World:
¶ “What Energy Deprivation Really Means In Refugee Camps” • There are few places in the world where energy poverty is more rife than in refugee camps. About 80% of those who live in camps have absolutely minimal access to energy for cooking and heating. About 90% have no access to electricity. But renewable energy offers hope. [CleanTechnica]
Life in a refugee camp
¶ “Namibia Keen On Renewable Energy To Deal With Power Deficit: Minister” • The Namibian Minister of Mines and Energy said his Government has will use renewable energy as a long term plan in dealing the country’s power deficit. He also said renewable energy provides a perfect platform to deal with short term energy needs. [Independent Online]
¶ “Google Is Building A Solar Power Project Above Fishing Ponds In Taiwan, Its First In Asia” • Google became the first company to make a buy power under the 2017 Taiwan Electricity Act, which allows non-utility companies to buy renewable energy. The 10-MW solar array will have solar panels above fish ponds, installed on poles. [CNBC]
Fish ponds in Taiwan (Google image)
¶ “India Will Miss 100 Gigawatt Solar Target For 2022, Says Report” • A report issued by research and consultancy firm Wood Mackenzie said India will miss out on its target to have 100 GW of solar power capacity operational by March 2022. It said India’s regulatory framework does not support the government’s short-term capacity target. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Renewable Energy Set To Power Over Half Of Australia” • The Clean Energy Council’s policy directives for the upcoming Federal Election say that over half of Australia’s power should come from renewable energy sources by 2030. A national energy and climate policy is the missing link to allow a smooth transition. [Utility Magazine]
Birds and a wind turbine (Shutterstock image)
¶ “Shell Eyes Limit To How Clean Oil Output Can Be In Climate Push” • Europe’s biggest oil company has said it plans to reduce its net carbon footprint by half by 2050. It added last year, in a notable reversal after pressure from activist investors, that it would set short-term targets every year on the way to that ultimate goal. [Bloomberg]
¶ “NSW Labor To Add 7 GW Renewables By 2030, To Create State-Owned Generator” • The New South Wales Labor Party says it will commit to building an additional 7 GW of new large scale renewable energy capacity by 2030 if it is elected in March. It says it will acquire most of this through a series of reverse auctions. [RenewEconomy]
Wind farm (Tilt Renewables)
¶ “India’s First Grid-Scale Battery Storage Project Comes Online” • India’s first grid-scale battery storage system has been brought online in Delhi by a triumvirate of heavy hitters including Indian electric utility Tata Power, global power company the AES Corporation, and global business enterprise Mitsubishi Corporation. [RenewEconomy]
¶ “Ørsted, Total team up for Dunkirk battle” • Ørsted, along with French energy conglomerate Total and renewables player Elicio, has set up a consortium to bid for a wind project in the French Channel. A total of nine consortia are participating in the tender for the Dunkirk project, which will have a maximum capacity of 600 MW. [reNEWS]
Offshore wind farm (Ørsted image)
¶ “Probe Shows Challenges Posed By Melted Fuel At Fukushima Plant” • The probe TEPCO used to contact melted nuclear fuel at Fukushima Daichi was successful in some ways. But there were pieces of fuel it attempted to lift that were too smooth to grasp, and other pieces were enmeshed with equipment from which it could not be released. [Asahi Shimbun]
US:
¶ “Congressional Hearing On Energy, Climate Change Spotlights Colorado Business” • The outdoor recreation industry can help the nation’s efforts to break free from the polluting fuels that contribute to global warming, according to a Grand Junction business owner, who made the point in a congressional hearing on clean energy. [CleanTechnica]
Snowmass Challenge Course (Bonsai Design image)
¶ “Encore Renewable Energy Announces Completion Of Medical Center Solar Rooftop” • Encore Renewable Energy announced the commissioning of a 198-kW solar array on the roof of the UVM Medical Center on Holly Court in Williston, Vermont. The project began generating electricity in December 2018 and has a 25-year life term. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
¶ “Uncertainty Shadows Pennsylvania’s Debate Over Nuclear Power” • Four decades ago, Three Mile Island became shorthand for America’s worst commercial nuclear power accident. Now, owners of nuclear plants in Pennsylvania are working to get government support for nuclear power plants that have become unprofitable. [Alton Telegraph]
Three Mile Island (Alton Telegraph file photo)
¶ “Scientist Who Resisted Censorship Of Climate Report Lost Her Job” • Climate scientist Maria Caffrey led a trailblazing study outlining the risks of rising seas at national parks. She resisted efforts by federal officials to remove all references to human causes of climate change in her scientific report, so she will soon be out of a job. [Grist]
¶ “Ameren Reports Strong Interest In Solar Energy ‘Subscription’ Program” • Less than two months after it started to sell “blocks” of solar energy that customers could subscribe to for an extra charge Ameren says that it sold out, and is now piling incoming orders on to a waitlist for future solar purchases. Ameren is based in St Louis. [STLtoday.com]
Have a superbly entertaining day.
geoharvey 