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Opinion:

¶ “China’s Purchasing Power Advantage And Wright’s Law Mean Its Green Investments Go A Lot Further” • China made about half of the $1.1 trillion of green investments made in 2022. But raw data fail to show China’s deep competitive advantages. The investments China spends on are mostly wise, in a way that the West’s are not. [CleanTechnica]

Wind farm (Hahaheditor12667, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Scientists Using AI Find Planet Could Cross Critical Warming Threshold Sooner Than Expected” • We could cross critical global warming thresholds sooner than previously predicted, even with concerted global climate action. A study using machine learning shows the planet could reach 1.5°C of warming above pre-industrial levels in one decade [CNN]

World:

¶ “Norway Discovers Huge Trove Of Metals, Minerals And Rare Earths On Its Seabed” • A Norwegian study found a “substantial” amount of metals and minerals ranging from copper to rare earths on the seabed of its extended continental shelf, authorities said. These resources are in high demand for the role they play in the transition to a greener economy. [CNN]

Trondheim (Simon Williams, Unsplash)

¶ “New Zealand Flooding: Fears Of Further Damage As New Alerts Issued” • Emergency service personnel warn that northern New Zealand could see unprecedented levels of rain in the next two days. The country’s new prime minister, Chris Hipkins, said, “It’s a one-in-one hundred weather event and we seem to be getting a lot of them at the moment.” [BBC]

¶ “Amsterdam Built An Underwater Parking Garage For 7000 Bicycles!” • The Netherlands is unique, largely because nearly a third of the country is below sea level, a fact that has forced the Netherlands to create innovative ways to co-exist with nature. Last week Amsterdam opened a parking facility for bicycles, built below sea level. [CleanTechnica]

Bicycle garage entrance (Courtesy of the City of Amsterdam)

¶ “Renewable Energy Revolution To Create 100 Million Jobs By 2030” • The International Renewable Energy Agency calculated that $131 trillion will have to be spent by 2050 for the energy transition we need to limit global temperature rises to levels that can be managed. Even by 2030, this could create 100 million jobs, according to the ILO. [The National]

¶ “Australia Is Adding Green Energy At Less Than Half The Rate Required To Keep Grid Stable” • Australia is adding renewable energy at less than half the pace required to replace retiring coal-fired generation and meet its own 2030 climate targets, reported the University of New South Wales. The year 2022 was pivotal, but the change is too slow. [ABC]

Wind farm in Tasmania (Ian Cochrane, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Rays Power Infra To Build 1800-MW Solar Solar Park In Rajasthan” • In a key development that strengthens its presence in the state of Rajasthan, Rays Power Infra announced that it has signed an agreement with the state government to build a 1,800 MW solar park. The development will consist of three projects of 300 MW and one of 900 MW. [Saur Energy]

¶ “Solar, Wind Produce Record Fifth Of EU Power” • According to the “European Electricity Review,” published by energy think tank Ember, wind and solar generated over a fifth (22%) of EU electricity in 2022, for the first time overtaking fossil gas (20%). The coal power share increased by 1.5 percentage points to generate 16% of EU electricity in 2022. [reNews]

Solar farm in Spain (Elawan Energy image)

¶ “Belgium To Shut Down Second Nuclear Reactor” • Tihange 2, the second largest of the three Tihange nuclear reactors, will shut down permanently on the evening of January 31, after 40 years of activity, making it the second nuclear reactor in Belgium to be retired. Some politicians and pro-nuclear groups have called for the reactor to stay open. [EURACTIV.com]

US:

¶ “Winter Heating Costs Likely Won’t Be As High As Feared, But Many Still Need Help” • Both the National Energy Assistance Directors Association and the US DOE’s Energy Information Administration reduced their cost estimates for heating with natural gas and oil. That’s thanks to a combination of lower energy prices and mild winter weather. [CNN]

Thermostat (Dan LeFebvre, Unsplash)

