Science and Technology:
¶ “Melting Ice In Antarctica Could Trigger Chain Reactions, Bringing Monsoon Rains To The Ice Cap, Study Says” • A study published in Nature Geoscience said that as Earth warms, the land beneath the Antarctic ice sheet will become more exposed. As a result, wind patterns will shift and rainfall will increase over Antarctica, speeding ice loss. [CNN]
Aurora and ice (Nicolas J Leclercq, Unsplash)
¶ “Mahle Develops Magnet-Free Motor For Electric Vehicles” • Tier One automotive supplier Mahle has developed an electric motor for EVs that uses no permanent magnets. It is not the first to do so, but it is the first to create such a motor that is scalable to fit the needs of many sizes of vehicles, from subcompact cars to medium duty trucks. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “One Floating Wind Turbine Good, Two Floating Wind Turbines Better” • Here in the US, the offshore wind pipeline is already humming along the Atlantic coast, but the waters of the Pacific coast are too deep for regular old offshore wind turbines. Floating is the way to go, and a firm called Hexicon has a rather unusual way to keep costs down. [CleanTechnica]
Two wind turbines on one platform (image courtesy of Hexicon)
¶ “Lithium Hydroxide Extraction: A Feasibility Study From Vulcan Energy” • At CleanTechnica, we introduce new and often groundbreaking technologies that can move our world toward zero emissions. So we were intrigued by a chance to review a pre-feasibility study of a lithium hydroxide extraction process from Vulcan Energy Zero Carbon. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Cyclonic Storm Tauktae Batters Western India Ahead Of Landfall” • Fueled by the heat in waters warmed by climage change, Tropical Cyclone Tauktae is expected to be the worst storm to hit western India in more than two decades. Sadly, it is hitting just as the region struggles with a devastating wave of the novel coronavirus. [CleanTechnica]
Tauktae (NOAA image)
¶ “Ban all gas boilers from 2025 to reach net-zero” • No new fossil fuel boilers should be sold from 2025 if the world is to achieve net-zero emissions by mid century, the International Energy Agency says. It’s one of 400 steps to net-zero proposed by the agency in a special report. It said there is no place for new coal, oil, or gas exploration, or supplies. [BBC]
¶ “Iberdrola, 50Hertz Sign Baltic Eagle Platform Pact” • Iberdrola and Baltic Sea TSO 50Hertz have signed an agreement to build, install and commission the offshore substation former’s Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm. The substation is to be made up of a foundation and a topside housing the transformers as well as electrical equipment. [reNEWS]
Substation (Iberdrola image)
¶ “Ørsted Breaks Ground On First Green Hydrogen Plant” • Ørsted broke ground on its first renewable hydrogen project, in Copenhagen. The H2RES development will have a capacity of 2 MW. It will research how best to combine an efficient electrolyser with the fluctuating power supply from offshore wind, using two of Ørsted’s 3.6-MW turbines. [reNEWS]
¶ “Spain Bans New Oil And Gas Exploration As It Supercharges Renewables” • Spain has joined the growing number of European countries banning new oil and gas exploration with far-ranging legislation. It is also prohibiting the sale of fossil-fuel vehicles by 2040 and making it illegal to produce fossil fuels in the country from the start of 2043. [Upstream Online]
Madrid (Jorge Fernández Salas, Unsplash)
¶ “France’s Areva To Pay €600 Million More For Finnish Reactor” • A nuclear reactor under construction in Finland will cost a consortium led by French firm Areva another €600 million to complete, Finnish energy company TVO said. Sited in southeast Finland, the EPR plant has been under construction for almost 16 years. [Macau Business]
¶ “GE Finalizes Dogger Bank C Turbine Contracts” • Dogger Bank Wind Farm and GE Renewable Energy finalized contracts for the supply of turbines and a five-year service and warranty agreement for the 1200-MW Dogger Bank C. The contract covers a total of 87 of GE’s 14-MW Haliade-X turbines for the third and final phase of the wind farm. [reNEWS]
GE Haliade-X turbine (GE image)
US:
¶ “Refinery That Rained Oil Is Shut Down By EPA In St Croix” • Less than 48 hours after an EPA employee sent to the Virgin Islands to investigate the Limetree oil refinery told colleagues “there is oil on my windshield,” the agency took the remarkable action to shut down the entire refinery, citing an “imminent” threat to human health. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Impossible Foods To Reach New Generation Through US School Nutrition Programs” • The plant-based meat company Impossible Foods has taken another big step on the path to mass adoption of its products. It secured Child Nutrition Labels for its Impossible Burger. They can now be served in US schools as part of school nutrition programs. [CleanTechnica]
Impossible burgers (Impossible Foods image)
¶ “New York’s Community Solar Program” • New York enabled virtual net metering in 2011 for solar, wind, and farm-based biogas systems. This allowed informal community solar systems, with such systems formally allowed in 2015. More recent changes mean the systems now can include storage. The community solar program now has 449 MW online. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Green Hydrogen Venture Aims For $1.50/kg For LA By 2030” • The Green Hydrogen Coalition, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and other partners launched HyDeal LA, an initiative to achieve at-scale green hydrogen procurement at $1.50/kg in the Los Angeles Basin by 2030. It is to be available for fuel and energy storage. [pv magazine USA]
Have a superbly advantageous day.
geoharvey 
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