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Opinion: 

¶ “Can Nuclear Fusion Power The Race To Net Zero?” • The IPCC’s landmark report in 2018 concluded that the world needs to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to have a good chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Estimates for when fusion might come into use range from 2030 to 2050, and beyond. That’s not soon enough. [Energy Monitor]

Tokamak reactor during maintenance (Rswilcox, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Are Auto-Dealership Protection Laws Holding Back Electric Vehicle Adoption?” • Bloomberg’s Liam Denning and The Atlantic’s, Robinson Meyer both argue that antiquated dealer-protecting state laws are delaying the transition to EVs by distorting the US auto market. They point out that EV sales are higher in the states that don’t restrict direct sales. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Nuclear Disaster In Japan Did Something Strange To Trees” • Trees outside Fukushima Daiichi are definitely acting weird, according to a study published recently in the journal Plants. Conifers in the area near the nuclear plant are showing unusual growth patterns, with the degree of irregularity in proportion to the distance from the plant. [Futurism]

Japanese Red Pine (David J. Stang, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

World:

¶ “Electric Car Market Grows To 29% In Europe As EV Sales Explode!” • While the overall car market continues falling off a cliff, at -22% YOY in December, Europe’s passenger plugin car market had a near-record month, with 280,200 registrations. The record was 281,000 registrations in December 2020, which was inflated by the CO₂ mandate rush. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tesla #1 In World EV Sales In 2021” • After a walk in the park in 2019 and 2020, Tesla had another comfortable win of its 4th consecutive Best Seller title in 2021. However, with its market share eroding (12% in 2018, 17% in 2019, 16% in 2020, and 14% in 2021), a competitor might challenge Tesla in 2022, and that would most likely be BYD. [CleanTechnica]

BYD S7 (Mohammad Fathollahi, Unsplash)

¶ “Bloomberg Predicts Massive Fall In Green Hydrogen Prices” • Although “blue” hydrogen, made from natural gas backed up by carbon capture and storage (a technology which struggles to be economically viable), is cheaper today than “green” hydrogen, made from water using renewable energy, according to a report by BloombergNEF. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Plugin Vehicles At Record 13.3% In Italy In December, But Car Market In Crisis” • In Italy, overall monthly registrations crashed near 27%, from almost 122,000 units in December 2020 to less than 89,000. Combustion engines continued their steep decline with a whopping 42% loss. With an end to incentives, EV sales fell too, though comparatively slightly. [CleanTechnica]

Fiat 500e (Robin Ooode, Unsplash)

¶ “Philippines DOE Opens Tender For 2 GW Of Renewable Capacity” • According to the Philippines Department of Energy’s notice of auction, the country is seeking to install new capacity on the islands of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The targets for the three regions are for 1,400 MW, 400 MW, and 200 MW, respectively. [Renewables Now]

¶ “Massive Blades For Australia’s Biggest Wind Turbines Arrive In Queensland” • The first shipment of massive wind turbine blades for Neoen’s 157-MW Kaban wind farm in north Queensland arrived at the Port of Cairns late last week, and it was a sight to behold. An image was captured and shared by state energy minister Mick de Brenni. [Renew Economy]

Wind turbine blade shipment (Mick de Brenni via LinkedIn)

¶ “NextEnergy Completes $900 Million Solar Funding Drive” • Solar company NextEnergy Capital has raised $896 million with the close of its NextPower III ESG fund. NPIII ESG will focus on the international solar infrastructure sector, principally targeting projects in selected OECD countries, including the US, Portugal, Spain, Chile, and Poland. [reNews]

¶ “Jan De Nul Launches New Jack-Up Voltaire” • Jan De Nul has launched its next-generation jack-up Voltaire. The milestone was reached at the COSCO Shipping Shipyard in Nantong, China. This vessel will be the second and largest jack-up vessel in Jan De Nul’s fleet. The main crane with a capacity of over 3000 tonnes will enable her to build wind turbines at sea. [reNews]

Voltaire (Jan De Nul image)

¶ “Solar Expansion At WA Mine To Deliver 100% Renewables In Daylight Hours” • Perth-based Zenith Energy announced it will install more solar PV and battery storage capacity at IGO’s Nova nickel-copper-cobalt facility in West Australia’s Goldfield region. It will allow the mine to be powered by on-site renewables for up to nine hours at a time. [pv magazine Australia]

US:

¶ “The Average Cost Of Building A Tesla Revealed In Year-End Earnings Report” • Tesla makes a habit of defying conventional wisdom, which, in the auto manufacturing business, says you can’t make money building electric cars. It turns out that Tesla is one of the most profitable car companies in the world. So much for conventional wisdom. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla (Mr Borys, Pexels)

¶ “Startup Eyes Major ‘Infrastructure Play’ With Renewable Energy-Powered Cell Towers” • Aradatum Inc, a Brighton, Michigan, startup led by Larry Leete, who also has had roles at such companies as Steelcase Inc and General Electric, is nearing a pilot phase to deploy self-powered telecommunication towers across the country. [MiBiz]

¶ “Department Of Energy Launches Plan To Jumpstart Interstate Power Transmission” • California could one day meet its energy needs with solar power from Arizona’s deserts or hydropower from the Pacific Northwest under a $20 billion federal project to improve long-distance power transmission that was launched this month. [The San Diego Union-Tribune]

Have a comfortably cozy day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Renewable Energy Is Leading The Way In The ‘New Utilities’” • The utilities sector has been undergoing transitions as energy demands and resources change. For those in the sector who thought that 2021 was rocky, there are signs that 2022 will be even more disruptive. Ty Roberts, VP of Networked Solutions, explained to Digital Journal. [Digital Journal]

Wind turbines (Laura Ockel, Unsplash)

¶ “China’s Offshore Wind Leap Shows Renewable Energy Failures” • Coal-dependent China’s recent overtake of the UK for the world’s largest offshore wind capacity, with nearly half global supply, is an impressive feat drawing deserved praise, but it also demonstrates how underutilized that renewable energy source really is. [Sustainability Magazine]

¶ “Natural Landmarks Already Damaged Or Destroyed By Climate Change” • Most people who never travel to exotic places will nonetheless recognize images of Mount Kilimanjaro with its legendary snows, or the Great Barrier Reef and its rich marine life. But these and many other iconic natural wonders are losing their struggle with climate change. [24/7 Wall St]

Kilimanjaro with nearly no snow (Stephan Bechert, Unsplash)

¶ “West Virginia Legislature Could Make A Big Mistake On Nuclear Energy Monday” • With the West Virginia legislature voting on bills to deregulate and fast-track new nuclear energy power plants in the State this week, ratepayers and taxpayers would be well advised to consider the recent case of “Plant Vogtle.” [Huntington News]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Plant-Based Epoxy Enables Recyclable Carbon Fiber And Improves Economics For Mass Market Electric Vehicles” • NREL researchers showed that making carbon fiber composites with bio-based epoxies and an anhydride hardener makes them fully recyclable by introducing linkages that are more easily degraded. Composites can approach being “green.” [CleanTechnica]

NREL researcher (Dennis Schroeder, NREL)

World:

¶ “Bentley To Produce Its First EV In The UK” • Bentley has committed £2.5 billion to sustainability investments over the next 10 years and secured a UK production site for its first battery EV, which is slated to roll off of the production line sometime in 2025. The company will be exclusively electric and end-to-end carbon neutral by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “What An Astronaut Could See From Space That Changed Him For Good” • European Space Agency said the effects of climate change on Earth were increasingly visible from space and showed a marked difference since his last visit to the space station in 2016: retreating glaciers, pollution, and extreme weather events. [CNN]

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet (ESA/NASA image)

¶ “Western Australia – Out With The Poles, In With The Solar Panels” • Western Australia is a vast state. Power companies are seeing a high cost difference between maintaining poles and wires and installing hybrid power systems at the ends of the long power lines. When bushfires burn all the poles, it is very easy to decide which way to go. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Northern Territory EV Transition” • Australia’s Northern Territory has long been associated with the biennial World Solar Car Challenge. A recent survey showed 78% of Territorians would consider purchasing an EV if they were on price parity with petrol or diesel cars. The government of the territory is working on making that happen. [CleanTechnica]

Solar racer (Image courtesy of Northern Territory Government)

¶ “European Companies Willing To Provide Iran With Solar Panel Production Lines” • The head of the Energy Committee of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture has said European companies, especially those in Germany, are currently willing to provide Iran with solar panel production lines, IRNA reported. [Tehran Times]

US:

¶ “Millions Remain Under Blizzard Warnings As Nor’easter Pummels The Northeast” • Much of the East Coast was covered with a thick blanket of snow Saturday night, with several areas reporting record snowfall totals, and officials across the region urged residents to stay put as the fierce nor’easter made its way through the country’s northeastern tip. [CNN]

Snow in Lexington, MA (HurricaneCovid, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “LA City Council Votes Unanimously To End Urban Oil Drilling” • After several years of intense organizing by residents and community groups, the Los Angeles City Council voted to pass a motion that will begin phasing out oil drilling throughout the City of Los Angeles. The unanimous vote is a tremendous win for health and safety. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “California’s Rooftop Solar Net Metering Program” • Long a pioneer in the adoption of solar power, California is in the midst of seeking input from stakeholders, through a California Public Utilities Commission process, to adjust its net metering rooftop solar program in a manner that accounts for emerging needs and market trends. [CleanTechnica]

Have a really fantastic day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Six Solutions To Battery Mineral Challenges” • A flood of recent articles, whether spontaneous or coordinated, seeks to discredit renewable energy, EVs, and other elements energy transition to save the climate. One claim is that it’s immensely destructive if not impossible to find enough minerals to make all the batteries. There are solutions. [CleanTechnica]

Aptera (ApteraMotorsMedia, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Tesla Will Support Full Self Driving Licensing For Other Manufacturers” • Tesla will support FSD licensing by other car manufacturers, Elon Musk said on Twitter. From a financial standpoint, it makes good sense for Tesla to license it to other manufacturers. Licensing FSD would become another stream of income for the company. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Lamborghini Announces Plans For First EV” • Lamborghini CEO Winkelman recently confirmed in an interview with Autocar Magazine, that Lamborghini’s first all-electric model will arrive in 2028. He added that it will be a four-seat crossover. Following the crossover’s appearance, Lamborghini will release its all-electric second-generation Urus SUV. [CleanTechnica]

Lamborghini EV (Lamborghini image)

¶ “Oil Executives Barred From Leaving Peru After Massive Spill Causes ‘Ecological Disaster'” • Four oil executives in Peru were barred from leaving the country as authorities investigate an oil spill that forced Lima to declare an environmental emergency earlier this month. The travel ban applies to four employees of the Spanish energy and oil company Repsol. [CNN]

¶ “Australian Open Leads The Way – Game, Set, Match On Fossil Fuel Sponsorship” • Amidst the furor of the Novak Djokovic visa debacle and between the distractions of the Kyrgios–Kokkinakis doubles team-up, something far more significant happened at the 2022 Australian Open. Tennis Australia dumped fossil fuel sponsorship. [CleanTechnica]

Rod Laver Arena (Jono52795, CC BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Hitachi Energy Achieves 100% Renewable Energy Across Its Operations” • Hitachi Energy has reached a major milestone for its sustainability goals, it announced. Hitachi Energy is using 100% fossil-fuel-free electricity to power its own operations. The development moves the company closer to its Sustainability 2030 plan. [Power Engineering International]

US:

¶ “Dangerous Heavy Snow And Winds Approaching Hurricane Intensity Could Knock Out Power, Flood Coastal Areas As Weekend Nor’easter Revs Up” • A weekend nor’easter that’s forming off the coast of the Carolinas Friday night will likely quickly strengthen as it begins making its way up the East Coast overnight into Saturday. [CNN]

Forming storm, Jan 29, 2021 (NOAA image)

¶ “Natural Gas Futures Surge As Powerful Winter Storm Looms” • Natural gas futures are climbing sharply ahead of a blizzard that will force millions of Americans to crank up the heat. For the week, the March natural gas contract is up more than 25%. This could point to higher home heating costs in the weeks to come, adding to the inflation. [CNN]

¶ “AccuWeather Shares How An Electric School Bus Fares In Alaska” • AccuWeather shared a story of how the “hottest school bus on the market” is doing in Alaska, addressing the topic of batteries and cold weather. The article said Tok Transportation, which operates buses for the Alaska Gateway School District, is testing the limits of the tech. [CleanTechnica]

Electric school bus (Tok Transportation image)

¶ “New Indiana Poll Reveals Strong Bipartisan Support For Renewable Energy” • Audubon Great Lakes released findings from an Indiana state-wide poll that shows great support from Indiana voters – across party lines – for more renewable energy. Of the voters polled, 74% favor expanding Indiana’s renewable energy resources. [National Audubon Society]

¶ “Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Plug-In Hybrid Arrives This Spring” • It’s good news, bad news time at the Jeep division of Stellantis, formerly Daimler Chrysler, formerly Chrysler Corporation. The 4xe plug-in hybrid version of the popular Grand Cherokee will go on sale this spring. According to Autoblog, buyers will have 5 trim levels to choose from. [CleanTechnica]

Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Plug-In Hybrid (Jeep image)

¶ “Duke Energy’s Solar Portfolio Grows In North Carolina With The Addition Of Two New Plants” • Continuing its efforts to grow renewable energy in North Carolina, Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions, a nonregulated brand of Duke Energy, recently began commercial operation of two major solar facilities, totaling 71.6 MW, in the state. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “NYC’s First Electric School Buses Are Diesel-To-Electric Repowers, And That’s A Big Deal” • New York City has committed to having only electric school buses by 2035. The first of them are hitting the city’s streets now. In a pioneering move, instead of buying buses, Logan Bus Company is having 5 older diesel buses converted to electric. [CleanTechnica]

School bus (Photo courtesy of UES)

¶ “Leaders Say Nuclear Will Save Kemmerer. Residents Aren’t Convinced” • Coal’s demise hurt Kemmerer, Wyoming. When TerraPower announced in November that it would build a sodium-cooled nuclear reactor at the town’s Naughton Power Plant, local and state leaders were extatic. But ordinary people were more apathetic. [Casper Star-Tribune]

¶ “‘Storm-Prone State’: DeSantis Pledges $80 Million For Climate Adaptation In South Florida” • Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the state would award $80 million in grants to South Florida cities and counties to deal with storm-water and flood-control problems. Nearly $40 million of that amount is going to two Miami projects. [Miami Herald]

Have superbly superior day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Tesla Earnings Call Highlights – What I Learned” • I found the Tesla Q4 earnings call disappointing. It said basically that since they have plenty of demand for their current vehicles, there is no need to release the Cybertruck, Semi, or Roadster this year. But there are always some good nuggets of information to be shared when Elon Musk in on the call! [CleanTechnica]

Making EVs (From Tesla’s Q4 2021 Earnings Release)

¶ “Reaction To The McKinsey Climate Change Report” • The figures in the McKinsey consulting group report may sound dire. They show that the cost of addressing climate change will require the nations of the world to invest $9.2 trillion a year for many years to transition to 100% renewable energy. But they are not as bad as they sound. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Gas Stoves Are A Threat To Health And Have Larger Climate Impact Than Previously Known, Study Shows” • The gas emitted from household stoves and ovens is not only dangerous to public health but also has much more significant impacts on the climate crisis than previously thought, research by scientists at Stanford University shows. [CNN]

Gas burner (Brett Jordan, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Global Witness Exposes The Lie Behind The Carbon Capture Scam” • In 2015, Shell installed a carbon capture facility at its Scotford refinery northeast of Edmonton in Alberta. According to Dezeen, the system was designed to eliminate emissions from hydrogen production. But Global Witness says it actually released more CO₂ than it captured. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Australia Pledges $700 Million To Protect Great Barrier Reef Amid Climate Change Threat” • With a February 1 deadline to give UNESCO a report on the state of conservation of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia’s government pledged A$1 billion ($700 million) to protect it. The Australian Climate Council called the pledge “a band-aid on a broken leg.” [CNN]

Great Barrier Reef (Marek Okon, Unsplash)

¶ “Wärtsilä To Optimise And Decarbonise Gold Mine Power Station In Suriname” • Wärtsilä will supply a 7.8-MW, 7.8-MWh energy storage system to a gold mining company to help achieve its climate and decarbonization targets at a mine that it has in Suriname. It will be the first utility-scale energy storage system in the country. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Innovative Financing: Developers Meet Rising Demand For Residential Geoexchange” • With a $3.8-million refinancing recently of two district geothermal (also called geoexchange) projects in British Columbia, Vancity Community Investment Bank has sealed its status as a leading Canadian financier for geothermal technology. [CleanTechnica]

Geoexchange systems (VCIB image)

¶ “India Could Create Millions of Jobs Through Renewable Energy” • Last year, India saw multiple waves of pandemic, increases in extreme weather events, and growing economic instability. The year 2021 also brought climate announcements from India, which shows that countries can create jobs, protect health, and combat the climate crisis. [NRDC]

¶ “Coal, Gas Power Shrinking In Australia As Renewable Energy Shines” • Renewable energy is squeezing fossil fuels further out of Australia’s power mix. Renewables accounted for a record-high share of average electricity generation in the final three months of 2021 and threatened the viability of coal-fired power plants. [Sydney Morning Herald]

Open pit coal mine (Max Phillips, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Sweden Approves A Plan To Bury Spent Nuclear Fuel For 100,000 Years” • What to do with nuclear waste has been a major headache since the world’s first nuclear plants came on line in the 1950s and 1960s. Sweden’s government has given a go-ahead for building a storage facility to keep the country’s spent nuclear fuel safe for the next 100,000 years. [Nasdaq]

US:

¶ “Federal Judge Cites Climate Crisis In Decision To Cancel Oil And Gas Leases In Gulf Of Mexico” • A federal judge invalidated a massive oil and gas lease sale for 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico after a coalition of environmental groups sued the Biden admnistration to stop it. The ruling cancels 1.7 million acres of oil and gas leases from that sale. [CNN]

Oil drilling platform (Gary Leavens, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “President Biden Hypes Up GM And UAW Again” • President Biden is hyping General Motors again. An official White House press release says GM is making a $7 billion investment to create 4,000 new jobs at EV manufacturing sites in Michigan, the latest sign that the Biden economic strategy is helping power a historic American manufacturing comeback. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New US Postal Service Contractor Proposes Electric Vehicles … For US Army” • For those who don’t know, Oshkosh Defense actually can make EVs. Earlier this week, the company upped the ante on its EV business by introducing the new eJLTV, which has been described as the “first-ever silent drive hybrid-electric Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.” [CleanTechnica]

USPS Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (Oshkosh Defense image)

¶ “Appalachian Power Files For Approval Of Projects” • Two filings submitted by Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power to the West Virginia Public Service Commission request approval and cost recovery for multiple renewable energy projects, a news release from Appalachian Power says. The move is expected to save customers $22 million. [Yahoo News]

¶ “Buena Park Becomes First City In Orange County To Choose 100% Renewable Energy” • Buena Park is now the first city in Orange County to choose to get its energy from 100% renewable sources. The Buena Park City Council voted 4-1 in favor of the resolution. Irvine, Huntington Beach, and Fullerton face similar resolutions soon. [Los Angeles Times]

