Opinion:
¶ “How Biden’s Zero-Carbon Revolution Would Broaden The Energy Map” • President Joe Biden’s push for a green power revolution could expand the economic benefits of producing energy more broadly across America. One provision would require every state to generate all of its electricity without carbon emissions by 2035. [CNN]
Wind turbines (Christian V, Unsplash)
¶ “US Targets 30,000 MW Of Offshore Wind, And How We Get There” • The Biden administration set a goal of 30,000 MW of US offshore wind by 2030, and that’s got me thinking about the pieces that need to come together to make that possible. The good news is that there’s positive movement with a whole lot of those pieces. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “The Final Chapter In The Volkswagen Diesel Cheating Saga Is Being Written” • The Volkswagen cheating scandal has cost the company more than €31 billion, with $10 billion going to fund clean air initiatives in the US. Electrify America, the EV charging network, was created as part of that settlement. Now, there are lawsuits aimed at the real culprits. [CleanTechnica]
Volkswagen ID Buzz (Image courtesy of Volkswagen)
Science and Technology:
¶ “The First Fusion Power Plant To Generate Net Electricity” • Could the future of nuclear fusion be a much smaller tokamak reactor? Researchers at the General Atomics DIII-D National Fusion Facility, the largest US nuclear fusion research facility, think so. But it is still years away; fusion reactors have generally been years away for decades. [Popular Mechanics]
¶ “Tropical Cyclones Are Growing Stronger, And Climate Change Is Probably To Blame” • A new study published ahead of the next global climate summit has found a definite increase in tropical cyclone intensity over the past four decades. According to the researchers, the most likely culprit for this intensification is climate change. [Yahoo News Canada]
Hurricane Laura (GOES-16 GeoColor satellite, NOAA)
World:
¶ “World Adds Record New Renewable Energy Capacity In 2020: IRENA” • In an annual report, International Renewable Energy Agency says the world added more than 260 GW of renewable energy capacity last year, exceeding expansion in 2019 by close to 50%. More than 80% of all new electricity capacity added last year was renewable. [Saur Energy]
¶ “Infinite Mobility And Its Solar Electric Vehicle Are Partnering With TukTuk Life For Record-Breaking Trip” • Tuk Tuk Life, with support of the Norwegian electric vehicle company Infinite Mobility, will attempt to break several world records by driving a solar electric tuk tuk (also known as an auto rickshaw or tricycle) around the world. [CleanTechnica]
Solar electric tuk tuk (Infinite Mobility image)
¶ “Nigeria Powering Its Schools Through Renewable Energy Resources” • The Nigerian federal government plans to ramp up deployment of renewable energy to power critical infrastructure including schools, hospitals, and homes. It has become obvious that renewable energy is critical for accelerating energy access, the Minister of State for Power said. [ESI Africa]
¶ “Statkraft Wraps Up Second Irish Battery Project” • Statkraft completed construction of its second large-scale battery project in Ireland, a 26-MW plant in County Kerry. Similar to Statkraft’s 11-MW Kilathmoy project which began operation in April 2020, Kelwin-2 is also a hybrid site where the battery shares a grid connection with a wind farm. [reNEWS]
Kelwin-2 battery site (Statkraft image)
¶ “‘We Are Sitting On A Goldmine Of Renewable Energy’: SFU Policy Expert” • A political science professor at Simon Fraser University, believes geothermal energy is being overlooked in British Columbia and even Alberta. He argues in a working paper that the geothermal industry is still in its infancy and will need significant support. [ConstructConnect]
US:
¶ “Records Reveal Entergy’s Role In Stalling MISO Transmission Planning” • Entergy coordinated with Mississippi Public Service Commission staff and consultants to stall regional transmission projects, potentially blocking its customers’ access to lower-cost wind energy and increasing their risk of power outages like the one that hit Texas. [Energy and Policy Institute]
MISO service area (From misoenergy.org)
¶ “Connecticut’s Transportation Committee Passes SB 217” • SB 127, if passed, will allow Tesla and other automakers to bypass the outdated dealer franchise system and sell directly to consumers, bringing EV makers to Connecticut. The latest update is that it has advanced out of committee and is now being debated by members of the Senate. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Stevens To Become More Sustainable” • Starting in October, Stevens Institute of Technology will source 100% of its electricity from a local renewable energy source formalizing a three-year agreement with ENGIE North America, facilitated by energy consultant Gotham 360. This is locally produced power, not renewable energy credits. [Hudson Reporter]
Stevens campus (Jeffrey Vock Photography, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “A Group Of Lithium Companies Complete The Recycling Loop” • Anti-EV and cleantech skeptics are always asking what will be done with used batteries, implying that they can’t be recycled. A group of companies in Nevada just made some big investments that prove the skeptics wrong. They are building up battery recycling technology. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “J-POWER USA Converting Retired Coal Facility Into New Solar And Storage Facilities” • J-POWER USA Development and affiliates of Fortress Investment Group agreed to develop a 50-MW solar plant and 190 MW of energy storage on the site of the 25-year-old coal-burning Birchwood Power plant in King George County, Virginia. [Environment + Energy Leader]
Have a gorgeously comfy day.
geoharvey 