Opinion:
¶ “Insurmountable Green Hydrogen Barriers In Australia Or Just Minor Obstacles?” • Australia is known to be a dry continent. So a study decrying the huge amount of clean water that is needed to produce green hydrogen is going to get more than a few readers. I see it as another part of the fight to keep fossil fuel fracked gas in the energy mix. [CleanTechnica]
Australia’s Painted Desert (Thomas Kupper, Unsplash)
¶ “How To Teach Climate Science” • The big glitch in California’s new science education standards, which focus heavily on climate change, is that few schoolteachers have the background to give lessons on the subject, says Kelley Le, director of the UCI Science Project. Le organized climate change boot camps for educators to address the problem. [Phys.org]
Science and Technology:
¶ “This New 64-Foot Hydrogen-Powered Catamaran Uses Renewable Energy To Supply Unlimited Range” • Fraser Yachts has just unveiled a new catamaran powered by hydrogen. Aquon One combines innovative green technologies for sustainable cruising without noise and emissions but with modern comforts. It is set for delivery in 2023. [Robb Report]
Aquon One (Fraser Yachts image)
¶ “Passive Solar Energy Could Provide A Third Of Home Heating Needs” • Space heating is one of the largest contributors to climate change produced by industrialized nations, creating an urgent need for carbon-free heating. Recent advances suggest that passive solar energy as a heat source can and should be part of a sustainable solution. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Indonesia’s Biodiesel Drive Is Leading To Deforestation” • Indonesia pledged at the recent COP26 climate summit that its greenhouse gas emissions would peak by 2030. It also said that it will end deforestation by that date. But it is relying on using more biofuels for transportation, and that may mean loss of forested land. [BBC]
Rain forest (Atharva Tulsi, Unsplash)
¶ “Increasing Support For EV Uptake In New South Wales” • The New South Wales Liberal Government, unlike Australia’s Federal Liberal Government, is actively seeking hosts for EV chargers in tourist spots. Add this to the recently introduced subsidies and rebates and you get a recipe for massive and rapid expansion of the EV fleet in the state. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “IRENA Signs Decarbonisation Agreement With Costa Rica” • The Government of Costa Rica and the International Renewable Energy Agency signed an agreement to work together to boost renewable energy project financing and strengthen the country’s decarbonization plans. Costa Rica already has one of the cleanest power generation mixes in the world. [Energy Global]
Costa Rican red-eyed tree frog (Zdeněk Macháček, Unsplash)
¶ “Financing For Turkey’s Renewable Industry To Reach $2.5 Billion By End-2021” • Funding for Turkey’s renewable energy sector is estimated to be $2.5 billion this year, with more than half channeled to solar projects, according to a banking official. Turkey’s installed renewable capacity reached 52.5 GW at the end of October of this year. [Daily Sabah]
¶ “Power Prices Soar On French Nuclear Questions, Gas Worries” • European power prices hit highs as traders worry about French and German nuclear power and gas from Russia. Germany’s ongoing nuclear exit program takes 4.2 GW of capacity outline by Dec. 31. Traders are also concerned about low gas supplies from Russia this winter. [Nasdaq]
Nuclear power plant in France (Stefan Kühn, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
US:
¶ “Finally Some Relief: Gasoline And Natural Gas Prices Are Falling” • After a relentless rise, prices at the pump are heading south. The national average price for a gallon of regular as fell to a seven-week low of $3.35 a gallon on Tuesday, according to AAA. The outlook for home heating costs this winter is also improving significantly. [CNN]
¶ “EPA Proposes Changes To Its Biofuels Program, Notching A Win For The Industry And Farmers” • The EPA has announced proposed changes to its biofuels program to spur more biofuel use and crack down on waivers issued to refineries by the Trump administration, notching a win for the biofuels industry and farmers and a blow to oil refineries. [CNN]
Streetcar running on biodiesel (brandonink2001, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Investigating Coal Ash Sites Near You” • Coal ash is one of the most important types of industrial waste in the US. Hundreds of coal ash ponds, filled with various solids from burning coal, dot the country, as shown by data federal regulations require pond operators to publish. The data was compiled by Earthjustice, an environmental nonprofit. [CNN]
¶ “Jersey City Receives Its Five BYD Battery-Electric Refuse Trucks” • Jersey City is taking delivery of its five battery-electric refuse trucks. BYD said they are the first battery-electric refuse trucks deployed in New Jersey and this is the largest deployment of them in the US to date. Delivery is expected to be completed by the end of this year. [CleanTechnica]
Refuse truck (Courtesy of BYD)
¶ “US Coal Stockpiles Hit Lowest Level Since 1978” • Stockpiles of coal at US electric power plants totaled 80 million tons at the end of September, the lowest monthly level since 1978. As coal plants retired and the remaining plants were used less, total coal stockpiles declined. Inventories also fell because of increased generating over the summer. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Canadian Developer Toasts 185-MW Illinois Onshore” • Canadian company Cordelio Power has started commercial operations at the 185-MW Glacier Sands wind farm in Illinois. The project in Mason County is comprised of 43 Vestas V150-4.3 turbines. It will sell 100% of the electricity it generates through a 15-year contract to Microsoft. [reNews]
Have a conveniently uncomplicated day.
geoharvey 