Business Insider: Here Is the Proof That Apple Is Secretly Developing a Car Battery
For several months now, rumors of increasing credibility have circulated that Apple is secretly working on an electric car project.
This week, the Cupertino company reportedly will settle a lawsuit brought against it by A123 Systems -- a large-battery company that alleges Apple deliberately poached its employees to develop its own car battery technology.
Final details of the settlement are yet to be established. But court documents filed in March, when combined with other news that has recently come to light, provide us with a compelling case that Apple is developing its own battery technology -- likely in order to build a car.
Bloomberg: Warren Buffett Is Sending Mixed Messages on Green Energy
Warren Buffett highlights how his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. utilities make massive investments in renewable energy. Meanwhile, in Nevada, the company is fighting a plan that would encourage more residents to use green power.
Berkshire’s NV Energy, the state’s dominant utility, opposes the proposal to increase a cap on the amount of energy that can be generated with solar panels by residents who sell power back to the grid in a practice known as net metering. While the billionaire’s famed holding company has reaped tax credits from investing in wind farms and solar arrays, net metering is often seen by utilities as a threat. Buffett wants his managers to protect competitive advantages, said Jeff Matthews, an investor and author of books about Berkshire.
Climate Progress: It Took 4 Months for China to Achieve a Jaw-Dropping Reduction in CO2
China is the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, so small decreases in its emissions seem like monumental feats when compared to other countries. According to a new analysis, in the first four months of 2015, China’s coal use fell almost 8 percent compared to the same period last year -- a reduction in emissions that’s approximately equal to the total carbon dioxide emissions of the U.K. over the same period.
Reuters: Germany's Merkel Calls for Global Emissions Trading Scheme
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday called for the European Union's Emissions Trading System (ETS), the bloc's flagship policy to cut greenhouse gas emissions, to become a global system.
Thousands of power plants, factories and airlines in Europe have to surrender an allowance for every tonne of heat-trapping gas emitted. However, a surplus of allowances has depressed their price on the ETS and has made it cheaper to burn coal than to switch to greener fuels.
Inside Climate News: Coal's Future Facing 3 Hurdles and Steady Decline, Projections Show
In this series of InsideClimate News stories, Coal's Long Goodbye, John Cushman explores the reasons for coal's bleak future, the forces aligning against it, and what energy sources will likely replace it.
Coal's dwindling prospects reflect several main factors: the increasing weight of other environmental regulations, including new standards limiting mercury emissions and other toxic pollutants; the availability of cheap, relatively clean natural gas; steadily increasing energy efficiency; and the surging installations of renewable energy plants, especially wind and solar.