Opinion:
¶ “Solar-For-Coal Swaps Could Turbocharge Clean Energy Revolution” • US coal power plants have been retiring at an average of 10 GW per year. That is not nearly quick enough to avoid trouble. Energy Innovation has identified 179 GW of coal plants that can’t compete on cost with solar, and focused on 22.5 GW of these. [CleanTechnica]
Solar panels (Image: US DOE, EERE)
¶ “Does BP’s Conversion Signal The End Of Big Oil?” • The plunge in oil demand caused by the pandemic won’t fix the climate crisis. But it could force the oil industry to accelerate a shift away from fossil fuels as executives try to carve out a future in clean energy. BP has said it is moving away from Oil and Gas, toward renewables. Others could follow. [CNN]
¶ “Electrification of the Mining Industry” • In this episode of our CleanTech Talk podcast interview series, Zach Shahan chats again with Alf Poor, CEO of Ideanomics, Inc, about the electrification of the mining industry, and the benefits of choosing electric power for the large and site-specific heavy-duty equipment that’s needed at the mining sites. [CleanTechnica]
Heavy truck (Image courtesy of Ideanomics)
¶ “Nuclear-Free World Is Crucial For Sustainable Development” • Dr Udayakumar is a writer and anti-nuclear activist from Tamil Nadu, India. He points out that as source of power, nuclear energy is very unstable and gives way to catastrophic results if misused or mishandled. In fact it can be, and has been, used to kill people in wars. [The Island.lk]
Science and Technology:
¶ “How Fish Stocks Will Change In Warming Seas” • A study conducted in the UK highlights the future effects of climate change on important fish stocks for south-west UK fisheries.The study suggests changes that could have important implications for fisheries management, and for the future fish diets of the British public. [Science Codex]
Fishing boat (Image: Katherine Maltby)
World:
¶ “World Bank Grants $300 Million To Promote Electricity Trade In West Africa” • The World Bank announced that it would provide $300 million to International Development Associations to accelerate reforms to help the countries of Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, and Sierra Leone move toward regional power market. [Mercom India]
¶ “Shanghai Electric: 5G And IIoT Essential To Wind Power Strategy” • Shanghai Electric is riding the growing momentum of China’s 8-MW offshore turbine market, which is expected to see the grid-connected wind power surging to 26 GW by the end of 2025. It is considering 5G and industrial internet of things for integrating renewable energy systems. [FutureIoT]
Shanghai Electric 8-MW turbines
¶ “Grid Scale Stationary Battery Storage Market To Hit $40 Billion By 2030, Says Global Market Insights, Inc” • Global grid-scale stationary battery storage market is poised to surpass $40 Billion by 2030, said a study by Global Market Insights, Inc. Growing use of renewable energy sources and curbs on carbon emissions will boost storage. [GlobalNewswire]
¶ “ARENA-Backed Origin Energy Trial To Demonstrate The Value Stack Of EVs” • Origin Energy is getting behind electric vehicle uptake in Australia, approaching EVs and their chargers as possible flexible sources of distributed energy. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency said that it would provide a grant of $838,000 for a trial. [pv magazine Australia]
Charging an EV (Moixa image)
¶ “Renewable Energy Is Now The Least-Cost Option In The Power Sector” • Switching to renewable power is a no-brainer, but progress is slow in the two larger sectors, heating/cooling and transport. Governments still subsidise fossil fuels and maintain regulatory frameworks that support centralised, high-carbon energy production and consumption. [REVE]
¶ “Engie Renewable PPA Starts Greening Australia’s Mining-Industry Supply Chain” • Weir Minerals Australia, a supplier of engineered solutions to the mining industry, achieved electricity price stability and savings, and it took a first big leap towards sustainability, with an innovative power purchase agreement with energy provider Engie. [pv magazine Australia]
Workers at Weir Minerals Australia (Engie image)
US:
¶ “Citi Announces $250 Billion Environmental Finance Goal” • Citi announced its five-year 2025 Sustainable Progress Strategy to help transition to a low-carbon economy. It includes a $250 billion goal to finance climate solutions globally. This builds on Citi’s 2015 goal of $100 billion, completed last year over four years ahead of schedule. [Smart Energy]
¶ “Apple Plans To Go 100% Carbon Neutral – Including Supply Chain – By 2030” • Apple announced on its website that it’s already carbon neutral for corporate emissions globally and that it wants to bring its entire carbon footprint to “net zero.” If it succeeds in doing this by or before 2030, it will be 20 years earlier than the IPCC goals of 2050. [CleanTechnica]
Montague wind farm in Oregon (Image via Apple)
¶ “Trump Pledged To Bring Back Coal. He Didn’t” • Trump first promised to bring the coal industry back in 2016. But coal has not come back under Trump. It’s continued to decline. In 2016, the US had 48,900 coal-mining jobs, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Now, the same agency says there only about 43,800 coal-mining jobs left. [Roanoke Times]
¶ “EPA Finalizes Rules Of Coal Ash” • The Trump administration extended by six months a deadline for utilities to stop dumping coal ash from power plants into unlined basins and ponds, Kallanish Energy reports. The rule impacts about 400 facilities. The initial deadline, April 2019, had been pushed back before. The new deadline is April 11, 2021. [Kallanish Energy]
Have an unprecedentedly exuberant day.
geoharvey 