Opinion:
¶ “Insanity Over Nuclear Energy: Inquirer” • The governments of the US and the Philippines have announced an agreement on the use of nuclear power. The Philippines tried to use nuclear power before, five decades ago. Generations of Filipinos were stuck with the bill for that white elephant. Now, the country is getting set to do the same thing all over again. [The Straits Times]
Near the Bataan nuclear plant (Ramon FVelasquez, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Wave-Powered Desalination Device Sets Sail” • Amid salty air and crashing waves, National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers deployed a wave-powered desalination test device at Jennette’s Pier, on Nags Head beach in North Carolina, and anchored it to the nearby seabed. It is a long-awaited feat for the research team. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Cellular Tuna Coming Soon” • Finless Foods, a leading cellular agriculture company focused on seafood, announced the closing of a Series B raise of $34 million to expand its operations and produce cell-based tuna this year in the US. The goal is to grow tuna in a production facility using cellular culture, so the product comes from real tuna DNA. [CleanTechnica]
Tuna dinner (Image courtesy Finless Foods)
World:
¶ “Why is turning to Saudi Arabia for oil so controversial?” • UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended a trip to Saudi Arabia, saying “the widest coalition” is needed to end reliance on Russian oil and gas. But maintaining close ties with the Gulf kingdom is an issue due to its human rights record. Human rights groups point to unfair trials and executions. [BBC]
¶ “Shell’s Directors Face Legal Action From Climate Group Shareholder” • Lawyers for ClientEarth, a Shell stockholder, said they were preparing legal action against the directors of Shell over the company’s climate transition plan. They say that under the UK Companies Act, Shell’s climate strategy must align with the 2015 Paris Agreement. [CNN]
Shell station (Krzysztof Hepner, Unsplash)
¶ “28% Of New Cars Sold In Netherlands Now Plugin Cars” • After a surprisingly good January, February doubled last year’s result, with the Dutch plugin EV market reaching 28% last month. That’s mostly thanks to pure electrics (16% of new vehicle sales), which surged 275%(!) year over year. In fact, battery EVs have surpassed plugin hybrids so far this year. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Volkswagen Says EV Operations Will Be Profitable Earlier Than Expected” • Volkswagen Group told the press that several of its electric car models, including the Porsche Taycan, are sold out through the end of 2022. High demand is helping its electric car business become as profitable as its conventional car business more quickly than expected. [CleanTechnica]
Volkswagen EV lineup (Volkswagen via Inside Transportation)
¶ “MG Plans To Sell Mini EV In Global Markets, Starting With India” • A little EV that could change the world, the Wuling Mini EV, has been taking China by storm. Now MG is to introduce its MG 320, which will be on the same SAIC-GM-Wuling Global Small EV platform. The car will sell for ₹1 million, equivalent to €11,900 or $13,000. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Australian Researchers Claim ‘Giant Leap’ In Technology To Produce Affordable Renewable Hydrogen” • Hysata, a company using technology developed at the University of Wollongong, said its patented capillary-fed electrolysis cells achieve 95% efficiency. The achievement could mean hydrogen costing A$2 per kg ($1.45 per kg) by 2025. [The Guardian]
Work on Hysata electrolysis (Hysata image)
¶ “UK Can Eliminate Need For Russian Gas This Year, Research Shows” • The UK could eliminate all need for imports of Russian gas this year by combining energy efficiency and renewable power generation along with a campaign to help people change their behavior, research has found. Households can fight back against war in the Ukraine. [The Guardian]
¶ “Denmark Targets 6 GW Of Electrolyzer Capacity By 2030” • The Danish government has reached an agreement to accelerate the development of green fuels, through a tender to support the construction of 4 GW to 6 GW of power-to-x capacity by 2030. Denmark will support hydrogen production, better framework conditions for producers, and other measures. [reNews]
Denmark (Adrian Cuj, Unsplash)
US:
¶ “How NREL Is Extending The Lifetime Of Solar Modules” • What makes for a good solar module? A few things are obvious: high energy yield, low cost, and reliable in the field. The Durable Module Materials Consortium is an effort led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, seeking to improve PV reliability through its research. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Allergy Season Will Start Much Earlier And Be Far More Intense Because Of Climate Crisis, Study Suggests” • A study published in Nature Communications, found by the end of the century, pollen season could begin as much as 40 days earlier than it normally has in the US because of global warming. Pollen counts could climb by up to 250%. [CNN]
Pollen (Alex Jones, Unsplash)
¶ “AEP subsidiary seeks 1.3 GW for Indiana And Michigan” • AEP subsidiary Indiana Michigan Power issued a request for proposals for renewable energy consisting of 800 MW of wind power and 500 MW of solar. Indiana Michigan Power expects some of the resources to be online by as early as the end of 2024 and the full 1.3 GW operating by the end of 2025. [reNews]
¶ “Goldman Sachs Commissions 390-MW PV-Plus-Storage In California” • Goldman Sachs Renewable Power has brought its 390-MW Slate solar plus energy storage project in Kings County in California online. Slate, which was originally developed by Canadian Solar subsidiary Recurrent Energy, is backed up by 561 MWh of storage capacity. [reNews]
Have a transformatively fine day.
geoharvey 