U.S. – Karma

China, Japan Adding Coal Plants While Rest of the World Moves On

Mark Shenk — Fri, 03 Apr 2020 10:00:08 +0000

Global coal capacity grew last year grew for the first time since 2015 At the same time, coal plants retired at an accelerating pace in the U.S. and Europe, coal use dropped overall and capacity utilization fell. Coal burning will have to be slashed 80% by 2030 in order to meet the goal of keeping […]

The post China, Japan Adding Coal Plants While Rest of the World Moves On appeared first on Karma.

Coronavirus Hammers U.S. Transit Systems, Long-Term Damage Feared Due to Strained Budgets

Mark Shenk — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 02:23:36 +0000

COVID-19 slashed passenger numbers and revenue at the biggest U.S. public transportation systems as riders stay home. Transit authorities have responded with reduced service and, in the case of San Francisco, ended all rail traffic. The $2 trillion coronavirus bill provides $25 billion to the nation’s transit-system operators, a sum that experts say is insufficient. […]

The post Coronavirus Hammers U.S. Transit Systems, Long-Term Damage Feared Due to Strained Budgets appeared first on Karma.

Walkers Taking Over as Drivers Stay Home; Coronavirus May Signal Permanent Traffic Change

Mark Shenk — Sat, 28 Mar 2020 01:21:46 +0000

Coronavirus is cutting car traffic, offering a peek into what would happen if more streets were closed to private vehicles. Some cities are temporarily closing streets to allow for extra space for socially-distant exercise, while others have permanently shut them to cars. China, where the pandemic first appeared, is now curbing lookdowns, but transit ridership […]

The post Walkers Taking Over as Drivers Stay Home; Coronavirus May Signal Permanent Traffic Change appeared first on Karma.

Coronavirus Threatens to Wipe Out Expansion of Clean Energy Storage

Mark Shenk — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 03:15:33 +0000

Coronavirus is threatening to stall growth of electricity storage capacity. Projections of rapid growth in sector now in doubt and may damp enthusiasm from investors. U.S. energy storage installations surged to a record in the fourth quarter and was projected to post a 14-fold increase in capacity by 2025. The coronavirus outbreak may soon claim […]

The post Coronavirus Threatens to Wipe Out Expansion of Clean Energy Storage appeared first on Karma.

Robot Invasion’s Surge Slowed in U.S. Last Year as Manufacturing Lagged

Mark Shenk — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 20:29:00 +0000

Robots are still coming — though their advance has lost a bit of steam. The number of robots installed by companies in the U.S. dropped last year for the time since 2015, according to data from the Association for Advancing Automation that was seen by Reuters. Fewer robots were bought as American manufacturing slowed, a […]

The post Robot Invasion’s Surge Slowed in U.S. Last Year as Manufacturing Lagged appeared first on Karma.