Renewable energy is still only 2.3% of the U.S. energy production. David Biello asks, can renewables be ramped up in time to combat global warming?
Biello finds that even if the drive was there to ramp up production, logistical and land use complications will hamper fast and widespread growth of renewables:
"If 10 percent of the U.S. electricity generated in 2009... were to be produced by large wind farms, their area would have to cover at least 22,500 square kilometers, roughly the size of New Hampshire," writes environmental scientist Vaclav Smil of the University of Manitoba in his book, Energy at the Crossroads. "These new energy infrastructures would have to be spread over areas ten to a thousand times larger than today's infrastructure of fossil fuel extraction, combustion and electricity generation . This is not an impossible feat, but one posing many regulatory, technical and logistic challenges."
FULL STORY: Green Energy's Big Challenge: The Daunting Task of Scaling Up
Climate Change Concerns Rising Among Americans
More Americans than ever agree climate change is happening—but fewer agree on what to do about it.
Southern States Lagging in Addressing Climate Change
Cities in the South are facing a multitude of climate change impacts, but many have been slow to respond to the growing threats.
New Jersey Has a Plan to Shift to Clean Energy, but Questions Remain
The state’s energy plan focuses on the move to renewable energy, but specifics about how that will happen and what the costs will be need to be pinned down.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie