World:
¶ Research and consulting firm GlobalData highlighted the role the UK will play in the global offshore wind market. According to GlobalData’s predictions, the UK will see its installed offshore wind capacity increase from 4.5 GW in 2014 to 23.2 GW in 2025. In 2014, the UK accounted for 51.3% of global offshore wind energy capacity. [CleanTechnica]
London Array – the world’s largest offshore wind farm (Siemens)
¶ West Australian energy minister Mike Nahan has delivered a damming critique of the regulators in his state, claiming that the “ban” on battery storage and electric vehicles for WA households was a case of “red tape gone mad.” The ban prevents any household with a battery storage device or EV from exporting back into the grid. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Scotland will offer more “clarity and certainty” for solar power projects by retaining the ‘grandfathering’ guarantee for solar under the Renewables Obligation’ in contrast to England and Wales. The guarantee ensures that the level of support for each unit of electricity will not change throughout the lifetime of a solar installation after it is built. [reNews]
Knitted graffiti at Lappeenranta University of Technology. Photo by Tommi Nummelin. CC BY SA 4.0.
¶ Energy Watch Group and Lappeenranta University of Technology, in Finland, have published the report which claims the International Energy Agency has been holding back global energy transition for years. EWG-LUT says the false predictions in the WEO reports have led to high investments in fossil and nuclear power sectors. [Greentech Lead]
¶ Siemens aims to achieve a net-zero carbon footprint by 2030, starting with a €100m investment over the next three years to reduce the energy footprint of its production facilities and buildings The German company plans to cut its carbon dioxide emissions – which currently total about 2.2m tonnes a year – in half by 2020. [reNews]
US:
¶ Climate-change denial has been compared to Big Tobacco’s 50-year-campaign to deny the dangers of cigarettes. It’s not widely known, but what ended the Big Tobacco campaign was actual prosecution under the RICO racketeering statute. Now, a group of scientists wants to use the RICO act against climate deceivers. [Red, Green, and Blue]
¶ InsideClimate News has a series about Exxon quietly studying fossil fuels and global warming. They found that in 1978, Exxon’s own scientists were telling the company that oil and gas use contribute to global warming that would play havoc on the planet’s climate. Exxon then funded politically motivated climate denialism. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Volkswagen is facing multiple investigations, including a criminal probe from the Department of Justice. These follow admission by VW that it deceived US regulators in exhaust emissions tests. A DOJ criminal investigation would be serious, as federal authorities can bring charges with severe penalties against a firm and individuals. [BBC]
VW Jetta, the “Green Car of the Year” at the 2009 Montreal International Auto Show. Photo by Bull-Doser. Released into the public domain by the author.
¶ Pope Francis is scheduled to address Congress. There’s a good chance he’ll dwell on two of his signature issues: global poverty and climate change. These issues are not especially popular with congressional Republicans. So perhaps it’s a bit surprising that, so far, only one of them has publicly expressed trepidation about the speech. [Grist]
¶ In recent months, Apple has poached Tesla’s top autonomous driving engineer, poached other Tesla engineers with $250,000 signing bonuses, hired a former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles executive, while hiring others for a new project. Now, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple’s first electric car will hit the market in 2019. [CleanTechnica]
¶ With the opening of a 3.5-MW solar panel facility, North Adams, Massachusetts, now expects to be 100% solar powered. The thousands of panels supplementing electricity for the municipal and school buildings reside on a capped landfill about a mile from the city center, under a 20-year purchasing agreement with the developer. [The Beacon]
Photo by Scott Stafford, The Berkshire Eagle
¶ Nine well-known firms – Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Goldman Sachs, Nike, Starbucks, Salesforce, Steelcase, Voya Financial, and Walmart – will use the annual Climate Week in New York to announce they have joined the global campaign RE100, which encourages businesses source 100% renewable power. [Business Green]
¶ North Carolina plans to file a lawsuit against the US EPA Clean Power Plan, which it believes will lead to higher costs for ratepayers. But at the same time, the state is taking a closer look at boosting the use of nuclear generation as a way to comply with the regulations, the state’s Department of Environmental Quality secretary said. [Argus Media]
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