¶ “Arizona’s EV Plan Gives Us A Clue About Tesla CCS Charging” • Arizona has narrowed down its choices for EV charging sites to meet federal requirements, and it reveals something interesting that’s probably happening behind the scenes with Tesla. It is confirming plans to deploy CCS-compatible charging stations in the state. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Government Funding Helps Biofuels Move Forward” • Biofuels may not be the ideal way to address climate change, but they can help reduce our carbon emissions. Two pieces of news in recent weeks that show the US government is still trying to help biofuels improve, come from cleaner sources, and work better with infrastructure. [CleanTechnica]

Duckweed (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Public Domain)

¶ “El Dorado School District “Flips The Switch” On Renewable Energy” • In Arkansas, El Dorado School District signed a Solar Services Agreement with energy and solar company Entegrity. ESD says a 1.75-MW (AC) solar array will “Flip the Switch” on energy usage and expenses throughout the district saving over $128,000 annually in energy costs. [KNOE]

¶ “Renewables Are Cheaper Than Coal At All But One Site In The US” • Researchers at Energy Innovation and UC Berkeley said that of 210 US coal plants, only one, Wyoming’s Dry Fork facility, could operate at a cost lower than new wind or solar plants. For all the rest, shutting down today to be replaced by wind and solar would save money. [The Register]

Have an abundantly cheerful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Bingo! The SAIC-GM-Wuling Joint Venture Gets It” • We need more affordable cars. We are finally starting to see more of them, but they are still mostly available only in China. However, just like the solar panel and mobile phone revolution, the affordable vehicles will start finding their way to more parts of the world sooner rather than later. [CleanTechnica]

Baojun E300 (Jengtingchen, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “The Transformative Power Of Drones Has Only Just Begun” • Drones are changing things. Their game-changing use in warfare has been highlighted by Russia’s murderous invasion of Ukraine, but they are also accelerating the clean energy landscape. Here is an interview with Cameron Chell, CEO and President of the US company Draganfly. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Steel Corrosion Is A Major Contributor To Climate Change” • Each year, the US spends almost a $1 trillion fighting metallic corrosion, the reaction which occurs when metals oxidize and begin to rust. Now, a team of researchers led by the Ohio State University has estimated how much corrosion is worsening global carbon emissions. [Earth.com]

Rust (Jay Heike, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “New Zealand’s Biggest City Braces For More Heavy Rains After Deadly Floods” • New Zealand authorities warned the situation in flood-hit Auckland was likely to worsen after “unprecedented” rainfall brought devastating floods. New Zealand Climate Change Minister James Shaw underscored the link of extreme weather to climate, tweeting “This is climate change.” [CNN]

¶ “King Charles’ Newest Eco-Activism: Royal Wind Farm Profits Will Go To The People” • King Charles III announced that an expected surge in profits from wind farm deals that could have elevated royal investment accounts should, instead, be spent on the public. A spokesperson said the king wished a windfall to be redirected “for the wider public good.” [CleanTechnica]

Thanet Wind Farm (Acabashi, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Renault Partners With EV Conversion Company To Refit Older Renault Vehicles” • Some people have a car they’ve owned for decades, and they’re interested in driving an EV, but don’t want to part with a beloved friend. Renault seems to understand and has teamed up with R-FIT1 to launch extraordinary electric retrofit kits in France. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Cape Town Plans To Provide Protection From The First 4 Stages Of Eskom’s Load-Shedding Within Three Years” • South Africa is going through its worst ever period of electricity rationing, but the City of Capetown is not waiting for a solution. It is instituting a three phase program for electricity, starting with independent suppliers. [CleanTechnica]

Capetown (Daniel Vogel, Unsplash)

¶ “Galatea-Galene Wind Farm Gets Regional Approval” • In Sweden, the County Administrative Board of Halland approved OX2’s Galatea-Galene offshore wind farm for construction. The development is to have a capacity of up to 1.7 GW. Its annual generation is estimated to 6 to 7 TWh which is close to the region’s expected increase in demand. [reNews]

