Energy News Digest for October 5, 2010

 All the links in today’s news digest lead to current stories. Please note that some media organizations update their web sites regularly, which may result in broken links in the future.

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Renewables Account for 11.14% of US Electricity Use - Largest single renewable energy source was biomass (including biofuels) which accounted for 50.66% of renewable energy production, followed by hydropower at 32.56% (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/10/renewables-account-for-11-14-of-u-s-electricity-use

First Phase of Street Lights Turned Off in Shelton (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/3441-first-phase-of-street-lights-turned-off-in-shelton

North Pacific ‘Overcrowded’ With Salmon as Population Soars (Globe & Mail)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/north-pacific-overcrowded-with-salmon-as-population-soars/article1740524/

Wind Farms to Bloom Across Eastern Oregon - Pentagon Drops Hold over Radar Issues (KTVZ-TV, Bend, OR)

http://www.ktvz.com/news/25267157/detail.html

‘Take Winter by Storm’ Urges Preparations for Cold Weather (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013066838_winterbystorm04m.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Renewables Account for 11.14% of US Electricity Use - hydropower at 32.56%

·         First Phase of Street Lights Turned Off in Shelton

·         Clallam PUD to hold hearings on budget, rate increase

·         New Mexico - PNM Ponders a (Small) Nuclear Future

·         Worldwide Pumped Storage Activity for Electricity Generation

·         Award for Tacoma Power Arborist

·         News Whiz - 79% Michigan Residents Want Electric Competition

·         North Pacific ‘Overcrowded’ With Salmon as Population Soars

·         Canada - The Short-Lived Invasion of the Salmon Snatchers

·         Editorial - More Time Needed to Consider Risks of ‘Super Salmon’

·         Study Will Examine Kitsap’s Water Supplies

·         How Much Pollution Falls Onto Puget Sound?

·         Washington State Urges Monitoring of Vancouver Waterfront Pollution by Alcoa

·         Hungary Sludge Flood from Alumina Plant Called ‘Ecological Disaster’

·         Wind Farms to Bloom Across Eastern Oregon

·         How Wind Turbines Affect Your (Very) Local Weather

·         Oregon Farmers Growing Biomass Crops for Energy

·         Would Tidal Turbines’ Electromagnetic Fields Affect Sea Life?

·         Everybody Loves Clean Energy, But No One Wants to Pay for It

·         Renewable Energies Push Up Electricity Prices in Germany

·         Bonneville Power Administration Tests Heat Pump Water Heaters in NW

·         Communication is the Key to Smart Homes

·         Are New LED Lightbulbs Worth Their Cost?

·         Puget Sound Water Levels - Next Step in Keeping Sea Out

·         University of Virginia Fight over Climate Documents Will Continue

·         Neanderthals’ Big Loss in Battle of the Elements

·         Here Comes the Sun: White House to Go Solar

·         General Electric Buys Company That Turns Waste Heat into Power

·         As Medical Waste Mounts, Hospitals Look for Ways to Go Green

·         Google Lines Up Internet TV Programming Partners

·         Marketers & Social Media: Cutting Through the Noise

·         $600,000 Shortfall in City of Shelton’s 2011 Budget

·         ‘Take Winter by Storm’ Urges Preparations for Cold Weather

·         Don’t Get Complacent About This Winter, Government Warns

·         New, $45 Million Tumwater Jail Sitting Empty

WORD OF THE DAY

Sigmoid • \SIG-moyd\ • adjective - 1a: curved like the letter C b: curved in two directions like the letter S 2: of, relating to, or being the sigmoid colon

The Skokomish River snaked across the flat, narrow valley over centuries, leaving barely visible evidence of its sigmoid bends and twists as it flowed into the wide, marshy delta on the lower bend of Hood Canal.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/mapclick.php?textfield1=47.213805&textfield2=-123.113412&site=all&smap=1&searchresult=shelton%2c%20wa%2c%20usa

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Renewables Account for 11.14% of US Electricity Use - Largest single renewable energy source was biomass (including biofuels) which accounted for 50.66% of renewable energy production, followed by hydropower at 32.56% (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/10/renewables-account-for-11-14-of-u-s-electricity-use

First Phase of Street Lights Turned Off in Shelton (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/3441-first-phase-of-street-lights-turned-off-in-shelton

Clallam PUD to hold hearings on budget, rate increase (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.konp.com/local/6209

New Mexico - PNM Ponders a (Small) Nuclear Future (New Mexico Business Weekly)

http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2010/10/04/story1.html

Worldwide Pumped Storage Activity for Electricity Generation - The worldwide development & rehabilitation of pumped-storage projects reflects the health of clean, renewable power generation (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/10/worldwide-pumped-storage-activity

