Opinion:
¶ “What’s Next For State Climate Action In The US? Seven Areas To Watch” • Even with a profound shift in US federal climate policy, state-level climate action will remain essential. Here are seven high-impact policies to watch in 2021, as well as federal programs and policies that can encourage and reinforce state-level climate action plans. [CleanTechnica]
New York City (Sung Shin, Unsplash)
¶ “Europe’s Chance To Sprint Ahead On Electric Vehicles” • If you’ve been following the electric vehicle market much at all, you know that European EV sales jumped through the roof in 2020. EU-based Transport & Environment wants Europe to be the leader in this market, and it has published a report showing how it sees that happening. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Warning to Energy Investors: Coal Is Dead and Oil Is Next” • Over the past two decades, coal has been shoved aside for natural gas and renewable energy plants that are more cost-effective and less polluting. Transportation markets are likely to be the next in line to be transformed, with electric vehicles offered by nearly every manufacturer in the industry. [Motley Fool]
What we leave behind (Chris LeBoutillier, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “Capacity Of Iran’s Renewable Power Plants Reaches 859.17 MW” • According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, the capacity of Iran’s renewable power plants stood at 859.17 MW in the tenth Iranian calendar month of Dey. Iranian renewable power plants produced 5.738 billion kWh of electricity in the month, according to the report. [MENAFN.com]
¶ “Equinor: Floating Wind Turbines Buoy Hopes Of Expanding Renewable Energy” • Hywind Scotland, the first floating wind farm, was installed in 2017. It is operated by Norwegian oil giant Equinor ASA, which sees a future for floating wind turbines where the ocean is too deep for ordinary masts, such as Japan and the US West Coast. [marketscreener.com]
First full-scale floating turbine (Lars Christopher, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “How Japan’s Electricity Grid Came Close To Blackouts” • Japan’s worst electricity crunch since the Fukushima crisis has exposed vulnerabilities in the country’s recently liberalized power market. Power prices in Japan hit record highs last month as a cold snap across northeast Asia prompted a scramble for supplies of liquefied natural gas. [Japan Today]
¶ “Morrison Government Still Stalling On Emissions Targets” • In the lead-up to Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s address to the National Press Club, there were rumors flying that he was set to announce a target of net zero emissions by 2050. Unsurprisingly, he did not announce this. What he did was to say that if this occurred, it be nice. [Independent Australia]
Scott Morrison (Screenshot via YouTube)
US:
¶ “GM’s Electric Vehicle Strategy Takes Shape, And It’s All About That Fleet” • Getting one person to buy your new EV is good, but it’s even better when that one person is a fleet manager who can put 12,600 into one order. That seems to be the business model General Motors had in mind for its new BrightDrop electric delivery van venture. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “NASA Appoints Climate Advisor To Prioritize Earth Science In Biden Administration” • The climate crisis is one of President Joe Biden’s top priorities, so NASA created a climate adviser position. Gavin Schmidt, as senior climate advisor, will report directly to NASA’s administrator and work with a range of departments in NASA that touch on climate. [Space.com]
Gavin Schmidt (Image: © NASA)
¶ “US Energy Agency Predicts More Renewables, But Comes Under Fire For Fossil Forecast” • The EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook found that the US will double its share of renewable energy in its energy mix by 2050. But controversially, it predicts flat trends for both coal and gas despite Biden administration’s work to decarbonize. [RenewEconomy]
¶ “Sandia Labs Research Could Bring Renewable Energy To Rural Communities” • Sandia National Laboratories has new technology to work out how to bring renewable energy to rural communities. Their custom-built wind turbine emulator mimics actual wind turbines so they can understand better how to bring renewable energy to rural areas. [KRQE News 13]
Sandia National Laboratories (Science in HD, Unsplash)
¶ “City Council Bows To Entergy With Renewable And Clean Portfolio Standard” • The New Orleans City Council voted last march to pass a “Renewable and Clean Portfolio Standard.” But the plan it settled on accepts nuclear power and carbon capture technology that has never commercially succeeded. Meanwhile, the costs just go up. [Big Easy Magazine]
¶ “This Energy Company Is Leading The Charge To Capture A Multitrillion-Dollar Opportunity” • NextEra Energy has invested billions of dollars in building a world-leading renewable energy-generating portfolio, based on which it has paid big dividends for its investors. However, the company believes that its best days are still ahead. [Motley Fool]
Have an unremittingly jolly day.
geoharvey 