Opinion:
¶ “Putin Could Turn Off Europe’s Gas Tap. This Is The Solution” • As Russian soldiers look ready to invade the Ukraine, Europe is threatened by another crisis. Russia supplies 38% of Europe’s natural gas, and is using the European dependency on its gas as a weapon. One way for Europe to get out of the bind is to bring renewables online quickly. [CNN]
Russian sniper (Dominik Sostmann, Unsplash)
¶ “Electric Everything, Part 4 – Some Updates” • The first three parts of this “Electric Everything” series listed 43 things that have been electrified, from tiny scooters to giant ferries and ships, and everything in between. If we want to save the planet, we must electrify everything as soon as possible and convert to clean electricity generation. [CleanTechnica]
Natural Resources Defense Council On Build Back Better:
¶ “Build Back Better Offers Big Economic Benefits In Illinois” • NRDC analysis shows that the Build Back Better agenda could speed up clean energy investment, economic activity, and job growth in Illinois. “The stakes are enormous. This agenda recognizes that there is tremendous economic opportunity in tackling the climate crisis.” [CleanTechnica]
Illinois EV factory (Image courtesy of Rivian)
¶ “Analysis: Michigan To Get Over 18,000 Jobs With Build Back Better Act” • A new NRDC analysis shows that the Build Back Better agenda could greatly accelerate clean energy investment, economic activity, and job growth in Michigan. It projects 14,500 to 18,700 local jobs created in manufacturing, building, and servicing clean energy resources. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Is Tesla Building Another Car Factory In China?” • A news report out of China claims that Tesla is at least testing the waters for a second gigafactory in the country. Looking into an update from Liaoning Province’s official WeChat account, CarNewsChina said it showed that Shenyang City is preparing for the Tesla vehicle project. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla Shanghai gigafactory (Courtesy of Tesla)
¶ “Climeworks Announces Boston Consulting, LGT Bank, And Rothesay As New Carbon Removal Customers” • LGT and Boston Consulting Group signed 10-year air capture agreements with Climeworks, for commitments towards carbon removal. The UK’s largest pension insurance specialist, Rothesay, also signed a carbon removal agreement. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Sweden Unveils Three New Offshore Wind Zones” • The Swedish government has identified three offshore wind zones that it believes can deliver up to 30,000 GWh of wind power per year. The areas are in the Gulf of Bothnia, the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, respectively. “We must have a lot of electricity, cheap electricity, fast,” the energy minister said. [reNews]
Gulf of Bothnia (Konstantin Goncharov, Unsplash)
¶ “Crossbenchers Urge Switch To Electric Transport To Boost Australia’s Energy Security” • Establishing thriving local EV manufacturing industries could be the answer to solving energy security challenges in Australia. Two independent federal MPs are backing a call for a locally manufactured, renewably powered, transport system. [Renew Economy]
¶ “Enel Green Power Set Record For Renewable Generation In Italy” • Enel Green Power generated about 119 TWh of energy renewably in 2021. Wind and solar provided 55.4 TWh, up by 9 TWh from 2020 figures. Hydroelectric provided 57 TWh, while the contribution from geothermal is 6 TWh, a relatively small but stable figure. [ThinkGeoEnergy]
Geothermal plant in Tuscany (Enel Green Power image)
¶ “First Poles Erected In $2.4 Billion Transmission Link To Create ‘Renewables Superpower'” • The $2.4 billion Project EnergyConnect is the first of several main transmission lines proposed by the Australian Energy Market Operator and state authorities as they build up the infrastructure to support a grid transitioning to 100% renewables. [Renew Economy]
¶ “IAEA Reviews Japan’s Plan To Release Fukushima Water Into Ocean” • A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency arrived in Japan on Monday to review a plan to release treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean. Japan hoped the visit would help it push through the controversial plan. [DW]
Japanese squid fishing boats (Takanobu Shuji, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
US:
¶ “DOE Will Build Nation’s First Large-Scale Facility To Turn Fossil Fuel Waste Into Rare Materials For Tech” • The DOE plans to build the nation’s first large facility to extract critical minerals like nickel and cobalt from waste like coal ash. The metals could then be used in components for renewable-energy batteries, cell phones, EVs, and other technologies. [CNN]
¶ “Megadrought: Western US Dry Spell Is Worst In 1,200 Years, Study Says” • The intense dry spell that’s parched the western US the past 22 years is the region’s worst “megadrought” since at least the year 800, a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change says. Over 40% of it can be blamed on human-caused climate change. [USA Today]
Arizona in drought (US NPS image, public domain)
¶ “Tesla Has 10.5% Of California Auto Market In 4th Quarter” • Tesla had 10.5% of all auto sales in California in the 4th quarter of 2021, up from 4.8% in the 4th quarter of 2020. Tesla registrations rose from 21,290 in Q4 2020 to 39,040 in Q4 2021. Only Toyota had more sales in California in the Q4 of 2021, with a 16.3% market share. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Last Minute Delay Leaves Green Energy Advocates Up In Arms In Connecticut” • ISO-New England’s announcement that it would end a rule blocking state-subsidized renewable energy projects from its annual capacity auction should have been a win for renewable energy, but a last-minute decision delays the change for two years. [The Connecticut Examiner]
Have an unconditionally triumphant day.
geoharvey 