Environment | Energy

Twenty countries and two US states have banded together through the Powering Past Coal alliance to phase out coal and cut carbon emissions by 2030 in an effort to keep to the Paris Agreement target for lowering emissions.

Port officials and exporters say current pipelines, ports, and shipping lanes will be unable to handle further growth. Since the export ban was lifted less than two years ago, shipments are hitting a record of 2 million barrels a day.

Long known for its extravagance, Vegas is quickly becoming a paragon of conservation, thanks to an upswing in solar energy.

So-called evaporation engines could add another stream of renewable power to a diversified energy strategy, researchers say. But the technology has a way to go – and some questions to answer – before it can be deployed.

The US International Trade Commission is hearing proposals from US based solar companies that would like tariffs imposed on foreign panel makers. While the cheaper foreign panels have benefited customers, the low prices have hit domestic solar manufacturers hard. 

Using a phenomenon known as radiative sky cooling, a team of Stanford researchers has developed rooftop panels that could be used to passively cool buildings.

Hurricane Harvey has forced a number of refineries in Texas and Louisiana to slow or stop operation, resulting in increased gas prices across the nation.

European and Asian demand for coal has spiked, causing US coal exports from January to May to increase by 60 percent compared to the same time period in 2016.

A recent draft of the US Department of Energy study on renewable energy states that 'significantly higher levels of renewable energy can be integrated without compromise of system reliability.' 

After a Chinese investment in renewable energy, Pakistan opens a new wind farm to bolster energy production and decrease reliance on fossil fuels.