GE hopes giant grid batteries can save the planet (and its fortunes)

The engineering firm hopes a storage system can smooth electricity supply on a grid powered by renewables—and let it capitalize on a fast-growing market.

GE's "Reservoir" battery system.

GE announced a new system called Reservoir—a large battery attached to the grid to store spare electricity from renewables. When the sun doesn’t shine and wind doesn’t blow, it dumps electrons into the grid to meet demand. It uses discharging smarts to extend its working life, and it’s modular, so it can be adapted to fit small or large gigs.

Read the MIT Technology Review story - “GE hopes giant grid batteries can save the planet (and its fortunes).”

Rapid Arctic ice melt sets the stage for economic disaster under Trump

A Trump presidency could make this
 future for South Florida and “Miami Island”
 unstoppable.

The anti-climate policies embraced by President-elect Donald Trump— coupled with the ever-more stunning news and analyses that keep coming about the polar regions — means trillion-dollar economic impacts from climate change are closer at hand than people realize. Here’s why.

First, a new Nature study finds the Greenland ice sheet is as unstable as the Antarctic ice sheet and prone to rapid melt. It adds to the fast-growing body of evidence we are headed toward the high-end of sea level projections, up to 6 feet or more by century’s end (and you can throw in another 2 feet for the highest tides if you live in South Florida).

Second, we already knew that meant devastating Sandy-level storm surges will become more and more common on the East Coast, where sea level rise is the fastest.

Read Joe Romm’s story on Think Progress - “Rapid Arctic ice melt sets the stage for economic disaster under Trump.”