Chilean Environmentalists Hail Defeat of Patagonia Dam Project
In a victory for environmentalists in Chile, the government has rejected a massive hydroelectric dam project, following an eight-year activist campaign against it. The HidroAysén project would have involved building five dams on two rivers in the midst of the Patagonian wilderness, marking the largest energy endeavor in Chilean history. The Patagonia Defense Council called the project’s defeat “the greatest triumph of the environmental movement in Chile.”
Cost of your clothes dryer
There are 89 million residential clothes dryers in the United States 75% electric models, 25% natural gas. Although electric dryers dominate the U.S. market, natural gas dryers typically cost 50% – 75% less to operate. A typical household pays over $100 in annual utility bills to operate an electric dryer and $40 for a gas dryer. NRDC concluded that Americans spend $9 billion a year on the electricity used to dry their clothes. A brighter solution for reducing the costs and climate impacts of drying clothes is out there, just blowing in the wind.
Wisconsin Hits Goal To Get 10 Percent Of Its Electricity From Renewables
Wisconsin utilities generated 10.17 percent of their power from renewable resources in 2013, according to a new report from the state Public Service Commission. Wind was the main driver of the state’s renewable power use, coming in at 65 percent of renewable power generation, followed by hydropower and biomass. Solar contributed the smallest amount to the renewable target, coming in at less than 1 percent.