Opinion:
¶ “Against The Odds, South Australia Is A Renewable Energy Powerhouse. How Did They Do It?” • Less than two decades ago, all of South Australia’s electricity came from fossil fuels. Last year, renewables provided 60% of the state’s electricity. The progress came as national climate policy was all but paralyzed. So how did it happen? [RenewEconomy]
Wind farm in South Australia (ScottDavis [?], CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Has Renewable Energy Become Cheaper Than Fossil Fuel?” • Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s research shows that renewable energy is now cheaper than all new-build coal and gas power stations – the same ones that are touted as the more economical way to produce electricity. And renewable energy is not just cheaper. It is a lot cheaper. [Energy Matters]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Electric Car Batteries Need Far Less Raw Materials Than Fossil-Fuel Cars – New Study” • An EV battery uses up just 30 kg of raw materials with recycling compared to the 17,000 litres of petrol burned by the average car, according to a new study that shows Europe’s current crude oil dependency far outweighs its need for battery raw materials. [CleanTechnica]
NiSO₄ · 6H₂O (Benjah-bmm27, placed into the public domain)
¶ “100% Renewable Energy Could Power The World By 2030, Experts Say” • Electricity from solar, wind, and water could power the entire world in less than 10 years, leading energy experts say. Renewable energy could also be the sole energy source for the world’s heating, cooling, transport, and industries by 2035. [Yahoo News Canada]
World:
¶ “Italy’s EV Charging Infrastructure Is About To Get A High-Power Boost” • For people to adopt EVs, the charging system has to be useful. Italy’s electric car market is just now starting to get noticed, and while its limited network of fast chargers has always been a concern of skeptics and enthusiasts alike, this issue may soon become a thing of the past. [CleanTechnica]
Enel-X charging point
¶ “Opibus Scaling Electric Vehicle Conversions For Mass Transit Vehicles To Make Electric Mobility More Accessible In Africa” • Opibus is a Nairobi-based startup founded in 2017, is converting vehicles to electric drive. It has been focusing on converting off-road safari and game drive vehicles using its proprietary EV drivetrain. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Yara Kickstarts Green Ammonia Industry With Green Hydrogen” • Just a couple of months ago, the US DOE was pushing for green hydrogen with a venture aimed at teasing farmers into the market. Now, the global firm Yara has a green ammonia project in Norway that is similar, but different, and much, much, much bigger. [CleanTechnica]
Zero-emission ship (Photo courtesy of Yara)
¶ “Aboitiz Power To Supply Renewable Energy To Wells Fargo In Taguig” • Aboitiz Power Corporation, through a subsidiary, will supply renewable energy to Wells Fargo International Solutions LLC in the Philippines. it will deliver about 7,500 MWh to Wells Fargo’s Taguig City facility, which is equivalent to 65% of its electricity needs. [The Border Mail]
¶ “Japanese PV Investor Starts Up First Wind Farm” • Japanese solar investor Ichigo has commenced operations of its first wind power plant. The 7.4-MW wind farm, near Yonezawa city in the Yamagata prefecture, comprises four 1.8-MW Hitachi turbines. The Ichigo Yonezawa wind farm is the company’s 52nd clean power plant, after 51 solar plants. [reNEWS]
Wind farm (Jason Blackeye, Unsplash)
¶ “Pumped Hydro With Desalination, Powered By Renewables” • A local unit of US infrastructure developer Oceanus Power & Water, has signed a deal with French energy giant EDF to build the world’s first integrated pumped hydro reverse osmosis clean energy system. The project will be built at an unspecified site in Chile’s Andes region. [pv magazine International]
¶ “Mars Australia Transitions To 100% Renewable Electricity” • Mars Australia is switching to using renewable electricity to offset 100% of the power at its six factories and two offices in Australia. Mars’ global program, Sustainable in a Generation, has goals to reduce its global greenhouse gas emissions by 27% by 2025 and 67% by 2050. [pv magazine Australia]
Kiamal Solar Farm in Victoria (Mars Australia)
¶ “Ex-PMs Kan, Koizumi Urge Japan To Quit Nuclear Power Generation” • Former prime ministers Naoto Kan and Junichiro Koizumi urged Japan to stop using nuclear power, saying the country should learn from the Fukushima crisis and turn to renewable energy. “Why should we use something that’s more expensive and less safe?” Koizumi asked. [The Mainichi]
US:
¶ “Jennifer M Granholm Sworn In As 16th Secretary Of Energy” • Jennifer M Granholm was sworn in as the 16th Secretary of Energy by Vice President Kamala Harris, following a broad bipartisan confirmation vote of 64–35 in the United States Senate. Secretary Granholm is only the second woman to lead the US DOE. [CleanTechnica]
Jennifer M Granholm (Screenshot, via the US DOE)
¶ “Avangrid Breeds California Condors To Quash Wind Turbine Death Smear” • The renewable energy firm Avangrid is planning to spend half a million dollars over a three-year period to breed six condors in captivity at the Oregon Zoo. The program is to settle concerns over its Manzana wind farm in Kern County, California. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Biden Administration Sets Social Cost Of Carbon At $51 Per Ton” • The social cost of carbon measures the economic cost of the damage done to people and the Earth by emitting billions of tons of CO₂ every year. The Biden administration set the social cost of carbon at $51 per ton – 7 times higher than the price set by the prior administration. [CleanTechnica]
Have a blissfully blossoming day.
geoharvey 