¶ “TenneT Hails Strong North Sea Performance” • Beating last year’s figures, TenneT transmitted over 29 TWh of energy from wind farms in the Dutch and German North Sea to land in 2022. In total, 21.13 TWh was fed into the German grid, while 7.91 TWh were transmitted to the Netherlands, up from 4.71 TWh because of a new wind farm. [reNews]

Offshore wind turbines (Martina Nolte, CC-BY-SA 3.0 de)

¶ “Russia Was Making Big Plans For Ukraine’s Nuclear Power Plants Before Its Invasion Fell Apart” • An analysis of the first five months of the war by the Royal United Services Institute, a UK think tank, shows that the Russians had big plans to use Ukraine’s nuclear power plants to help topple Ukraine’s government, and demilitarize Ukrainian forces. [MSN]

US:

¶ “Elon Musk’s DC Visit Stirs EV Charging Standardization Pot, Again” • Tesla CEO Elon Musk met with Biden administration officials with EV production and charging station buildout reportedly a topic. As to the question of whether Tesla will agree to a single standard for American charging stations other than its own, the short answer is “Nope.” [CleanTechnica]

Charging stations (Ken Fields, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Xcel To Test Power Storage Tech In Becker” • Xcel Energy is bringing state-of-the-art storage technology to the Sherco Power Plant in Becker. Xcel Energy has partnered with Form Energy, an American technology company, to deploy an iron-air battery system at the Sherco Plant. The plant’s capacity will be 10 MW, and 1,000 MWh. [WJON]

¶ “US Renewable Energy Farms Outstrip 99% Of Coal Plants Economically” • Coal in the US is now being economically outmatched by renewables to the point that it’s more costly for 99% of the country’s coal-fired power plants to keep running than it is to build an entirely new solar or wind energy operation nearby, an analysis found. [The Guardian]

Wind farm (Zbynek Burival, Unsplash)

¶ “The State Of The US Renewable Energy Market: Preliminary Analysis For 2022” • In 2022, renewables are estimated to make up 22% of the US electricity generation and experts predict the percentage for 2023 will be even higher. As for total renewable consumption, renewables accounted for 12.7% as the main sources of those consumptions. [Earth.org]

¶ “How States Are Reimagining Power Grids To Take Advantage Of Wind And Solar” • For years, many states have set ambitious goals and incentives to promote renewable electricity projects. Now, more of those states are turning their attention to the transmission lines, substations, and transformers needed to get that electricity to customers. [Fast Company]

Have an inexpressibly happy day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Electric School Buses Can Fight Inequity In The USA, Or Worsen It” • Most students, especially those from low-income and communities of color, ride diesel-powered buses that expose them to health issues. Electric school buses offer a solution, but they can actually deepen inequities if programs aren’t designed and deployed properly. [CleanTechnica]

All-electric school bus (Courtesy of GreenPower Motors)

World:

¶ “Auckland Flooding: Three People Dead After Torrential Rain In New Zealand” • Auckland is said to have had 75% of its usual summer rainfall in just 15 hours. Scientists caution against attributing individual weather events to climate change, but research by NIWA has found the warming planet is leading to more extreme weather in New Zealand. [BBC]

¶ “25% Plugin Vehicle Share In France!” • While the overall French auto market in 2022 had its worst year since 1975, with only 1.5 million units registered, plugin sales continued to grow. December was a record month for battery EVs, which had sales up 7%, to 24,733 registrations. Plugin hybrids continued to be slow, but they had 14,486 sales. [CleanTechnica]

Peugeot e-208 GT (Vauxford, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “What China Is Doing On Solar And Wind Power Storage To Secure Supply Amid Weather Challenges” • China’s solar and wind power generating capacities are the largest in the world, over 35% of the global total. With the strong growth of renewable capacity, lithium battery output surged 70% last year to 957 GWh, according to reports. [South China Morning Post]