Have an outstandingly awesome day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Is Your Seafood Climate Friendly? Scientists Outline The Benefits Of Marine Aquaculture” • Writing in BioScience, Alice Jones of the University of Adelaide, and an international team of scientists from the University and The Nature Conservancy, discuss the potential of marine aquaculture to feed a growing human population sustainably. [Newswise]

Seafood (Douglas Lopez, Unsplash)

¶ “How A Smart Electric Grid Will Power Our Future” • The largest ever simulation of its kind, modeled on the Texas power grid, concluded that consumers stand to save about 15% on their annual electric bill by partnering with utilities. In this system, consumers would coordinate with their electric utility operator on a ‘transactive’ basis. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Climate Change Is Coming For Our Coffee” • Bad news for coffee lovers: Climate change will make it much harder to grow Arabica coffee in the coming years, according to a study that appeared in the scientific journal Plos One. The study used several global climate models to examine how conditions will change for growing coffee by 2050. [CNN]

Coffee beans (Rodrigo Flores, Unsplash)

¶ “The Pandemic Has Been Great For Electric Car Sales” • Global sales of battery EVs increased to 4.5 million last year from 2.1 million in 2020, according to data from consultancy LMC Automotive. Electric cars made up 6.3% of global vehicle sales in 2021, tripling their market share from 2019. Overall passenger vehicle sales remain depressed. [CNN]

¶ “India’s ReNew Power Announces Battery Storage Partnership With Fluence” • ReNew Power and Fluence will set up a new joint venture company to offer energy storage in India. The first effort of that company will be to set up a 150-MWh battery project to support a 300-MW renewable energy project being developed by ReNew Power. [CleanTechnica]

Fluence batteries (Image courtesy of Fluence)

¶ “Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: Japanese Youth Sue Over Cancer Diagnoses” • Six young Japanese people are suing the operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant after developing thyroid cancer in the years after the 2011 nuclear disaster. The plaintiffs aged six to sixteen at the time of the disaster. Their lawsuit is seeking $5.4 million in compensation from TEPCO. [BBC]

¶ “Climate Change: How Much Will It Cost? McKinsey Has The Answer” • McKinsey is one of the world’s largest consulting firms, identifying risks and advising clients how to deal with them. It has issued a report that attempts to put real numbers on the true cost of climate change. There is good news in the report, but to realize it, we have to act. [CleanTechnica]

Lightning ahead (NOAA image, Unsplash)

¶ “Japan To Help With Bill Gates’ Next-Gen Nuclear Power Project” • Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said it will work with Japan’s atomic energy agency to provide technical assistance to a US start-up run by Bill Gates that is building a next-generation nuclear reactor in Wyoming. TerraPower plans to build its plant in that state by 2028. [Yahoo News]

US:

¶ “Bomb Cyclone With The Power Of A Hurricane Will Unleash Snow And Blizzard-Like Conditions This Weekend” • Confidence is growing that a winter storm with the intensity of a hurricane, snow measured in feet, and blizzard-like conditions will impact major cities in the Northeast this weekend. It is described as “a nor’easter with blockbuster potential. [CNN]

Snow (Tim Foster, Unsplash)

¶ “House Democrats Announce Three New Task Forces To Address The Climate Crisis” • As President Biden’s signature climate and economic bill stalls in the Senate, House Democrats are launching three new climate-focused task forces. They will focus on the climate change impact on agriculture, national security, and the US power sector. [CNN]

¶ “Lawyer For Big Oil Tells Court That Lawsuits Threaten National Security” • Responding to a lawsuit brought by the city of Baltimore over damages resulting from oil industry lies, a lawyer for big oil firms told a federal appeals court that lawsuits alleging fossil fuel companies lied about the climate crisis could pose a security risk to the nation. [CleanTechnica]

Greenpeace climate action (Greenpeace image)

¶ “Tesla expects 50% growth despite supply chain woes” • Tesla sales will grow by more than 50% in 2022 compared with last year despite supply chain problems, chief executive Elon Musk has said. The electric carmaker reported a record $5.5 billion profit last year. Sales at the firm rocketed 71% to $53.8 billion in 2021, as it delivered over 936,000 vehicles. [BBC]

¶ “Pathways To Net-Zero For New Mexico’s Economy” • A set of briefs includes modeling with a new, in-depth look into pathways for New Mexico to cut climate-warming pollution and improve health and quality of life for its communities, particularly rural and tribal communities that have historically been overburdened by fossil fuel development. [CleanTechnica]

Desert in New Mexico (Ethan Wright-Magoon, Unsplash)

¶ “Arizona Utility Regulators Again Reject Clean Energy Rules” • Arizona’s utility regulators rejected new rules that would have drastically boosted the use of renewable energy for the second time in a year, drawing sharp reaction from advocates of clean energy, who said the decision leaves the state far behind what is needed to address climate change. [Westport News]

¶ “Brookfield Renewable Adds 20,000 MW Of Solar, Energy Projects With Urban Grid Acquisition” • Brookfield Renewable and its institutional partners acquired clean power developer Urban Grid and its pipeline of projects comprising about 13,000 MW of utility-scale solar and 7,000 MW of energy storage capacity for $650 million. [Solar Industry]

Have a perfectly delightful day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Elon Musk Not A Fan Of “Zero-Sum” Mindset” • Elon Musk isn’t a proponent of a zero-sum mindset. He’s opened up Tesla’s patents. And he’ll also soon open up the company’s Supercharger network to other automakers. He’s encouraged industry-wide electrification all along. Tesla’s mission is all about “accelerating the advent of clean transport.” [CleanTechnica]

SpaceX launch (SpaceX image, Unsplash)

¶ “Experts Say Nuclear Energy As Climate Solution Is Total ‘Fiction'” • As global scientists continue to warn of the urgent need to keep fossil fuels in the ground, a quartet of European and US experts on Tuesday made a comprehensive case for why nuclear power should be not be considered a solution to the climate crisis. [Common Dreams]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Solid-State EV Battery Bingo Card Filling Fast: Dongfeng Motor, Nissan-Renault Numbers Come Up” • Skeptics continue to doubt the likelihood of a solid-state battery breakthrough, but leading automakers are clearly not listening. One EV company after another is taking up the technology, lured by a promise of long range and low cost. [CleanTechnica]

Solid-state battery (Oak Ridge National Laboratory image)

¶ “Reducing Wind Turbine Wakes Could Save Wind Farms Millions” • Wakes can cost an average wind farm about 10% of its potential energy. In the spring of 2022, National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers will launch a multi-institutional, international wind energy campaign called the American WAKE experimeNt (AWAKEN). [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “US Working With Allies To Shore Up Energy Supplies If Russia Invades Ukraine” • The Biden administration is making contingency plans to shore up Europe’s energy supplies should a Russian invasion of Ukraine create gas shortages and roil the global economy, senior administration officials said. Supplies of natural gas are especially important. [CNN]

Pump jack (David Thielen, Unsplash)

¶ “There’s A New Kind Of Gold In Them There Pits” • A spent gold mine in far north Queensland is set to become the world’s first co-located solar and pumped storage plant. The 250-MW Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project, 270 km northwest of Townsville, is the first pumped hydro power station to be built in Australia in almost 40 years. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “How Dubai Is Pushing Back Its Encroaching Deserts” • The desert has never been far from Dubai’s doorstep. Now a modern financial hub of three million people, the UAE’s most populous city has sea on one side, and a seemingly endless carpet of sand on the other. Encroaching deserts are threatening the emirate’s remaining fertile land. [BBC]

Dubai (Mohammed Nasim, Unsplash)

¶ “Renewable Energy On The Rise: 37% Of EU’s Electricity ” • In 2020, renewable sources covered 37% of gross electricity demand in the EU, up from 34% in 2019. Windpower provided 36% of renewable power, and hydropower accounted for 33%. Solar power, the fastest growing type of renewable energy, provided 14% of renewables. [European Commission]

¶ “Fortescue Buys Williams Advanced Engineering” • Fortescue has bought Williams Advanced Engineering. They have been cooperating for some time in the electrification of Fortescue’s 400 ton haulage trucks, and they will be working more closely together. WAE has been successful on the racetrack. Now it will take on heavy industry. [CleanTechnica]

Solomon Mine (Fortescue Communications, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Amp Energy Announces The Largest Battery Storage Facilities In Europe: Two Flagship 400-MW Projects In Scotland” • Amp Energy announced Europe’s two biggest battery storage facilities in its 800-MW battery portfolio in Scotland. The portfolio is due to be operational in April 2024 and will be comprised of two 400 MW battery facilities. [National Post]

US:

¶ “PG&E Proposes 6.4-GWh Battery Storage Plan” • Last June, the California PUC issued a directive requiring the state’s utility companies to install a total of 11.5 GW of storage between 2023 and 2026, to help replace the 2.2-GW Diablo Canyon nuclear plant. Now, PG&E is proposing nine new battery projects totaling about 1,600 MW and 6,400 MWh. [CleanTechnica]

Victoria Big Battery (Image courtesy of Neoen)

¶ “GE Revs Up Renewables Business Turnaround As Seismic Shake-Up At US Giant Looms” • US industrial conglomerate GE will intensify efforts to turn around its money-losing renewables business this year in a challenging near-term market as part of a recently announced plan to split the group into three separate public companies by early 2024. [Recharge News]

¶ “CO₂ Emissions Allowance Prices Increased In Latest RGGI Auction” • The most recent Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative quarterly auction resulted in a price of $13.00 per allowance. The previous auction set a record at $9.30 per allowance. Each allowance represents a limited authorization for power plants to emit one short ton of CO₂. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Markley Group Signs PPA For Electricity From Community Solar Projects In Massachusetts” • Markley Group entered a power purchase agreement with Borrego for renewable energy projects across the US. Markley will purchase half of the power from 80 MW of community solar projects in the Eversource utility territory. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “West Virginia Senate Votes To End Ban On Nuclear Power” • A bill to lift the ban on nuclear power in West Virginia passed the Senate. Lawmakers voted 24 to 7 to end the ban. West Virginia is one of 13 states that restricts the construction of nuclear power facilities. The ban was enacted at a time when state lawmakers supported coal. [WVPB]

Have a consequentially excellent day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Why Won’t The US Embrace EVs?” • President Joe Biden set a national target for half of all new vehicles sold in the US to be EVs by 2030. Many auto industry executives consider it a realistic goal. But there’s cognitive dissonance among plans, projections, and the current state of US EV purchases. Currently, only 4% of cars sold in the US are EVs. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla in Nashua, New Hampshire (Matt Henry, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Solar Panels From CPT Break Efficiency Barrier” • Silicon in solar PVs only responds to certain wavelengths, those in the red and yellow portion of the spectrum. University of Cambridge Researchers had a bright idea that allows material on the PVs to absorb light of other areas of the spectrum and convert it to useful wavelengths. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Climate Change Threatening Buried UK Treasures” • Climate change is threatening to destroy treasures buried in the UK as the soils that protect them dry out. About 22,500 archaeological sites in UK may be in danger. The problem is that changing weather patterns are drying out some peatlands, the waterlogged soils that cover about 10% of the UK. [BBC]

Roman fort Vindolanda (Vindolanda Trust)

¶ “EU Commission ‘Suppresses Its Own Science’ By Allowing Gas In Taxonomy” • The EU Taxonomy draft proposal would include gas as a sustainable investment. The Commission’s own expert group reviewed the proposal and rejected the inclusion of gas, however, as it contradicts science-based recommendations issued in 2020. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “FedEx Express Tests EVs In India” • FedEx Express is testing EVs in India as part of its global goal to achieve carbon-neutral operations by 2040, the company announced. The trial is slated to end in a month in Bangalore after testing the technology for FedEx Express operations. With positive results, the trial will be extended to Delhi. [CleanTechnica]

Energy storage facility (NEC Energy Solutions image)

¶ “Panasonic Will Invest $700 Million To Make Next-Generation Batteries For Tesla” • Nikkei Asia reports that Panasonic will invest $700 million to expand a battery factory in Japan, so they can make the new 4680 battery cells developed by Tesla. The factory will be capable of producing enough batteries each year to power about 150,000 EVs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “NTPC Renewable Arm Tenders 500 MW, 3,000 MWh Energy Storage Projects” • NTPC Renewable Energy Limited has invited global bids to develop energy storage with a total of 500 MW, 3,000 MWh of capacity anywhere in India. The project shall be awarded through international competitive bidding followed by reverse auction. [pv magazine India]

Energy storage facility (NEC Energy Solutions image)

¶ “Munich On Track To Reach 100% Renewables In 2025” • The German city of Munich is making considerable progress with the decarbonization of its power as the share of renewables is projected to reach 90% in 2022. The city sees itself on track to reach its goal of fully covering its power needs with green electricity in 2025. [Renewables Now]

¶ “Oman Inaugurates 500-MW Ibri 2 Solar Field” • Some 1.5 million bifacial panels make up the power plant in Ad-Dhahirah governorate. It was constructed in just 13 months by ACWA Power, the Gulf Investment Corporation, and Kuwaiti developer Alternative Energy Projects Co. The $417 million plant has 1.5 million PV panels. [PV Magazine]

Solar array (Oman Ibri II image)

¶ “Official: 17,000 MW Of Nuclear Power To Join Iran’s Grid” • The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran says 17,000 MW of nuclear power will join the country’s grid in the next 20 years. Iran has one nuclear power plant, which as a 1,000-MW reactor built by Russia. Russian and Iranian firms are working on two additional 1,000-MW plants already. [Press TV]

US:

¶ “Supreme Court Takes Up Case That Could Limit Federal Government’s Jurisdiction Over Wetlands” • The Supreme Court agreed to take up a case that could limit the federal government’s jurisdiction over wetlands protected under the Clean Water Act. The case comes as the Biden administration is is trying to undo Trump-era rollbacks to federal protections. [CNN]

US Supreme Court building (Adam Szuscik, Unsplash)

¶ “Tesla’s Q4 2021 Revenue Should Exceed Seventeen Dow Components” • On Wednesday, January 26th, Tesla’s 2021 full year earnings will be released. With luck, we may see that Tesla’s revenue exceeds seventeen Dow components. This will be put up livestream, with zany chat action and cool analyst charts, on the CleanTechnica YouTube channel. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Intel Will Transform Ohio Into A Semiconductor Chip Epicenter” • Intel announced that it will invest over $20 billion to build two new factories and establish an epicenter for advanced chipmaking in the Ohio. The two leading-edge chip factories will help boost production to meet critical demand for advanced semiconductors. [CleanTechnica]

Two proposed Intel processor factories (Intel Corporation image)

¶ “Nevada Regulators Approve Solar+Storage To Replace Coal-Fired Plant” • Nevada utility NV Energy received approval from state regulators to purchase two solar-plus-storage projects to replace power generation from its coal-fired North Valmy Generating Station. The 522-MW North Valmy plant is scheduled to be closed in 2025. [POWER Magazine]

¶ “Meta To Feed Off 225-MW Iowa Wind” • Apex Clean Energy is to supply Meta, also known as Facebook, with all the electricity from the 225-MW Great Pathfinder wind farm in Iowa. The project will help support Meta’s operations in the region. One of those is its data center campus in Altoona, Iowa, which recently announced an expansion. [reNews]

Have an unambiguously enjoyable day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Humans Do A Poor Job Of Calculating Risk. That’s Terrible For The Climate Crisis” • Humans do a poor job of evaluating climate risk and the cost of reducing it. Over the past five years, extreme weather disasters have cost the US more than $750 billion. The Build Back Better package would cost $555 billion over the course of 10 years. [CNN]

Bovine inconvenience (Jo-Anne McArthur, Unsplash)

¶ “Labeling Unabated Gas As ‘Green’ Risks Diverting Finance From Essential Renewables” • The European Commission’s move to label some investments in natural gas, a source of CO₂ and methane emissions, as climate-friendly risks detracting the finance community’s attention from the highest investment priority, renewable energy. [EURACTIV.com]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Climate Change Could Open Up ‘Rivers In The Sky’ Over East Asia” • We can clearly see that the climate crisis is already having a profound effect on weather systems, altering temperatures, rainfall, wind patterns, and more. Now, a study predicts likely deluges over the mountainous parts of East Asia in the future, the result of ‘atmospheric rivers.’ [ScienceAlert]

Deluge (Jim Witkowski, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Philippines Utility Meralco Launches 850-MW Renewables Tender” • The Manila Electric Company opened a tender for 850 MW of renewable generation capacity. The utility is seeking proposals to deploy around 600 MW to start providing power in February 2026, and another 250 MW that will begin commercial operations in February 2027. [PV Magazine]

¶ “Ireland’s Data Centers Provide An Economic Lifeline, But Environmentalists Say They’re Wrecking The Planet” • A €1.2 billion investment in a data center in the town of Ennis is likely to be welcomed by the Irish government, despite concerns that growth in data centers could undermine the commitment to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030. [CNN]

O’Connell Street, Ennis (Joseph Mischyshyn, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Is Switzerland’s Electric Vehicle Story A Preview For The Rest Of The Globe?” • For a long time, Norway was the trendsetter when it came to the future of EV adoption. Now there’s another country worth admiring. Known for exquisite chocolates, fine watches, and secretive banks, Switzerland is now taking its place on the EV scene. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Deutsche Post Offsets CO₂ Emissions For Transport Of Letter Mail” • Deutsche Post Group DHL announced that it’s offsetting CO₂ emissions for letter mail transport in 2022 at no extra cost. Until recently, the GoGreen option was subject to a charge. Now, it’s offsetting all CO₂ emissions that are generated by its mail transport operations. [CleanTechnica]

DHL GoGreen cargo bike

¶ “VETERIA21 Project Will Transform Thermoplastics For Use In EV Battery Casings” • The VETERIA21, which is being developed by AIMPLAS, a plastics technology company Spain, is focusing on advanced manufacturing processes to obtain sustainable materials for the EV industry. The goal is to reduce the weight in EVs, starting with battery casings. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Brunswick Power Seeks Unprecedented 25-Year License For Point Lepreau Nuclear Power Station” • The license for Atlantic Canada’s only nuclear power generating station expires in June, and the New Brunswick Crown corporation that operates the aging CANDU-6 reactor is seeking a license renewal for an unprecedented 25-year term. [Yahoo Finance]

Pickering Nuclear, a CANDU plant (John McArthur, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Advocates Say A Utility-Backed Bill Imperils Rooftop Solar In The Sunshine State” • A bill moving through the legislature in Florida, backed by a powerful utility, would reduce the financial benefits of rooftop solar panels so much that environmentalists and solar builders say it could turn the state’s fast-growing solar industry off overnight. [CNN]

¶ “US Superstores Could Power Over 7.9 Million Households With Solar” • A report released by the Environment America Research and Policy Center and the Frontier Group says that US big-box retail and grocery stores, if equipped with rooftop solar, could produce enough electricity to power more than 7.9 million households. [Power Engineering International]

Rooftop and parking lot solar (Frontier Group image)

