Science and Technology:
¶ “This Company Is Making Building Tiles Out Of Polluted Air” • Carbon Craft Design mixes carbon particulates captured from emissions with cement and marble waste from quarries to make monochromatic tiles. The company’s founder, Indian architect Tejas Sidnal, says the it aims to ensure each tile contains at least 70% waste material. [CNN]
Carbon Craft Design tiles in use (Carbon Craft Design image)
¶ “Tesla Vehicles Could Be Enabled To Call 911 During An Emergency” • When one Tesla owner got into a scary situation in his car, he found his cell phone had no signal to place a call. His car had a signal, but he was unable to use it to dial 911. He sent a tweet asking that Tesla cars be enabled to make such calls. Elon Musk replied, “Absolutely.” [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Scientists Discover How Aerosols From Pollution, Desert Storms, and Forest Fires Can Intensify Thunderstorms” • A link between pollution aerosols and thunderstorms has been seen for decades, but the cause has not been well understood. Researchers have now found a way atmospheric aerosols can generate more frequent thunderstorms. [SciTechDaily]
Thunderstorm (NOAA image, Unsplash)
¶ “Nine Reasons Why Policymakers Should Tackle Climate Change With Small-Scale Solutions” • For a study published in the journal Science, we collected data on a wide variety of energy technologies along the granular-lumpy continuum. We found that more granular technologies, such as solar or windpower, have nine important advantages. [TNW]
World:
¶ “MingYang Units Deliver First Power At Haitan Strait” • The developer China Huadian Corporation has notched first power from its 154-MW Fuqing Haitan Strait offshore wind farm off Fujian province. The wind farm features 22 MingYang Smart Energy 7-MW turbines. The turbines are all equipped with typhoon-proof capabilities. [reNEWS]
MingYang turbine under construction (MingYang image)
¶ “FRV secures financing for Metz Solar Farm in New South Wales” • Financing has been secured for Fotowatio Renewable Ventures’ 115-MW Metz Solar Farm, in the New England region of New South Wales, just east of Armidale. The Green Loan from Westpac and NORD/LB will support construction of this large-scale solar project. [pv magazine Australia]
¶ “Foresight Solar Agrees To €72 Million Deal For 99 MW In Spain” • Investor Foresight Solar has acquired a 99-MW portfolio of three greenfield solar projects in Andalusia in a deal worth up to €72 million. The UK-based company said construction on the “subsidy-free” developments will begin in the summer of 2021 with operations expected a year later. [reNEWS]
Solar array in Spain (Foresight Solar image)
¶ “Israel’s Second Tender For Solar-Plus-Storage Concludes With Final Price Of 5.44¢/kWh” • The Israeli government assigned 608.9 MW of PV capacity through its second tender, and it selected seven developers for 33 projects. A storage capacity of around 2,400 MWh will be linked to the selected solar power projects. [pv magazine International]
¶ “One Perfect 100% Renewable Day In South Australia” • South Australia got another glimpse of its 100% renewably powered future, when solar and wind generation made up 99.6% of electricity in the grid on December 27, as tracked by OpenNEM. The state got 59% of its electricity from renewable resources for the year 2020 as a whole. [pv magazine International]
Hornsdale Power Reserve, now 150-MW (Neoen image)
¶ “Japan’s Carbon Neutrality Dilemma: More Nuclear Power Or More Renewables?” • Japan is committed to carbon neutrality by 2050, and the Suga administration is grappling with questions over which near-term measures to take to reach the long-term goal. A debate has come up over how renewables and nuclear power should be balanced. [The Japan Times]
¶ “Siemens Gamesa Seals 100-MW Ethiopia Debut” • Siemens Gamesa has secured its first turbine order in Ethiopia with state-owned utility Ethiopian Electric Power for the 100-MW Assela wind farm. The manufacturer will deliver 29 3.4-132 machines to be commissioned by the Spring of 2023. The Assela site is about 150 km south of Addis Ababa. [reNEWS]
Siemens Gamesa wind turbines (Siemens Gamesa image)
US:
¶ “Massachusetts Will Require All New Cars Sold Be Electric By 2035” • Governor Charlie Baker and his administration shared a plan that will deal a major blow to fossil fuel automakers while greatly cutting the state’s greenhouse-gas emissions. These changes include the mandate that all new cars sold in the state will be electric by 2035. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “The Million-Mile Zero Emissions Club” • BYD (Build Your Dreams) is a large EV and battery maker based in China. It has a factory in California, and it announced inaugural members of its “Million Mile Club,” which is made up of US transit services that have logged over one million miles in their zero-emissions BYD battery-electric buses. [CleanTechnica]
BYD electric bus
¶ “Global Heating Will Make Colorado River Basin Drought More Severe” • Climate research indicates that as average temperatures on Earth increase, hotter, drier conditions will constrain water supplies and reduce harvests. Without water from the Colorado River Basin Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Los Angeles simply would not exist. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Negotiators Reach Deal On Major Climate Bill” • After six months of private talks, legislative negotiators in Massachusetts reached an agreement on a major bill to accelerate the pace toward addressing the global problem of climate change. The bill (S 2995) would establish in state law a “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions limit for 2050. [WWLP.com]
Have a superlatively gratifying day.
geoharvey 