Opinion:
¶ “EVs Are Already At Price Parity, But The Electric CARS Act Would Make Them Irresistible” • Bloomberg Green contributor Nathaniel Bullard makes the case that EVs are already at price parity with conventional cars because inexpensive new cars have pretty much vanished. Now, congress is looking at legislation that will give EVs a clear advantage. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla (Matt Henry, Unsplash)
¶ “A Return To Science: Evidence-Based Estimates Of Benefits Of Reducing Climate Pollution” • In January, President Biden issued a Memorandum directing Federal agencies to be guided by the best available science and data. One tool, the “social cost of greenhouse gases,” combines climate science and economics to understand costs of pollution. [Mirage News]
World:
¶ “InstaVolt Teams Up With Everrati To Give Iconic Cars An Electric Future” • InstaVolt and Everrati are teaming up on work on the world’s most iconic and classic cars. Everrati reengineers classic cars into zero-emissions vehicles and then restores them. The cars get state-of-the-art electric drivetrains, electric power units, and battery packs. [CleanTechnica]
Salvaged jalopy (Image courtesy of Salon Privé)
¶ “SolarPower Europe Launches The Solar Manufacturing Accelerator” • The European Solar Initiative and Solar Power Europe have teamed up to launch the new Solar Manufacturing Accelerator. The new platform is aimed at speeding deployment of solar PV manufacturing projects in Europe and strengthening EU leadership in clean energy. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Kia And Hyundai Electric Car Drivers Get Access To About 15,000 EV Charge Points In UK” • Hyundai and Kia are giving a nice boost to their EV buyers in the UK, access to a large number of charging stations from just one app. The programs are not the same. The Hyundai program has 15,000 charging stations, and the Kia program has 13,900. [CleanTechnica]
Kia charging (Image courtesy of Kia)
¶ “Shell Accelerating Renewables Push In Germany” • Royal Dutch Shell in Germany aims to produce aviation fuel and naphtha made from crops and renewable power and to increase to commercial scale an electrolysis plant that makes fossil-free hydrogen. The global Shell group has set itself a goal of net zero emissions by 2050. [OE Digital]
¶ “France Extends Lifetime Of Oldest Nuclear Reactors” • On Thursday, France’s nuclear safety authority agreed to extend the operational lifetime of the country’s 32 oldest nuclear reactors by a decade to as much as 50 years. The reactors had been intended to run for 40 years. Nuclear energy provides about 70% of French electricity. [Manufacturing Business Technology]
Cooling tower in France (Thomas Millot, Unsplash)
US:
¶ “BYD Will Help You Get Cash Money For Electric Buses” • BYD wants to sell as many electric buses as it can, and it has a huge amount of experience selling its line of electric buses around the world. So, it came up with an idea for a grant program and assistance with the federal grant applications. It offers more help than that, too. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Oil Is Up Nearly 70% Since The Election, A Record In The Modern Era” • The oil market is starting the Biden era with a bang, and Covid-weary Americans returning to the roads this spring and summer will be greeted with higher prices at the pump. Since the election, US oil prices are up sharply to $63.50 at Thursday’s close, a rise of 69%. [CNN]
Pump jack (Jeff W, Unsplash)
¶ “Energy Secretary Granholm: Texas Outages Show Need For Changes To US Power Systems” • Newly confirmed Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm seized on the winter weather that left millions of Texans without heat and electricity last week to press for reform of the state’s power systems. She argued in favor of pivoting to a clean energy economy. [NPR]
¶ “Largest US Electric School Bus Order Ever – Montgomery County Orders 326 Buses (Just To Start)” • Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland decided to fully electrify its fleet. It chose Highland Electric Transportation to transition its school bus fleet from fossil fuels to electricity. It started with an order for 326 electric school buses. [CleanTechnica]
Thomas Built Bus, powered by Proterra
¶ “City Of Encinitas Commits To 100% Renewable Electricity Offering” • The Encinitas City Council voted to establish San Diego Community Power’s premium product, Power100, as the default electricity choice for all customers in the city. Power100 will provide 100% renewable electricity to customers at a cost on par with going rates. [Encinitas Advocate]
¶ “USA’s First Zero-Emissions Delivery Zone Is In Santa Monica, California” • The City of Santa Monica has decided to be a leader in electrification efforts as the first city in the US to implement a zero-emissions delivery zone. This will be done with the support of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, Nissan, IKEA, Shopify, Motiv Power Systems, and others. [CleanTechnica]
Santa Monica Zero Emissions Delivery Vehicles
Please click on the image to enlarge it.
¶ “Xcel Energy Plans To Double Renewables” • Ahead of a key regulatory proceeding, Xcel Energy, Colorado’s largest utility, announced plans to achieve an 85% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation by 2030. The utility’s 85% emissions-reduction goal is a step up from the 80% cut the utility targeted in 2018. [Pagosa Daily Post]
¶ “Biden Hikes Cost Of Carbon, Easing Path For New Climate Rules” • President Joe Biden restored an Obama-era calculation on the economic cost of greenhouse gases, a step that will make it easier for his agencies to approve aggressive actions on climate change. Economists and climate scientists say even higher costs are justified by new research. [Politico]
Have a prodigiously tranquil day.
geoharvey 