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.
geoharvey 
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