Award for Tacoma Power Arborist (Tacoma Index, WA)

http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1849401&more=0

News Whiz - 79% Michigan Residents Want Electric Competition (Electric Energy Online)

http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&rss=1&id=141437

FISH & WILDLIFE

North Pacific ‘Overcrowded’ With Salmon as Population Soars (Globe & Mail)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/north-pacific-overcrowded-with-salmon-as-population-soars/article1740524/

Canada - The Short-Lived Invasion of the Salmon Snatchers (Globe & Mail)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/the-short-lived-invasion-of-the-salmon-snatchers/article1742544/

Editorial - More Time Needed to Consider Risks of ‘Super Salmon’ (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/opinion/article_2b832854-d000-11df-bbff-001cc4c03286.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Study Will Examine Kitsap’s Water Supplies (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/oct/04/study-will-examine-kitsaps-water-supplies/

How Much Pollution Falls Onto Puget Sound? (KPLU Radio, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1708152

Washington State Urges Monitoring of Vancouver Waterfront Pollution by Alcoa (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/oct/05/state-urges-monitoring-of-pollution-by-alcoa/

Hungary Sludge Flood from Alumina Plant Called ‘Ecological Disaster’ (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-10-05-hungary-sludge_N.htm

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Wind Farms to Bloom Across Eastern Oregon - Pentagon Drops Hold over Radar Issues (KTVZ-TV, Bend, OR)

http://www.ktvz.com/news/25267157/detail.html

How Wind Turbines Affect Your (Very) Local Weather (Scientific American)

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-wind-turbines-affect-temperature

Oregon Farmers Growing Biomass Crops for Energy (Associated Press)

http://www.khq.com/Global/story.asp?S=13263039

Would Tidal Turbines’ Electromagnetic Fields Affect Sea Life? Sequim Lab Wants to Know (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20101005/NEWS/310059995/would-tidal-turbines-electromagnetic-fields-affect-sea-life-sequim

Everybody Loves Clean Energy, But No One Wants to Pay for It (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/external/gigaom/2010/10/04/04gigaom-everybody-loves-clean-energy-but-no-one-wants-to-60351.html

Renewable Energies Push Up Electricity Prices in Germany - Electricity prices in Germany have gone up by over two percent in the first half of this year. Levies for renewable energies are increasingly contributing to the rise (DW World)

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6079262,00.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Bonneville Power Administration Tests Heat Pump Water Heaters in NW - Can Old Technology be Energy-Efficient (KYVZ-TV, Bend, OR)

http://www.ktvz.com/greenlife/25274429/detail.html

Communication is the Key to Smart Homes (TCM Net)

http://smart-grid.tmcnet.com/topics/smart-grid-fa/articles/106564-communication-the-key-smart-homes.htm

Are New LED Lightbulbs Worth Their Cost? (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.kirotv.com/money/25276545/detail.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Puget Sound Water Levels - Next Step in Keeping Sea Out: Olympia may decide on whether to study walls, barriers now or put it off (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/10/05/1392758/next-step-in-keeping-sea-out.html

University of Virginia Fight over Climate Documents Will Continue (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/04/AR2010100406825.html

Neanderthals’ Big Loss in Battle of the Elements (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/science/05obneanderthal.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Here Comes the Sun: White House to Go Solar (Associated Press)

http://www.kirotv.com/money/25282830/detail.html

General Electric Buys Company That Turns Waste Heat into Power (CNET News)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20018419-54.html

As Medical Waste Mounts, Hospitals Look for Ways to Go Green; Legacy in Portland Finds One (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/10/as_medical_waste_mounts_hospit.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Google Lines Up Internet TV Programming Partners - First Sets Due Out Later This Month (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.kirotv.com/technology/25275412/detail.html

Marketers & Social Media: Cutting Through the Noise (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/2010/10/05/marketers-and-social-media-cutting-through-the-noise/

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

$600,000 Shortfall in City of Shelton’s 2011 Budget (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/3442-600000-shortfall-in-city-of-sheltons-2011-budget

GENERAL NEWS

‘Take Winter by Storm’ Urges Preparations for Cold Weather (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013066838_winterbystorm04m.html

Don’t Get Complacent About This Winter, Government Warns (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Dont-get-complacent-about-this-winter-government-warns-104315624.html

New, $45 Million Tumwater Jail Sitting Empty (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/427833_newjail04.html

DIVERSIONS

1801 Navy Journal: Tobacco Smoke Saves Lives - Smoke, Brandy Credited With Saving Sailor

http://www.kirotv.com/health/25216679/detail.html

Whether You Press or Pour, Here’s How to Brew Good Coffee

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100929/LIVING/709299957/0/news0102

Unhappy Meals - Fast-Food Freebie Ban Gets OK in San Francisco

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2013073446_apusfastfoodfreebies.html

Frito-Lay Sends Noisy, ‘Green’ SunChips Bag to the Dump

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2010-10-05-sunchips05_ST_N.htm

SONG OF THE DAY

Ali McGregor’s Jazz Cigarette – Oops, I Did It Again (Very Cool Jazz Cover)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPhbjGWya2I