¶ “Redwood Materials To Launch Production Of Anode Copper Foil” • Redwood Materials reports that it is planning to start up its anode copper foil production facility in the first half of this year. Redwood had earlier announced that Panasonic would be including its copper foil from recycled materials in new battery production at Giga Nevada. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Mexico House Committee Passes Renewable Energy Bills” • A State House Committee approved a series of bills this weekend designed to increase the use of renewable energy in New Mexico. One, the Energy Storage System Tax Credit, would offer homes and businesses a 40% tax credit for energy storage systems installed before 2025. [KSFR]

Solar array (US DOE image)

¶ “Large Corporations Present EV Blueprint To Auto Makers” • Ceres, a nonprofit that works with capital market leaders on sustainability issues, announced that Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance members gave a roadmap to top auto makers for developing the types of EVs companies plan to buy in the US over the next five years. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Enbridge: Growth In Renewable Power Is Huge, And It’s Just Getting Started” • Enbridge’s history is soundly in the oil and natural gas pipeline space, but it has been looking to expand into clean energy, using the cash flows from its oil and gas assets. The company is spending more on clean energy today than it is on its legacy businesses. [The Motley Fool]

Have an exhilaratingly convenient day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “No New Oil And Gas Leasing! Hearing On Climate And Offshore Drilling” • In a House Committee hearing, committee members focused on the connection between offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and US climate goals. This much is clear: continuing offshore oil and gas leasing as usual will not help us meet our climate goals. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore oil rig (Arvind Vallabh, Unsplash)

¶ “When Will The US Tap Its Massive Geothermal Energy Potential?” • As governments turn their backs on fossil fuels, many appear to be focused almost solely on wind and solar power. The US geothermal industry is finally gaining some momentum, but will it attract the investment and support it needs to fully develop? [Oil Price]

Science and Technology:

¶ “How Coronavirus Lockdowns May Have Led To Less Lightning In 2020” • Global lightning activity decreased nearly 8% in 2020 amid lockdowns triggered by the pandemic. Scientists who worked on the study discovered a potential cause for this drop in lightning activity: a decrease in atmospheric aerosols, tiny particles of air pollution. [CNN]

Lightning (Felix Mittermeier, Unsplash)

¶ “New Paper Shows: ‘A Win On Climate Is A Win For Health'” • From ramping up clean electricity to eliminating food waste, from designing cities for walking and biking to preserving ecosystems, projects that lead to a low-carbon society and limit climate change will have more and greater benefits for health than previously realized. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Plugin Electric Vehicles Get 21% Share Of Auto Market In Another Record Month In China” • Plugin vehicles in China once again ended the year with a record month, growing by 125% year over year in December to 502,000 units. Battery EVs were responsible for 83% of the plugin market in the month, slightly above the year’s 81% average. [CleanTechnica]

Wuling Hongguang Mini EV Cabrio
(JustAnotherCarDesigner, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “EU Climate Chief Wants Renewables To Stop Making Putin ‘Rich'” • European Union climate chief Frans Timmermans called on member states to increase investment in renewable energy and eventually wean the continent off Russian gas. The threat of a Ukrainian invasion is also giving rise to fears that gas prices could spiral even higher. [Financial Post]

¶ “Asia’s Emissions-Reduction Plan For The World” • At COP26 last year, the Asian Development Bank and the Indonesian and Philippine governments announced a pilot Energy Transition Mechanism. Now they are engaging others in the equitable, just, scalable, and affordable energy initiative to retire or repurpose coal-fired power plants. [The Jakarta Post]

Coal plant (Marcin Jozwiak, Pexels)

¶ “Japan’s Tepco Hit By Setback In Clean-Up Of Crippled Fukushima Nuclear Plant” • TEPCO has found that a coolant solution, which is used to create an ice wall halting the seepage of groundwater into Fukushima reactor buildings, leaked from two storage tanks. The leaks underscore the unpredictable challenges in the clean-up of the site. [Devdiscourse]

¶ “Foreign Ministers Of Iran And Russia Discuss New Nuclear Plant Construction” • Russian and Iranian officials met to discuss the construction of new nuclear plants in Iran, Tehran’s foreign minister said. He said Moscow and Tehran would instate a period of “excellent cooperation”, according to a report published by the Anadolu news agency. [The New Arab]

Presidential event at the Bushehr Nuclear
Plant (Hossein Heidarpour, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

US:

¶ “Over 450 Climate Scientists Say Advertising Industry Must End ‘Complicity’ In Climate Crisis” • A group of more than 450 scientists called on advertising agencies to cut off their fossil fuel clients and to end their ties with an ongoing misinformation campaign that has time and again killed progress on addressing the climate crisis. [NationofChange]

¶ “‘Surreal’ January Wildfire Shuts California Highway” • An unseasonal wildfire is raging on California’s Big Sur Pacific coast, forcing evacuations and closing Highway 1, US officials say. The National Weather Service reported a “surreal fire behaviour given the wet Oct and Dec.” It is called the Colorado Fire, and it has burned about 1,500 acres (607 ha). [BBC]

Area of the Colorado Fire (Spencer Davis, Unsplash)

¶ “Renewables To Make Up 18% Of Appalachian State’s Purchased Electricity In 2022” • In North Carolina, Hydroelectric and solar power purchases will increase Appalachian State University’s percentage of electricity supplied from renewables from 2% to 18% in early 2022. The university’s utility will buy electricity from Carolina Power Partners. [Watauga Democrat]

¶ “Indigo Introduces New EVs For Rideshare And Delivery” • Indigo Technologies introduced two new EV designs targeting the rideshare and delivery markets at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The company describes itself as an OEM that is delivering a new class of smooth, roomy, and affordable EVs. [CleanTechnica]

Indigo Technologies EV (Indigo Technologies image)

¶ “$80 Million Renewable Landfill Gas Plant Construction To Start Soon” • Energy company EDL is poised to begin building a roughly $80 million landfill gas processing plant on the east side of Oberlin, Ohio, in the next few weeks, city Planning and Development Director Carrie Handy said. Its product gas will be cleaned and sold. [Chronicle Telegram]

¶ “Maryland Gives Itself B-Minus For Adapting To Climate Change In Coastal Areas” • Maryland has over 3,000 miles of shoreline, and climate change has already had a devastating impact on its coastal communities. Groups from the University of Maryland and the state just released a report card on its adaption status. It got a B-minus. [WTOP]

Have a downright upbeat day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Unpacking The ‘Electric Cars Aren’t As Green As You Think’ Claims” • After Volvo published a report that said building an EV had emissions nearly 70% higher than building its gas-powered equivalent, anti-EV people used the data to make extraordinary claims about EVs not being green. But the whole picture is more important than any one of its parts. [CleanTechnica]

Electric car charging (Kindel Media, Pexels)

¶ “Renewable Energy Could Cool European Tensions With Russia” • Germany could consider cooperating with Russia in renewable energy to defuse the tension between Moscow and the West over Ukraine, German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck, said. He was speaking with Der Spiegel magazine in an interview. [Oil Price]

¶ “Is Nuclear Power The Best Solution To Climate Change?” • In a debate in the House of Commons on 19 January, a group of MPs known as the “atomic kittens” suggested that nuclear energy could be a panacea for all ills – including a solution for the climate crisis and the gas crunch. The facts, however, suggest that this is not true. [New Statesman]

Nuclear power plant (Kelly L, Pexels)

Science and Technology:

¶ “$200 Million Says Solid-State Batteries Will Soon Crack Gasmobile Death Grip” • Leading automakers are getting into solid-state batteries. The new technology promises longer range in a lighter, slimmer package than the current EV batteries. To skeptics, that may be just hot air, but $200 million in funding for Factorial Energy says otherwise. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Value Of Wind Energy” • Two teams of researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory showed that wind energy offers logistical, economic, and environmental value to utilities and consumers from the coast of Oregon, where the focus was on offshore windpower, to remote villages in Alaska, where the team looked at distributed energy. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore wind turbines (Grahame Jenkins, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Virtual Power Plants: Some Assembly Required” • Marketing research groups are predicting that distribution energy resources will grow to somewhere around 400 GWs by 2025. That figure may seem staggering, but there are projections that the global virtual power plant market will reach about $1.5 billion or more by 2026. [T&D World]

¶ “Reliance Buys Sodium-Ion Battery Tech Company” • Reliance New Energy Solar Ltd, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, has purchased a sodium-ion battery developer, Faradion Limited. Reliance is the largest private sector company in India, and it focuses primarily on fossil fuels. Its purchase of Faradion shows its interest in battery development. [CleanTechnica]

One type of sodium-ion battery (Tang-Yeon Hwang,
Seung-Taek Myung, Yang-Kook Sun, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Support for Energy Storage Is Needed To Prevent The Next Energy Crisis” • While the current energy crisis in Europe is yet to end, despite minor fluctuations, the prices for natural gas still show no sign of any dramatic drop back to the levels of 2020. Some EU lawmakers accuse Russia of ‘weaponizing’ natural gas supplies. [The German Marshall Fund of the United States]

¶ “Ørsted Signs MOUs To Develop Offshore Wind Farm In South Korea” • Danish energy company Ørsted signed memoranda of understanding with Korea Southern Power and Korea Midland Power to develop the Incheon offshore wind project in South Korea. The offshore wind facility will have a capacity of 1.6-GW, enough for 1.3 million households. [Power Technology]

Wind turbine (Waldemar Brandt, Unsplash)

¶ “Austria, Luxembourg Eye Legal Steps In EU Nuclear Energy Row” • The EU remains deeply divided over the so-called taxonomy plans, which aim to direct investment toward sustainable energy sources. On Friday, Austria and Luxembourg signaled that they are ready to take the dispute over nuclear energy to court. [DW]

¶ “Massive UK Battery Factory Receives $2.3 Billion In Funding” • UK-based battery manufacturing start-up Britishvolt has announced $2.3 billion (£1.7 billion) of funding for a proposed battery “gigafactory.” Britishvolt plans to produce 30 GWh of battery capacity per year from its 93-hectare site in Blyth, Northumberland. [Power Technology]

Rendering of UK battery factory (Britishvolt image)

US:

¶ “House Committee Schedules Second Hearing On Oil And Gas Industry’s Role In Climate Disinformation” • The oil and gas industry was issued a second round of appearance requests from the House Oversight Committee as it investigates its role in the spread of climate disinformation. BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell board members were asked to testify. [CNN]

¶ “Natural Gas Becomes Important Battleground In Transition From Fossil Fuels ” • Last year saw natural gas bans as cities lead the way in phasing out gas from homes and buildings. Ithaca, NY became the first city to go further and lay out an ambitious policy to transition all buildings to electric by 2030. But some states are pushing back. [CleanTechnica]

Ithaca, NY (Will Barkoff, Unsplash)

¶ “Lockdown Drove Pollution Changes Between – Even Within – Cities” • Researchers from Washington University in St Louis developed a method using satellite measurements to determine levels of NO₂ on an unprecedented scale. This enables taking measurements in areas without ground monitoring. NO₂ is a key contributor to smog. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute Launches, With Solar” • The American Wind Wildlife Institute is now the Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute. It is a unique organization that brings together key stakeholders committed to expanding the scale and role of renewable energy in our power supply, while addressing wildlife and habitat issues. [CleanTechnica]

Have a prolifically beautiful day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Gas Prices Could Soar If Russia Invades Ukraine” • If Russia invades Ukraine, inflation-weary Americans will likely pay the price at the pump. That’s because Russia is the No 2 oil producer on the planet, behind only the US. And Ukraine is a key energy transit hub, where a large amount of Russian natural gas exports to Europe flow through. [CNN]

Russian soldier (Министерство обороны РФ, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Is The ExxonMobil Net-Zero Report And Announcement Another Greenwashing Campaign?” • ExxonMobil announced this week that it wants to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for its operating assets by 2050 and shared details as to how it will achieve this goal. This sounds like a good thing on the surface, but is it really? [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Should Shipowners Be Responsible For Compliance With Shipping ETS?” • The European Commission proposed adding shipping to the EU Emissions Trading System. Companies would have to pay for their emissions, rather than report them as under the original regulations. The question is, can they be expected to deal with problems correctly. [CleanTechnica]

Ship (Valentin Schönpos, Pixabay)

¶ “Nuclear Energy Is Far Too Costly” • When it suggests that nuclear power be considered sustainable, the EU Commission is completely ignoring the costs of nuclear energy. Quite apart from the funds required to build new nuclear power plants, even smaller ones, there is the far more important question of who would foot the bill in the event of an accident. [DW]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Scientists Recommend System Of Checkpoints To Help Guide Climate Engineering Research” • A team of scientists outlined a framework for assessing the viability of a method for reflecting sunlight called marine cloud brightening. The method would use ocean sea-salt particles to increase the reflectivity of low-lying clouds over certain ocean regions. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “When Graphene Speaks, Scientists Can Now Listen” • Two brothers, John Li, a Rice alumnus now studying at Stanford University, and Victor Li, then a high school student in New York and now a freshman at the MIT, are co-lead authors of a paper that describes the real-time analysis of laser-induced graphene production through sound. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “False Banana: Is Ethiopia’s Enset ‘Wondercrop’ For Climate Change?” • Enset, a banana-like crop, has the potential to feed more than 100 million people in a warming world, according to a study. The plant is almost unknown outside of Ethiopia, where it is used to make porridge and bread. It might be grown over a much larger range in Africa. [BBC]

Ensete ventricosum (Daderot, released to the public domain)

¶ “26% Of New Vehicle Sales Plugin Vehicle Sales In Germany In 2021” • In Germany, plugin vehicles scored an amazing 36% share (21% battery EV) in December, with the full 2021 numbers ending at over 681,000 units and 26% share (14% battery EV). That makes Germany the largest PEV market outside of China, beating even the USA. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “100% Zero-Emissions Cherry Orchard” • New Zealand’s first zero-emissions food producer, Forest Lodge Orchard, in Central Otago, New Zealand, is 100% free of fossil fuels. The farmers have electrified everything at the orchard, irrigation, electric vehicles, frost-fighting fans, tools, and everything else, and powered it all with a solar system. [CleanTechnica]

Forest Lodge Orchard, with zero emissions (Courtesy of FLO)

US:

¶ “Tesla Insurance Expands To Arizona And Ohio” • Tesla Insurance has been expanded to Arizona and Ohio. There are now five states where it is available, the others being California, Illinois, and Texas. In 2020, Elon Musk pointed out that the insurance part of Tesla’s business could be 30% to 40% of the value of the car business. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions Expected To Increase In 2022 And 2023” • In its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, the Energy Information Administration forecast that US energy-related CO₂ emissions will increase in 2022 and 2023 but remain below 2019 levels. These emissions had decreased 11% in 2020 due to Covid-19. [CleanTechnica]

Graphic from the EIA’s Short-Term Energy Outlook

¶ “Wind Turbine Installed At Kansas Ethanol Plant” • Western Plains Energy, Faith Technologies Inc, Juhl Energy, and GE Renewable Energy partnered on a wind turbine to power the WPE ethanol plant in Oakley, Kansas, with on-site energy. WPE produces about 50 million gallons of denatured ethanol annually for use as fuel. [Ethanol Producer Magazine]

¶ “Verizon Signs Power Deals For 910 MW Of New Renewables” • US telecoms provider Verizon has entered into virtual power purchase agreements equating to a total of 910 MW of capacity. Verizon’s seven new renewable energy purchase agreements are expected to help finance the powering of seven new solar and wind facilities. [reNews]

Solar array (Duke Energy image)

¶ “EnTech Solutions Provides Wisconsin Cheese Factory With Solar Energy” • EnTech Solutions installed two renewable energy microgrids at the site of Agropur’s new 210,000 sq ft cheese plant being built in Little Chute, Wisconsin. Agropur is the largest North American dairy coop. The new facility will double its milk processing capacity. [Facility Executive Magazine]

¶ “West Virginia House Committee Advances Nuclear Power Ban Repeal Bill” • The West Virginia House of Delegates Committee on Energy and Manufacturing voted to advance a bill that would repeal the state’s ban on nuclear power plants. Committee members voted to report House Bill 2882 to the House floor with a recommendation that it pass. [WV News]

Have a copacetically rewarding day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “A 21st-Century Reinvention Of The Electric Grid Is Crucial For Solving The Climate Crisis” • With increasingly damaging weather, a path to tackle the climate crisis has become clear: Transition the electric grid to carbon-free wind and solar and convert most other fossil fuel users to electricity. The question of how to do that requires innovation. [GreenBiz]

Solar panels and farming (Werner Slocum, NREL)

¶ “Stellantis CEO Warns Of Dangers In EU Electric Car Policies” • Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares sat down for an interview with European newspapers. During the interview, he told the press the European Commission strategy to phase out combustion engines in favor of EVs is a political choice that carries social and environmental risks. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “China Mined A Record Amount Of Coal In 2021. It Might Produce Even More This Year” • China produced more coal than ever last year as its power stations struggled to meet demand for electricity, undermining plans to curb carbon emissions. Coal output hit a record 4.07 billion metric tons last year, up 4.7% from 2020. Output may increase this year. [CNN]

Chinese coal miner (Peter Van den Bossche, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Peru Oil Spill After Tonga Eruption An ‘Ecological Disaster'” • An oil spill off the Peruvian coast caused an “ecological disaster,” authorities said. The La Pampilla refinery leaked over 6,000 barrels of oil after a tanker was hit by waves linked to Tonga’s volcanic eruption. Foreign ministry officials urged operator Repsol to pay compensation. [BBC]

¶ “Plugin Vehicle At 65% Share In The Netherlands! Volkswagen ID.3 Shines!” • December was the second best month on record for the Dutch market for plugin vehicle sales, with 23,150 plugin registrations. The Netherlands had a 72% plugin EV share, with 69% share from just full battery EVs. In fact, all ten of the top ten cars were full battery EVs. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen ID.3 (Amber, Unsplash)

¶ “South Africa’s Highest Mileage BMW I3 Has Now Driven 300,000 KM On Its Original Battery!” • Shaun Maidment’s 2016 BMW i3 now has 300,000 km (186,411 miles) on its odometer, the highest mileage of any i3 in Africa. He bought the car in August of 2016 and has been driven it over 300,000 km on its original battery! [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Opibus Introduces The First Locally Designed And Developed Electric Bus In Kenya” • Opibus, a Swedish-Kenyan technology company that develops, designs, and manufactures EVs tailored for the African continent, has just introduced the first all-electric bus in Kenya. Opibus designed and developed the electric bus in Kenya. [CleanTechnica]

Opibus electric bus (Opibus image)

¶ “Top EU Regulator Urges ‘Ban’ On Crypto Mining That He Claims Is Sucking Up Renewable Energy” • The EU urgently needs to ban a form of cryptocurrency mining that is relying heavily on renewable energy, and poses a threat to climate-change goals, a top regional regulator said. Some countries have banned cryptocurrency activity already. [MarketWatch]

¶ “SSE Acquires First Solar Project” • Scottish energy supplier SSE has announced details of its first solar project, which will deliver 30 MW of clean energy. The move forms part of a £12.5 billion (€17 billion) investment program to power change towards net zero. The 30-MW solar farm at Littleton Pastures is located near Evesham in Worcestershire. [reNews]

Solar farm at Littleton Pastures (SSE image)

¶ “EU Beats 2020 Renewable Energy Goal, France Lags Behind” • The EU got 22% of its electricity from renewables in 2020, beating its 20% target, the EU statistics office said. The bloc’s 27 countries are increasingly turning to wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources as part of efforts to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. [Reuters]

US:

¶ “Greening The Rust Belt: An Unexpected Link Between Manufacturing Jobs And Sustainability” • Research suggests that communities that have seen steep reductions in manufacturing jobs are less likely to adopt plans related to environmental sustainability, highlighting the role that economic transitions play in fostering sustainability efforts. [CleanTechnica]

Victim of transition (Peter Herrmann, Unsplash)

¶ “Climate Change Could Lead To Blackouts And Higher Power Costs On West Coast” • Two studies led by a North Carolina State University researcher preview what electricity consumers on the West Coast could experience under two different scenarios for climate and power supply. They found power costs and reliability remain vulnerable. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “MidAmerican Unveils 2.1-GW Iowa Clean Power Project” • MidAmerican Energy has plans for a $4 billion renewable energy project in Iowa, including wind and solar generation. In a filing with the Iowa Utilities Board, MidAmerican’s proposed project would add 2,042 MW of wind generation and 50 MW of solar generation, to be completed in 2024. [reNews]

Wind farm (MidAmerican image)

¶ “New “Solar Power In Your Community” Guidebook” • The US DOE released the third edition of Solar Power in Your Community, the DOE’s guidebook to help local governments get economic and environmental benefits of increased local solar deployment. It contains case studies that show different successful approaches to solar installations. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Town Of Boone Reaches Climate Neutrality In Municipal Operations Eight Years Ahead Of Its Goal” • Boone is the first municipality in North Carolina to achieve 100% renewable energy in municipal buildings, a press release says. Municipal operations will use 100% renewable energy by February, eight years ahead of the town’s goal. [Watauga Democrat]

Have an amply sufficient day.

