Opinion:
¶ “US Could Achieve 3X As Much CO₂ Savings With Renewables Instead Of Nuclear For Less Money” • Nuclear makes little sense economically or environmentally. It means that gas and coal are not being used, but we can go further faster with wind and solar. There is no rational explanation for any substantive investment in nuclear power. [CleanTechnica]
Crystal River nuclear plant (nadbasher, Wikimedia Commons)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Got Solutions? National Geographic And Sky Ocean Ventures Launch Competition For Alternatives To Single-Use Plastics” • A global competition looking for the best solutions to today’s single-use plastic crisis is underway, launched by National Geographic and Sky, a leading media and entertainment company in Europe. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Record 29% Concentrating Solar Cell Aims At Low-Cost Manufacturing” • A combination of high-grade spacecraft solar cell material and light-concentrating lenses has yielded solar panels with a record 29% efficiency. They may become available for general rooftop use by 2022. Laboratory tests indicate further improvements may come. [CleanTechnica]
Concentrating solar cells (Insolight image)
World:
¶ “Glencore Will Cap Coal Production, But Some Climate Groups Say That Isn’t Good Enough” • Mining giant Glencore said it would cap its coal production at current levels after coming under pressure from investors in the group Climate Action 100+. The group has 300 investors with over $32 trillion in assets under management. [CNN]
¶ “Meygen Sets New Tidal Power Export Record” • Simec Atlantis Energy’s Meygen tidal array has exported more than 12 GWh of electricity to the Scottish grid, beating the previous world record held by SeaGen. The 6-MW MeyGen Phase 1A tidal array entered the 25-year operations stage in April last year in northern Scotland. [reNEWS]
Meygen tidal turbine (Simec Atlantis Energy image)
¶ “Asia Pacific Installed 25 GW Of Onshore Wind In 2018” • The Asia Pacific region installed a total of 24.9 GW of onshore wind in 2018, according to figures recently released by the Global Wind Energy Council. The new additions bring the region’s cumulative capacity up to an impressive 256 GW. The surge is expected to continue. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “As Indonesia’s Oil Sector Is Less Profitable, It’s Time For Clean Energy: Experts” • The continuous decline in oil prices has led to a lower national revenues for Indonesia. This should be a wake-up call for the government to kick off fiscal reform that would speed up the use of renewable energy, experts in a discussion said. [Jakarta Post]
Indonesian geothermal plant (Antara | Puspa Perwitasari)
¶ “Court Orders Government, TEPCO To Pay Fukushima Evacuees Over Nuclear Disaster” • A Japanese court awarded ¥419.6 million in fresh damages to scores of residents forced to flee their homes after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown. The court ordered the government and TEPCO to pay the money to 152 local residents. [Japan Today]
¶ “Wind Powers Ahead In EU Energy Mix” • Wind energy provided 14% of the EU’s electricity last year, up from 12% in 2017, despite an over 30% fall in deployment rates in 2018, according to data produced by WindEurope. Europe’s wind power capacity rose by 11.3 GW in 2018, with 8.6 GW of onshore wind power and 2.65 GW of offshore. [reNEWS]
View from a wind turbine (WindEurope image)
US:
¶ “Washington Post: Climate Skeptic May Lead WH Panel To Study Climate Change And National Security” • William Happer compared “demonization” of CO₂ to the way Nazis treated Jews. Now, he may lead a committee proposed by the White House to study whether climate change poses a national security threat, a Washington Post report said. [CNN]
¶ “Renewable Energy Projects Power New England Away From Fossil Fuel Dependence” • New England is taking a lead in renewable energy, with a little help from the latest elections. With shared power sources and relationships that depend on interconnected infrastructures, the NE states are poised to move on carbon emissions. [CleanTechnica]
Turbines at Block Island
¶ “Solar Bill Of Rights Introduced In California” • New legislation in California would enshrine a customer’s right to generate and store electricity on their own property as well as connecting to the grid without undue burden and freedom from fees that could be discriminatory. It would also establish compensation for battery exports. [pv magazine USA]
¶ “California Puts Buildings In Energy Policy Spotlight” • The California Energy Commission’s latest policy report puts reducing the climate and air pollution from buildings front and center for the first time, representing a bold and necessary shift in energy priorities. This follows earlier introductions of aggressive policies. [Natural Resources Defense Council]
San Francisco (Unsplash image)
¶ “Offshore Wind Could Support More Than 17,500 New Jobs In California” • With some of the highest offshore wind speeds in the world, a floating offshore wind industry in California could dramatically increase in-state renewable energy generation and support more than 17,500 jobs in 2045, according to a new report. [Windpower Engineering]
¶ “Trump Appointees Promoted Nuclear Sales To Saudis Despite Objections, House Dems Say” • Key members of the Trump administration pushed a plan to sell nuclear power plants to Saudi Arabia over objections from National Security Council members and some senior White House officials, a report from House Democrats said. [The Keene Sentinel]
Have a curiously comfortable day.
geoharvey 