Science and Technology:
¶ “New Solar Tech Achieves Commercially Viable Lifetime” • Princeton Engineering researchers have developed the first perovskite solar cell with a commercially viable lifetime, a major milestone for an emerging class of renewable energy technology. The team believes their device can perform above industry standards for around 30 years. [CleanTechnica]
Stable perovskite cell (Bumper DeJesus via Princeton University)
World:
¶ “Hundreds Of Thousands Evacuated As Floods Ravage Southern China” • Hundreds of thousands of people in China have been evacuated in several southern and eastern provinces after unrelenting rains caused floods and triggered landslides. Two provinces upgraded flood warnings as rivers overflowed and floodwater levels broke a 50-year high. [BBC]
¶ “Mining Firm Glencore Pleads Guilty To UK Bribery Charges” • A British subsidiary of the mining firm Glencore pleaded guilty in a UK court to corruption offences for the second time in two months. It was accused of paying millions of dollars in bribes for access to crude oil in several African countries. The company has also pleaded guilty in the US and Brazil. [BBC]
Oil well (Pixabay, Pexels)
¶ “Three Global Banks Tackle Aluminum Decarbonization Jointly” • Three top lenders to the aluminum sector – Citi, ING, and Societe Generale – announced that they will partner with RMI’s Center for Climate-Aligned Finance to help decarbonize the aluminum sector by forming the Aluminum Climate-Aligned Finance Working Group. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “It’s Boom Times For Wind Power And Green Hydrogen In Ireland” • Clean power is blooming in Ireland thanks to such new technology as green hydrogen and floating wind turbines. That’s good news for the economy and great news for the rest of the EU, which is scrambling to untangle itself from Russian fossil energy imports. [CleanTechnica]
Offshore wind turbine (Courtesy of Simply Blue Group)
¶ “Norway Rethinks Its Incentive Package For Electric Cars” • Norwegian EV drivers pay lower tolls and fees and have other advantages. The Norwegian public road administration is urging that some of the advantages given to EV drivers be removed. It wants to reduce the number of cars on Norway’s roads and promote public transportation. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Emissions Reduction Plan Adopted In New Zealand” • The government of New Zealand has adopted its first Emissions Reduction Plan. The plan is required under the Climate Change Response Act to help achieve net zero CO₂ by 2050. Its transport goal is a 41% reduction of CO₂ from 2019 levels by 2035 using a set of four targets. [CleanTechnica]
Auckland, New Zealand (Dan Freeman, Unsplash)
¶ “Energy Minister Says Australia Must Ditch Coal And Switch To Renewable Energy Immediately To Avoid Future Threats Of Blackouts” • Generators refused to provide power because they would lose money, so the Australian Energy Market Operator suspended the spot market along the East Coast. That must not happen again, Chris Bowen said. [Daily Mail]
¶ “Acwa Power Consortium Closes $1.5 Billion Egypt Wind Project” • A consortium led by Acwa Power, a leading Saudi developer, investor, and operator of power generation, water desalinization, and green hydrogen plants worldwide, signed an agreement to develop a 1.1-GW wind project in Egypt, at an investment value of $1.5 billion. [ZAWYA]
Egypt (Flying Carpet, Unsplash)
¶ “Extreme Weather Drives Need For Better Interconnection” • Insufficient interconnection hampers the ability of neighboring solar and wind rich regions to compensate for anomalous conditions in markets such as Spain had last winter, Solargis said. Grids spanning countries will help regional utilities deal with extreme weather events. [reNews]
US:
¶ “Giant Hangar Poised For An Aviation Revolution” • Airships could help speed up the delivery of aid in disaster zones, carry air cargo much more cheaply than air freighters, and cut aviation emissions. Airships could offer an alternative for some types of aviation. A new generation of airships is taking shape in a former airship factory in Akron, Ohio. [BBC]
Airship in hanger (LTA Research image)
¶ “Cadillac Celestiq Teaser Images Released, Production Site Chosen” • General Motors announced that it has chosen a site for making the Cadillac Celestiq, the company’s planned flagship luxury sedan meant to compete with such vehicles as the Tesla Model S. GM is investing $81 million into its Global Technology Center in Warren, Michigan. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Three Georgia Power Plants Land On List Of Nation’s Dirtiest” • Georgia is home to three of the nation’s hundred dirtiest power plants, a report from the Atlanta-based Environment Georgia Research & Policy Center says. It ranks power plants across the US by their contribution to climate change based on the EPA latest eGRID data. [Reporter Newspapers]
Georgia Power’s Plant Scherer (Georgia Power image)
¶ “US Solar Consortium To Buy Up To 7 GW Of Panels Annually From 2024” • Several US solar companies said they plan to spend over $6 billion to buy 6 GW to 7 GW of solar modules annually starting in 2024 to support domestic supply chains. The move comes as the US government seeks to strengthen the country’s energy security. [S&P Global]
¶ “Co-Owners Sue Georgia Power In $695 Million Vogtle Contract Dispute” • The owners of a majority share of a nuclear power plant being expanded in Georgia are suing lead owner Georgia Power Co. They claim Georgia Power is trying to bilk them out of nearly $700 million by unilaterally changing a contract. [USNews.com]
Have a verifiably grand day.
geoharvey 