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Opinion &c: 

¶ “Meet The Environmental Scientist Who Wants To Decolonize Conservation” • Jessica Hernandez first learned of conservation science and environmental justice through her grandmother. Maria de Jesus showed her granddaughter how to tend the family milpa, a plot where they harvested beans, corn, squash, medicinal plants, and even grasshoppers. [CleanTechnica]

Central American Milpa (Ll1324, CC0 1.0)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Cut Carbon And Toxic Pollution, Make Cement Clean And Green” • Decarbonizing cement plants is critical for reaching our climate goals. Cement is key to making concrete, the most widely used man-made material on the planet, and has few realistic alternatives. Cement is incredibly dirty to produce, but there are ways to curb emissions. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “What Do Unprecedented Fires And Tornadoes Mean For The Future Of Energy?” • The increase in climate-related disasters is becoming more distinct. Rising temperatures fuel more violent storms. The question is how to ensure that the nation’s energy supply and infrastructure are protected and prevent disruptions in energy distribution. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Tornado (Comfreak, Pixabay)

World:

¶ “Europeans Support Stronger EU Car Emissions Rules” • A large majority of people support stronger EU air pollution rules for carmakers to make vehicles as clean as possible, a YouGov survey shows. More than three-quarters of those polled said car makers should be legally obliged to reduce emissions as much as technically feasible. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Environmental Case For Buying A Coal Mine” • A growing number of campaigners, economists, and legal scholars now believe that there is an environmental case for getting involved in the fossil fuel market by buying up coal mines and acquiring drilling rights, in order to prevent the fossil fuel from being extracted, leaving it in the ground. [BBC]

Garzweiler lignite mine and power plants (Kateer, CC-BY-SA 2.5)

¶ “Volkswagen And Bosch Want To Industrialize Manufacturing Processes For Battery Cells” • Volkswagen and Bosch signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the establishment of a European battery equipment solution provider. They are are seeking industrial-scale solutions for battery manufacturing in Europe. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “This Colossal Floating Wind Farm Will Power Almost A Million UK Homes” • A floating wind farm being built in the Celtic Sea, off the coast of England and Wales, is twenty times the size of the world’s current largest floating wind farm. Called “Gwynt Glas” or “blue wind” in Welsh, it will provide power for around 927,400 UK homes. [Euronews]

EDF Renewables UK Teesside wind farm (© EDF)

US:

¶ “BlackRock Cares About Money, Not ‘Woke’ Politics” • Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, insists that companies need to disclose more about their climate plans and seriously consider their role in society. He says his reasons are financial, not “woke” politics. BlackRock is the world’s biggest money manager, with over $10 trillion under management. [CNN]

¶ “Ten Significant Water Power Accomplishments From 2021” • Over the last year, US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers worked hard to advance water power, a clean, carbon-pollution-free energy source. From surging oceans to rushing rivers, flowing waters are a constant and bountiful source of renewable energy. [CleanTechnica]

Verdant Power working on turbines (Paul Komosinski, NREL)

¶ “EV Commercials Go Prime Time” • Car brands collectively ran four times as many national TV ads for EVs in 2021 as they did in either of the previous two years, according to Bloomberg Green. General Motors, Ford, Volkswagen, and others, spent an estimated $248 million on nearly 33,000 spots, up from $83 million spent on 8,000 spots in 2019. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Renewable Power Plants Are Reducing US Electricity Generation From Natural Gas” • In its January Short-Term Energy Outlook, the US Energy Information Administration forecasts that rising electricity generation from renewable energy resources will reduce generation from fossil fuel-fired power plants over the next two years. [CleanTechnica]

EIA forecast graph

¶ “US Operator Seeks 1 GW Of Wind Power” • Appalachian Power issued a request for proposals for up to 1000 MW of wind and/or 100 MW of solar generation resources with optional battery energy-storage systems. The proposals will help the company meet the renewable energy requirements established by Virginia’s Clean Economy Act. [reNews]

¶ “Some Rural Co-Ops Embrace Renewable Energy, Keep Rates Flat” • Connexus Energy, the Minnesota’s largest electric coop, built the first large-scale, solar-plus-battery storage project in the state three years ago. Greg Ridderbusch, Connexus Energy’s CEO, said it’s one reason Connexus is able to keep its electric rates flat, year after year. [MPR News]

Solar and batteries (Connexus Energy image, cropped)

¶ “Green Mountain Energy Enters Agreement To Offer Arizona 100% Renewable Energy Ahead Of State Deadlines” • Arizonans have moved closer to having the power to choose renewable energy for their homes and businesses. Green Mountain Energy has entered into a Letter of Intent with Sawtooth DevCo, LLC for locally sourced renewable energy. [Benzinga]

¶ “Most US States See Nuclear Power As Part Of Their Green Transition” • Two-thirds of all states and the District of Columbia say that in one form or another, nuclear power generation will be needed in the US to meet the goals of a carbon-free grid by 2035 and net-zero emissions by 2050, a survey by the Associated Press showed. [Oil Price]

Have a rewardingly enchanting day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “How Greed And Politics Slow The Switch To Renewable Energy” • Thanks to fossil fuels, billions of people enjoy lives of wealth and comfort that was unimaginable before the industrial revolution. Fossil fuels do have their dark side, and you might think you understand that. But it’s likely fossil fuels are worse than you think. [Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]

Wind turbines (Dan Meyers, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “CATL Warns On Solid-State Batteries, Sees Supply Shortfall Ahead” • Recently, CATL, China’s largest battery maker, revealed plans for large investments to increase its production capacity. In the process, the company showed that technical difficulties will prevent mass production of solid-state batteries from occurring for a long time. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Six Questions To Help You Understand The Sixth Warmest Year On Record” • Scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies record climate data using instruments all over the world, and it is validated by satellite data. Here, we answer six questions to help you understand the GISS global surface temperature analysis. [CleanTechnica]

Temperature anomalies (Gavin Schmidt, NASA GISS)

World:

¶ “32% Plugin Vehicle Share In France! Tesla Model 3 Is Number Eight In Overall Market.” • In 2020, the French auto market was horrible (-26% YoY), and 2021 was not much better (only up 1% from 2020). But even in that bad market, plugin sales continued to grow, with December sales (+6% YoY) signaling a record month, at 32% of all car sales. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Plastic Crisis Needs Binding Treaty, Report Says” • Pollution from plastics is a global emergency in need of a robust UN treaty, according to a report. It argues that the plastic pollution threat is almost equivalent to climate change. The air we breathe now contains plastic micro particles, there’s plastic in Arctic snow, plastic in soils and plastic in our food. [BBC]

Plastic cast up on a beach (Antoine Giret, Unsplash)

¶ “Shipping And Renewable Energy Bodies Join Forces To Advance Global Green Fuel Transition” • The International Chamber of Shipping, with over 80% of world’s merchant fleet, has signed a Partnership Agreement with the International Renewable Energy Agency to support the decarbonization of the shipping sector. [Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide]

¶ “Outlook For Fossil Gas Is ‘Bumpy'” • Wood Mackenzie’s recent press release highlights the difficulties that may lie ahead for the gas industry. The recent EU proposal to support biomethane and hydrogen will accelerate the movement away from natural gas as an energy resource. Growth of the gas industry will depend on price reduction. [CleanTechnica]

LNG Schneeweisschen (Photo courtesy of Uniper)

¶ “Philippines Has Cleared 62 PV Projects Totaling 1.3 GW For Renewable Portfolio Standards” • The Philippines’ DOE has published the list of operational renewable energy projects that are eligible for the renewable portfolio standards. The list has 62 solar projects, 36 hydropower facilities, seven wind farms, along with 36 biomass and 6 geothermal projects. [PV Magazine]

¶ “Neoen Starts Work On Australia’s Largest Renewable Energy Project” • Neoen started to develop 1.2 GW of wind, 600 MW of solar, and 900 MW of battery storage capacity in South Australia. Upon completion, the installation will likely be Australia’s largest wind, solar, and battery storage project. Transmission lines will tie it to Victoria also. [PV Magazine]

South Australia (Neoen image)

¶ “EVs Beat Diesels As Electric Car Sales Ramp Up In Europe” • Auto analyst Mathias Schmidt tells the Financial Times that sales of battery-electric cars in Europe and the UK were higher than sales of diesel-powered cars for the first time in December of 2021. There were 176,000 battery EVs sold in the month, and only 160,000 diesels. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Scottish Renewable Auction Plans 15 GW Of Floating Wind Leases” • The Crown Estate for Scotland announced the winning bids for its first renewable leasing round in 10 years. In total, the auction allocated 14.5 GW of floating wind leases and 9.8 GW of fixed-based wind leases, as well as a 0.5 GW mixed development. It raised almost £700 million. [Power Technology]

Offshore wind turbines (Øyvind Gravås, ©Equinor)

US:

¶ “Court Vacates Decision To Approve Dakota Access Pipeline Expansion” • An Illinois Appellate Court has issued its decision in the appeal of the Illinois Commerce Commission decision to approve the Dakota Access Pipeline and Energy Transfer Crude Oil Pipeline expansion. The court vacated the approval, and it remanded the case back to the ICC. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Wabtec’s 100% Electric Locomotive Trickle Suddenly Becomes International Flood” • The locomotive manufacturer Wabtec debuted the FLXdrive 100% electric locomotive in Pennsylvania last November, but that was just the beginning. The company has found two clients in Australia and locked in a spot on Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking. [CleanTechnica]

Wabtec FLXdrive locomotive (Photo courtesy of Wabtec)

¶ “The US Is Divided Over Whether Nuclear Power Is Part Of The Green Energy Future” • As climate change pushes states in the US to dramatically cut their use of fossil fuels, many are coming to the conclusion that solar, wind, and other renewable power sources might not be enough to keep the lights on. So they are considering turning to nuclear. [NPR]

¶ “Solar PV And Wind Power In The US Continue To Grow Amid Favorable Government Plans” • GlobalData’s latest report covers the power market structure of the US and provides historical and forecast numbers for capacity, generation, and consumption up to 2030. It expects that renewables will grow to 48.4% of power generation by 2030. [Power Technology]

Have an incomparably simple day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “From Asthma Alley To Renewable Row: Transform This Stretch Of Queens” • As a City Council member from Astoria, I worked to reduce New York City’s heavy dependence on fossil fuels because of the serious dangers of climate change. But for me, clean energy is personal. My son has been diagnosed with childhood asthma. [NY Daily News]

Ravenswood power plant (Rhododendrites, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “A 21st-Century Reinvention of the Electric Grid Is Crucial for Solving the Climate Change Crisis” • With the planet facing ever more intense heat waves, drought, wildfires, and storms, a path to tackle the climate crisis became clear: Transition the electric grid to carbon-free wind and solar and convert most other fossil fuel users to electricity. [Governing Magazine]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Is The Tesla Model Y Even Safer Than The Tesla Model 3?” • The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety revealed the results of its Tesla Model Y crash safety tests recently. Like all Teslas, the Model Y earned the highest possible rating for crash safety. Surprisingly, the Model Y electric SUV has proven even safer than the Model 3. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model 3 and Model Y in crash testing (IIHS images)

¶ “Gas Car Fires Far More Common Than Electric Car Fires” • A study by Auto Insurance EZ analyzed data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and the National Transportation Safety Board, along with data on recalls from recalls.gov. It shows that while EV fires can happen, they are rare compared to fires in cars powered by gasoline. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Where Is All The Rooftop Solar Power In Australia Going?” • Australia now has over 17 GW of installed rooftop solar power, after a scorching installation rate in 2021. Despite supply chain issues, and the solar coaster of rolling lockdowns across districts and whole states, 3 GW were put on Australian roofs over the past 12 months. [CleanTechnica]

Rooftop solar (Nuno Marques, Unsplash)

¶ “Oman Partners With BP For Multi-Gigawatt Renewables Capacity By 2030” • BP has formed a strategic partnership with the government of Oman’s Ministry of Energy and Minerals to exploit a potential multi-gigawatt renewable energy and green hydrogen by 2030. Among other things, BP will help Oman with data analysis. [Upstream Online]

¶ “Stelco Will Recycle EV Batteries At Its Ontario Factory” • A Canadian steel company, Stelco, has announced plans to recycle end-of-life EV and lithium-ion batteries at its factory in Ontario. Stelco will be using proprietary technology from a joint venture of German and Australian metal companies Primobius GmbH and Neometels Ltd. [CleanTechnica]

Battery recycling (Image courtesy of Primobius)

¶ “Renewable Energy To Meet Over 70% Of China’s Additional Power Needs In Next Three Years, Says IEA” • Renewable energy will meet over 70% of China’s additional electricity demand in the next three years as coal’s role in powering the country continues to decline, the International Energy Agency’s latest projection shows. [South China Morning Post]

¶ “South Australia Breaks Record By Running For A Week On Renewable Energy” • South Australia sourced an average of just over 100% of the electricity it needed from renewable power for a period of 6½ days leading up to December 29 last year. It is a record for the state and perhaps for comparable energy grids around the world. [Sydney Morning Herald]

Solar Car Park in South Australia (Flicker02, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Experts See Nuclear Energy As A Patch For Decarbonization” • Currently available renewable electricity sources are much cheaper, faster, and cleaner than nuclear power. “Investing in nuclear energy, which has been almost stopped for three decades, when we have a better alternative and doing so in the midst of a climate emergency is crazy.” [The Saxon]

US:

¶ “Battery Resourcers Recycling Facility Will Open In August” • Battery Resourcers is building a $43 million, 154,000 square foot recycling facility in Georgia. The company says it will be the largest in America when it opens in August. The new facility will be able to recycle 30,000 metric tons of discarded lithium-ion batteries and scrap per year. [CleanTechnica]

Batteries to recycle (Image courtesy of Battery Resources)

¶ “Electricity Regulation With Equity And Justice For All” • A report published by the US DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Advancing Equity in Utility Regulation, makes a unifying case that utilities, regulators, and stakeholders need to prioritize energy equity in the deployment of clean energy technologies and resources. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Court Rejects Tesla’s Request For Tougher Fuel Economy Penalties” • A US appeals court rejected Tesla’s request to reinstate higher civil penalties for automakers who fail to meet US fuel economy standards, Reuters has reported. The ruling is seen as a win for automakers that don’t meet US fuel economy standards. [CleanTechnica] 

Have an excitingly dignified day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Why Nuclear Power Can Never Be Green” • Calling nuclear power “green” or “sustainable,” attempting to equate a nuclear reactor with a solar panel or a wind turbine, is plain and simple fraud. Nuclear power does not lead to carbon emissions once production begins, but to give it the same treatment as a truly renewable source is a bare-faced lie. [Eurasia Review]

Nuclear power plant (Johannes Plenio, Pexels)

¶ “Climate Scientists On ‘Don’t Look Up’: It’s Infuriating, Soul-Sucking, And On-The-Nose” • I come from a team of climate scientists, analysts, and advocates. For us, Don’t Look Up was both like pulling teeth to watch and air-punchingly validating. We saw the futility of our work, and its necessity. We feel hopeful some people can be moved to action. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Tesla And Chinese EV Makers Putting Lot Of Weight On These Low-Cost EV Batteries” • Tesla first used lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP or LiFePO₄) batteries for its Model 3s that were made in China in 2020. The same technology is also being used by other Chinese manufacturers because of its low cost and low probability of catching fire. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model 3 in Qinghai (Image: Tesla, Tesla Greater China)

World:

¶ “India Is Preparing Its Power Grid For A Major Renewable Energy Expansion” • In line with India’s commitment at the COP26 summit, the country aims to reach net-zero by 2070. India seeks to meet 50% of its energy needs by 2030 through renewable sources and expand non-fossil fuel power generation capacity to 500 GW in this decade. [Oil Price]

¶ “Renault Says It Will Sell Only Electric Cars In Europe By 2030” • At a press conference, Renault CEO Luca de Meo said his company plans to sell only battery EVs in Europe by 2030. He left the door open for Dacia, the low-priced brand in the Renault stable, to sell internal combustion cars after that date, calling it Renault’s Plan B. [CleanTechnica]

Renault Megane E-Tech Courtesy of Renault)

¶ “Econergy Enters UK Storage Market With 50-MW Project Acquisition” • Econergy Renewable Energy acquired Swangate Energy Storage Ltd, a 50-MW storage project in Yorkshire. The 50-MW Swangate project is part of a wider pipeline of projects consisting of more than 800 MW of storage and 900 MW of solar PV. [Power Engineering International]

¶ “Will ScotWind Auction Deliver A Renewables Revolution?” • The ScotWind auction is the first time in a decade that plots of seabed in Scottish waters have been up for grabs. The ScotWind auction, whose successful bidders are about to be announced, should see at least a further 10 GW added to the Scottish market and maybe more with new technology. [BBC]

SeaJack turbine installation vessel (Michael Parry, public domain)

¶ “Government Exploring Rooftop, Floating Solar Power For Scarcity Of Lands: Nasrul” • In Bangladesh, the State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Nasrul Hamid, said that the government is exploring options like rooftop and floating solar power plants as alternatives to land-based sites due to scarcity of lands. [The Business Standard]

¶ “Australia To Get The Cupra Born” • Australians are keen to get into affordable electric cars. However, the EVs we keep getting offered are a little rich for our blood, a little expensive for our wallets. The latest is the Cupra Born, which I am sure will sell well at A$50,000 to $60,000 ($36,000 to $43,220) because it is a very exciting machine. [CleanTechnica]

