clair031

Summary .   The Solana Generating Station, a solar thermal electric generating facility in Arizona , has begun operation in October, 2013.   Solar thermal plants capture energy from the sun as heat, which is then used to form steam that drives a turbine generator.   Solana additionally features a thermal storage capability, based on heating a molten “salt”, to buffer extra heat energy for use when the sun does not shine.   The buffer provides up to six hours of thermal operation.   Solana’s electricity is contracted to Arizona Public Service, an electric utility company. Solana is one of several commercial-scale solar energy facilities in the U. S. currently under construction or newly operating.   Its financing included major support from the U. S. Department of Energy Loan Guarantee Program.   This program supports many projects that commercialize new or unconventional technologies that provide energy for the U. S. economy.   Only 6% of its g...

Summary .   The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued Part 1 of its Fifth Assessment Report, “The Physical Science Basis”, on September 30, 2013 .   The Report first summarizes past changes in the climate system.   It states that the recent warming of the earth/s climate is “unequivocal”.   Since the 1950s changes in many climate parameters including concentrations of greenhouse gases; temperature; loss of snow cover, glaciers and ice sheets; and rising sea levels are “unprecedented” considering the last decades to thousands of years.   There are many recognized contributions to these effects but by far greatest single factor is the increase in the atmospheric concentration of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. A variety of climate models of lesser or greater complexity successfully reproduce the earth’s recent climate history on global and regional scales and over longer periods of time, showing that the models adequately account for the major proce...