Science and Technology:
¶ “The New Use For Abandoned Oil Rigs” • There are more than 12,000 offshore oil and gas platforms worldwide. As they drain their reservoirs of fossil fuels, they become unprofitable, and then they have to be decommissioned. One way to do that is to turn their submarine structures into artificial reefs, which are hosts to varied marine life. [BBC]
Oil platforms (Crescent Petroleum, Icethorn, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Tesla Trying To Make Real Cars With Unibody Casting Like Toy Cars Are Made” • Tesla has not given up on its dream of making cars by casting the entire body in one piece. Elon Musk recently tweeted, “With our giant casting machines, we are literally trying to make full-size cars in the same way that toy cars are made.” [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Accounting For Value Of Nature Reinforces Paris Climate Targets” • The key finding in a study of climate-economics models is that they have been underestimating the cost of climate damages to society by a factor of more than five. The study, by researchers at UC Davis, was published in the journal Nature Sustainability. [Yale Climate Connections]
Spider web (Jan Huber, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “Climate Change: The Biggest Global Poll Supports ‘Global Emergency'” • Results from the largest opinion poll yet taken on tackling global warming show that despite the pandemic, almost two thirds of people around the world now view climate change as a global emergency. Over a million people in fifty countries took part in the survey. [BBC]
¶ “Statkraft, Aker Offshore Join Forces On Norway Wind” • Statkraft, Aker Offshore Wind and Aker Horizons have signed a cooperation agreement to explore offshore wind project opportunities in Norway. The cooperation will explore the opportunity for bottom-fixed offshore wind at the Norwegian Sørlige Nordsjø II development area. [reNEWS]
Offshore substation (Statkraft image)
¶ “Cumulative Corporate Commitments Drive Demand For 2.8 GW Of Renewable Electricity” • A report released by Greenpeace shows the cumulative commitments of Australia corporations surged in 2020 and accounted for 1.8 GW of the 2.8 GW total. The retail industry emerged as the clear leader in the corporate race to renewables. [pv magazine Australia]
¶ “Renewable Energy ‘Power House’ To Open In Highlands” • The Power House, a center for research and development in floating offshore wind and green hydrogen, is to be opened in the Highlands. In addition to R&D, it will provide re-training for people who have worked in other energy industry sectors, such as oil and gas and nuclear. [Energy Voice]
WindFloat 1 demonstration unit
¶ “Germany Adds 1.4 GW Of Onshore Windpower Capacity” • Germany installed 1,431 MW of additional onshore wind capacity in 2020, comprising 420 turbines, according to associations BWE and VDMA Power Systems. The figures for 2020 represent an increase of 46% compared to 2019. About 339 MW of the amount was repowering projects. [reNEWS]
¶ “Record 4.8 GW Of New Plants In 2020 Boosts The Turkish Renewables Capacity To 49 GW” • Turkey added a record 4.8 GW of renewable generating capacity last year. The new capacity brings the total for renewables to 49 GW out of Turkey’s 95 GW of installed power. Half of the new renewable energy capacity was hydropower. [Balkan Green Energy News]
Istanbul (Alirıza Çetİntürk, Pixabay)
¶ “Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Station Delayed And Costs Rise” • The Hinkley Point C nuclear power station is set to be delayed, and costs are likely to be £500 million more than previously thought, according to the energy giant behind it. EDF said “significant progress” has been made, despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. [News & Star]
¶ “Cubico Invests In 300-MW Australian Wind Farm” • Cubico Sustainable Investments will be the the principal project investor for Australia’s 300-MW Delburn Wind Farm. The investor has joined OSMI Australia as joint development partner and will purchase 100% of the project before construction starts. The wind farm is in the state of Victoria. [reNEWS]
Wind farm (Cubico image)
US:
¶ “Biden To Halt New Oil And Gas Leases On Federal Lands” • President Joe Biden is set to order a moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands, a person familiar with his plans said. The move is expected to be the most prominent in a series of climate actions he will take today, including elevating the climate crisis as a national security issue. [CNN]
¶ “Lightsource BP Turns Sod On 316 MW Of Texas Solar” • Lightsource BP concluded a $380 million financing and has begun construction of two solar PV farms in Texas. The projects are the 163-MW Elm Branch solar array and the 153-MW Briar Creek project. Commercial operation of both of the projects is expected by late 2021. [reNEWS]
Solar array (Lightsource BP image)
¶ “Biden Plans All Electric US Government Fleet, Gas Tax Will Be Reexamined ” • While signing his Buy American executive order on January 25, President Biden said, “The federal government … owns an enormous fleet of vehicles, which we’re going to replace with clean electric vehicles made right here in America, by American workers.” [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Newark, Delaware Offering Residents Option To Purchase 100% Renewable Electricity” • Residents of Newark, Delaware soon will have the option to purchase electricity that is 100% renewable. The city council approved the plan Monday night, providing an option that city officials say some residents have been requesting for years. [Newark Post]
Have an extravigantly serene day.
geoharvey 