World:
¶ “EU Unveils Ambitious Climate Package As It Cools On Fossil Fuels” • Last month, the EU enshrined in law its target to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels, but now it has unveiled an aggressive 10-step program, titled “Fit for 55.” It is a roadmap for how the EU will achieve the reduction, and it looks to be fundamentally transformative. [CNN]
Wind turbines (RawFilm, Unsplash)
¶ “Korean Palm Oil Giant Stripped Of Sustainability Status” • The BBC had earlier found evidence that a Korean palm oil giant had been buying up tracts in Asia’s largest remaining rainforests in the Indonesian province of Papua. Now, the Korindo group has been rejected from the world’s leading green certification body in the wake of that investigation. [BBC]
¶ “GE To Expand Canadian Blade Factory” • GE Renewable Energy is partnering with the governments of Canada and Quebec for the expansion of its wind turbine blade facility in Gaspe, Canada. The parties announced their plans to jointly invest in the expansion of the facility at an event attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. [reNEWS]
Blade manufacturing (GE Renewable Energy image)
¶ “SK Innovation Wants To Rebrand From Carbon To Green” • SK Innovation, Korea’s first oil refining company and now its top oil refinery and chemical company, has a plan to change its corporate identity “from carbon to green.” The company made the announcement at its SK Innovation Story Day, which was held in Seoul, South Korea. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Singapore Inaugurates One Of The World’s Largest Floating Solar Farms” • Singapore inaugurated one of the world’s largest inland floating solar PV systems, developed by Sembcorp. The PV array has 122,000 solar panels on more than 110 acres. It has a capacity of 60 MW, and it is providing all power for the city’s waterworks system. [The Maritime Executive]
Sembcorp solar farm in Singapore (Sembcorp image)
¶ “Coal-Based Power Generation Rising As Renewables Fail To Keep Pace With Demand Growth: IEA” • The world is witnessing a sharp rise in the use of coal-based power as renewables are not expanding quickly enough to satisfy a strong rebound in global electricity demand this year, according to the International Energy Agency. [Energy News]
US:
¶ “Oregon And Washington Enter Top Preparedness Level As The Largest US Wildfire Scorches The Region” • Washington state and Oregon have moved into the highest level of wildfire preparedness as the largest wilfire in the US burns hundreds of thousands of acres. Now, the Oregon National Guard is fighting the Bootleg Fire, which was 5% contained. [CNN]
Wildfire (Malachi Brooks, Unsplash)
¶ “Joe Manchin Says He Finds Reconciliation Proposals On Climate Change ‘Very, Very’ Disturbing” • Senator Joe Manchin, the Democrats’ most pivotal swing vote, expressed his most serious concerns yet about one key element in their party’s $3.5 trillion economic plan: Progressive provisions dealing with climate change. [CNN]
¶ “In 2020, US Coal Production Fell To Its Lowest Level Since 1965” • US coal production was 535 million short tons in 2020, down 24% from the amount mined in 2019 and the lowest level of coal production in the US in any year since 1965. Both exports and domestic coal use declined as coal has continued to lose its ability to compete. [CleanTechnica]
Coal Production (US Energy Information Administration)
¶ “California Budget Approves Historic Clean Transportation Investments” • California’s budget includes unprecedented levels of investment in clean transportation. The funding will provide significant support for zero-emission vehicle and infrastructure programs, unlocking billions in public health, climate, and jobs benefits for all Californians. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Meet eWolf, The Little Zero-Emission, Diesel-Killing Tugboat Taking On Big Oil” • Leading US maritime firm Crowley has just announced it will build a tugboat named eWolf, which will be the first all-electric, zero-emission tugboat to ply the waters of the US. It is just one of three new diesel-reducing moves introduced by Crowley this year. [CleanTechnica]
Electric tugboat (Image courtesy of Crowley)
¶ “SCE Launches Program For 38,000 EV Charging Stations In Southern California” • Organizations in Southern California can now sign up to join Southern California Edison’s Charge Ready program. It is the largest electric passenger vehicle charging infrastructure program in the nation run by an investor-owned electric utility company. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Energy Department Seeks To Cut Cost Of Energy Storage, Boost Renewables” • The DOE is trying to decrease the cost of energy storage by 90% within a decade in an attempt to boost clean energy use. “We’re going to bring hundreds of gigawatts of clean energy onto the grid over the next few years,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said. [The Hill]
DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm (TechCrunch, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Less Coal, Lower Bills: Evergy Customers Make Demands Following Utility’s ‘Sustainability’ Plan” • Evergy’s plan to spend over $8.9 billion updating its infrastructure is too expensive and doesn’t focus enough on moving the electric utility away from coal power, says the consensus of hundreds of members of the public who commented. [Kansas Reflector]
¶ “NW Energy’s Proposed Gas-Fired Plant Disappoints Montana Cities Seeking All-Green Power” • Three Montana cities had an understanding that NorthWestern Energy would help their citizens go to 100% net renewable electricity by the end of this decade. But the utility is proposing to build a 175-MW gas-fired power plant. [Missoula Current]
Have an entirely agreeable day.
geoharvey 