Opinion:
¶ “Strong Winds Off The Coast Could Power A Clean Energy Economy In North Carolina” • To learn the direction of energy production in North Carolina, look to a weather vane. Last year, Duke Energy and Dominion Energy of Virginia called off the 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Now the weather vane points toward the wind. [Raleigh News & Observer]
Offshore wind turbines (Ragnar1904, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “How Long Does It Take To Charge An Electric Car? A Few Seconds” • This is nothing new to millions of electric car owners, but it’s something that should be shared, emphasized, and repeated every day for the many, many, many more people who don’t have an electric car. Charging the car at home takes up almost none of your time. [CleanTechnica]
Science and Technology:
¶ “New Diamond Battery Will Last 28,000 Years, Powered By Nuclear Waste” • A US-based startup uses radioactive isotopes from nuclear waste with ultra-slim layers of nanodiamonds to make a battery that will last up to 28,000 years. The Nano Diamond Battery hopes to start selling the batteries within the next two years. [Indiatimes.com]
NDB Battery
World:
¶ “France Pushes To Make Nuclear Power Mainstream In Europe” • Together with Eastern European leaders, French President Emmanuel Macron co-signed a letter calling on the European Commission to include nuclear energy in its Green taxonomy. The European taxonomy establishes an extensive list of “sustainable” activities. [Oil Price]
¶ “Plot to Manipulate Weather/Climate Backed by Bill Gates Scrubbed” • A plan to manipulate the weather/climate in an ambitious experiment went public last month. Now it appears plan has been scrubbed, after getting push-back from people around the world and in Sweden, where the initial experiment was to unfold. [Weatherboy]
Balloon to carry test equipment aloft (Harvard image)
India:
¶ “India’s biggest solar power plant coming up in Telangana in May” • India’s biggest floating solar power plant, which belongs to the National Thermal Power Corporation, is expected to become operational in Telangana next month. The 100-MW project has been set up in the reservoir of an NTPC thermal power plant. [Moneycontrol]
¶ “India Pushes Back Deadline For Coal-Fired Utilities To Adopt New Emission Norms” • India has pushed back deadlines for coal-fired power plants to adopt new emission norms by up to three years, and allowed utilities that miss the new target to continue operating after paying a penalty, according to a government notice. [The Daily Star]
Coal mine in India (Via Flickr, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “India Can Boost Clean Energy While Doubling Its Power Supply by 2030” • India has set ambitious targets for renewable power. But a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences from researchers at Berkeley Lab, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Berkeley shows India can aim even higher with its renewable energy goals. [SciTechDaily]
US:
¶ “How To Electrify Entire US Federal Vehicle Fleet” • NREL’s Federal Fleet Project helps agencies plan their vehicle buying with data-driven decision-making. The decision making process entails categorizing vehicles by application, comparing how the vehicle is used in the real world, and identifying which vehicles would optimally go electric first. [CleanTechnica]
Solar charging system (Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL)
¶ “Ford Mustang Mach-E Scored 6,614 US Sales In Opening Quarter” • The Ford Mustang Mach-E arrived with a bang, in terms of PR and consumer enthusiasm. We now have sales data from Ford on the Mustang Mach-E’s delivery total for the first quarter of 2021. The number isn’t high, but the Tesla Model 3 started with a low number, too. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Chevy Bolt Sales Jump 53.7%” • The Chevy Bolt is not the most exciting or flamboyant electric car on the market. It’s not a Tesla or the Ford Mustang Mach-E. But it is the electric vehicle I see most often on the roads around me, aside from all of Tesla’s models. It’s exciting and uplifting to see them, even if the car itself never thrills me. [CleanTechnica]
Chevy Bolt (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Audi E-Tron Scores New Quarterly Sales Record In USA” • The Audi e-tron just scored a new quarterly sales record in the United States. But before you get too excited about the news, recognize that the US market is nothing like the European market for the electric SUV from Germany. This new quarterly record comes to 3,474 units. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Coal Company Agrees To Fix Environmental Violations, Resume Operations In Perry County” • Perry County Resources, a Kentucky coal company, agreed to pay fines of over $200,000 and fix environmental violations. It had failed to reclaim land as required and allowed polluted water to drain from mines, so its mines were not allowed to operate. [WKYT]
Have a fabulously lovely day.
geoharvey 