Cupra Born (Image courtesy of Cupra)

¶ “Swedish Police Hunt For Drone Seen Flying Over Forsmark Nuclear Plant” • Police in Sweden deployed helicopters and patrols to the Forsmark nuclear plant to hunt for a large drone seen flying over the site late on Friday. They were unable to catch the unmanned vehicle, they said. Unconfirmed sightings took place at one other nuclear plant. [Reuters]

US:

¶ “What’s The Latest With Tesla’s Cybertruck?” • Tesla has been somewhat guarded about the Cybertruck. That said, an iteration of Tesla’s much-anticipated pickup was recently spotted at the Fremont factory test track. Hence, some clues were revealed. A few updated features were spied during a drone flyover of the factory area. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Cybertruck (u/Kruzat, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “US DOE Looks To Produce More Uranium For Cutting-Edge Nuclear Reactors” • The US government is looking to advance the country’s nuclear power capabilities in an effort to align with a less carbon-intensive future. With that, it is seeking to produce more high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel that would be used by reactors of new design. [The Deep Dive]

¶ “Military Seeks To Boost Tritium Output From TVA’s Watts Bar Nuclear Plant” • The military is seeking to boost the production of tritium, a key component of America’s nuclear arsenal, at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar Nuclear Plant. The move comes despite criticism that it violates international nuclear arms agreements. [Yahoo! Sports]

Have a classically pleasant day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “No One Surprised 2021 One Of The Hottest Years On Record – And That’s Terrifying” • NASA and NOAA released their data on 2021 climate trends. Climatologist Dr Kristina Dahl wrote, “What terrifies me about the latest data showing 2021 ranks as the sixth hottest year on record is that these facts and figures are no longer surprising or shocking.” [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it. (NOAA image)

¶ “Critics Slam USPS Failure To Pursue An Electrification Strategy” • The US postal service plans to saddle America with internal combustion technology until at least the middle of this century. That is simply insane. But a defense contractor will profit handsomely from this arrangement. And that’s business as usual in America. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Five Ways US States Can Get More Electric School Buses On The Road” • The enactment of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in the US is an important step on the path to cleaner school bus rides for more than 20 million children. Here are five specific ways that state leaders can lead in a transition to electric school buses. [CleanTechnica]

School buses charging (Nuvve Corporation, cropped)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Tesla Cold Weather Experiment In Temperatures Of -22°F And -31°F” • How long would a Tesla keep you warm if a blizzard kept you from moving? CleanTechnica readers reported on doing their own experiments with Teslas operating in the very cold temperatures. The results show that Teslas are really surprisingly good at keeping the heat on. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “1,000-Cycle Lithium-Sulfur Battery Could Quintuple Electric Vehicle Ranges” • A new biologically inspired battery membrane has enabled a battery with five times the capacity of the industry-standard lithium ion design to run for the thousand-plus cycles needed to power an electric car. The design came from a team at the University of Michigan. [CleanTechnica]

Lithium-sulfur battery (Ahmet Emre, Kotov Lab)

World:

¶ “Romanian Minister Says EU Funds To Drive Green Energy Surge” • EU support schemes will drive a surge in renewable energy projects in Romania to replace outdated coal-fired power plants and help the country meet its climate targets, Energy Minister Virgil Popescu said. He also gave a time scale on help from the US for nuclear plants. [Reuters]

¶ “Germany To Dedicate 2% Of Its Land To Development Of Wind Power” • Germany’s new Green Minister for Economics and Climate, Robert Habeck, presented a bold new plan for expanding onshore and offshore wind power. If successful, the plan would add up to 10 GW of new onshore wind capacity every year for the rest of the decade. [CleanTechnica]

Texas Wind Farm (Amazon image)

¶ “Huawei To Sell Large Capacity Battery For Renewable Energy In Japan” • With the growing demand for renewable energy, large-scale battery storage will be needed to maintain a stable supply. According to NikkeiAsia, Huawei will start selling the large-scale battery system for renewable energy storage in Japan in March 2022. [Huawei Central]

US:

¶ “Tesla Cybertruck Reportedly Delayed Until 1st Quarter Of 2023” • The Cybertruck page on the Tesla website used to say, “You will be able to complete your configuration as production nears in 2022.” But at the end of last year, the words “in 2022” were deleted. Why? It seems likely that Cybertruck production has been moved back into 2023. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Cybertruck (Image courtesy of Tesla)

¶ “The US Spent $1.1 Billion On Failed Carbon Capture Projects In A Decade” • The US Government Accountability Office said in a recent report that the US DOE had spent $1.1 billion on eleven carbon capture projects at coal-fired power plants and industrial facilities since 2009, most of which turned out to be failures and were never built. [Oil Price] (Thanks to Tad Montgomery)

¶ “Arizona Utility Signs Wind PPA With NextEra” • Arizona utility Salt River Project is contracting with a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources to buy the electricity from the 161-MW Babbitt Ranch wind farm in Coconino County, north of Flagstaff. It is scheduled to begin delivering electricity to SRP’s power grid by December 2023. [reNews]

NextEra wind farm (NextEra image)

¶ “Solar Power Could Boom In 2022, Depending On Supply Chains” • The US Energy Information Administration projects US solar companies will install 21.5 GW of utility-scale capacity this year, shattering the annual record of 15.5 GW set last year. But the Solar Energy Industries Association says growth could be limited by supply constraints. [Scientific American]

¶ “Permian Basin Solar Farm Green-Lit By State Of New Mexico. Will Power Oil And Gas Operations” • A New Mexico solar farm will support the needs of Chevron’s Permian Basin oil and gas operations after the fossil fuel giant won a bid for a section of State Trust land for the project. The Hayhurst project will have a capacity of 20 MW. [Yahoo News]

Pump jacks in the Permian Basin (Zorin09, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Targa To Source Solar Power For West Texas Assets” • Targa Resources Corp plans to source electricity from Concho Valley Solar to provide power to Targa’s natural gas processing infrastructure in the Permian Basin in West Texas. Concho Valley Solar has begun construction of a 160-MW project near San Angelo, Texas. [LP Gas magazine]

¶ “US Cross-Department Plan Inked To Greenlight 25 GW Of Renewables Plant On Federal Land By 2025” • Five US cabinet departments have signed a memorandum of understanding to improve government coordination and streamline reviews for development of a lead-off 25 GW of renewable energy projects on public lands by 2025. [RechargeNews]

Have an enchantingly delicious day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Some German Environmental Groups Overlook Coal’s Impact On Water While Focusing On Stopping Tesla” • Two groups are suing the German State Office for the Environment claiming that the tests for approval of the water supply for the gigafactory are not available. In my opinion, they are not pro-environment. They are just anti-Tesla. [CleanTechnica]

Berlin Gigafactory (Image courtesy of Tesla)

¶ “Why The Joint US-South Korean Research On Plutonium Separation Raises Nuclear Proliferation Danger” • South Korea, like the US, has long relied on nuclear power as a major source of electric power. Both countries have large stores of spent nuclear fuel. And South Korea has long had an interest in other nuclear technology. [Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]

Science and Technology:

¶ “2021 Was 45th Year In A Row With A Warmer-Than-Normal Global Temperature” • The last 45 years have all been above the 20th century average for global temperature, new data shows, as Earth continues its relentless warming due to heat-trapping fossil fuel emissions. Earth’s average temperature is now around 1.1°C above average pre-industrial levels. [CNN]

Earth from space (NASA image)

World:

¶ “India’s Richest Man Is Pouring More Than $80 Billion Into Green Energy” • Reliance Industries, a conglomerate owned by Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, announced that it would allocate ₹6 trillion (about $80.6 billion) to renewable power projects in the western Indian state of Gujarat, where it hopes to help generate a million new jobs. [CNN]

¶ “The World’s Insatiable Appetite For Electricity Is Setting Up A Climate Disaster” • A report published by the International Energy Agency found that global demand for electricity surged 6% in 2021, fueled by a colder winter and the dramatic economic rebound from the pandemic. That drove both prices and carbon emissions to new records. [CNN]

Transmission lines (Matthew Henry, Unsplash)

¶ “Renewable PPA Prices Surge In Response To Gas Crisis” • A price rise of 7.8% quarter on quarter for renewable purchase price agreements means that the average cost has soared by 17.4% in the past nine months Corporations are looking to deliver on their climate goals and protect themselves against growing gas price volatility. [Business Green]

¶ “China Electric Vehicle Sales Growth Is Sparking Big Change” • China has emerged as a world leader in electric vehicle adoption in recent years. And it turns out 2021 was no exception. The Wall Street Journal recently reported, “China’s car market snapped a three-year decline last year, helped by strong sales of electric vehicles.” [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model Y vehicles in China (Courtesy of Tesla)

¶ “EU Gas And Nuclear Rules Derided As ‘Biggest Greenwash Ever'” • Experts and activists are commenting on the European Commission’s plan to include natural gas and nuclear power as eligible for sustainable finance. They warn that the plan will lead to further greenwashing, split financial markets, and undermine the bloc’s climate objectives. [EUobserver]

¶ “Shipping Carbon Price Loophole Lets Millions Of Tonnes Of CO₂ Off The Hook” • Over 25 million tonnes of CO₂ – equivalent to the CO₂ emissions of Denmark – are exempt from the EU’s proposed carbon price for shipping, a Transport & Environment study shows. The exemptions appear to be arbitrary, and they undermine the EU’s shipping law. [CleanTechnica]

Bridge of a ferry (Ibrahim Boran, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Energy Department Will Recruit 1,000 Additional Staffers For New Corps To Tackle The Climate Crisis” • The DOE is starting up a Clean Energy Corps to help implement the bipartisan infrastructure law and develop clean-energy solutions to the climate crisis, the agency said. It will hire 1,000 new employees through a newly launched hiring portal. [CNN]

¶ “The US ‘Megadrought’ Sets Another Stunning Record” • Despite several recent drenching rainstorms in the West and enough snow to top the second story of some buildings, the United States has tied an alarming drought record: At least 40% of the Lower 48 has gone 68 straight weeks – more than 17 months – in drought conditions. [CNN]

Drought (Ross Stone, Unsplash)

¶ “Palmetto Maps 107 Million Roofs In US While Opposition To Rooftop Solar Grows” • MIT researchers created Mapdwell, a tool that provides an instant assessment of any building’s rooftop potential for solar energy production and battery storage. The tool was sold to Palmetto and is ready for use. But there are those who want to stop rooftop solar. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US EPA To Evaluate Whether Lead Emissions From Piston-Engine Aircraft Endanger Human Health And Welfare” • The US EPA said it will evaluate emissions from piston-engine aircraft operating on leaded fuel and their potential threats to public health and welfare. The agency will issue a proposal for public review and comment in 2022. [CleanTechnica]

Airplane (Arie Wubben, Unsplash)

¶ “EDPR completes 200-MW Indiana Solar” • EDP Renewables has completed the construction of the 200MW Riverstart solar farm in the US state of Indiana. The project, located in Randolph County, is the largest solar farm by capacity in Indiana. It will generate electric energy equivalent to the average demand of over 36,000 homes each year. [reNews]

¶ “Manchin Wants Nuclear Tax Credit Extended In Biden’s Build Back Better Bill” • West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin (D) is seeking tax credits for nuclear power plants for 10 years instead of the six years as put in President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better bill. Manchin himself stalled the bill late last year with opposition to many of its provisions. [Oil Price]

Have an abundantly agreeable day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “The Answer Is Blowing In The Wind” • The US Interior Department’s offshore wind lease sales are important as they are necessary to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and mitigate warming levels. Unfortunately, as often happens with attempts to reduce US dependence on oil, opposition groups voice concerns about the wind lease sale. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore wind farm (Image from NOAA, public domain)

¶ “Debunking Three Myths About Renewable Energy And The Grid” • As wind and solar power have become far cheaper, and their share of electricity generation grows, skeptics of these technologies are propagating several myths about renewable energy and the electrical grid. Here, we take a look at why their message is simply wrong. [GreenBiz]

¶ “Why Is The Santa Susana Nuclear Accident Still Being Covered Up?” • In 1979, the year of Three Mile Island, I exposed another partial meltdown in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It occurred at the Santa Susana Field Lab, a reactor and rocket-testing facility in the mountains between the San Fernando and Simi Valleys. [Zocalo Public Square]

SRE nuclear facility in 1958 (US DOE image)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Happy Hours: Energy Storage Could Support The Grid Every Hour Of The Day, All Year Long” • The National Renewable Energy Laboratory modeled grid operations in high-storage power systems down to the hour in the latest phase of the Storage Futures Study. This is to help grid operators understand how to use energy storage of the future. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Gas-Powered Car Sales In China Down Around 4% While EV Sales Up About 145% In 2021” • Sam Korus of ARK Invest pointed out that gas-powered car sales in China were down 4% in 2021, while battery EV sales were up about 145%. China’s passenger auto sales were up about 4.4% last year and EVs were responsible for that growth. [CleanTechnica]

Teslas ready for sale (Image courtesy of Tesla China)

¶ “Denmark Crushes 50% EV Sales Barrier – Now What?” • I think Hans Christian Ørsted, who discovered electromagnetism in 1820, would be pleased. The association of Danish automobile importers reports that in December 2021 the share of electrified passenger vehicles, including both battery EVs and plug-in hybrids has passed 50%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “THOR And ZF Partner To Develop Battery-Powered Towable RVs” • THOR Industries, the Indiana-based parent company of Airstream, signed a memorandum of understanding with ZF, a Tier One supplier to the automotive industry based in Germany, for joint development of a high voltage electric drive system for towable recreational vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

E.Home Caravan (Image courtesy of Dethleffs)

¶ “Vedanta Aluminium Is India’s Largest Industrial Consumer Of Renewable Energy” • Vedanta Aluminium Business, Indias largest producer of aluminium and value-added products, has become the biggest industrial consumer of renewable energy in 2021. The company is powering an aluminum smelter entirely with renewable energy. [Daijiworld]

¶ “Global Renewable Power Installations Climb To New Record High In 2021 – IEA” • The amount of renewables added between 2021 and 2026 is expected to be 50% higher than from 2015 to 2020, driven by stronger support from government policies and more ambitious clean power goals announced for the Cop26 UN climate summit. [Yahoo News UK]

Solar array (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

¶ “Thames Water Creates Enough Renewable Energy To Cook 112 Million Turkeys” • The UK’s largest water company created almost 140 million cubic meters of green biogas during the sewage treatment process. This was use to generate over 300 million kWh of electricity, enough to cook 112 million Christmas turkeys. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

US:

¶ “Biden Administration Announces Its First Offshore Wind Auction, With More To Come” • The White House unveiled several government initiatives to bolster US offshore wind production, streamline a review of public lands for clean energy and implement power grid improvements as part of the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law. [CNN]

Block Island offshore windfarm (US DOE, public domain)

¶ “How To Grow US Offshore Wind Power” • The US DOE is releasing a report that outlines regional and national strategies to accelerate US offshore wind deployment and operation. By implementing the strategies discussed in the report, the country achieve the interagency goal to deploy 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Lightsource BP Closes On 345-MW Louisiana Solar Site” • Lightsource BP has closed on a $533 million (€467 million) multi-project financing package and started construction on its 345-MW Ventress Solar project 30 miles northwest of Baton Rouge. Lightsource BP will sell its energy to McDonald’s Corporation and eBay. [reNews]

Solar array with flowers (Lightsource BP image)

¶ “US DOE Awards $8.4 Million For Accessing Geothermal Potential From Abandoned Oil And Gas Wells” • The US DOE selected four projects to receive up to $8.4 million to establish geothermal energy from unused oil and gas wells. The funding will help existing well owners use unproductive wells to access geothermal potential. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Money Talks: ZeroAvia Nails Paine Field Site For Hydrogen Aircraft R&D” • The dream of zero emission flight is taking shape around electric aircraft, with batteries and hydrogen fuel cells running neck and neck to see who can take off first. So far it’s a toss-up, but ZeroAvia has a good shot at going mainstream within the next few years. [CleanTechnica]

Have a totally hunky-dory day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “A Year In Review: Advancing Energy Storage And Conversion Research” • Over the past year, researchers at NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) have pioneered innovative, interdisciplinary, and integrated R&D for advancements in electrochemical, molecular, thermal, and mechanical energy storage systems. [CleanTechnica]

Particle thermal energy storage built from retired thermal
plant (Jeffrey Gifford and Patrick Davenport, NREL)

¶ “Let’s Get Down And Dirty – Soil Needs Cleantech” • Soil is the foundation of the most basic of ecosystem functions. As a natural resource, it is indispensable. It provides essential nutrients to forests and crops and helps regulate the Earth’s temperature. The effects of the climate crisis make it clear: Soil needs cleantech and its innovation. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Oceans Were The Warmest On Record In 2021, For The Third Year In A Row” • Last year was the hottest on record for oceans for the third year in a row. An annual study, published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, found the past five years have been the hottest five on record for the oceans. The records go back to the late 1950s. [CNN]

Sea waters (Joseph Barrientos, Unsplash)

¶ “French City Cancels Hydrogen Bus Contract, Opts For Electric Buses” • The public transit agency for the city of Montpellier, on the southern coast of France, has cancelled a contract for 51 new buses powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The city had calculated it would cost 95¢/km for the hydrogen fueled buses versus 15¢/km for battery-powered buses. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ineos Seals Belgian Offshore Wind Power Deal With Eneco” • London-based chemicals firm Ineos has agreed with Eneco on a long-term deal for renewable offshore wind power. Under the terms of the ten-year deal, which begins in 2022, Ineos will purchase 65.5 MW of power produced at the SeaMade offshore wind park in the Belgian North Sea. [Splash 247]

Offshore wind construction (Pontificalibus, CC 1.0, cropped)

¶ “Ingeteam Commissions The First PV Plant With Batteries In Spain” • The 40-MW Arañuelo III solar plant is now operational and is part of the Campo Arañuelo PV complex developed by Iberdrola. The new plant is the first in Spain to include battery storage. The Arañuelo I, II, and III solar plants have a combined capacity of 143 MW. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “RE100 Calls For Better Clean Energy Support For Business, As It Approaches 350 Member Mark” • RE100, a coalition of firms committed to move to 100% renewables, called on governments to remove barriers for companies to get clean power, warning that regulatory barriers hamper the business world’s transition to net zero emissions. [Business Green]

Solar panels (Dennis Schroeder, NREL)

¶ “Green EU Label For Nuclear: Federal Office Sees Inadequate Assessment” • Wolfram König, president of Germany’s Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management, commented on the proposal that nuclear power be classed as green. He said that from a technical point of view, the position nuclear power is sustainable is “not tenable.” [Market Research Telecast]

¶ “France’s New-Generation Nuclear Plant Delayed Again” • EDF announced there would be new delays and cost overruns for its troubled Flamanville nuclear plant in northern France, as the Covid-19 pandemic made the work more difficult. Projected costs were increased to €12.7 billion. Originally, the cost was projected to be €3.3 billion. [Digital Journal]

Flamanville NPP in 2010 (schoella, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

US:

