World:
¶ “Amazon, Walmart And The World’s Biggest Retailers Are Making Port Congestion And Pollution Worse, New Report Finds” • The supply chain is facing major blockages. Container ships are heaping pollution into communities near the congested ports. The biggest offenders are, unsurprisingly, the world’s biggest retailers, a report says. [CNN]
Tanker sitting immobile (Shaah Shahidh, Unsplash)
¶ “Renewables Are Being Installed At Top Speed – But Still Far Too Slow To Fix The Planet, Energy Watchdog Says” • The growth of renewable energy is set to hit an all-time record this year, but is still falling “well short” of what is necessary to reduce planet-warming emissions in the way that is needed, according to the International Energy Agency. [CNN]
¶ “Air Quality: Delhi Records Worst November Air In Years” • Delhi recorded its worst November air in at least six years, according to official data. The city recorded 11 days of “severe” pollution, up from 10 days in November 2016. And the residents of Delhi didn’t experience even one “good” day of air quality in the entire month. [BBC]
Delhi (Mohd Aram, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “13% Of Auto Sales In Europe Were Fully Electric Vehicles In October” • More than 184,000 plugin vehicles were registered in Europe in October, which is up 26% year over year. This is in an overall auto market that is falling off a cliff – down 29%. Last month, 800,000 units were registered overall, the lowest number for October since the ’90s! [CleanTechnica]
¶ “More Battery-Electric Trains Coming To Germany” • Swiss train manufacturer Stadler received an order from three German regional railway operators for 44 electric trains. The two-part vehicles will go into passenger service on eight Southern and Western Palatinate railway lines beginning in December 2025, replacing the diesels, Stadler said. [CleanTechnica]
Battery-electric train (Image courtesy of Stadler)
¶ “Teslas And Other Electric Cars Take Switzerland By Storm” • Europe is going to EVs much faster than the US, and Switzerland is no exception. In October, plug-in vehicles accounted for 14% of the auto market. On my latest trip, I saw dozens of different EV models, including several that aren’t sold in the US, such as the VW ID.3 and the Renault Zoe. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “New Kōwhai Park At Christchurch Airport To Generate Renewable Energy” • Christchurch Airport is committing 400 hectares to create a renewable energy park with a solar farm that will generate enough power for 30,000 New Zealand homes. The solar park will scale up over the next 30 years with the first phase having a 150-MW solar farm. [RNZ]
Concept rendering of Kōwhai Park (Supplied image)
¶ “Amazon Investing In 274 Renewable Energy Projects Globally, Adds Eighteen New Projects In Europe And US” • Amazon has announced eighteen new wind and solar energy projects in the US, Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK, totaling 5.6 GW of capacity in 2021. Amazon is on a path to use 100% renewable energy by 2025. [Financial Post]
¶ “Majority Of World’s Oil And Gas Workers Want To Seek Employment In Renewable Energy Industry” • More than half of workers in the global oil and gas sector say they are interested in employment in the renewable energy industry. It is a promising development as experts say the pace of the worldwide transition to clean power must speed up. [Common Dreams]
Offshore oil rig (Jan-Rune Smenes Reite, Pexels)
US:
¶ “US Offshore Wind: Three Key Opportunities To Advance Equity” • According to NREL, the offshore wind industry has over 35,000 MW in various stages of development, and the Biden administration has set a goal of deploying 30,000 MW of offshore wind by 2030. Here are three critical opportunities for equitable deployment. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Texas Railroad Commission Chair Blames Renewable Energy For Unreliable Electric Grid” • The Texas Railroad Commission passed new weatherization rules for natural gas facilities. The chairman defended the industry against what he called attacks “by the media and the far left,” blaming renewable energy for last winter’s energy failure. Here, he is fact checked. [KXAN]
Brazos wind farm (Leaflet, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Democrats Push Tax Credits To Bolster Clean Energy” • Industry groups and experts see Democrats’ proposed clean energy tax credits as a major boost for alternative energy and tackling climate change. Modeling showed that credits in the Build Back Better package could as much as double the current record rate of renewable deployment. [The Hill]
¶ “Contracts Approved For Transmission Lines To Bring Renewable Power Into New York City” • A New York State agency approved two contracts to deliver solar, wind, and hydropower into New York City via new transmission lines. Now, the New York Public Service Commission is considering approval, subject to a public comment period. [S&P Global]
Lake Champlain (Chris Jones, Unsplash)
¶ “Lucerne Inn Switching To Community Solar Power, Saving Money On Electric Bill” • Most Mainers will see a significant increase in their electricity bills next year primarily due to rising natural gas prices globally. The Lucerne Inn in Dedham is connecting to community solar power to counter those rising electricity prices. [News Center Maine]
¶ “DOE Revives Consent-Based Siting Process for Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposal” • After failed efforts to address federal management of spent nuclear fuel, the DOE issued a request for information that could determine where the agency will temporarily consolidate and store spent fuel from nuclear reactors across the nation. [Power Magazine]
Have a thumpin’ good day.
geoharvey 