Opinion:
¶ “Electric Vehicle Batteries Aren’t Really ‘The New Oil'” • For years now, anti-EV campaigners have been claiming that lithium is “the new oil,” implying that, as lithium becomes a valuable commodity, the global economy will become hooked on it just as it currently is on oil, with similarly baleful effects. This is a flawed analogy for several reasons. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla battery pack (Tesla image)
¶ “The World Is Addicted To Natural Gas. Fossil Fuel Companies Are Lobbying Hard To Keep It That Way” • As governments around the world devise new energy strategies to rapidly remove the carbon from their economies, major fossil fuel companies are lobbying hard to keep “blue” hydrogen, made from natural gas with carbon capture, in the mix. [CNN]
¶ “Peak Oil & Coal Demand Means Peak Shipping Demand Too” • A look at the shipping industry produces many questions. For example, how much shipping is bound up in fossil fuels and commodities which are going to diminish in the future? I have a heterodox projection of shipping, including that it is likely to decline in time. [CleanTechnica]
Shipping (Andy Li, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “Gotion Signs 200 GWh LFP Battery Deal With Major Publicly Traded US Automaker” • Gotion High-Tech, based in Shenzhen, announced it has signed a supply and localization agreement with a major US auto company to supply it with 200 GWh of lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO₄ or LFP) batteries between 2023 and 2028. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Enel builds solar apiary at La Loma” • Enel Green Power has completed construction of an apiary as part of a 187-MW (DC) solar project it is constructing in Columbia. Enel is aiming to promote the coexistence of bees, community, and clean energy in the same space, contributing to sustainable development. So far, 15 hives have been built. [reNews]
Solar array (Enel Green Power image)
¶ “Auctions Could Bring €1 Billion In Green Energy Investments For Croatia” • Upcoming auctions for premiums for renewable energy power plants in Croatia could secure more than €1 billion investments next year. About 200 projects totaling 13,000 MW are currently in the pipeline, with investments that are estimated at €10 billion. [Balkan Green Energy News]
¶ “World’s Biggest Offshore Wind Farm Starts Producing Power” • The Hornsea 2 wind power plant, located off the UK’s east coast, has started delivering electricity to the mainland. When it is fully operational, the facility will have a capacity of 1.3 GW. Together with Hornsea 1, currently the world’s biggest offshore wind farm, the figure will be 2.5 GW. [Balkan Green Energy News]
Wind turbine construction (Ørsted image)
¶ “Belgium To Close All Current Nuclear Reactors By 2025” • Belgium will shut down all seven of its nuclear reactors by 2025 but will not exclude new-generation nuclear technology, under a deal reached by the coalition government. A government source said agreements included “investments of around €100 million on small modular reactors.” [France 24]
¶ “European Energy Connects Danish PV To Grid” • European Energy has grid-connected a solar farm in northern Denmark. The 21.6-MW plant is at the tip of Northern Jutland, near the town of Aalbaek in Frederikshavn Municipality. The solar park has replaced crops that would have ultimately end up in biomass furnaces as so-called sustainable biomass. [reNews]
Solar array (European Energy image)
US:
¶ “2021–2022 Tesla Model Y Earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Award After Dropping Radar” • The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the 2021–22 Tesla Model Y its top award, Top Safety Pick+, because it meets all the criteria for designation with the “plus.” The switch to visual from radar for crash prevention was credited as a safety improvement. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “NREL Wind Energy Program Demonstrates Innovation And Leadership Throughout 2021” • From advancing wind energy science, technologies, and materials to demonstrating thought leadership, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Wind Energy Program played a powerful role in maximizing the impact of wind energy during 2021. [CleanTechnica]
Renewable energy (Dennis Schroeder, NREL)
¶ “An Urban Tribe In Arizona Takes First Steps To Electric Transit” • The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community is next to Scottsdale, Mesa, and Tempe, Arizona. The community hired Zero Emission Vehicles, Inc to work out everything that needs to happen to make their bus system go from diesel and gas-powered to full electric. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Innergex To Co-Develop 30-MW Hawaii Solar” • Innergex, a Canadian firm, teamed up with Paniolo Power, a Parker Ranch subsidiary, to develop a 30-MW solar project on the island of Hawaii. Hale Kuawehi solar project has a 25-year power purchase agreement with Hawaiian Electric for electricity at 8¢/kWh, one of the lowest rates on the island. [reNews]
Solar array (Jose G Ortega Castro, Unsplash)
¶ “Connecticut Has ‘Many Offshore Assets In Place’” • A study of opportunities for offshore wind in Connecticut concluded that many of the assets required by the industry are already in place, but that other elements should be added quickly. The Ørsted-Eversource joint venture developing the state’s first offshore wind farm commissioned the study. [reNews]
¶ “NRC Proposes $150,000 Penalty For Holtec After Oyster Creek Inspection” • The NRC has proposed a $150,000 civil penalty for a unit of Holtec International that’s decommissioning the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant. The NRC said it is citing Holtec for apparent security-related violations at the complex in Ocean County, New Jersey. [The Daily Journal]
Have a categorically congenial day.
geoharvey 
Leave a Reply