05/13/northwest-region-averaging-nine-freight-train-derailments-per-month/