¶ “Asia’s First Steam Field Continues To Power Homes” • Asia’s first commercial-scale geothermal steam field was discovered 50 years ago in Tiwi, a small town in the Philippine province of Albay. It is still providing clean, renewable energy to 2.7 million homes. Geothermal is the biggest industry in Tiwi and a major source of local employment. [The Manila Times]

Geothermal plant in Tiwi (Chris Newhall, USGS, public domain)

¶ “Can India Take Advantage Of Its Enormous Green Energy Potential?” • India’s decarbonization progress over the coming months and years can make or break the global fight to limit average temperatures to 2°C above pre-industrial averages. India aims for net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, but so far progress has been uneven, to say the least. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “Permian Set To Lead BPx Energy’s Low Carbon, Renewables Efforts” • BP plans to sell $25 billion in oil and gas assets to fund its renewables business. The company is not completely through with oil and gas, and in fact, it sees significant contributions from the shale assets. But it has set a goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. [Midland Reporter-Telegram]

Wind turbine (Priscilla Du Preez, Unsplash)

¶ “Cracking Under Pressure: Inside The Race To Fix France’s Nuclear Plants” • Complicated procedures, replicated across sites this winter, have hampered the ability of EDF to get its reactors back online after lengthy shutdowns. The two Penly reactors are examples. Scheduled to be back online this month and next, they are being delayed to May and June. [Yahoo Finance]

US:

¶ “Duke Energy’s Idaho Project Is Part Of A Much Bigger National Expansion Through Clean Energy” • Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions recently made news by launching its 120-MW Jackpot Solar project in Twin Falls County, Idaho. So the part of Duke Energy that focuses on sustainable projects is having a big impact in Idaho. [CleanTechnica]

Duke Energy Idaho project (Duke Energy image)

¶ “Federal And State Initiatives Aim To Spur Offshore Wind Development” • There are some serious advantages to offshore wind, but the difficulties of of offshore development are not easy to overcome. CleanTechnica recently received press releases that show us the federal government and the State of New York are trying to make it happen. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “GM Switching To Cylindrical Battery Cells” • General Motors is reportedly planning to switch from pouch cells to cylindrical cells for its EVs. This caused some stress between GM and battery supplier, LG Energy Solution. They had agreed to build and operate three battery factories jointly in the US, but now a fourth factory seems to be on hold. [CleanTechnica]

2022 BrightDrop EV600 (42-BRT, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “How Did Renewables Fare During Winter Storm Elliott?” • The Wall Street Journal blamed renewables for rolling blackouts after winter storm Elliott, based on little data. But the picture that’s emerged since is one of inaccurate forecasting of electricity needs to weather the storm, large-scale fossil fuel plant failures, and gas shortages. [Kansas Reflector]

¶ “Utah Company Advances Wyoming Pumped-Storage Project” • Salt Lake City-based rPlus Hydro announced that it submitted its final application to FERC to build a 900-MW pumped storage project north of Rawlins, Wyoming. The Seminoe Reservoir would be the lower reservoir. An upper reservoir would be built in nearby mountains. [The Salt Lake Tribune]

Have an impressively quiet day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Akio Toyoda Is Stepping Aside As CEO Of Toyota. Now What?” • Akio Toyoda announced that he will step aside as of April 1. He has steered the company away from battery EVs, in favor of fuel cells run on hydrogen. the new head of the company is Koji Sato. Will he now boldly go where no Toyota chief executive has gone before? That remains to be seen. [CleanTechnica]

Toyota bZ4XToyota bZ4X (Courtesy of Toyota)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Thin, Lightweight Layer Provides Radiation Barrier For Perovskites In Space, Protection From Elements On Earth” • An ultrathin protective coating is sufficient to protect a perovskite solar cell from harmful effects of exposure both in space and on Earth, according to research by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Porsche’s Approach To Regenerative Braking” • To handle the increased power from an electric motor, hydraulic wheel brakes have been used, though they reduce efficiency and range. The Porsche Taycan was designed with an economical solution to this problem. Breaking is 100% regenrative down to 5 mph, and then hydraulic brakes take over. [CleanTechnica]

