Opinion:
¶ “The Myth Of The 24/7/365 Power Plant” • The polar vortex caused a nuclear reactor to shut down, drove many coal plants offline, and contributed to a fire at a natural gas facility. Ironically, owners of coal and nuclear plants are arguing for a government bailout because of their supposed resilience in times of extreme weather. [Natural Resources Defense Council]
Start of a snowstorm (Osman Rana, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “China And India Are Making The Planet Greener, NASA Says” • The Earth is facing a climate crisis, but it’s also getting greener and leafier. According to new research by NASA, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, the rise is largely courtesy of China and India, and it is largely the result of increased agriculture and tree planting. [CNN]
¶ “How Climate Will Change In Cities Across The US” • If global greenhouse gas emissions do not decline soon, the climate in Washington, DC, could more closely resemble that of today’s Greenwood, Mississippi, according research by scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and North Carolina State University. [Scientific American]
Cherry blossoms in Washington
(Wendy Harman, Wikimedia Commons)
World:
¶ “CaixaBank Partners With EIB To Finance Climate Change Projects” • Spanish banking giant CaixaBank is partnering with the European Investment Bank to launch its first credit line to finance climate action-focused projects. It has launched a new credit line of up to €30 million to promote projects that help to combat climate change. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Global Wind Turbine Supply Chain Valued At $540 Billion Over Next Decade” • The global wind turbine supply chain could be worth as much as $540 billion over the next decade, according to new figures published by research firm Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables in its Global wind turbine technology market report 2018. [CleanTechnica]
GE Haliade wind turbine
¶ “UK Onshore Wind Jobs Plummeted 37% In 2017” • Onshore wind employment figures plummeted by 37% between 2016 and 2017 in the UK as the government locked onshore wind projects out from competing in the energy market. This is according to data published by the UK Government’s Office for National Statistics. CleanTechnica]
¶ “‘Every Conceivable’ Renewables Record Fell In 2018, But Drax Warns It Is Not Enough” • The UK is at growing risk of missing legally binding climate targets after the pace of decarbonization slowed last year, new analysis concluded. The warnings come despite the UK seeing “every conceivable” non-hydro renewable energy record broken. [Current News]
Offshore wind turbines (Getty Images)
¶ “Largest Solar Installation In Baltic States Is Now Operational” • The largest solar panel rooftop installation in the Baltic States opened on the rooftop of a factory in Lentvaris, around 10 km from the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. The installation’s capacity is 1.4 MW. Lithuania has already met its renewable energy goal for 2020. [Energy Manager Today]
¶ “Spain To Phase Out Nuclear Power Generators By 2035” • In a bid to generate all electricity from renewable resources by 2050, government officials in Spain announced this week that the country’s nuclear power plants would begin shutting down in 2025. The process would continue through a period ending in 2035. [Sputnik International]
Spanish nuclear plant (Gustau Nacarino | © Reuters)
¶ “TEPCO Makes First Contact With Nuclear Debris Inside Fukushima Plant” • TEPCO said it has made first contact with deposits believed to be nuclear fuel debris, a mixture of melted nuclear fuel and parts of the reactor, inside the No 2 reactor containment vessel at Fukushima Daiichi. TEPCO is trying to decide how to remove the fuel. [The Japan News]
US:
¶ “Mayor Of Los Angeles Credits Green New Deal For Decision To Cancel Three Gas-Fired Generating Stations” • Mayor Eric Garcetti spoke about the decision to cancel new gas-fired plants. He said, “Now is the time to start the beginning of the end of natural gas. This is the Green New Deal, not in concept, not in the future, but now.” [CleanTechnica]
Los Angeles
¶ “US Clean Power ‘Rises 19.5 GW'” • Almost 20 GW of new renewable energy capacity was added in the US last year, according to BloombergNEF. In its 2019 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook, BloombergNEF said 19.5 GW was installed in 2018. The figure included 11.6 GW of solar and 7.5 GW of windpower. [reNEWS]
¶ “NextEra Team Unveils 400-MW Hybrid Gant” • NextEra Energy Resources and Portland General Electric Company are developing a wind, solar, and energy storage hybrid project in Oregon. The Wheatridge renewable energy facility in eastern Oregon will include 300 MW of wind and 50 MW each of solar and storage capacity. [reNEWS]
Wind turbine (NextEra image)
¶ “Ohio Survey Shows Strong Conservative Support For Renewables” • According to a new poll released by the Ohio Conservative Energy Forum, conservative voters throughout the state overwhelmingly support public policies that encourage greater production of renewable energy. The poll was conducted in January. [North American Windpower]
¶ “Amazon Responds To Greenpeace Report – Remains Committed To 100% Renewables ” • After Greenpeace USA released a report saying Amazon and other cloud computing giants in Virginia’s “Data Center Alley” were failing to meet commitments to 100% renewable energy, Amazon said the report was wrong. [Windpower Engineering]
Have a mystifyingly gorgeous day.
geoharvey 