Opinion:
¶ “Environmental Collapse: It’s Time Economists Put The Planet On Their Balance Sheets” • A ‘ground-sparing’ economic report on biodiversity indicates that economic practice has to change because the world is finite. Climate change results from a larger issue, the threat to our life support systems from the plunder and demise of our natural environment. [RenewEconomy]
Earth (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, public domain)
¶ “Renewable Energy Lasting Solution To Oil-Price Crisis” • As petroleum prices soar, it is time to examine the overall energy scenario for India. Rises in petroleum costs are tied to increased inflation. Also, India imports almost 100% of its petroleum, so higher costs also imply less favorable trade balance. These are not problems for renewables. [The Hans India]
¶ “Texas Shows Us Our Water Future With Climate Change: It Ain’t Pretty” • Earlier this week, 1 in 22 Americans didn’t have water or was on a boil water alert. Texas did not suffer alone, as people in Oklahoma and Louisiana also lost water. Sadly, the storm was just a glimpse of how climate change will impact our water supplies. [CleanTechnica]
Drought monitor (David Miskus, NOAA, NWS, NCEP, CPC US)
¶ “Bill Gates Is Wrong About Nuclear Power” • In his new book, Bill Gates argues that nuclear power is needed to respond to climate disaster because it’s the only emissions-free source of energy that can be supplied around the clock. He fails to see that the paradigm it fits in is obsolete, it is not needed, and it still has unsolved waste issues. [The Hankyoreh]
World:
¶ “Lithium-Ion Recycling Company Is Going Public” • In proof that lithium-ion batteries really can be recycled, North America’s largest lithium-ion battery recycling company is going public through a deal with a special purpose acquisition company. Based in Canada, Li-Cycle Holdings, will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. [CleanTechnica]
Lithium-ion batteries going to the shredder (Li-Cycle image)
¶ “Amazon And Walmart-Backed Rival Flipkart Announce EV Partnerships For Indian Deliveries” • E-commerce giant Amazon and its Walmart-backed Indian rival Flipkart both announced partnerships with electric vehicle manufacturers for last-mile delivery of products in India. And they are by no means the only companies doing so. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Solar Overtakes Wind As India’s Largest Renewable Energy Technology” • Solar power has replaced wind power to become the largest renewable energy technology in India. According to data from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for January 2021, solar power capacity in India was 38.7 GW, and wind energy capacity was 38.6 GW. [CleanTechnica]
Wind turbine in India (Rajavel vanaraj, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Renewable Power Projects For Agriculture, Fishery Sectors Eyed” • Two departments of the Philippine government, the Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture will be working to guide renewable energy projects in the agriculture and fishery sectors to promote the use of clean energy in boosting food security. [Philstar.com]
US:
¶ “SMT Energy Announces Partnership With Goldman Sachs Renewable Power” • SMT Energy and Goldman Sachs Renewable Power announced a strategic partnership to develop renewable energy assets in the US. In the partnership’s first transaction, GSRP is acquiring 55 MW of community solar facilities in upstate New York from SMT. [ThomasNet News]
Solar array in Saratoga Springs (Greg Johnstone, US DOE)
¶ “Magna Breaks Ground On Plant For Hummer EV Battery Compartments” • GM is working with its supplier, Magna, to build battery enclosures for its upcoming Hummer EV. The enclosures are complex, and building them is not simple. A 345,000 square foot facility is expected to add 300 jobs to the city of St. Clair, Michigan. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Coal-Fired Power Plant On Ohio River Set To Close This Year” • Duke Energy’s 63-year-old, coal-fired R Gallagher power plant, whose twin smokestacks that have long towered over the Ohio River city of New Albany, was scheduled to be retired in 2022. But the company recently announced that the plant will close by June 1. [Fort Wayne Journal Gazette]
Have an absurdly delightful day.
geoharvey 