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.
geoharvey 
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