As we have become somewhat accustomed to bad news in the solar panel industry, it is hardly surprising to hear that some companies are struggling to remain profitable. Earlier this week, First Solar, America’s largest solar panel producer, announced a plan detailing significant cutbacks to its workforce and production. The announcement came just weeks after [...]
Archive for the ‘China’ Category
America’s Largest Solar Panel Producer Struggles to Remain Sustainable
April 23rd, 2012 
Chris DeArmond 
Posted in China, News, Renewable Energy 
Tags: Chris DeArmond, Photovoltaic, Solar Energy 
No Comments »US Imposes Tariffs on Chinese Solar Panels
March 21st, 2012 Eric Wilson ABC News and The New York Times are reporting that yesterday, the United States’ Commerce Department has levied a small (2.9 to 4.73 percent) tariff on imported Chinese solar panels. Last year American producers of solar technology pushed the Commerce Department to pursue a case against the Chinese. Their argument was that Chinese manufacturers “may [...]
Posted in Business, China, Clean Technology, Eric Wilson, News, Policy, Renewable Energy Tags: Photovoltaic, Solar Energy No Comments »Five Friday Facts: Bamboo
March 16th, 2012 Eric Wilson The following facts come from Delta Airlines’ March 2012 Sky magazine: 1,400: number of bamboo species growing throughout the world. $23 billion: projected global market for bamboo in 2012. 9.0: Earthquake magnitude withstood by some bamboo buildings. 33%: amount of world’s bamboo supply harvested by China. The U.S. is currently the largest importer of the [...]
Posted in Agriculture, Business, China, Eric Wilson, Five Friday Facts Tags: Regenerative Economy No Comments »Why Walmart Fails at Sustainability
March 11th, 2012 Megan Stilley The key to sustainability is acknowledging and considering the three legs of sustainability: society, environment, and economic. Walmart fails in at least two of these categories. I will consider giving them economic. They have a business plan to keep their business running and not go bankrupt. While that plan includes opening more stores to increase [...]
Posted in Business, China, Featured Posts, Op-Ed, Renewable Energy, Sustainability Tags: Environment, Greenwashing, Megan Stilley, Zero Waste 1 Comment »Global Wind Capacity Increased 21% in 2011
February 25th, 2012 Eric Wilson According to a press release from the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) in Belgium, “the wind industry installed just over 41,000 MW [megawatts] of new clean, reliable wind power in 2011, bringing the total installed capacity globally to more than 238,000 MW at the end of last year.” The 2011 installations marked a 21% increase [...]
China Bans Airlines from Paying European Union Carbon Tax
February 17th, 2012 Chris DeArmond At its outset in 2005, the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) was designed to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by factories, power plants, and other energy-intensive installations. At the beginning of this year, however, ETS began imposing the cap-and-trade system on all airlines with flights departing from or arriving at EU [...]
Posted in China, Economics, Featured Posts, Japan, News, President Obama, Transportation Tags: Brazil, Carbon Dioxide, Chris DeArmond, Congress No Comments »FFF: Fastest Growing Metropolitan Regions in the World
February 3rd, 2012 Justin Manger A very comprehensive report by The Brookings Institute reveals just how rapidly the cities of the developing world are growing. In the midst of the largest human migration from the countryside to cities, the report portends a rise in living standards for millions as well as highlights the challenges in sustainably providing energy and food for the inhabitants [...]
Posted in 2nd Green, China, Five Friday Facts, Justin Manger, News, Sustainable Development Tags: Environment, Urban Planning No Comments »Filthy Beijing Air (Photos)
January 12th, 2012 Justin Manger How dirty is the air in Beijing? “Beyond index” hazardous, for one. It also looks just nasty. The photos below paint a very hazy and unpleasant picture. The pollution this winter in China’s capital city is in stark contrast to the winter view here in Tokyo, where the cool air and winter air patterns sweep [...]
Posted in China, Featured Posts, Justin Manger, News Tags: Carbon Dioxide, Cars, Electric Vehicles, Pollution No Comments »Keystone Pipeline and the Future of Fuel
December 18th, 2011 Eric Wilson A few weeks ago news came out that President Obama was stalling the decision on the Keystone Pipeline from Alberta, Canada down to Texas. This was no doubt a political move tied to the 2012 election. Apparently, the company that is building the pipeline acquiesced to demands from environmentalists that the pipeline avoid certain areas of Nebraska [...]
Posted in China, Eric Wilson, Op-Ed, Policy, President Obama Tags: Bio-fuels, Oil Consumption No Comments »What Is Your Country’s Climate Change Policy?
December 14th, 2011 Eric Wilson As a follow up to the 2-part series from NPR (covered here recently on 2nd Green Revolution) comes this post about various countries’ climate policy. With the end of the United Nations’ most recent conference on climate change in Durban, South Africa, NPR had a valuable synopsis of what many of the largest emitters of [...]
