Opinion:
¶ “The Wacky Untaxed World Of Jet Fuel Is Coming To An End” • For something that produces 2-5% of global CO₂ emissions depending on how you count it and who you ask, you’d think that aviation fuel would be a commodity that every country taxed heavily, especially more rational entities like the EU. But that’s just not true. [CleanTechnica]
Electron’s 4-passenger plane (Courtesy of Electron Aviation)
¶ “The Hidden Costs Of Keeping Gas Plants Online In Texas And Beyond” • We saw it in Texas last winter, and we’ve seen in many other cases, in weather cold and hot: Fossil power plants are very vulnerable to extreme weather and can fail to deliver just when the grid – and people trying to stay safe in their homes – need their electricity most. [CleanTechnica]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Calculating Better Solid-State Batteries” • The Solid-State Battery Performance Analyzer and Calculator, or SolidPAC, can help researchers who have developed a promising new material but are not quite sure how to design a successful cell. Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Ilias Belharouak said, “It builds practicality into the search for better batteries.” [CleanTechnica]
SolidPAC graphic (Andy Sproles, ORNL, US DOE)
World:
¶ “Why The Dutch Embrace Floating Homes” • With sea levels rising and supercharged storms cause waters swelling, floating neighborhoods offer an experiment in flood defense that could allow coastal communities to better withstand climate change. In the land-scarce but densely populated Netherlands, demand for such homes is growing. [BBC]
¶ “Nissan To End Internal Combustion Engine Development … Sort Of” • ArsTechnica says Nissan will stop developing internal combustion engines, except for the US market, where demand for gasoline-powered engines is insatiable, particularly for large SUVs and pickup trucks. Engines that meet EU emissions levels are too expensive. [CleanTechnica]
Nissan concept (Nissan image, cropped)
¶ “UK Starts 2022 Above 20% Plugin EV Share – May End Close To 50%” • The UK saw plugin electric vehicle share hit 20.4% in January 2022, up from 13.7% in January 2021. Full battery electrics almost doubled their share year-on-year, to 12.5%. Diesels continued their retirement walk, with just 5.2% share, from 12.3% year-on-year. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Contact Energy Ups Size Of Tauhara Geothermal Project To 168 MW” • New Zealand power company Contact Energy reports that the development of the new Tauhara geothermal power station near Taupo is progressing well. The company now expects the previously planned capacity of 152 MW can be increased to 168 MW. [ThinkGeoEnergy]
Te Huka geothermal plant at Tauhara (Contact Energy image)
¶ “Gencell Launches Revolutionary Off-Grid Ammonia-To-Power Solution For Mobile Operators” • GenCell Energy, based in Israel, is a provider of power systems fueled by hydrogen and ammonia. It is launching its GenCell FOX™ off-grid power system, which generates power on-demand from ammonia, for mobile operators. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
¶ “UK Regulators Approve China’s UK HPR1000 Design” • The UK HPR1000 reactor is suitable to build in the UK, the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency concluded. It is of the Hualong One design. A subsidiary of EDF and China General Nuclear, General Nuclear Services, proposes to build it in Bradwell, England. [World Nuclear News]
Cutaway of the UK HPR1000 design (CGN image)
US:
¶ “Preparing For Category 6 Hurricanes, A New Facility Will Test Winds Of 200 MPH And Storm Surge” • The 12-fan Wall of Wind at Florida International University is used as a test site for engineering against tornadoes, hurricanes, and other types of windstorms. It can generate winds of 160 MPH. Unfortunately, that isn’t enough anymore. [CNN]
¶ “Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy Calls For 80% Of Railbelt Power To Be Renewable By 2040” • Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has introduced new legislation that would require 80% of the Railbelt’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2040, with penalties for electric companies that fail to meet the requirement. [Anchorage Daily News]
Passenger train in Alaska (Luke Jones, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Hydropower Turbine Proposal Would Cut Power Costs For Three Cities” • Three cities in Northern California may see a change in their energy bill if a proposal to buy power from a renewable energy company is approved. The South San Joaquin Irrigation District’s water treatment plant would use hydropower for cheaper electricity. [Good Day Sacramento]
¶ “Brookfield Renewable Adds 7 GW Energy Storage To Pipeline” • Renewables owner and operator Brookfield Renewable tripled its US development pipeline to 31 GW through the $650 million acquisition of clean power developer Urban Grid. The pipeline of Urban Grid includes 13 GW of solar and 7 GW of energy storage in twelve states. [Energy Storage News]
Solar array (Urban Grid image)
¶ “More Cities Transitioning To 100% Renewable Energy!” • Los Angeles County, Beverly Hills, and Redondo Beach decided to go up to 100% renewable energy as the default rate beginning in 2022. By the end of this year, more than 2 million people will be receiving 100% renewable energy in Los Angeles and Ventura counties! [Sierra Club Angeles Chapter]
¶ “Governor Introduces Legislation To Spur ‘Micro’ Nuclear Reactors In State” • Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy introduced legislation that would streamline the state’s process for approval of siting for small nuclear reactors. The bill would facilitate use in Alaska of “micro-reactors,” a generation of very small reactors now under development. [Anchorage Press]
Have an outlandishly congenial day.
geoharvey 