Reasons for hope about climate change wfae.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wfae.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
I was in Boise, I.D., last week for the annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists. I came back with a head crammed full of information, story ideas and insights like how a city smaller than Charlotte or Raleigh, in a red state, is pushing to meet climate goals.
The U.S. power system is centralized. We rely on large, mostly fossil-fuel-burning plants to generate electricity. It's sent out on high-voltage wires over long distances (the grid). Substations step it down to lower voltages to power your home or business. An attack, a storm or other disruption can affect the wider network. But what if there was another way a more decentralized solution?
Two wind turbines 27 miles off the coast of Virginia are generating climate-friendly electricity and providing data that's being used to plan for a much larger offshore wind farm there. WFAE climate reporter David Boraks visited and got a glimpse of a budding industry that officials eventually hope to see off North Carolina, though planning here is years behind.