Solar, wind costs could fall up to 59 percent by 2025, study says

Here is the latest Energy News from Reuters.

Solar, wind costs could fall up to 59 percent by 2025, study says
LONDON (Reuters) – The average cost of electricity generated by solar and wind energy could fall by up to 59 percent by 2025 if the right policies are in place, a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) said on Wednesday.

Ethanol, bioenergy no threat to food security: report
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Bioenergy produced from crops does not threaten food supplies, researchers funded by the U.S. government, World Bank and others said in a report on Tuesday, dealing a potential blow to critics of the country’s biofuels program.

Humans probably caused Fort McMurray wildfire: Canadian police
CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) – The Fort McMurray wildfire in northern Alberta that forced the evacuation of 90,000 residents and shut in more than a million barrels per day of oil output was most likely caused by human activity, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said on Tuesday.

Baltimore’s National Aquarium to set up dolphin sanctuary
(Reuters) – Baltimore’s National Aquarium will create the first U.S. dolphin sanctuary and transfer its eight dolphins there, the aquarium said on Tuesday.

Suncor sees wildfire costing nearly C$1 billion: sources
CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) – Suncor Energy Inc has told employees the massive wildfire that struck northern Alberta in May will cost the company nearly C$1 billion ($777.91 million), two sources at Canada’s largest crude producer told Reuters.

Film links melting glaciers, land loss in Bangladesh
UNITED NATIONS (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Melting ice in Antarctica puts as many as 30 million people in Bangladesh at risk of losing their homes over the coming century, according to a new documentary focused on the human cost of climate change.

Zambia halts hippo culling after protests by animal rights activists
LUSAKA (Reuters) – Zambian wildlife authorities said on Tuesday they had suspended the controlled slaughter of up to 2,000 hippos over the next five years following concerns from animal rights activists who described it as trophy hunting.

Nissan to develop ethanol-based fuel cell technology by 2020
TOKYO (Reuters) – Nissan Motor Co said on Tuesday it was developing fuel cell vehicle (FCV) technology using ethanol as a hydrogen source in what would be an industry first, and planned to commercialize its system in 2020 as part of efforts to develop cleaner cars.

‘Mercedes’ cocoa helps Ivorian farmers speed to better harvest
OUATTARADOUGOU, Ivory Coast (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Abou Ouattara has grown cocoa for the last 17 years, but luckily the 52-year-old does not have a sweet tooth.

Global farmland deals now cover area the size of Finland: campaigners
RIO DE JANEIRO (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Global investors have spent more than $90 billion buying agricultural lands the size of Finland in deals criticized by rights groups for displacing small farmers, according to research published on Tuesday.

Valero renews push for EPA to tweak U.S. biofuels program
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Valero Energy Corp on Monday renewed its push for U.S. regulators to change the country’s controversial renewable fuel program.

Brazil judge dismisses $5.7 billion civil suit against Samarco: Vale
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazilian iron ore miner Vale SA said on Monday that a 20 billion reais ($5.7 billion) civil lawsuit seeking environmental and property damages for last year’s deadly Samarco mine disaster has been dismissed.

In Flint, Michigan water crisis, city mayor did not violate ethics
(Reuters) – The mayor of the city of Flint, Michigan, did not redirect donations to her personal campaign from a charity meant to help families hurt by a water crisis in the city, an independent attorney said on Monday.

Indigenous rights and private funding key to slowing deforestation, says Norway minister
BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Efforts to save the world’s forests hinge on securing private sector funds and ensuring indigenous communities in tropical forests are more involved in protecting their environment, Norway’s environment minister said.

At ground zero of warming, Greenland seeks to unlock frozen assets
BUKSEFJORD, Greenland (Reuters) – On top of the world, by a fjord in western Greenland, a remote hydro power plant is buzzing with extra water from the melt of ancient glaciers. This island at ground zero of global warming is seeking to be one of the few places on Earth to benefit.

U.S. top court rejects challenge to Obama mercury air pollution rule
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday let stand a lower-court ruling that left in place Obama administration environmental regulations limiting power plant emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants while the Environmental Protection Agency revised them.

Indonesians will not be prosecuted by Singapore over haze, says VP: media
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia will not allow Singapore to prosecute its citizens over forest fires that blanketed the region in toxic smog in 2015, media on Monday quoted Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla as saying.

Australian PM pledges A$1 bln to help ailing Great Barrier Reef
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, facing a tight re-election battle, pledged on Monday a A$1 billion ($738 million) fund for the Great Barrier Reef, where scientists say mass coral bleaching has destroyed vast tracts of the World Heritage site.

Solar plane lands in New York City during bid to circle the globe
(Reuters) – A solar-powered airplane finished crossing the United States on Saturday, landing in New York City after flying over the Statue of Liberty during its historic bid to circle the globe, the project team said.

Chile’s embattled salmon industry intensified antibiotic use in 2015: government
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Salmon producers in Chile, under pressure from international buyers to reduce the amount of antibiotics they put into their fish, intensified their use of the substances in 2015 from the previous year, government statistics showed on Friday.

House opposes carbon and oil taxes in symbolic votes
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives voted largely along party lines on Friday to reject any new taxes on carbon emissions and oil production.

Daimler to unveil long-distance electric car in October
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Germany’s Daimler will lift the curtain on its much-anticipated long-distance electric car at the Paris Motor Show in October, as the automaker gears up to compete with Tesla Motors Inc’s Model X sport-utility vehicle (SUV).

Globalized economy more susceptible to weather extremes, scientists warn
BARCELONA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The globalization of the world’s economy this century has made it far more vulnerable to the impacts of extreme weather, including heat stress on workers, scientists said on Friday.

Shallow earthquake shakes southern California
(Reuters) – A shallow earthquake measuring 5.2 magnitude struck early on Friday in Southern California, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The bright side: global ‘light pollution’ obscures starry nights
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When Vincent van Gogh peered out the window of the Saint-Paul asylum at the nighttime sky in Saint-Rémy in 1889, he saw the brilliant light of innumerable stars over southern France that inspired his evocative painting “The Starry Night.”

Power grid operator TenneT proposes North Sea island energy hub
LONDON (Reuters) – Dutch power grid operator TenneT says building an island in the North Sea surrounded by wind farms could deliver more low-carbon power to European nations and help the EU meet targets for cuts in emissions.

Green groups fund-raise against Trump’s climate stance
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Donald Trump’s promise to gut U.S. environmental regulations and revive the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline if elected president is a nightmare for green groups, but it may be a dream come true for their fund-raisers.

EU says seeks swift ratification of Paris climate accord
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union called on its 28 member states on Wednesday to speed up ratification of the Paris climate accord so the bloc is not left behind in an international push to curb global warming.

Ten EU nations still breaching pollution limits: EEA
LONDON (Reuters) – Air pollution from sources such as transport and agriculture is still above legal limits in 10 European Union member states, data from the European Environment Agency (EEA) showed on Friday.