Update on Small Modular Reactor Development

The US Department of Energy has a $452 million program to share development and licensing costs for selected small modular reactor designs. The DOE's goal is to have an operating SMR by 2022.
http://theenergycollective.com/ansorg/201641/update-and-perspective-sm

Solar Crowdfunding in California: Part 3, San Francisco Energy Cooperative

The SF Energy Co-op has found a way to make the benefits of green energy available to anyone, through the power of collective investment and organization. As Wynns puts it, "Say it costs $20K to put solar on your roof, but you can't do that, for whatever reason. So you go to your neighbor and say, 'I'll pay to put it on your roof, and then you pay me what I would have been saving, and you'll still be saving money on your power bill.' And say instead you go to 100 friends and you all pay $200 to do the same thing. You can do the same good when people pool together small amounts of money."

http://theenergycollective.com/rosana-francescato/163546/solar-crowdfu

What Economists Missed: Why World Coal Consumption Keeps Rising

A primary reason why coal consumption is rising is because of increased international trade, starting when the World Trade Organization was formed in 1995, and greatly ramping up when China was added in December 2001. Figure 1 shows world fossil fuel extraction for the three fossil fuels. A person can see a sharp "bend" in the coal line, immediately after China was added to the World Trade Organization.
http://theenergycollective.com/gail-tverberg/162771/why-world-coal-con

Solar Crowdfunding in California: Part 2, Everybody Solar

As the price of solar has plummeted and leases have become more widespread, many more Americans have been able to go solar. But what about the 75% who can't?

http://theenergycollective.com/rosana-francescato/160266/solar-crowdfu