Porsche EVs (Porshe image)

World:

¶ “Humans And Extreme Drought Damaging Amazon Rainforest Much More Than Thought” • While many climate studies focus on Amazon deforestation – where trees are completely cleared and land use changes – this study looks at “degradation.” Up to 38% of the remaining rainforest has been damaged by human activity and drought. [CNN])

¶ “Elia Tenders HVDC Platforms For Belgium Offshore Wind Resurgence” • Belgian transmission operator Elia is seeking contractors to design, build, and maintain two high voltage DC converter stations to connect future offshore wind capacity to the mainland. The stations would support the 3.5-GW Princess Elisabeth offshore wind zone. [reNews]

Offshore converter station (Elia image)

¶ “Decentralised Electricity Distribution Is A Must To Avoid Blackouts” • Renewable Energy Coalition, a group of civil society organisations, think-tanks, and energy experts, said Pakistan’s national grid is “too old, too large and too centralised” to be managed effectively, which explains why the recent breakdown “is not an isolated incident.” [The News International]

¶ “At $1.1 Trillion, Renewable Energy Investment Matches Fossil Fuels In 2022 For First Time” • For the very first time in history, investment in low-carbon energy technologies worldwide was equal to money spent on fossil fuels, global strategic research service provider BloombergNEF said. $1.1 trillion was invested in cleaner energy technology in 2022. [Down To Earth]

Wind turbines (Jason Blackeye, Unsplash)

¶ “Hungary Says It Will Veto Any EU Sanctions Against Russian Nuclear Energy” • After calls for more sanctions after Russia invaded Ukraine, Hungary says it will veto any EU sanctions against Russia that affect nuclear energy. Ukraine called on the 27-nation bloc to include Russian state-run nuclear power giant Rosatom in the list of sanctions. [Press TV]

US:

¶ “Why Gas Prices Are Surging This Month” • Since the end of last year the national average has climbed by more than 9%. The unusual wintertime jump in gas price is not because of demand, which remains weak, even for this time of the year. Instead, the problem is supply. Much of that problem is the result of extreme weather. The price is expected to climb. [CNN]

Gas station (Diego Carneiro, Unsplash)

¶ “Patagonia And Home Depot Are Both Increasing Their Solar Footprints” • Last month Home Depot made a deal with a solar company to help move their stores’ operations to clean power. Here are several similar deals in the press releases CleanTechnica has received. More companies than ever are finding renewable energy partners. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Protections For Tongass National Forest” • The US Department of Agriculture finalized protections for the Tongass National Forest, the world’s largest intact temperate rainforest. USDA’s final rule repeals the 2020 Alaska Roadless Rule and restores longstanding protections to 9.37 million acres of Alaska. [CleanTechnica]

Tongass National Forest (US Forest Service)

¶ “The Minnesota House Passes A Bill Requiring Carbon-Free Electricity By 2040” • The Minnesota House of Representatives has passed a landmark bill requiring the state’s electric utilities to get all of their electricity from carbon-free sources by 2040. The bill passed on a 70 to 60 vote after more than seven hours of debate. [Austin Daily Herald]

¶ “Dirty Fossil Power Plants In Queens To become Green Energy Hubs” • Rise Light & Power LLC announced that it will invest in an offshore wind facility so as to turn its Ravenswood Generating Station in Queens, New York City’s largest fossil fuel power plant, into a clean energy hub. A 1.3-GW offshore wind farm would power batteries at Ravenswood. [Informed Comment]

Ravenswood Generating Station (Taraqur Rahman, Unsplash)

¶ “Community-Based Solar Projects Offer Energy Independence To Molokai Renters” • Hawaiian Electric reported last year that a third of its customers in single-family homes had solar on their roofs. The utility wants to add 50,000 rooftop solar systems this decade to help meet the state’s clean energy goals. Community-based projects can help with that. [Hawaii Public Radio]

