Science and Technology:
¶ “Groundbreaking Biofuel Rocket Could Be ‘Uber For Space'” • Stardust was hauled to its launch site in Maine by a pick-up truck. When it lifted off, it was the first commercial launch of a rocket powered by bio-derived fuel. Sascha Deri, inventor of the biofuel and chief executive of bluShift Aerospace, says it can be sourced from farms around the world. [BBC]
Stardust (Knack Factory, Courtesy Aerospace)
¶ “Porsche 3D-Prints EV Parts That Are 10% Lighter And Twice As Strong” • Porsche is doing 3D printing with special printing units that can use metals as raw materials to create EV drivetrain parts. The products are lighter, stronger, and easier to work with. And emissions are reduced at every step from making the vehicle to driving it around. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Using Offshore Wind To Farm Seaweed” • Shareholders in the Norther wind farm in Belgium have plans to use offshore wind turbines for ocean agriculture, known as aquaculture. They plan to automate the growth and harvest of seaweed and develop a system that other wind farms can use. Their first project would cover 2 hectares (4.9 acres). [Power Technology]
Seaweed (Ben Wicks, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Ideol Extends Floatgen Testing” • The French floating wind company Ideol is to extend operation of its 2-MW Floatgen demonstration off France by three years. The company said it has an agreement with Ecole Centrale de Nantes, which operates SEM-REV test site where the unit is located, to continue running the turbine so it can pursue optimization. [reNEWS]
World:
¶ “Singapore Is Building A 42,000-Home Eco ‘Smart’ City” • Tengah will be the 24th new settlement built by the government of Singapore since World War II. But it’s the first with centralized cooling, automated trash collection, and a car-free town center. A 328-foot-wide corridor is safe passage area for wildlife, and some call the settlement a “forest town.” [CNN]
Tengah (Courtesy of the Housing & Development Board)
¶ “Google Uses AI To Plot Fastest, Most Efficient EV Road Trips” • For Tesla owners, the car can help plan the trip. Now owners of other EVs can get a similar service. Google says it has devised a new Maps feature that uses “graph theory” to sort through all the permutations and give drivers accurate information about how to drive and charge along the way. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Biogas Plant To Power Vestas’ Isle Of Wight Facility” • Black Dog Biogas, the owner and operator of an anaerobic digestion plant on the Isle of Wight, set up a line to supply renewable electricity to a Vestas wind blade manufacturing plant. The project will supply low-carbon electricity to a Vestas plant that employs over 600 people. [reNEWS]
Biogas plant (Black Dog Biogas image)
¶ “Mexico Says Renewable Energy Capacity Rose 13.4% Through October” • Mexico’s renewable power capacity increased by 13.4% from 2019 through to the end of October, as new solar and wind plants were installed and began testing, the energy ministry said. Renewable capacity rose from 23,582 MW to 26,743 MW, largely through additions of solar PVs. [Nasdaq]
¶ “MOL Creates New Offshore Wind Arm” • Tokyo-based shipping firm Mitsui OSK Lines is to create an offshore wind division. MOL’s Wind Power Energy Business Division will specialize in offshore wind and related operations. It will also be tasked with expanding and accelerating MOL’s current activities in this area. [reNEWS]
Ørsted ship (Ørsted image)
¶ “MHI, Vestas Japan JV Opens For Business” • A joint venture between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Vestas to boost the marketing of onshore and offshore wind turbines in Japan is now operational. MHI Vestas Japan was established to strengthen the partners’ collaboration in the field of renewable energies, mainly wind turbines. [reNEWS]
¶ “European PV Players Launch 4-GW Solar Developer” • AGP Group, Hartree Partners, and NaGa Solar have formed a joint venture to develop at least 4 GW of solar projects in the UK, the Netherlands and Germany. The complementary skills of the three businesses give the JV an ability to speed up the build-out of solar capacity. [reNEWS]
Installing solar panels (Unsplash image)
¶ “Shell Targets Power Trading And Hydrogen In Climate Drive” • European oil companies are seeking new business models to reduce dependency on fossil fuels. Shell is betting on its power trading expertise and the rapidly growing hydrogen and biofuels markets as it shifts away from oil, while its rivals chase renewable energy assets, company sources said. [CNA]
US:
¶ “GM Pushes Ahead With Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology For Long Haul Trucks” • According to CNBC, a push by GM and Navistar for trucks powered by hydrogen will include a tie-in with OneH2, which will be responsible for hydrogen production, storage, delivery, and systems to supply fuel cell powered trucks with hydrogen safely. [CleanTechnica]
GM Hydrotec fuel cell
¶ “John Kerry Says The Current Goals Under The Paris Climate Agreement Are Inadequate To Reduce Earth’s Temperature” • John Kerry, special presidential envoy for climate, said the current Paris climate agreement goals are not enough to limit global warming. But, he said, there was still time to do more when it comes to climate change. [CNN]
¶ “Largest Solar Project In US Underway In Texas” • Construction began recently on the Samson Solar Energy Center, the largest planned solar energy farm in the US. When completed, the solar farm will have 1,013 MW of generating capacity. The project is being developed by Invenergy, and it is expected to be compled in 2023. [Earth911.com]
Have a happily constituted day.
geoharvey 
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