Opinion:
¶ “Happy With My Tesla Model 3, And Now I’m Thankful Too!” • When I bought my car, I went all in for the “Long Range” dual-motor option and the Full Self Driving option. I say, “Navigate to Brighton” and let my car drive me the 50 miles from my home in Lindon, Utah, to the Brighton Ski Resort, as I pass gas stations with regular gas at $4.29 per gallon. [CleanTechnica]
Snowy road (Bailey Zindel, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “How Climate Change Is Leading To Bigger Hailstones” • One result of climate change is bigger hailstorms. In Texas, Alabama, and Colorado, records for largest hailstone have been broken in the last three years, reaching sizes of up to 16cm (6.2 inches) in diameter. In 2020, Tripoli, the capital of Libya, was struck by hailstones nearly 18 cm (7.1 in) across. [BBC]
¶ “Fleetzero’s Container Ship Battery-Swapping Scheme May Help Electrify Shipping” • Fleetzero has developed a 2-MWh LiFePO₄ battery pack that fits in a shipping container. A ship can load enough containers onboard to complete a sea voyage, then swap them out when they are depleted for fully charged batteries while the ship is in port. [CleanTechnica]
Fleetzero ship (Fleetzero image)
World:
¶ “Italy’s EV Market Doubled In 2021 – Any Growth In 2022?” • In Italy, petrol and diesel powertrains closed 2021 at 29.7% and 22.6% market share respectively (from 37.5% and 33.1% in 2020). Plugless hybrids reached 29% and are the leading powertrains in Italy’s monthly sales now. Plug-in options are lagging behind, but continue to break records. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Germany Gets On Board With EU ICE Ban” • The EU is in favor of banning sales of cars with internal combustion engines by 2035. Germany has been reluctant to make that commitment, but Politico reports that Germany has reluctantly signed on to the 2035 ICE ban and will ditch plans to lobby for key exemptions to EU CO₂ emissions targets. [CleanTechnica]
EV (Martin Katler, Unsplash)
¶ “Poland To Rethink Role Of Russian Gas In Green Energy Transition, As Nuclear Plans Go Ahead” • Poland is rethinking the role of natural gas in its transition away from coal-fired energy, as it seeks to avoid dependence on Russian fuels. Russia’s war on Ukraine has compelled the EU to attempt to reduce dependence on fossil fuels from Russia. [Euronews]
¶ “Fitch: Uncertainty Holding Up 4 GW In Mexico’s Renewable Pipeline” • A floor vote on the planned constitutional reforms to Mexico’s electric power sector is unlikely to come before “late 2022,” Fitch Ratings says. Meanwhile, sector-wide uncertainty is increasing as information on a timetable, potential changes, and implementation approaches is lacking. [BNamericas]
¶ “Belgium Delays Nuclear Energy Exit By Ten Years Due To Ukraine War” • Belgium has delayed by a decade a plan to scrap nuclear energy in 2025, as energy prices due to Russia’s war on Ukraine. “The federal government has decided to take the necessary steps to extend the life of two nuclear reactors by ten years,” the Belgian Prime Minister said. [RTL Today]
¶ “Capital Power Signs 126-MW PPA In Alberta” • Ethylene glycol manufacturer MEGlobal Canada is to buy 126 MW of electricity from Capital Power from the Whitla wind farm in Alberta. The 10-year power purchase agreement is expected to meet the electricity needs at MEGlobal’s Canadian manufacturing facilities starting on 1 April. [reNews]
Whitla wind farm (Capital Power image)
US:
¶ “Estimating The Cost Of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations” • States getting EV charging station funds can count on new jobs. The country has about 47,000 public charging stations, but as the administration rolls out its plan to build a network of 500,000 electric charging stations by the end of the decade, that number will increase quickly. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Argonne Tools Helping Build Equitable Nationwide EV Charging: Electric Vehicle Charging Justice40 Map” • The US DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory contributed critical tools and expertise to a federal initiative aiming to help states build EV charging stations fairly and equitably. The network is to have 500,000 stations within ten years. [CleanTechnica]
Charging an EV (Jenny Ueberberg, Unsplash)
¶ “Ford F-150 Lightning EPA Range Ratings Leaked Online” • A Reddit user posted stickers for various Ford F-150 Lighting models. The source of the photos posted is not revealed, Jim Farley hasn’t returned our calls, and the accuracy of the photos cannot be independently verified (they sure look authentic, though), so take them accordingly. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Kansas Bill Targeting Property Tax Breaks For Wind Farms Fails In Committee Vote” • Another bill criticized as an effort to end development of wind farms in Kansas died in committee. It was introduced by Sen Mike Thompson, who keeps introducing bills critics say are attempts to stymie renewable energy dressed as efforts to protect rural Kansas. [Kansas Reflector]
Kansas wind farm (Daniel Thomas, Unsplash)
¶ “Federal legislation introduced to build renewable energy ‘superhighway'” • Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced a bill, Connecting Hard-to-reach Areas with Renewable Energy (CHARGE), that is designed to make critical changes to energy transmission planning and operations in support of a future powered by renewable energy. [pv magazine USA]
¶ “US Developer Plots 800-MW Idaho Wind Farm Build” • LS Power affiliate Magic Valley Energy is planning to build an 800-MW wind farm called Salmon Falls in Idaho. The project is proposed to be built on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management in Twin Falls County. Construction could start as early as 2024. [reNews]
Have a uniquely comfy day.
geoharvey 
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