¶ “Public Health Experts Warn Against Releasing Radioactive Wastewater Into Hudson River” • The Indian Point Energy Center closed two years ago. Now, public health experts and campaigners are warning that a plan to discharge a million gallons of the plant’s wastewater into the Hudson River could harm at least 100,000 people. [Common Dreams]

Have a sensationally nice day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Youngkin’s Attack On Virginia’s Cars Law Threatens Climate Progress” • Gov Glenn Youngkin personally thwarted Virginia’s first EV factory from being built, though every state that borders on Virginia has at least two new EV factories. His latest salvo against climate action is his call to repeal a keystone climate law: Virginia’s Clean Cars initiative. [CleanTechnica]

EVs charging (EVgo image)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Carbon Capture For Less Than $40 A Ton? It’s Possible, Says PNNL” • Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory say they have a cheap way to capture carbon dioxide as it’s emitted from power plants and factories, such as iron and steel making facilities. It costs less than $40 a ton, which is a huge drop in the cost of carbon capture. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Why Solar And Farming Is A Match Made In Heaven” • Paul Mathewson and Nicholas Bosch, Clean Wisconsin researchers, make some startling observations in a report. The million acres of Wisconsin farmland that grow corn for ethanol could produce 100 times as much energy if planted with solar PVs instead. And crops may be grown under the PVs. [CleanTechnica]

Agrivoltaics (Tobi Kellner, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “What’s A Virtual Power Plant?” • A virtual power plant  is a collection of small-scale energy resources that, aggregated and coordinated with grid operations, can provide the same kind of reliability and economic value to the grid as traditional power plants. In an emergency, a VPP can mean the difference between operating and failure. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “How Onions Became A Luxury In The Philippines” • In the Philippines, the price of onions surged to around ₱700/kg ($5.80/lb) last month, according to official statistics. That makes onions more costly than meat. Onions are a staple ingredient in Filipino cuisine, and their high cost has become a symbol of the rising cost of living. [BBC]

Philippine produce vendor (Lance Lozano, Unsplash)

¶ “Enfinity Global And Statkraft Sign Long-Term PPA For The Commercialization Of 191 GWh Of Clean Electricity Per Year In Italy” • Enfinity Global and Statkraft signed a 10-year solar power purchase agreement in Italy. The committed energy will be produced by a 112-MW solar power portfolio that is owned by Enfinity Global. [PV Magazine]

¶ “Hydrogen Deal Unites Australian Innovation With German Expertise” • Australia and Germany are boosting research into green hydrogen production with about $110 million combined conditional funding for four projects. The agreement brings together Australian and German industry and research partners for the projects. [Australian Renewable Energy Agency]

Planned 1-GW green hydrogen production facility (Edify image)

¶ “£100 Billion In Savings With 100% Renewable Energy By 2050, New Report Finds” • A report on UK energy strategies commissioned by UK group 100percentrenewableuk concludes that ALL of the UK’s energy needs (not just electricity) CAN be met with renewable energy, without fossil fuels or nuclear, by 2050. [Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament]

¶ “CWP Enters Montenegrin Renewables Market With 400 MW Solar Project” • Renewable energy company CWP Europe plans to install a solar power plant in Montenegro with a capacity of 400 MW. The planned investment is around €360 million. CWP Europe said project development and construction are planned to be in phases. [Balkan Green Energy News]

Kotor, Montenegro (George Kedenburg III, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “How California’s Recent Flooding Could Set The Stage For A Dangerous Wildfire Season” • Weather has swung from drought to floods. But Californians know the pendulum could abruptly swing the other way again. If moisture doesn’t stick around and heat sets in, winter’s rain and snow could prime the landscape for an intense wildfire season. [CNN]

