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.
geoharvey 
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