World:
¶ “Endangered Seals Found Dead On Russia’s Caspian Shore” • Around 700 endangered seals have been found dead on Russia’s Caspian coast in the North Caucasus. Caspian seals are the only mammals found in the Caspian Sea. The cause of death is not known, but they are under pressure from over-hunting, habitat degradation and climate change. [CNN]
Caspian Seal (Aboutaleb Nadri, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Cutting Energy Prices Will Take Years, Power Boss Says” • It “will take years” to get energy prices back to pre-Ukraine war levels, the boss of one of the world’s biggest energy firms has told the BBC. Francesco Starace, CEO of Enel, said bringing prices down depends on new sources of energy such as renewables and heat pumps. [BBC]
¶ “New Mercedes eSprinter Goes 475 Kilometers In Real-World Driving” • The Mercedes eSprinter has been for sale in Europe for some time, but its range of just under 100 miles is too short for most customers. Now, Mercedes is about to start production of the next-generation eSprinter, which was able to go over 475 km (295 miles) on a single charge. [CleanTechnica]
Mercedes eSprinter (Courtesy of Mercedes)
¶ “Lightyear 0 Solar-Powered Car Begins Production” • Lightyear now has a production successor to Lightyear 1, a prototype that introduced the possibility of an electric car powered by sunlight. The company announced this week that it has begun production of its first vehicle, the Lightyear 0, at the Valmet Automotive facility in Finland. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Italian Minister ‘Opens Doors Wide’ For Tesla, Musk” • Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini said that the country would “open [its] doors wide for” Tesla and CEO Elon Musk. Salvini noted Italy’s diminishing car industry during a webinar held by the Italian outlet Il Messaggero and detailed in a report from Teslarati. [CleanTechnica]
Tuscany (Amit Janco, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Norway BEVs Hit Record Volume In November – Tesla Model Y Leads” • Plugin electric vehicles took 89.3% share of Norwegian auto sales in November, down from 91.2% year on year. However, full battery EVs grew from 73.8% to 81.6%, YOY. Plugin hybrids continued to tail off, down to 7.7% from 17.4% YoY. Overall auto sales were up almost 28%. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Parking Lots Are Becoming As Important As Cars In Climate Change Efforts” • A new law in France requires that parking lots with 80 or more spaces be covered by solar panels within five years. The biggest parking lots, those with over 400 spaces, have been given three years for at least half of the parking lot’s surface area covered by solar. [CNBC]
Solar parking lot, Disneyland, Paris (Jay Black, Unsplash)
¶ “It’s Possible To Power 10 Million Nigerian Homes With Renewable Energy By 2030 – Greenforce CEO” • The Chief Executive Officer of Greenforce Group, Chidera Ejiofor, believes it is possible to power 10 million Nigerian homes with renewable energy by 2030. He also said there are still not enough renewable energy companies in Nigeria. [Nairametrics]
¶ “Coalition MP’s ‘Grassroots’ Nuclear Power Survey Linked To Consulting Firm” • In Australia, a Coalition frontbencher doing a “grassroots” survey about nuclear power is using a website registered by a business that helps an American small modular reactor company, records reveal. Website owner Helixos lists NuScale Power as a client. [The Guardian]
NuScale plant design (NuScale image)
¶ “IAEA Says Deal Over Ukrainian Nuke Plant ‘Almost There’” • A deal aimed at safeguarding Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is close at hand, the head of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency said. The power plant, which was seized by Russia shortly after its invasion of Ukraine, has since come under repeated shelling. [KDAL 610]
US:
¶ “Restoring Observatory Access Key To Climate Science” • So far the Mauna Loa lava flow has been a spectacle and not a disaster, except for the Mauna Loa Observatory, which is the worldwide headquarters for collection of climate-change data. Lava from the volcano’s eruptions has cut off access and power for the foreseeable future. [KHON2]
Sensor domes on Mauna Loa (UCAR, public domain)
¶ “Northeast Iowa Coal-Fired Power Plant Nears End Of Long Run” • Alliant Energy’s coal-fired Lansing Generating Station has operated for nearly 75 years on the bank of the Mississippi River in Northeast Iowa. After this year, it will not produce electricity. A spokesman said closing the plant will “help to control long-term costs for customers.” [KTTC]
¶ “Oil And Gas Led New Mexico Land Use In 2022, As State Looked To Diversify” • The New Mexico State Land Office saw increases in revenue from both fossil fuels and renewables this year. New Mexico is the second-largest producer of crude oil in US, largely from the Permian Basin. Oil and gas provide about a third of its budget. [Carlsbad Current-Argus]
Have a sufficiently impeccable day.
geoharvey 
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