Opinion:
¶ “The Real Reason Humans Are The Dominant Species” • From the time early humans first made fire to the fossil fuels that drove the industrial revolution, energy has played a central role in our development as a species. But the way we power our societies has also created humanity’s biggest challenge. It’s one that will take all our ingenuity to solve. [BBC]
Campfire in Tasmania (Manuel Meurisse, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Should Solar Geoengineering Be A Tool To Slow Global Warming?” • The risks of the climate crisis are so urgent that the US, with other countries and under strict rules, should study solar geoengineering as a way to temporarily cool the planet, says a report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. [InsideClimate News]
¶ “MIT Takes Deep Dive Into Dropping Lithium-Ion Battery Costs” • A research team at the MIT took a look into lithium-ion battery costs. In a paper published in the journal Energy and Environmental Science, they found that the cost of lithium-ion battery cells, relative to capacity, has fallen about 97% since their commercial introduction in 1991. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla battery (Courtesy of Tesla)
World:
¶ “World Bank Offers $100 Million Credit Guarantee For Rooftop Solar Power In India” • According to media reports, the World Bank will offer $648 million in funding assistance for the installation of rooftop solar PV projects for small and medium scale companies. This package includes a credit guarantee scheme worth $100 million. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Volkswagen ID.Buzz Delivery Timeline Update” • There are a lot of cool electric cars on the market, and more coming every day, but there is no electric car that generates as much buzz as the appropriately named ID.Buzz from Volkswagen. Why the furor? The ID.Buzz is rather like a VW Microbus for the EV generation. [CleanTechnica]
ID.Buzz (Courtesy of VolksWagen)
¶ “India’s Tata Power Announces Blockchain-Based P2P Solar Power Trading Pilot” • Tata Power Delhi announced that it will collaborate with Power Ledger to launch a pilot project where prosumers can trade solar power with neighboring buildings. It is India’s third pilot project for peer-to-peer trading of solar power using blockchain technology. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Mercedes-Benz To Source CO₂-Free Electricity From Solar, Wind And Hydropower From 2022 Onwards” • Together with the energy supplier Enovos and the Norwegian energy producer Statkraft, Mercedes-Benz is expanding its green power portfolio in Germany: the green power mix is made up of solar, wind and hydropower. [automobilsport.com]
Solar farm (Mercedes photo)
¶ “Tesla Model 3 Tops European Market In February – EV Sales Report” • Year on year, overall European auto sales were down 20% in February, but passenger plugin vehicle sales were up 66%. Plugin hybrid sales jumped by 117%, to 65,581 units, though fully electric cars had a more moderate growth of 27%. The sales title went to the Tesla Model 3. [CleanTechnica]
US:
¶ “GOP Lawmakers Want To Boost Coal And Colstrip – Not Renewable Power” • While coal-fired power production is on the decline nationally, Republican lawmakers in Montana are out to buck that trend, advancing an agenda this session to keep the two remaining Colstrip power units going and de-emphasize wind and solar power. [KTVH]
Colstrip power plant (P.primo, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)
¶ “NIPSCO, EDP Renewables To Bring Wind Farm And Solar Park To Northwest Indiana” • EDP Renewables North America, LLC and Northern Indiana Public Service Company, LLC have executed a long-term Power Purchase Agreement and a Build & Transfer Agreement for a 204-MW wind farm and a 200-MW solar farm in Indiana. [The Chicago Crusader]
¶ “Iowa’s Former Nuclear Plant Could Soon Be a Solar Farm” • Last summer, a derecho put Iowa’s only nuclear power plant out of commission. It was already slated to be closed last year, so the shutdown became permanent. Now there’s a plan to breathe new life into the Duane Arnold nuclear plant, as a massive renewable energy project. [Gizmodo]
Nebraska solar farm (Randy Hampton, US DOE, public domain)
¶ “Climate Activists In Portland Chain Themselves To Boat On Morrison Bridge” • Climate activists staged a protest in Portland, Oregon, demanding that the city accelerate its efforts to reach net-zero carbon emissions. Some of the activists in the group Extinction Rebellion chained themselves to a bright pink boat blocking the Morrison Bridge. [OPB News]
¶ “As Ogden Questions Renewable Energy Measure, Proponents Tout Initiative” • City leaders in Ogden, Utah, are sorting through questions about a renewable energy initiative, particularly what impact the change would have on power bills. But there’s a strong grassroots contingent in the city that favors bolstering renewable power production. [Standard-Examiner]
Have a gloriously happy day.
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