Solar power, even if you don't have a roof of your own
In this edition: Community-size projects aim to democratize solar energy; big-name Republicans push 'carbon dividends' for all; man-made pollinators.听
In this edition: Community-size projects aim to democratize solar energy; big-name Republicans push 'carbon dividends' for all; man-made pollinators.听
What we're writing
Panels to the people: 'Community solar' aims to democratize the sun
More solar projects start serving neighborhoods rather than just individual houses. But the movement is still in its early stages, especially in lower-income communities. //听Zack Colman听
What climate听action might look like, Republican-style
A group of prominent conservatives put forward a plan for addressing climate change. The novel pairing: a carbon tax to cut fossil fuels, and paying the revenue听back to Americans in "dividends"听to keep it popular. It's a hard sell to the current Congress, but maybe听a marker for the future.听//听Mark Trumbull
Should pollinating drones take over for honeybees?
Roughly a third of the world's food crops require help with pollination, but more than听40 percent of the species听that perform this vital service are under threat. What if little manufactured drones could help do the job? The technology is arriving, but scientists see big听challenges.听//听Eva Botkin-Kowacki
What we're reading
Egyptian invention cuts rice irrigation water by half
A farm machine plants rice in v-shaped troughs, so fields don't need to be completely听submerged.听// SciDev.net
1,000 years ago, corn made this society big
Near St. Louis are听earthen mounds, remaining from a city that supported thousands long before Europeans arrived in America. Did a changing climate destroy that culture? // National Public Radio
Solar kits听bring electrity to Nigerians, one home at a time
A phone-based, pay-as-you-go model helps put a solar panel in reach, powering lights, fans, and TVs. // InsideClimate News
US听solar jobs up听51,000, a 25 percent gain in a year
Some 260,000 Americans work in the industry, by one new tally. // The Washington Post
Another strong year听for nuclear power
Last year saw the听largest global addition of nuclear power since 1990, including America's first new reactor (located in Tenessee) since 1996.听// The Breakthrough Institute
What's trending
Legal challenge as Dakota pipeline construction resumes
鈥淭his administration has expressed utter and complete disregard for not only our treaty and water rights, but the environment as a whole.鈥� // David Archambault, chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, quoted by PBS Newshour
听
Wind power surpasses hydro听in US capacity
"The wind industry crossed an important threshold in the United States last year, exceeding the generating capacity of听hydroelectric听power for the first time, according to the main industry trade group, the American Wind Energy Association." // Diane Cardwell, writing in The New York Times