Opinion:
¶ “No Need To Be Freightened Of Electric Trucks” • Only 10% of vehicles on US roads are medium-to-large trucks, but they are responsible for the majority of hazardous air pollutants and nearly 25% of the greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. Some people have questions about electric trucks, but we can address their concerns. [CleanTechnica]
Volvo electric trucks (Image courtesy of Volvo Trucks)
¶ “Could The World Survive Without Russian Oil And Gas?” • The US, UK, and EU have announced that they will restrict Russian oil imports. The move came after Russia warned it could cut off gas supplies to European countries if an oil ban were to go ahead. Oil and gas prices have already risen sharply and could rise yet further if Russia halts exports. [BBC]
World:
¶ “Europe Plans To Reduce Russian Gas Imports By 66% This Year” • Europe is planning to reduce consumption of Russian natural gas this year as it prepares for a complete break with its single biggest energy supplier over the war in Ukraine. EU officials outlined a plan to achieve energy independence from Moscow “well before 2030.” [CNN]
Gas meters (Doris Morgan, Unsplash)
¶ “War in Ukraine: Fitch Ratings warns Russian bond default ‘imminent'” • Fitch Ratings has warned Russia is likely to soon default on its debts, as it downgraded the country’s bonds further into “junk” territory, almost to the bottom grade. The warning came after the EU, US, and UK said they will reduce or ban imports of Russian oil or gas. [BBC]
¶ “Climate Change: EU Unveils Plan To End Reliance On Russian Gas” • Moving with a speed few thought possible, the EU laid out a strategy to cut reliance on this fuel source by two thirds within a year. The roadmap starts with finding alternative supplies, and goes to boosting energy efficiency and doubling down on greener sources of power. [BBC]
Wind turbines (Irina Iriser, Pexels)
¶ “Solar Stocks Are Soaring As Oil Price Spike Furthers Bets On Pivot To Renewable Energy” • Shares of renewable energy firms spiked higher Tuesday, highlighting moves by investors to capitalize on shortages of oil and other fossil fuels exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The S&P Global Clean Energy Index rose by 6% intraday. [Business Insider India]
¶ “Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Has Lost Contact With The UN Atomic Watchdog” • The UN’s atomic watchdog said Tuesday that the Chernobyl nuclear plant is no longer transmitting data, as remote data transmission from safeguards monitoring systems has been lost. The IAEA also expressed concern for workers held by Russians at the Ukrainian facility. [The Week]
Chernobyl sarcophagus and reactors (Clay Gilliland, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Russians Are Advancing On Another Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine’s President Says” • President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Ukraine says Russian forces are advancing toward a third nuclear power plant. It was just last Friday that Russia seized control of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine’s port city of Zaporizhzhia. [NPR]
¶ “Germany Rules Out Prolonging Its Nuclear Power Plants” • Berlin has ruled out extending the lifetime of its existing nuclear fleet, brushing aside energy security concerns after Moscow threatened to halt gas supplies to Germany in retaliation for Western sanctions in the Russia-Ukraine war. Closing the nuclear fleet is too far along to be reversed. [EURACTIV.com]
Grafenrheinfeld nuclear plant (Rainer Lippert, public domain)
US:
¶ “Solar Decathlon Design Challenge Teams Advance As Finalists” • Finalist teams in the DOE’s Solar Decathlon® 2022 Design Challenge have been chosen based on presentations and design submissions at the semifinal competition event. 55 teams representing 38 universities have advanced as finalists based on their unique building designs. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “JISEA Sustainable Communities Catalyzer Advances Equitable Renewables Deployment” • Renewable energy development can bolster local economies in numerous ways. The Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis partnered with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to identify where deployment could have the biggest local impact. [CleanTechnica]
Solar powered houses (US DOE image)
¶ “Vice Admiral McGinn: Renewable Energy Will Save Us From Dictators Whose Power Comes From Fossil Fuels” • Vice Admiral Dennis V McGinn wrote a piece for The Hill responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He argued that renewable energy will save us from dictators powered by fossil fuels and called for the US to up its game on renewables. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Hydrogen Truck Maker Nikola Leads EV Stock Rally As Biden Cuts Off Russian Oil” • Nikola, which aims to replace diesel-fueled semis with trucks powered by batteries and hydrogen, was one of the biggest stock market gainers among EV makers after President Biden said the US was cutting off imports of Russian oil because of its invasion of Ukraine. [Forbes]
Hydrogen-powered Nikola Tre (Anheuser-Busch and Nikola)
¶ “Oregon Energy Department To Offer $12 Million In Grants For Community Solar, Wind Projects” • The Oregon Department of Energy announced $12 million in grants for projects such as adding rural EV charging stations and adding solar panels to public buildings. Money will also go to energy resiliency projects, including microgrids. [Oregon Capital Chronicle]
¶ “Honeywell, Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions Will Help Improve Energy Resiliency In Select U.S. Communities” • Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions, a brand of Duke Energy, and Honeywell announced an agreement to develop and deliver comprehensive energy resiliency solutions to targeted markets across the US. [Duke Energy | News Center]
Have an excitingly untroubled day.
geoharvey 