¶ “EPA Begins Enforcement On Clean Up Of Toxic Coal-Ash Ponds” • The US EPA announced that it will begin enforcing regulations that require coal-fired power plants to clean up their coal-ash waste – the toxic byproduct of burning coal to generate electricity. There are approximately 500 unlined coal-ash ponds in the US, according to the EPA. [CNN]

¶ “US Saw Its Fourth-Hottest Year On Record In 2021, Fueled By Record-Warm December” • In the US, the year 2021 was marked by extremes, including exceptional heat and devastating severe weather. It had the second-highest number of climate disasters and billion-dollar weather on record. Here’s a recap of the year’s climate and extreme weather events. [CleanTechnica]

Fire in California (Joe Bradshaw, Bureau of Land Management)

¶ “Assessing The US Climate In 2021” • In 2021, there were twenty weather and climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect the US. These events included two floods, one drought, four tropical cyclones, eleven other severe storms, one wildfire, and one winter storm. The annual average for 1980 to 2021 is 7.4 events. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “85% Of US Electric Generating Capacity Retirements In 2022 Will Be Coal” • Operators have scheduled 14.9 GW of generating capacity to retire in the US during 2022, according to the EIA’s latest inventory of electric generators. Most of the scheduled retirements are coal-fired power plants (85%), followed by natural gas (8%) and nuclear (5%). [CleanTechnica]

Expected plant retirements (Energy Information Administration)

¶ “US Contractor To Build 250-MW Illinois Wind” • Invenergy has contracted Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives subsidiary White Construction to build the planned 250-MW Sapphire Sky wind farm in Illinois. Work started on the project during the fourth quarter of 2021, with targeted completion by the fourth quarter of this year. [reNews]

¶ “Iberdrola, CIP JV Completes US offshore Rejig” • Iberdrola has agreed with joint venture partner Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners to take control of over 2 GW US offshore wind capacity. The capacity includes the 1232-MW Commonwealth Wind project in Massachusetts and the 804-MW Park City Wind project in Connecticut. [reNews]

Have a superlatively ideal day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “The Next Front In Fighting Climate Change: Your Home” • The Build Back Better bill, if it ever comes to pass, now seems unlikely to include major climate change provisions. But we can reduce our own carbon emissions, starting with our own homes. About 20% of US greenhouse gases come from homes; about 20% of the problem can be solved by home owners. [CNN]

Home (Jacques Bopp, Unsplash)

¶ “Astonishing Things You Never Knew About Fossil Fuels From Bill McKibben” • In a recent blog post, Bill McKibben celebrated something he discovered recently while surfing the internet: “Forty percent of the world’s shipping consists of just sending fossil fuels around the world to be burned.” We burn fossil fuels so we can move fossil fuels to burn. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Last Seven Years Have Been The Warmest On Record As The Planet Approaches Critical Threshold” • The last seven years are the seven warmest on record for the planet, data shows. Earth’s average temperature is around 1.1°C above average pre-industrial levels, Copernicus reports, 73% of the way to the 1.5° threshold to avoid the worst impacts. [CNN]

Bridge of NOAA Ship Bell Shimada (NOAA, Unsplash)

¶ “First Lithium Carbonate Produced From Mica” • All UK car manufacturing will convert to electric vehicles by 2030 and lithium carbonate is a key component in the batteries required to power them. It turns out that the lithium that is needed can be extracted from mica found in granite. Now there is a pilot plant operating, doing that. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Antarctica: Invasive Species ‘Hitchhiking’ On Ships” • Species from around the world that are “hitching a lift” on ships threaten Antarctica’s pristine marine ecosystem, according to a study tracking research, fishing, and tourist vessels that routinely visit the protected region. It revealed that ships from 1,500 ports around the globe visit Antarctica. [BBC]

Antarctica (Paul Carroll, Unsplash)

¶ “Vattenfall Is Unleashing A New Drop-In Heat Pump On Unsuspecting Gas Markets” • The humble electric heat pump is emerging as a climate action hero. Vattenfall has just teamed up with the firm Feenstra to introduce a new heat pump that can replace natural gas boilers on a drop-in basis, without the need for expensive retrofits. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hydrostor Inks $250 Million Investment For Energy Storage Growth” • Hydrostor is getting a boost for its long-term energy storage projects. Goldman Sachs is investing $250 million to help the company build more than 1 GW, 8.7 GWh of its Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage (A-CAES) projects in California and Australia. [Power Engineering]

Gem A-CAES Project (Hydrostor image)

¶ “India May Add 12.5 GW Of Solar In 2022-23” • Ratings agency ICRA expects India to add 16.1 GW of renewable energy capacity in the next fiscal year. The analysts told pv magazine the additions in clean energy will be driven by solar, with 12.5 GW coming in PV projects. Wind projects are expected to contribute 2.2 GW and hybrid plants 1.4 GW. [PV Magazine]

¶ “Lancashire Nuclear Power Plant To Stop Generating Electricity Two Years Early” • The Heysham 2 nuclear power station in Lancashire is set to stop generating electricity two years earlier than expected. In 2016, its life was extended by seven years to 2030 as no new power station projects were in the pipeline, but the plan has changed. [Lancs Live]

Heysham 2 nuclear power station (Mr T, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

US:

¶ “Solar Power Will Account For Nearly Half Of New US Electric Generating Capacity In 2022” • In 2022, the Energy Information Administration expects 46.1 GW of new utility-scale electric generating capacity to be added to the US power grid. Almost half of the planned 2022 capacity additions are solar, followed by natural gas at 21% and wind at 17%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “‘Off The Charts’: Weather Disasters Have Cost The US $750 Billion Over Past Five Years” • A historic freeze that hit Texas, a deadly hurricane that wreaked havoc from the Gulf Coast to the Northeast, and a record-shattering heat wave and drought in the West are just three of twenty weather disasters that hit the US in 2021, each costing over $1 billion. [CNN]

Weather on the high planes (NOAA image, Unsplash)

¶ “Bill Filed To Crush Solar Choice In The Sunshine State” • Florida Power and Light, the state’s largest power company, has written an anti-rooftop solar bill and is pushing it at the Florida Legislature. If passed, the bill will decimate Florida rooftop solar adoption and take a sledgehammer to solar choice for customers, jobs, and economic development. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Amazon Will Buy Thousands Of Ram ProMaster Electric Delivery Vans Every Year” • The Ram ProMaster, a battery EV, will be the brand’s first ever all-electric model when it debuts in the second half of 2023 as a rival for the Ford E-Transit and the Rivian EDV. It has a ready market with Amazon, whose need for last-mile delivery vans is huge. [CleanTechnica]

Ram ProMaster (Image courtesy of Stellantis)

¶ “RFP Alert: 11.5 GW Of Renewables Mandated By CPUC” • The Diablo Canyon nuclear plant is set to retire in 2025, as California switches to renewable generation. Three community choice aggregators jointly issued a request for proposals as part of a state mandate for 11,500 MW of carbon-emissions-free energy and long-duration energy storage. [pv magazine USA]

¶ “Report: Taxpayers ‘Losing’ On Subsidies For Nuclear Industry” • Nuclear power is making the transition toward smaller reactors. But a report from Taxpayers for Common Sense claims federal subsidies to help that move are a losing bet. The group says the DOE has spent more than $1.2 billion on small modular reactors, and is set to spend more. [Kiowa County Press]

Have an irrepressibly exultant day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Here’s How To Solve The UK Energy Crisis For The Long Term – Store More Power” • The key to making sure there is enough affordable, low-carbon energy is more storage to make the most of the renewable energy available. A storage boom has been forecast over the coming decade as governments race to meet their climate targets. [The Guardian]

Highview Power’s CryoBattery (Highview Power image)

¶ “Taxonomy: Nuclear And Gas Energy Might Get Greenwashed, But With Little Impact ” • The EU Commission wants to classify nuclear and gas-fired power plants as “sustainable” generators. Activists are on fire, but as legitimate as their opinion is, the move is not actually all that significant. For one thing, nuclear power is too expensive. [Investigate Europe]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Scientists Develop Stable Sodium Battery Technology” • If the lithium and cobalt in lithium-ion batteries is replaced, it will result in technology that is more environmentally and socially conscious, scientists say. Toward that end, University of Texas at Austin researchers have developed an improved sodium-based battery material. [CleanTechnica]

Batteries and parts (Robin Glauser, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Tesla China Shares Video On How Safety Comes First At Tesla” • Tesla China shared a new video on its YouTube channel that highlights the important focus on safety that Tesla is well known for. The video led with a clip of CEO Elon Musk speaking on how important it is to put safety first. The video is in Chinese with English subtitles. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Delhi’s Smog Problem Is Rooted In India’s Water Crisis” • In the first week of November 2021, when Delhi’s air quality went beyond hazardous, stubble burning accounted for 42% of the city’s levels of PM2.5. The stubble is largely on farms where large amounts of ground water are used for paddy farming. And the ground water is getting scarce. [BBC]

Indian paddy fields (Sreehari Devadas, Unsplash)

¶ “Coal-Fired Power Is Not Flexible Enough For Negative Prices” • When the Australian Energy Regulator put the spotlight on the inability of coal-fired power stations to respond quickly to sudden changes supply and demand, it opened a discussion about dealing with the problem. The AER is asking whether coal plants can operate more flexibly. [AFR]

¶ “Adani Group Floats ANIL For Green Energy Projects, Aims To Become World’s Biggest Renewables Company” • Adani Group has set up a subsidiary, Adani New Industries Ltd, for low-carbon electricity and green hydrogen projects, and to manufacture wind turbines, solar PVs, and batteries. Its goal is to be the world’s largest renewable energy company. [Firstpost]

Gautam Adani (Image courtesy of Adani Group)

¶ “Aquila Takes 51% Stake In 421-MW Italian PV” • Aquila Capital has formalized the acquisition of 51% stakes in 421 MW of solar projects under development in Italy from Soltec Power Holdings’ subsidiary Powertis for an undisclosed price. The agreement also contemplates the co-development of an additional 90 MW for energy storage in the country. [reNews]

US:

¶ “World Economic Forum: Texas Could Experience Warmest Winter In 130 Years” • Texas is likely to experience its warmest winter in 130 years, according to the World Economic Forum. Considering last year’s deep freeze is still haunting those of us in the deep South, that may sound like a relief. But the warmer weather come with its cost. [CleanTechnica]

Drought conditions (US Drought Monitor image)

¶ “Gemilang To Deliver 140 Electric School Buses To California Schools” • Gemilang International Limited is planning to deliver 140 fully electric school buses to schools in California this year. The company, based in Johor, Malaysia, has been designing and manufacturing coaches and buses for over 30 years. It also makes bus bodies for EV producers. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Blackstone Invests $3 Billion In Invenergy In Renewable Push” • The Blackstone Group injected $3 billion in Invenergy, a US multinational firm focused on power generation development and operations, in green push, Bloomberg reported. This follows the alternative asset manager giant’s $13 billion commitment in 2019 to back clean energy. [Arab News]

Solar array (Invenergy.com)

¶ “Work Starts On 100-MW Solar Project In Eastern Kern” • Construction has begun on a 100-MW solar PV project in Kern County, California. Rabbitbrush Sola will come with a battery storing 50 MWh of electricity. Developer Leeward Renewable Energy said it chose to build in Kern because of its consistent sunlight and flat land. [Yahoo News]

¶ “Edelman To ‘Part Ways’ With Clients That Do Not Meet New Climate Standards” • PR agency Edelman plans to “part ways” with clients that do not align with its climate principles. The agency reviewed them based on Carbon Disclosure Project reporting and scores, the latest IPCC reports, and industry emissions analysis. [Marketing Interactive]

Have a stupifyingly gorgeous day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Unpacking People’s Attitudes Toward Solar Power” • People in the US are increasingly concerned about the climate crisis, and eliminating fossil fuels from the global energy portfolio must take place. While the vast majority of the public supports the development of large-scale community-based solar installations, not everyone agrees. [CleanTechnica]

Mojave Desert concentrating solar system (US DOE)

¶ “Take It From Climate Scientists: ‘Don’t Look Up’ Is Damning – But Not Nearly Damning Enough” • I come from a team of climate scientists, analysts, and advocates. For us, “Don’t Look Up” was both like pulling teeth to watch and air-punchingly validating. It is a flawed movie about things we hate seeing, and then the world ENDS. [Common Dreams]

¶ “Maine Needs Policy Reforms, Truth In Advertising To Hasten Transition Off Fossil Fuels” • Maine is becoming a hub for clean energy, but its marketing remains muddy. Fossil fuel companies have spent billions of dollars lying to the American public about global warming, causing irreparable harm. So it should be no wonder that people are confused. [PenBay Pilot]

Solar array (Photo courtesy of ReVision Energy)

¶ “Why Is Support For Nuclear Power Noisiest Just As Its Failures Become Most Clear?” • During COP26, Nuclear Needs Net Zero laid on a pro-nuclear flash mob in central Glasgow, complete with young dancers wearing ‘we need to talk about nuclear’ T-shirts. They got media attention. But nuclear power costs three times as much as renewables. [openDemocracy]

Science and Technology:

¶ “New Study Shows Protecting Ecosystems Takes Priority Over Planting Trees For Carbon Storage” • Planting trees is a necessity to help remove carbon from the atmosphere. However, it’s not enough. Yes, there has been a lot of awareness around planting trees. However, a study has found that protecting ecosystems should be the first priority. [CleanTechnica]

View in the Cascades (Sergei A, Unsplash)

¶ “This Battery May Solve Renewables’ Energy Storage Problem” • Flow batteries are types of liquid batteries that potentially could provide large-scale, long-term energy storage. But, so far, the materials to make them have been too rare and too expensive. Researchers have found an alternative. It is a material that looks a lot like molasses. [Freethink]

¶ “The Metals Company Finishes Its Deep-Sea Research Campaign” • The Metals Company is focused on sourcing the critical metals and minerals needed for producing batteries for electric vehicles but in a unique way. TMC collects nodules that are just lying on the seafloor “like golf balls on a driving range and can be collected directly.” [CleanTechnica]

Remotely operated vehicle (TMC via Business Wire)

World:

¶ “Germany’s Plugin EV Share At Record 36% In December” • In Germany, Europe’s largest auto market and the 5th largest in the world, the plugin EV share hit a record of 35.7% in December, up from 26.6% year-on-year. Full battery electrics took 21.3% of the market. Overall auto sales were down to 227,630 units, the lowest December result in decades. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Northern Territory Of Australia Takes Baby Steps Into The Electric Future” • The Northern Territory, home of the iconic monolith Uluru, is not a state but a vast and sparsely populated territory. Up till now, there have been only 61 EVs registered in the Northern Territory (a penetration rate of 0.03%), but that is about to change. [CleanTechnica]

Uluru (Ondrej Machart, Unsplash)

¶ “Jordan Among Leading Arab Countries In Renewable Energy Transition” • Jordan is among leading Arab countries in the energy transition, which can be seen in the Kingdom’s use of renewable energy to meet more than 20% of its power needs, Secretary General of the Arab Renewable Energy Commission Mohammad Taani said. [menafn]

¶ “Global Sentiment On CO₂ Emissions Makes Energy PSUs Bet Big On Renewables” • Leading Indian energy companies like BPCL, ONGC, and NTPC are revising targets in a big renewable energy push to be future-ready to avoid stranded assets. The government is confident of having 450 GW of renewable energy installed by 2030. [Business Today]

Wind farm in Western Ghats (Rajavel vanaraj, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “EU: Nuclear Energy Will Require ‘€20 Billion Per Year’ Until 2050” • The EU commissioner for the internal market, Thierry Breton, said the bloc will need to invest €500 billion ($586 billion) in new nuclear energy facilities by 2050, €20 billion each year, according to an interview recently published by the French newspaper Journal du Dimanche. [DW]

US:

¶ “Ford To Greedy Dealers: No F-150 Lightnings For You!” • Lately, we have seen a lot of stories about car dealers tacking on outrageous “market adjustments” over the price on the window sticker for cars that are in high demand, for example adding $5,000 to $10,000 to the price of a Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning. Ford is acting on that. [CleanTechnica]

Ford F-150 Lightning (Image courtesy of Ford)

¶ “‘Mystery’ US Energy Storage Company Breaks Through Veil Of Silence” • The energy storage firm FlexGen has barely been noticed by the media, but apparently things have been quite busy over there. Recently, the North Carolina company has hooked up with its home state’s electric cooperatives in a new venture that adds 40 MW of punch. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Why Connexus Energy Won’t Raise Electric Rates For A Fifth Year” • At a time when big Minnesota utilities are raising retail electric rates, electricity provider Connexus Energy told its nearly 140,000 institutional and residential customers that it has frozen rates for a fifth year. A large part of the cost saving is from solar power and batteries. [Star Tribune]

Have an indubitably fruitful day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “The Latest Energy Storage Gizmo Is An ‘Ocean Battery’ With A Bladder” • The Dutch startup Ocean Grazer wowed the judges at CES 2022 with its contribution to the undersea storage field, garnering a CES 2022 “Best of Innovation” award. The ocean battery uses compressed air to store energy, but in some ways, it is similar to pumped hydro. [CleanTechnica]

Energy storage for offshore wind farms (Ocean Grazer)

¶ “Could Crushed Rocks Absorb Enough Carbon To Curb Global Warming?” • The goal of ocean alkalinity enhancement is to accelerate the carbon-absorbing weathering of rock, which naturally occurs as rainfall washes over land into waterways and eventually the ocean. If it works, it could provide a tool to draw down CO₂. [National Geographic]

World:

¶ “Sweden Pushes For Real Green Steel” • HYBRIT and H2 Green Steel launched projects in Sweden with a target to manufacture 10 million tonnes of fossil fuel-free crude (green) steel per year by 2030. Success, of course, depends on the numbers adding up, or rather, the numbers going down. One thing needed is wind power at a LCOE of $30/MWh. [CleanTechnica]

Abisko National Park, Sweden (David Becker, Unsplash)

¶ “VinFast VF 8 And VF 9 Electric SUV Prices Announced At CES 2022” • At CES 2022 this week, Vietnamese car maker VinFast made several important announcements. First, it said it will stop building gasoline-powered cars by the end of this year. Second, it confirmed pricing for the two electric SUVs it intends to start selling in the US this year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Slow-Walkers In The Green Steel Industry” • BHP is not just Australia’s largest miner but the world’s largest miner. It has a goal to reduce operational emissions by at least 30% by 2030, and to achieve net zero by 2050. BHP has invested almost $A200 million ($144 milliion) to develop a way to decarbonize the iron ore–to–steel process. [CleanTechnica]

Making steel (Image courtesy of SSAB Steel)

¶ “Algeria Tenders 1-GW Solar Scheme” • Algerian Renewable Energies Company has invited firms to bid by 30 April for the contracts to develop up to 1,000 MW of solar PV schemes in the North African country. The scheme will be split into batches with capacities of 50 MW to 300 MW each, operating under power purchase agreements. [Power Technology]

¶ “Companies Partner to Bring Energy Access To 20,000 People In Rural South Africa” • Three companies joined for financial closure on Africa’s second largest project-financed mini-grid. The investment will fund eleven mini-grids in Lesotho with a total capacity of 1.8 MW and provide first-time electricity access to 20,000 people. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Solar system (Courtesy of EDFI ElectriFI)

¶ “Paris, Berlin ‘Agree To Disagree’ On French Push To Label Nuclear Energy Green” • Germany and France have “agreed to disagree” on the EU’s move to label nuclear energy as green, German Europe Minister Anna Luehrmann said. She denied any conflict between two on the issue. France favors nuclear power; Germany is adamantly opposed to it. [France 24]

US:

¶ “US Wholesale Electricity Prices Higher In 2021 From Higher Natural Gas Prices” • Average wholesale prices for electricity at major trading hubs in the US were higher in 2021 than in 2020 as higher costs for fuels, especially natural gas, pushed electricity prices higher in the second half of 2021. Cold weather also raised costs in February 2021. [CleanTechnica]

Electricity prices (US EIA image)
Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “California Could See More EV Chargers In Fast Food Parking Lots Thanks To ChargeNet” • ChargeNet has raised $6.2 million from local investors to expand its network of EV charging stations at fast food restaurants across California, dot.LA reports. Deployment will start with a Taco Bell in South San Francisco sometime this month. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Offshore Wind Catches Fire In Empire State While Others Fiddle” • In the race for offshore wind energy, New York is not messing around. The Empire State launched a new $500 million investment program aimed at taking the title of Offshore Queen, as announced by Governor Kathy Hochul during her State of the State address this week. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore wind sites for New York (Courtesy of NYSERDA)
Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Circle Power Renewables continues push for wind farm in Houghton County” • Since 2018,Circle Power Renewables has been trying to install a wind farm in Adams Township, Michigan. Last year, the state’s energy department turned down the application over concerns about wildlife, but CPR has done research and is ready to try again. [WLUC]

¶ “Blackstone Infrastructure Invests $3 Billion In Invenergy For Renewable Energy Development” • Blackstone Infrastructure Partners entered into an agreement with Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Invenergy for an investment of about $3 billion in Invenergy Renewables Holdings LLC for renewables development. [North American Windpower]

Buffalo Mountain wind project (Invenergy image)

¶ “Energy Experts Say Renewable Energy Will Be Key In Making Texas’ Electricity More Reliable In 2022” • Experts watching Houston’s energy industry say the pandemic has accelerated the transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy. And that is key making the grid able to handle sharp increases in energy demand. [Houston Public Media]

¶ “US Policies Continue To Drive Solar PV And Wind Power Markets” • According to GlobalData’s recent report, ‘United States Power Market Outlook to 2030, Update 2021 – Market Trends, Regulations, and Competitive Landscape’, installed renewable capacity (excluding hydropower) increased from 2000 to 2020 at a CAGR of 14.3%. [pv magazine USA]

Have an endlessly endearing day.

