Opinion:
¶ “How America Is Tackling Its Greatest Source Of Emissions” • Cars are central to American culture, giving people mobility and the freedom to travel. But since 2017, transportation has been the single largest source of greenhouses gases in the US, largely due to cars. To reach net zero by 2050 the US needs to rethink its relationship with the automobile. [BBC]
Arizona traffic (Randy Lisciarelli, Unsplash)
¶ “Why Australia Refuses To Give Up Coal” • Mining has helped drive Australia’s economy for decades, and coal remains the country’s second-biggest export. Only Indonesia sells more coal than Australia globally. The current government dismantled Australia’s emissions trading scheme in 2014, and it remains supportive for the coal industry. [BBC]
¶ “The Build Back Better Act Is A Bridge To The Future We Need. Senator Manchin, Don’t Blow It Up!” • The reconciliation bill is a long overdue investment in the well-being of the people and the future of the US. But now, thanks to the intransigence of Senator Manchin, a key provision to help reduce emissions is at risk of being removed from the package. [CleanTechnica]
Forest fire (US National Park Service image, public domain)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Energy Storage Ecosystem Offers Lowest-Cost Path To 100% Renewable Power” • As states reach toward 100% renewable operation, energy storage will be key to enabling a more variable power supply. But no single technology will be a perfect fit for all our energy storage needs. A portfolio of storage solutions makes best economic sense. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “EV Revolution Gathers Pace In New South Wales” • New South Wales is the best Australian state to be in, if you want to buy an EV. Legislation was passed there to provide a $3,000 rebate for eligible EV purchases cars under $68,000, waive stamp duty fees (about $2,500), and provide funding for the rollout of a statewide charging network. [CleanTechnica]
Hyundai IONIQ 5 (Courtesy of Hyundai)
¶ “Cheap, Abundant Renewable Energy Powers A Cluster Of Quebec Data Centers” • With vast amounts of cheap, renewable electricity mostly generated from hydro dams, Quebec is seeing more and more tech giants setting up power-hungry data centers in the province. Quebec now has fifty operating. There were only 39 there just two years ago. [Urdupoint.com]
¶ “Solar Farm Output Overloads National Grid, Sparking Calls For Accelerated Transmission” • As Australian homeowners embrace rooftop panels and solar farms pop up, renewable output is outpacing the means of transmission. With a glut of solar energy overwhelming the power grid, there’s been a seismic shift in the electricity network. [ABC News]
Rugby Run solar farm (Supplied by Adani Australia)
¶ “Japan OKs Plan To Double Use Of Renewables For Energy By 2030” • The Cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida approved a new basic energy plan that will double the percentage provided by renewable energy sources in fiscal 2030 in comparison to the level of fiscal 2019. Japan continues its dependence on coal-fired thermal power plants, however. [Asahi Shimbun]
US:
¶ “NTSB Found That The “Driverless” Tesla Crash Wasn’t So Driverless After All” • Remember that so-called “driverless” Tesla crash in Houston that the media went nuts over? Well, now the National Transportation Safety Board has issued an investigative update on it. It found that there actually was a driver in the car at the time of the accident after all. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla Model S (Greg Gjerdingen, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Tesla To Triple Size Of Supercharger Network Within Two Years” • Drew Baglino, Tesla’s vice president for drive systems and energy engineering, indicated during the recent earnings call that Tesla plans to triple the size of its Supercharger network over the next two years. Tesla plans to open its charging network to other makes and models. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Interbrand: Tesla Is The Fastest Growing Brand Of 2021” • Interbrand published its Best Global Brands 2021 list, and named Tesla as the fastest-growing brand of 2021. Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft continue to shine in the top ten of the list, which now includes fast risers Salesforce and Adobe. But Tesla is the winner in terms of improvement. [CleanTechnica]
Interbrand graphic (Courtesy of Interbrand)
¶ “Swell Energy Working On 45-MW Distributed Power Plant Redwood Coast Energy Authority” • Renewable energy provider Swell Energy Inc has contracted with Redwood Coast Energy Authority to develop a Community Grid Program designed to provide 45 MW of additional capacity and resource adequacy to Humboldt County, California. [Solar Builder]
¶ “Ameresco’s 2-GWh Battery Storage For Utility SCE To Help Address California’s Power Reliability Risks” • Clean energy systems provider Ameresco has contracted with California utility Southern California Edison to deliver battery energy storage systems with a total of 537.5 MW of power and 2,150 MWh of energy capacity. [Energy Storage News]
Military facility with solar PVs and storage (Ameresco image)
¶ “FERC Rulings May Change Renewables’ Path In Southeast And California” • The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued two major decisions yesterday that could determine access to renewable energy in large swaths of the US, even as the FERC commissioners fought over whether the country is facing “gas scarcity.” [E&E News]
¶ “Georgia Power’s Vogtle Nuclear Project Hit With New Delays, Challenges” • Georgia Power flagged new delays at its Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion, a prospect that could lead to more cost overruns paid for by millions of Georgians. It’s the fourth such announcement the company has made about the project in the last six months. [The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
Have an especially perfect day.
geoharvey 