Opinion:
¶ “Lessons About The Contemporary State Of Fossil Fuels – Venezuela-Style” • Let’s look at Venezuela, which is in trouble despite vast oil resources, and try to understand why it’s suddenly unable to extract them. The lesson from one country may be instructive to other oil-producing countries around the world – like the US. [CleanTechnica]
Oil tanker (Pixabay image)
Electric Aviation:
¶ “Electric Airplane Maker Pipistrel Teams Up With Honeywell To Give Us An Autonomous eVTOL” • Honeywell says it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Pipistrel and the companies will together develop urban air mobility solutions. They will combine their resources to develop an autonomous Pipistrel eVTOL. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “eVTOL Aircraft Are Getting Closer To Flying You Than You Can Imagine” • We are witnessing one of the most incredible moments in the history of transportation as we move away from fossil fuels to electricity, increasing our freedom to innovate for greater mobility. Air taxis are being tested now, and eVTOLs are coming to market. [CleanTechnica]
Rolls Royce flying taxi
¶ “Welcome To The Era Of Electric Airplane Racing – Airbus Becomes Official Founding Partner Of Air Race E” • Airbus is the official founding partner of Air Race E, the new e-plane race that sets to be the Formula E of the air by 2020. Airbus will use the racing series as a test bed for betterment of electric propulsion technology. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Power Plant That Turns Green Waste Into Energy Could Solve Power Reliability In Regions” • The Rainbow Bee Eater group designed and built a power plant in Western Australia that uses biomass to create clean burning fuel gas or electricity in a single step. Developers say it does not need government subsidies or grants to be cost effective. [ABC News]
Kalannie, Western Australia (ABC: Chris Lewis)
¶ “Capturing CO₂ From Wood-Burning Underway At UK’s Drax Power Station” • The UK’s biggest renewable power generator, Drax Power Station, has begun a world-first trial of capturing carbon dioxide from wood-burning at its facility. The bioenergy carbon capture and storage pilot project captures one tonne of CO₂ a day. [Market Business News]
¶ “Scottish Government Launches £10 Million Saltire Fund” • A £10 million prize for the development of technology to harness tidal power has been relaunched in Scotland. The Scottish government said the Saltire Fund will help commercialize clean energy and lower operating costs. An earlier competition ended without anyone claiming a prize. [BBC News]
Pelamis wave energy device
¶ “Don’t Blame Renewables For Blackouts, Energy Experts Say” • A Grattan Institute report says fears that rising levels of renewables will cause blackouts in Austalia are misplaced. It said the conversation on reliable power should focus on correcting network reliability problems and incentivizing investment in generation. [The Sydney Morning Herald]
¶ “Morocco On Track To Generate 42% Of Its Electricity From Renewable Energies By 2020: CNN” • Morocco is well on track to generate 42% of its electricity from renewable energies by 2020, US TV channel CNN pointed out in an article published on its website. Morocco already gets 35% of its electricity from renewables. [Morocco World News]
Solar plant of Ouarzazate Morocco
¶ “Fire Extinguisher System At Nuclear Plant Freezes” • A fire extinguisher system has broken down at a nuclear power plant in northern Japan due to a record cold weather. Hokkaido Electric Power Company says a worker discovered the problem at its Tomari nuclear plant. The plant’s reactors have been offline since the Fukushima Disaster. [NHK WORLD]
¶ “Insect Pests On Conifers In Eastern Canadian Forests Are Moving North” • The spruce budworm, the main defoliator of conifer trees in Eastern North American boreal forests, is spreading northwards, and climatic factors seem to trigger and synchronize major outbreaks. These results are revealed by analyses in Quebec. [ScienceBlog.com]
Trees killed by infestation (Miguel Montoro Girona)
US:
¶ “House Climate Panel Democrats Steeped In Energy Industry Cash” • Democrats named to a newly revived House committee on climate change received more than $238,000 in contributions from the oil, gas, and utility industries, campaign finance data show. The Republican committee members have not been named yet. [Bloomberg]
¶ “Renewables Gain Traction In Wisconsin And Illinois” • Two years ago, the Midwest was a place where Donald Trump banged the drum for coal power. Today, his words sound ridiculous as, one after another, the US states with the highest concentration of coal-fired generating stations are rushing to embrace renewable electric power. [CleanTechnica]
Wind energy in the Midwest
¶ “Department Of Energy Unveils 12 Power Management Projects Worth $35 Million” • The DOE confirmed that it is making $35 million in awards for twelve power projects aimed at finding new ways of harnessing medium voltage electricity for transportation, industry, on the grid, and a number of other applications. [Global4Energy News]
¶ “LVCVA To Consider leaving NV Energy” • The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is considering leaving NV Energy, potentially taking its 3.2 million-square-foot Las Vegas Convention Center out of the utility’s service. The board wants to find an alternative provider to save money and use more renewable resources. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]
Have a thoroughly happy day.
geoharvey 
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