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World:

¶ “Volkswagen Is Finally Launching The ID Buzz!” • Without a doubt, an electric version of the iconic VW hippie bus was bound to attract interest. And it did, as Volkswagen dragged it out, over and over again. Now, it appears that Volkswagen will actually launch the ID. Buzz on March 9. So implies a tweet from Herbert Diess, the CEO of Volkswagen Group. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen ID Buzz concept electric van (Volkswagen image)

¶ “Sweden’s Plugin EV Share Breaks New Records” • Sweden saw a record high 60.7% plugin electric vehicle share in December, up from 49.4% share year-on-year. Full battery EVs took the largest share, with 36.4%. The combined share of internal combustion vehicles was 32.3%. The overall auto market saw the lowest result for December in recent years. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tesla Model 3 Was 2nd Best Selling Car (Of Any Kind) In UK In 2021” • In December 2021, 36,041 new plug-in vehicles were registered (27,705 battery EVs) in the UK, reflecting a 33% increase from December of 2020. Notably, the Tesla Model 3 became the second best selling vehicle, regardless of powertrain, in the UK for the year 2021. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model 3 (Image courtesy Tesla)

¶ “RWE And Northland Power Partner To Develop Offshore Wind Cluster ” • UK-based RWE Renewables, and Northland Power, based in Canada, formed a joint venture through which they plan to co-develop a 1.3-GW cluster of offshore wind farms in the German North Sea. It will feature three facilities that are to come online by 2028. [Power Technology]

¶ “Shell Turning London Petrol Station Into EV Hub” • Shell is continuing its transition into cleantech. In late 2019, Shell announced that it was going to transform a petrol station into a 100% EV charging station hub in Fulham, West London. Now, Shell has a webpage up indicating that it is getting ready to open this initial EV charging hub. [CleanTechnica]

Shell EV hub (Image courtesy of Shell)

¶ “BPCL To Build 10 GW Clean Energy Capacity By 2040 At ₹25,000 Crore Investment” • An Indian state-owned oil and gas company, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, plans to build 10 GW of clean energy capacity by 2040, at a cost of ₹25,000 crore ($3.36 billion), Mint reported. The first 1 GW will include 800 MW of solar power. [CNBC TV18]

¶ “Renewable Energy Output Of 4.8 GW Again Surpasses National Goal” • Korea’s total renewable energy output in 2021 was 4.8 GW, surpassing the national goal by 0.2 GW, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said. The year 2021 was the fourth consecutive year when the national renewable energy output surpassed annual goals. [The Korea Times]
(‘output’ may be a mistranslation of ‘capacity’ here)

Korean floating solar (Courtesy of the Ministry of Environment)

¶ “At Least Five Irish MEPs To Oppose Contentious ‘Green’ Label For Gas And Nuclear Power” • At least five Irish Members of the European Parliament plan to oppose a contentious EU proposal that would label nuclear power and natural gas as green energy sources. They are not alone. Austria has threatened to sue the Commission if it goes ahead. [TheJournal.ie]

¶ “EDF’s Scottish Nuclear Power Station Hunterston B To Close” • Electricite de France SA’s nuclear power station Hunterston B in Scotland is closing after operating for almost 46 years. EDF said reactors at the station will undergo a statutory outage to make sure they are ready for defueling, which is then expected to take around three years. [MarketWatch]

Hunterston Nuclear Power Station (Scotia, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

US:

¶ “Panasonic Will Begin Using Recycled Battery Components From Redwood Materials This Year” • According to TechCrunch, the first recycled material from batteries to be used to make new batteries will be copper foil. Panasonic will begin using copper foil from Redwood Materials to make new lithium-ion batteries later this year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Chevrolet Previews Electric Equinox And Blazer At CES 2022” • At CES 2022, General Motors CEO Mary Barra announced the coming of two Chevrolet EVs in addition to the Chevy Silverado EV, which took a lot of attention. They were an Equinox EV and a Blazer EV. The Blazer will be produced first, with the Equinox arriving later in the year. [CleanTechnica]

Chevy Equinox EV (Image courtesy of Chevrolet)

¶ “Power Your Maryland Home With Clean Energy – In Just Two Minutes” • One of the most impactful actions you can take to help fight climate change is also one of the easiest: powering your home with 100% clean, renewable energy. In Maryland, you can switch your electricity supplier to CleanChoice Energy, and get 100% renewable electricity. [Baltimore Magazine]

¶ “Pattern Unleashes 1-GW Onshore In New Mexico” • Pattern Energy has completed construction and begun commercial operation of its 1050-MW Western Spirit wind complex in New Mexico. Western Spirit is comprised of four wind farms, which together have a total of 377 GE turbines installed, ranging from 2.3 MW to 2.8 MW in size. [reNews]

Western Spirit wind farm (Pattern Energy image)

¶ “Evergy To Build Solar Array At Kansas City Coal Power Plant Site” • Evergy, a Kansas City, Missouri–headquartered energy provider serving about 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri, announced plans to build a 10-MW solar array at the company’s Hawthorn power plant. The coal unit is still operating and gas units are being built. [Power Magazine]

¶ “NRC Denies License To Oklo’s Nuclear Reactor Project At INL” • The NRC denied a license to Oklo Inc, a California-based company, seeking to develop the first commercial reactor to generate power while reducing nuclear waste. The microreactor, known as the Oklo Aurora, is designed to run on recovered material from used nuclear fuel. [Post Register]

Have a conspicuously happy day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Fossil Gas No Longer Needed As Bridge To Clean Energy Future” • As of late 2021, utilities and investors are anticipating investing more than $50 billion in new gas power plants over the next decade. But we no longer need gas plants to tide us over until renewables are ready or affordable. Renewables are here, and often cheaper than gas. [CleanTechnica]

Wind turbines in a wheat field (Serge Le Strat, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Lithium Batteries’ Big Unanswered Question” • While use of lithium batteries may sound like the ideal path to sustainable power and road travel, there’s one big problem. Currently, lithium-ion batteries are those typically used in EVs and the megabatteries used to store energy from renewables, and lithium batteries are hard to recycle. [BBC]

¶ “Another Sign Things Are Getting Weird: Lightning Around The North Pole Increased Dramatically In 2021” • A network of sensors detected stunning weather change in the far northern Arctic. Lightning increased significantly in the region around the North Pole. Scientists say this is a clear sign of how the climate crisis is altering global weather. [CNN]

Lightning (Felix Mittermeier, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Exxon Refinery In Norway Closes Down” • An ExxonMobil refinery in Norway closed down in June 2021 due to the country’s stricter regulatory measures, Kaieteur News reported. It was not really reported in our press at the time, but it is worth knowing. Exxon was already considering closing the plant in 2020 because of economic challenges. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Volvo FH Electric Heavy Duty Truck Exceeds Expectations On Test Run” • Volvo Trucks expects to begin series production of its FH Electric heavy duty truck later this year. The company sent journalist Jan Burgdorf on a test drive recently. It followed the Green Truck Route, a 343-kilometer journey through the hills of southeastern Germany. [CleanTechnica]

Volvo Trucks FH Electric (Image courtesy of Volvo Trucks)

¶ “World Investment In Renewables ‘To Rise 25% In 2022’: SEB” • Investment bank SEB sees one benefit of the global gas shortage, as investors are spending over $400 billion this year on power generation from clean renewables. That will be a 25% rise on last year, the Stockholm-headquartered bank forecasts in its latest report on sustainable finance. [The Energyst]

¶ “Belgian Offshore Wind Fleet Delivers Production Record” • Belgium’s offshore wind fleet notched a new production record in 2021. The country’s 399 turbines, with a shave under 2.3 GW of capacity, exported almost 6.8 TWh of electricity, up from 6.7 TWh in 2020. This 2021 total corresponds to 8% of the total electricity demand in Belgium. [reNews]

Offshore wind turbine installation (DEME Offshore image)

¶ “Green Party: Government Lobbying On Nuclear Energy” • In Hungary, the opposition LMP party is calling on the government and MEPs to reject the European Commission’s draft taxonomy system in connection with the future use of natural gas and nuclear energy, Erzsébet Schmuck, the co-leader of the party, said on Wednesday. [Daily News Hungary]

US:

¶ “US Becomes World’s Top Exporter Of Liquified Natural Gas” • The US is now the world’s leading exporter of liquified natural gas, as the European energy crisis and shortages in China send demand for American shipments soaring. In December, LNG exports from the US topped 7 million tonnes (7.7 million tons), edging out Qatar and Australia. [CNN]

LNG tanker (Image placed into the public domain)

¶ “Separate Climate Bill Not Being Seriously Considered In Senate, Despite Manchin’s Support Of The Measures” • Senate climate hawks got more optimistic this week as West Virginia Sen Joe Manchin endorsed the climate change and clean energy portions of the Build Back Better package. But hope of dealing with those portions separately is slim. [CNN]

¶ “Airflow Concept Offers A Glimpse Of Chrysler’s Electric Future” • The Chrysler Airflow of the 1930s was the first US car with improved aerodynamics. This week at CES 2022, Chrysler dusted off the Airflow name and applied it to an electric SUV concept, amidst much ballyhoo saying the company intends to build only battery-EVs come 2028. [CleanTechnica]

Chrysler Airflow Concept (Chrysler image)

¶ “MassDEP Files New Regulations To Advance Clean Truck Market In Massachusetts” • The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection announced emergency regulations have been filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office to adopt immediately California’s Advanced Clean Trucks regulation. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “NY Plans $500 Million Offshore Wind Supply Chain Spend” • New York Governor Kathy Hochul has pledged to spend $500 million to develop the state’s offshore wind supply chain and offshore grid. The $500 million will leverage private capital to deliver more than $2 billion in economic activity while creating more than 2000 jobs, said Hochul. [reNews]

New York Governor Kathy Hochul (Screengrab image)

¶ “Idaho Power’s Long-range Plan Focuses On Reliable, Affordable, Clean Energy” • Idaho Power’s latest long-term energy plan accelerates the company’s move away from coal-fired energy while looking to transmission, renewable energy, battery storage, and energy efficiency to providw customers reliable, affordable electricity. [T&D World]

¶ “Vesper Inks 57-MW Texas Virtual PPA” • US developer Vesper Energy entered into a 57-MW virtual power purchase agreement with marine market supplier Brunswick Corporation. The VPPA will offset a majority of expected electricity needs of Brunswick’s global operations. The electricity will come from the 500-MW Hornet solar farm in Texas. [reNews]

Have a plainly spectacular day.

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World:

¶ “There Are Now 1,000 Electric Buses In Moscow!” • A little more than a year ago, I reported on Moscow getting its 500th electric bus. Just before Christmas, Moscow Transport got its 900th electric bus, and decorated it nicely with white and blue Christmas lights. Now, we’re barely into 2022 and the figure is up to 1,000. No joke. [CleanTechnica]

Thousandth electric bus in Moscow

¶ “Renewables Supplied 46% Of Net Public Power In Germany In 2021” • The share of renewables in net public power generation amounted to 46% in 2021, down from 50% the year before, figures released by research institute Fraunhofer ISE show. The decline was the result of reduced wind speeds, though windpower is still the major power supply. [Clean Energy Wire]

¶ “France Plugin EV Share Breaks Records In December” • In France, Europe’s second largest auto market, the plugin electric vehicle share of sales was 24.4% in December, a new record high, with pure electrics taking 14.6%. The overall auto market, at just under 160,000 units, was down some 15% from pre-pandemic seasonal averages. [CleanTechnica]

Dacia Spring (Image courtesy of Dacia)

China:

¶ “Tesla’s Important Role In Advancing EVs And Innovation In China” • Elon Musk had a vision for Tesla in China. And the Wall Street Journal said, “President Xi Jinping defiantly pledged to make China the world’s future innovation and industrial center. Key to his plan was Elon Musk.” And as Tesla’s succeeds in China, other Chinese EV makers are thriving. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Largest Pumped-Hydro Facility In World Turns On In China” • The State Grid Corporation of China, the largest grid operator and power utility in China, has put the largest pumped-hydro facility in the world into commission. It’s a 3.6-GW, 6,612-GWh system in the Hebei province. It is the Fengning Pumped Storage Power Station. [CleanTechnica]

Fengning Pumped Storage Power Station (SGCC image)

¶ “The World’s First Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Is Sending Power To The Grid” • China connected its first small modular nuclear reactor to its power grid, making it the first country in the world to draw power from such a machine, a report from Bloomberg reveals. A 200-MW China Huaneng Group reactor is now grid-connected. [Interesting Engineering]

Australia:

¶ “World’s Largest Coal Port To Be 100% Powered By Renewable Energy” • The world’s largest coal port announced it will now be powered 100% by renewable energy. Its CEO also said, “We get 84 cents a tonne for coal shipped through our port. We get between $6 and $8 for every other product. You can see where I’d rather have my money.” [The Guardian]

Port of Newcastle (Lynda Hinton, Unsplash)

¶ “Korea Zinc Backs Storage Developer Energy Vault In Green Push” • Korea Zinc has agreed to invest $50 million in energy storage developer Energy Vault and use its technology at its zinc refinery in Australia, the two companies said. Storage is key to bringing down the refinery’s energy costs, which are 30% of the plant’s total costs. [MarketScreener]

¶ “Looking Beyond The Grid To Power Australia” • Off-grid power company Pacific Energy is planning an industrial-scale expansion as it rolls out a hybrid future in some of the most rugged parts of Australia. Only 2% of Australia’s population lives in off-grid locations, but more than 6% of the nation’s electricity use is in these remote areas. [PerthNow]

Remote Australia (Tarryn Myburgh, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “GAF Energy Is Bringing New Solar Shingles To Selected Markets” • GAF Energy was created as a separate business entity a few years ago to develop solar roof products. Now it says it has created solar roof shingles that can be installed much like conventional shingles. And GAF has an enormous network of roofing contractors. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ford Increases F-150 Lightning Production Target From 80,000 To 150,000/Year!” • First, Ford’s production target for the F-150 Lightning was 40,000. Then 80,000. Now, Ford CEO Jim Farley tweeted that with strong customer demand for the F-150 Lightning, the target was raised significantly once again, this time to 150,000 sales a year! [CleanTechnica]

Ford F-150 Lightning in “Antimatter Blue” (Ford image)

¶ “50-MW Schuyler County Solar Facility Receives Final Permit From ORES” • The New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting announced they have issued a final siting permit for a major solar facility, Watkins Glen Solar Energy Center, LLC. The project will have a capacity of 50-MW. It is to be built in the Town of Dix, New York. [WETM]

¶ “US Utility Files 500-MW Clean Energy Plan” • US utility Appalachian Power is seeking approval for almost 500 MW of clean power over the next three years as part of its long-range plan to meet the renewable energy targets under the Virginia Clean Economy Act. It is looking to acquire or contract 294 MW of solar and 204 MW of wind power. [reNews]

Wind farm (Johanna Montoya, Unsplash)

¶ “First US WAGABOX® Landfill Gas To RNG Project To Be In New York” • Waga Energy, a European expert in the production of Renewable Natural Gas from landfill gas, signed a contract with Steuben County, New York for the development of an RNG project at a municipal solid waste landfill, which is located in the town of Bath. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Renewable Energy Sources Are Now Adding More Than 2,250 MW Of New Generating Capacity Each Month” • According to a SUN DAY Campaign review of FERC data, solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources (biomass, geothermal, hydropower) are now adding more than 2,250 MW of new generating capacity each month. [Environment + Energy Leader]

Have a wonderfully funny day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Why The Tiny House Is Perfect For Now” • The tiny house movement found its moment. The idea is that having less space and stuff can create room in our lives for more important things, and it has appeal. The roots of the tiny house movement can be traced to Henry David Thoreau, and its fans champion the dwellings’ green credentials. [BBC]

Tiny House (New Frontier Design image)

¶ “Stanford Researchers Bring “Dead” Lithium Back To Life” • Green Car Congress reports that the researchers might have found a way to bring rechargeable lithium batteries back to life with an increased boost to the range of battery life for both EVs and next-generation electronic devices. The study on the work has been published in Nature. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Researchers Pioneer New View Of Deep Rock Fractures For Geothermal Energy” • A team led by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory demonstrated a way to monitor deep subsurface fractures. This is important because geothermal wells could provide an estimated 100 GW, enough power up to 100 million US homes. [CleanTechnica]

Experimental testbed in a mine tunnel (Hunter Knox, PNNL)

