Opinion:
¶ “More Power To The Women – Renewable Energy Leaders” • We might do better to say definitively, “Renewable energy needs women,” instead of asking, “Why do women need renewable energy?” In the meantime, let us not overlook the women who broke through barriers to get here. We asked three of NREL’s women in water power. [CleanTechnica]
NREL Scientist (NREL image, public domain)
Science and Technology:
¶ “New Ford Patent Shows Its Interest In Hydrogen” • Ford Motor Company recently filed a patent for a combustion engine that will run on hydrogen, Motor1 reports. The patent isn’t for a propulsion system that uses hydrogen to make electricity in a fuel cell. The patent Ford filed is for a turbocharged combustion engine that burns hydrogen. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Ukraine War: Chernobyl’s Vodka Producer Remains Defiant” • Scientists studying crops grown in the Chernobyl exclusion zone used leftover grain to make alcohol. That produced a spirit drink called, appropriately enough, Atomik. With all the radioactive dust stirred up by the Russian army there are questions about whether it is still safe to drink. [BBC]
Atomik spirits (Atomik image)
¶ “Canada Pledges To Help Countries Stop Using Russian Oil” • Canada says it can provide more oil, gas and uranium to help solve the global energy crisis. Prices have soared because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Canada’s natural resources minister said many countries are committed “to help as much as we can in terms of displacing Russian oil and gas.” [BBC]
¶ “20% Of New Cars In Europe Have A Plug!” • The European passenger plugin vehicle market is still in the fast lane. Some 160,000 plugin vehicles were registered in February, up 38% year over year. This growth in the EV market came as the overall auto market continued to fall, down 7% last month, to the lowest February in over 20 years. [CleanTechnica]
EV charging (Rick Govic, Unsplash)
¶ “Northland Councils Voice Strong Support For New Zealand’s First Renewable Energy Zone Pilot” • Local government in Northland is strongly in favor of Tai Tokerau becoming New Zealand’s first renewable energy zone pilot. Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai said Northland councils were sending a clear message that the pilot should be in the region. [RNZ]
¶ “Renewables’ Share In Austria Stands At About 60% In Feb” • Renewable energy covered around 60% of the electricity needs in Austria in February as windpower generation more than doubled in annual terms thanks to stormy weather, the Austrian Power Grid said. Wind turbines provided nearly 18.5% of the country’s electricity mix. [Renewables Now]
Fuerstkogel wind farm, Austria (Image by BayWa re)
¶ “Russia Must Be Removed From IAEA For ‘nuclear Terrorism’, Urges Ukraine’s Energy Ministry” • Ukraine’s Energy Ministry has urged that Russia must be removed from the International Atomic Energy Agency for ‘nuclear terrorism,’ after they attacked Ukrainian nuclear plants and occupied the Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia plants. [Republic World]
¶ “Forest Fires Spread To 10,000 Hectares Around Chernobyl Nuclear Plant” • More than 10,000 hectares of forest are ablaze in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, posing a dangerous risk of nuclear wildfires, an Ukrainian official warned, according to the Interfax agency. The fires could cause increased levels of radioactive air pollution in nearby countries. [Republic World]
Deer near Chernobyl (Sergey Omelchenko, Unsplash)
Australia:
¶ “Government plan to let renewable agency fund fossil fuels blocked after Liberal-led committee’s motion” • A Morrison government plan to change the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to allow it to fund a broader range of technologies, including some using fossil fuels, has been blocked by a Liberal-led committee. [The Guardian]
¶ “Oz Wind Developer To Boost Burrendong To 650 MW” • Australian developer Epuron has expanded the design of its Burrendong wind farm in New South Wales from 400 MW to 650 MW. The expansion is in response to WaterNSW, through its Renewable Energy and Storage Program, seeking investment in clean power generation and storage assets. [reNews]
Wind turbines (Peter Beukema, Unsplash)
¶ “Progressing World’s Largest Renewable Energy System” • The Northern Territory Labor Government will introduce legislation to facilitate the $30 billion Sun Cable Australia-Asia PowerLink project. The Sun Cable project is the world’s largest renewable energy transmission system. One part of it is the world’s largest solar farm and battery. [Mirage News]
US:
¶ “Creativity And Exploration Drive Marine Energy Research” • There are vast marine energy resources in the US, and the National Renewable Energy Laboritory water power team is catalyzing its creativity and the full scope of the laboratory’s capabilities to make marine energy a viable and productive renewable energy source. [CleanTechnica]
Ocean Wave (Silas Baisch, Unsplash)
¶ “House Set To Debate Sweeping Climate Legislation, With Amendments To Senate Bill” • Two committees in Maryland’s House of Delegates voted to approve an amended version of a sweeping climate bill that would accelerate the statewide goal to achieve carbon neutral emissions by 2045. The bill was amended to include a role for nuclear power. [Maryland Matters]
¶ “Senator John Barrasso Calls For Banning Russian Uranium, Increasing US Production” • Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming called to shut down imports of Russian uranium and increase US production, arguing that the imports prop up the Russian attack on Ukraine. The ban would add to an earlier ban on imports of Russian oil and gas. [Washington Times]
Have a fashionably fortuitous day.
geoharvey 
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