Texas

Energy and Environment Reporting for Texas

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Using less and saving more through ingenuity and efficiency.

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Floating Offshore Wind Gets Turning in Atlantic

Offshore wind has made its way to the Atlantic. Over 200 miles from the shore of Agucadoura, Portugal, a two-megawatt turbine is currently floating on the sea and will soon generate power. The project is expected to be up and running after a few weeks of testing. The turbine is a joint project between Seattle-based […]

Would You Like Some Solar With Your Swedish Meatballs?

The blue-and-yellow Swedish furniture giant is going green. IKEA announced today plans to install solar panels on all of its stores in the South, including three in Texas. The panels are expected to be installed by next summer, and combined will generate 10.7 megawatts, with the three Texas stores generating about half of that, or […]

The iPod of Thermostats?

A few weeks ago a new home thermostat was announced. While this would normally be news to yawn over, efficiency enthusiasts and techies alike were enthralled. Wired said that the thermostat would “make home heating sexy.” Why the enthusiasm over a mundane household product? It was likely because the thermostat was an iPod. Or at least […]

5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Heat Up Your Home

It’s hard to believe after survivng the epic summer of 2011, but winter is here. Today saw the first hard freeze of the winter season in Central Texas, where the ground becomes frozen solid and plants die. And folks in Houston (freezing) and Dallas (also freezing) didn’t have it any easier this morning. While you may have […]

Why So Few Solar Farms in Texas?

The Obama administration announced last week that 445 square miles of the West — more than 285,000 acres — will be zoned for solar energy development. Across parts of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah, the government is essentially fast-tracking large tracts of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for solar energy […]

A Plan to Save Haiti’s Forests, Hatched in Texas

Take a look at this satellite image of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Haiti’s on the western side, the Dominican Republic is on the east. Now look at the border dividing those counties and you notice a troubling detail. In many places, the forests on the Haitian side disappear: View Larger Map “Ninety-five percent of Haiti’s […]

Can Green Roofs Work in Texas?

It’s a novel idea — plants, shrubs and flowers, grown on the roof of urban buildings. The plants help cool surrounding air and provide insulation during both hot and cool temperatures. But there’s a catch.

How to Avoid Another Solyndra

While the Obama administration is under fire for funding solar panel disaster story Solyndra, a Yale professor has another idea: stop funding risky ideas, and start rewarding innovative successes: Dr. Pogge has proposed the creation of an Ecological Impact Fund, [which] would explicitly link the accessibility of an innovation to its value… While much green […]

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