¶ “Climate Change Will Bring More Hurricanes To New York, Other Midlatitude Cities, Study Finds” • A study published in the journal Nature Geoscience projects that more hurricanes will be coming to midlatitude regions, which include major population centers such as New York, Boston, and Shanghai, because of climate change. [Yahoo News]

¶ “Fire And Ice: The Puzzling Link Between Western Wildfires And Arctic Sea Ice” • A study describes a link between dwindling sea ice and worsening wildfires. As the Arctic continues warming, it can sharpen the contrast between the two distantly connected systems, altering the jet stream, and exacerbating conditions in a fire-ravaged region. [CleanTechnica]

Wildfire (National Park Service, public domain)

¶ “Warming Lakes Are Losing Oxygen. Climate Change And Pollution Are To Blame” • Oxygen is disappearing in freshwater lakes at a rate nine times that of oceans due to a combination of pollution and warming waters, according to a study published in Nature earlier this year. And without oxygen, fish and other life in the ponds and lakes are dying. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Mercedes Says Its Electric Concept Has 620 Miles Of Range And Seats Made With Mushrooms” • Mercedes unveiled an all-electric concept car, the EQXX, that the company claims can go 620 miles on a single charge. The car is also made with such innovative recycled and sustainable materials as mushroom fibers and food scraps. [CNN]

Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX concept car (Mercedes-Benz AG)

¶ “Chile Races China For Global Green Hydrogen Boss Crown” • That was fast! No sooner does the firm Sinopec announce a massive new green hydrogen project in China to produce 20,000 tons per year, when along comes Chile with plans for a new project called H₂ Magallanes, which could pump out more than 880,000 tons per year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “European Energy Explores Power-To-X Potential At Danish Port” • European Energy signed a letter of intent with the Danish Port of Hanstholm to provide solar and wind capacity and a power-to-x project to produce green hydrogen and methanol. The letter of intent is part of the port’s plans to become Europe’s first CO₂-neutral fishing port. [reNews]

Boats in Hanstholm Harbor (Ragnar1904, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Germany Calls Nuclear Power ‘Dangerous’ After EU Proposal To Classify It As Renewable” • After the EU announced a plan on Sunday to classify some forms of nuclear energy as renewable, the German government reacted almost immediately. It said on Monday that it will reject the EU plan, calling nuclear power technology “dangerous.” [TheHill]

¶ “Nordex Scoops 380 MW Of Finnish Wind” • Nordex has received an order for a 380-MW cluster of wind projects in Finland. Finnish utility company Fortum signed and closed an agreement with Nordex to supply, install and commission 56 N163 wind turbines of the latest 6.X variant for the Pjelax-Bole-Kristinestad Norr wind farm cluster. [reNews]

Wind turbines (Nordex image)

US:

¶ “30-Year Oil Industry Veteran Horrified By Millions Of Uncapped Oil Wells, Dedicated To Sealing Them” • The oil and gas industry has left millions of abandoned wells in the US, and American taxpayers will have to pay to close them. Curtis Shuck Jr, a 30-year veteran of the oil industry, founded the Well Done Foundation to help with that. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Florida Transit Agency Buys 60 Electric Buses” • A Florida transit agency, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority of Pinellas County, recently ordered 60 full-electric buses. Pinellas County includes St Petersburg. The 60 electric buses will be delivered over the next 5 years, though 24 of them will be delivered before the end of this year. [CleanTechnica]

Gillig electric bus (Courtesy of Gillig)

¶ “TVA Attempts To Block Solar Cooperative” • The Tennessee Valley Authority opposes the Jackson Sustainability Cooperative, claiming that it would weaken TVA business, and its operation would violate the law. A different organization, Jackson Energy Authority, said it is working with the TVA and plans a 25-MW solar project in the region. [pv magazine USA]

¶ “Massachusetts Advances Dozens Of Solar Projects On Hold For Nearly Two Years” • The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities has issued an order expanding the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target program from 1,600 MW to 3,200 MW of capacity, allowing dozens of solar projects to move forward. The order will take effect on January 14. [Solar Industry]

Have a delightfully unique day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Prediction For 2022: Plant-Based Foods Will Surge” • A whole new range of consumers has discovered plant-based items, and selections can be appealing. So, let’s make a prediction for 2022: Plant-based foods will not only transcend their current path leading to mainstream acceptance – they’ll become preferred, for lots of reasons. [CleanTechnica]

Impossible™ burger (Image provided by Impossible™)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Scientist Says Climate Change Worsened Colorado Fire” • The destruction from a rare winter wildfire that ravaged towns in Colorado is believed by scientists to have been made worse by climate change. Swings in weather meant a lot of grass grew with heavy spring rains, then drought hit making all the grass into fuel for a wildfire. [Yahoo News UK]

World:

¶ “VinFast Delivers First Electric Cars To Customers In Vietnam” • VinFast, the Vietnamese automaker, has begun delivering its first battery-electric SUV – the VF-34 – to customers in its home market. The company already offers a full line of conventional automobiles in Asia, but the company does not plan to introduce the VF-34 in foreign markets. [CleanTechnica]

Vinfast VF-34 (Image courtesy of VinFast)

¶ “Polestar Plans To Be Bigger Than Porsche” • Polestar, the EV specialty brand of Volvo Cars, wants to outsell Porsche. It will release three battery EVs in the next three years, hoping to attract customers away from Porsche’s Cayenne, Macan, Panamera, and Taycan models. Polestar’s goal is to sell 290,000 cars by 2025, ten times its sales in 2021. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Morocco’s Al Boraq Trains To Start Using Clean Energy” • Morocco’s National Railways Office (ONCF) has announced that its Al Boraq lines of high speed trains will start using renewable energy, as part of the ONCF’s plan to transition to cleaner energy sources. The goal is to eventually cover all the ONCF’s operations with renewable energy. [Morocco World News]

Al Boraq high speed train (hakzelf, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Iran To Add 10 GW To Renewable Energy Capacity” • The Iranian Energy Ministry and a number of private contractors signed memorandums of understanding for cooperation in the construction of renewable power plants to generate 10 GW of electricity across the country. A recent call for proposals had 90 GW of submissions. [Modern Diplomacy]

¶ “VINCI Acquires Energy Business Of ACS For $5.5 Billion” • VINCI has concluded the previously announced acquisition of ACS energy business, Cobra IS, which comprises a 15-GW renewables pipeline, for a final purchase price of $5.5 billion (€4.9 billion). The projects are in the Iberian Peninsula and in Latin America. [Power Technology]

Solar array (VINCI image)

¶ “Germany And Austria Charge Against EC Draft For “Green Investment” In Nuclear And Gas Projects” • The Government of Austria and officials of the German Social Democratic Party, the core of the Government coalition in Germany, said they would file a complaint if the draft proposal to include nuclear and gas as green energy goes ahead. [CVBJ Biz]

¶ “Spain Rejects EU’s ‘Green’ Label For Nuclear And Natural Gas Energy” • The Spanish government has rejected the European Commission’s plans to include nuclear energy and natural gas in the EU’s classification table of green energies. Spain’s Minister for the Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, said the plan is a “step backwards.” [The Local – Spain’s]

Central nuclear Vandellòs II (Jorge Franganillo, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

China:

¶ “It’s A Green Hydrogen Drop In The Bucket, But It Could Still Make A Splash” • While skepticism abounds over sustainable hydrogen, some leading energy players seem willing to give it a whirl. Sinopec plans to have a proposed green hydrogen pilot project up and running by 2023. It will produce 20,000 tons of green hydrogen per year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “XPeng Delivered Almost 100,000 Vehicles In 2021” • XPeng is a mere 7 years old, and it put its first vehicle, the XPeng G3, on sale in December, 2018. Now, just a few years after launching its first vehicle, XPeng has wrapped up a year of sales totaling almost 100,000. In 2021, XPeng delivered 98,155 smart EVs, a 263% year-over-year increase. [CleanTechnica]

XPeng P5 (courtesy of XPeng)

¶ “World’s Largest Floating PV Plant Goes Online In China” • Huaneng Power International has completed the world’s largest floating PV project, a 320-MW facility in Dezhou, in China’s Shandong province. It deployed the floating array in two stages on a reservoir near Huaneng Power’s 2.65-GW Dezhou thermal power station. [PV Magazine]

US:

¶ “Tesla Delivered Over 300,000 EVs In Q4 2021 And Almost A Million In 2021” • Tesla announced another record quarter for vehicle deliveries, for a record-breaking year. In Q4 of 2021, Tesla delivered 308,000 vehicles, putting its total deliveries for 2021 at 936,000. And its two new gigafactories in Berlin and Austin aren’t even online yet. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Gigafactory 1 (Smnt, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Eolus Sells 120-MW US Battery” • Eolus has secured an agreement with Aypa Power for the sale of the Cald battery storage project in Los Angeles. The battery energy storage system will have a capacity of up to 120 MW. It is currently in its development stage and commercial operation is anticipated during the course of 2024. [reNews]

¶ “Midwest Lags, Though Madison And Minneapolis Shine In National Clean Energy Policy Ranking” • An analysis by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy of 100 major cities revealed that many cities cannot show they are on track to meet their own greenhouse gas reduction goals. Only a few cities in the Midwest stand out. [Wausau Pilot & Review]

Have an unfashionably opulent day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Sands Of Time Are Slipping Away For England’s Crumbling Coasts Amid Climate Crisis” • Norfolk is a real-time lesson in how weather and sea can drastically alter a landscape. One man said, “You hear about erosion, but you don’t know what it means, what it involves, until you witness it. And it’s a shock to see the physical transformation.” [The Guardian]

Happisburgh and eroding cliffs (Jim Whiteside, CC BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “How Much Cheaper Is It To Own An Electric Car?” • Buying an electric car isn’t just about the much-needed transition to clean energy. As New Year’s resolutions come into sharp focus, it might be high time to save some cash. Buying an electric car, instead of another gas-guzzler, might be a powerful (and easy) way to reach that noble goal. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Denmark To Make Domestic Flights Fossil Fuel Free By 2030” • Denmark’s government announced a goal to make domestic flights fossil fuel free by 2030. In her New Year’s address, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she wants to “make flying green.” However she acknowledged that the solutions to reach her target were not yet in place. [BBC]

Airplane at a small Danish airport (Peter Bakema, Gnu license)

¶ “EU Plans To Label Gas And Nuclear Energy ‘Green’ Prompt Row” • The European Commission proposes to label some gas and nuclear power as green, prompting criticism from Germany. The proposal argues that gas and nuclear are needed to help the transition to cleaner power. Germany’s environment minister called the plan “absolutely wrong.” [BBC]

¶ “China Cuts EV Incentives By 30% As Tesla Raises Prices” • On the last day of 2021, China’s Finance Ministry announced a 30% cut in its incentive for purchase of “new energy vehicles,” starting January 1, 2022. And Tesla, with surging sales in China, has raised its prices. Even so, the cost of a new Tesla Model 3 is 11% lower than it was two years ago. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model 3 (Martin Katler, Unsplash)

¶ “China To Remain Renewable Energy Leader With Strong Capacity Growth In 2022” • China will continue to be the global leader in renewable energy capacity growth over the next five years, despite phasing out renewable subsidies and the country’s heavy reliance on coal, which will remain unchanged in 2022, according to analysts. [South China Morning Post]

¶ “Rwanda’s Transition To Electric Buses” • Vehicular emissions are the leading cause of the increasing air pollution in cities in Rwanda. The Government of Rwanda has introduced incentives for introducing electric vehicles across all vehicle types. Many types of EVs are appearing in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali, but buses require extra effort. [CleanTechnica]

Residential area of Kigali (Zdegiulio, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Japan Pushes For Undersea Cables To Solve Wind Power Puzzle” • Hokkaido could supply Tokyo and other parts of Japan with offshore wind energy, but the lack of adequate transmission capacity has kept the northernmost prefecture from becoming a hub for the renewable resource. Submarine cables are being considered to solve that problem. [Nikkei Asia]

¶ “Wind And Solar: A Robust Forecast For Renewable Energy In Alberta” • The demise of coal-fired electricity plants in Alberta is happening a lot quicker than some people expected. The target to eliminate coal-powered electricity is expected to be met seven years ahead of its scheduled date of 2030. As that happens, wind and solar plants are being installed. [CBC]

Wind turbines (Karyatid, Unsplash)

¶ “Solar Energy In Blocks Of Flats Begins To Take Off In Spain” • More and more groups of people are organizing in Spain to share the electricity generated by rooftop PVs on their own roofs or on other buildings. There are already several autonomous communities that promote consumption of their own electricity, and more are coming. [CVBJ Biz]

¶ “Germany: One Year To Go For The Last Three Nuclear Power Plants” • While the European Commission is moving to declare nuclear power “green” energy, Germany is about to get rid of it entirely because of its dangers. On New Year’s Eve, the Federal Republic shut down three reactors. The last three will follow at the end of this year. [The Berlin Spectator]

Unfinished German nuclear reactor (Harald Rossa, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

US:

¶ “Obscure NYC Agency Plucks 184 Ford Mustang Mach-E Electric Vehicles From EV Pot” • A New York City agency, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, put out a press release on December 29, saying that it is “placing an order” for 184 Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles. The contract was registered on December 22. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New York Adopts ACT Rule Bringing Clean Trucks To The State” • New York is closing out 2021 with a big climate and clean air win, becoming the fifth state in the country to adopt the Advanced Clean Trucks rule. Adoption of the ACT rule ensures that over $19 billion in net societal benefits will come to New Yorkers through 2050. [CleanTechnica]

Mack Trucks electric garbage truck (Courtesy of Mack Trucks)

¶ “A Look Ahead At Advanced Nuclear In 2022” • As TerraPower sought a site for a nuclear plant in Wyoming, four communities said they wanted it. Kemmerer, home to 2,750 people and the 448-MW Naughton Coal Plant, was chosen.The DOE promised to fund half the project, up to $1.6 billion, as long as Natrium will be operational in 2028. [Casper Star-Tribune]

¶ “Yucca Mountain Remains In Debate Over Nuclear Waste Storage” • Mounting opposition to various proposed nuclear waste storage sites in Texas and New Mexico has kept Yucca Mountain in Nevada in the national debate over what to do with the growing stockpile of radioactive material scattered around the country. [Colorado Politics]

Have a clearly flawless day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Divestment Year In Review 2021” • The UN secretary general summed it up well this year: the collective global realization that carbon emissions must be dramatically reduced is becoming a “death knell” for the fossil fuel industry. And as fossil fuel stocks falter, what’s now often called impact investing funds are gaining our attention. [CleanTechnica]

Protest in London, 2019 (Matt Brown, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “That Inedible Dish Called The EU Taxonomy: Greenwashing Galore” • We can learn two lessons for 2022. First, greenwashing is not a problem for the green transition, it is THE problem. One that calls for appropriate measures. Second, we cannot expect institutions to address the transition by consulting the very same lobbyists that are fighting against it. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Not Dead Yet, Says ARPA-E” • Vertical axis wind turbines pretty much dropped from view a few years ago, because of cost and engineering obstacles. Suddenly they are back in the picture, thanks partly to the US DOE. If all goes according to plan, the offshore wind industry can also take credit for the revival. [CleanTechnica]

Vertical axis wind turbine (University of Texas, Dallas)

¶ “Scientists Build New Atlas Of Ocean’s Oxygen-Starved Waters: Track And Predict The Ocean’s Response To Climate Change” • There are desolate areas in the oceans, oxygen-deficient zones, where oxygen-dependent organisms cannot live. Now MIT scientists have generated the most detailed, 3-D “atlas” of the largest ODZs in the world. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “The Top Electric Vehicles In World During Record Sales Month” • Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 72% in November 2021 from November 2020. There were 721,000 registrations (11.5% share of the overall auto market), establishing a new global record for PEV sales. Internal combustion vehicles may already be past their peak. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model Y (Kevauto, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Scotland Missed 100% Clean Electricity Consumption In 2020 By Only 1.4%” •In 2011, Scotland set a target of reaching 100% clean electricity consumption in 2020. And last year, the country almost reached its target. Of gross electricity consumption, 98.6% came from renewables, the Scottish government’s December energy statement says. [Electrek]

¶ “Chinese Nuclear Power Operator Launches Offshore Wind Farm” • China General Nuclear Power Corporation announced that it had put an offshore wind farm into full operation off the coast of southeast China’s Fujian Province. The project, with 60 turbines, which give it a total installed power generating capacity of 240 MW. [CGTN]

Offshore wind turbines (Mary Ray, Unsplash)

¶ “Japan To Help Build Bill Gates’ High-Tech Nuclear Reactor In Wyoming” • The Japan Atomic Energy Agencyand Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd are set to cooperate with the US and Bill Gates’ venture company to build a high-tech nuclear reactor in Wyoming, the daily Yomiuri reported. They parties may sign an agreement as soon as January. [Investing.com]

US:

¶ “Colorado Residents Return Following Devastating Fire” • Residents of Boulder County, Colorado, have returned to scenes of devastation after snowfall helped extinguish the last of a raging wildfire. The fire swept through 6,000 acres in just a few hours, destroying hundreds of homes. At its peak, it was driven by winds of up to 105 mph. [CNN]

Wildfire (Pixabay, Pexels)

¶ “Tesla Semi Truck – The Latest Developments” • Tesla has been moving slowly towards its class-8 electric Semi truck production goals since the company’s official unveiling on November 16, 2017. The Tesla Semi program has now reportedly been moved into the “limited production” phase at a purpose-built building at Gigafactory Nevada. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EV Buyer Opts For Lucid Air After Mercedes Dealer Adds $50,000 Markup To EQS” • InsideEVs has shared the story of Jon Rettinger, who wanted to buy a Mercedes EQS 580. He reserved one, but the dealer told him there was an extra $50,000 markup on the car, so he opted for a Lucid Air instead. Unfortunately, this sort of story is not unique. [CleanTechnica]

Lucid Air (Lucid Motors image)

¶ “Tesla Recall Affects 475,000 Model 3 And Model S Cars” • Tesla is recalling every Model 3 sedan made between 2017 and the end of 2020 because of a defect in the wiring harness that may affect rearview camera operation. Also, 119,009 Model S sedans made from 2014 to 2021 are being recalled to fix a misalignment of the frunk locking mechanism. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Committee Drafting Advisory Opinion On Nuclear Waste Policy” • The DOE is taking suggestions on how to site facilities for temporary, consolidated storage of spent nuclear fuel based on local consent. A Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel committee is drafting an advisory opinion. [WAMC]

Vermont Yankee in a former time (NRC, Entergy Nuclear)

¶ “Tennessee Valley: Jackson Solar Farm Sparks Power Battle” • Nearly a century ago, the Tennessee Valley Authority was created to harness the power of the Tennessee River. Now, an upstart cooperative plans to build a solar plant in TVA service territory. Organizers of the Jackson Sustainability Cooperative are meeting some opposition. [Chattanooga Times Free Press]

¶ “How Georgia Nuclear Project’s Big Finish Went So Wrong” • Plant Vogtle has had setbacks almost since it began. But the 2021 revelations highlight how widespread the problems are. And there are fresh contentions that Georgia Power may have tried to hide the project’s rising costs so that work would be allowed to continue. [The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

Have a superbly felicitous day.

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