¶ “Funding Opportunity For Clean Energy Tech Deployment On Tribal Lands” • The US DOE Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs issued a Notice of Intent to release a $50 million Funding Opportunity Announcement to support clean energy technology deployment on tribal lands. Awards are anticipated to range from $100,000 to $5 million. [CleanTechnica]

Tribal House (National Park Service, Public Domain)

¶ “How The Salton Sea Could Solve Battery Mineral Supply Issues” • The Salton Sea has gone through many cycles of filling and drying up. Right now, it is in the latter stage. A recent YouTube video by PBS shows us a way that the underground remnants of the lake could come to the rescue of not just the Salton Sink, but the EV industry. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “NextEra Commissioned 5 GW Of Renewables And Storage In 2022, Ups Growth Plan” • NextEra Energy, the parent company of Florida Power & Light and the largest developer of clean energy in the US, said it deployed 5,000 MW of new renewable energy resources and energy storage in 2022, while adding 8,000 MW of projects to its pipeline. [Power Engineering]

Jordan Creek Wind Farm (Courtesy of NextEra Energy)

¶ “How California’s Ambitious New Climate Plan Could Help Speed Energy Transformation Around The World” • California is embarking on an audacious climate plan that aims to eliminate the state’s greenhouse gas footprint by 2045, and in the process, reduce emissions far beyond its borders. The blueprint calls for massive transformations. [FlaglerLive]

¶ “Equinor And BP Bid For Third New York Offshore Wind Solicitation” • Equinor and bp today jointly bid into New York’s third offshore wind solicitation, building on strong commitments to deliver renewable energy for New Yorkers, create sustainable jobs, boost the economy across the state, and support a just transition to renewable energy. [BP]

Have an obviously impeccable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “With Concrete, Less Is More” • In its recent urbanization, China used more concrete between 2011 and 2013 than the US did in the entire 20th century. Concrete is responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions. The concrete industry must reduce emissions by 16% by 2030 and 100% by 2050 to stay within the 1.5°C warming carbon budget. [CleanTechnica]

Concrete dam (Tejj, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Tesla Is A ‘Sustainability Behemoth,’ Analyst Calls Out” • Tesla is increasingly focusing on renewable energy as a whole, rather than just EVs, offering a broad range of solar and energy storage products. This made Tesla into an unprecedented new type of company, one that offers huge benefits to the world in the way of general sustainability. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Nuclear Energy Should Not Become Major Part Of Philippine Energy System” • Proponents would highlight nuclear energy as a potential solution to address the climate crisis. However, as a mitigation option, solar and wind energy not only have much higher potential for reducing GHG emissions, but also are more cost-effective than nuclear energy. [Rappler]

Nuclear plant (Vladimír Sládek, Pexels)

World:

¶ “The UK Car Industry Hasn’t Been This Weak Since 1956. And It’s Losing The EV Race” • Figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed that the number of passenger cars made in Britain declined 10% year-on-year to hit 775,014. The latest blow came when homegrown battery startup Britishvolt entered administration. [CNN]

¶ “From China To Japan, Deadly Cold Is Gripping East Asia. Experts Say It’s The ‘New Norm’” • East Asia is having a deadly cold snap. It has killed at least four people in Japan after subzero temperatures and heavy snow brought travel chaos during the Lunar New Year holiday. Climate experts warn that such extreme weather events are the “new norm.” [CNN]

China (Jane Marc, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Emma Thompson And Aisling Bea Urge UK Banks To Stop Financing Fossil Fuels” • Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry, Aisling Bea, and other are calling on the five of the UK’s biggest banks to stop financing new oil, gas, and coal projects. HSBC, Barclays, Santander, NatWest, and Lloyds were accused of funding “fossil fuel expansion” despite green pledges. [BBC]

¶ “Kenya’s Producing Its First Electric Buses” • Kenya’s BasiGo is a perfect example of how quickly things can happen. Established in May 2021, BasiGo sealed partnerships with several banks in Kenya. It just announced a partnership with Associated Vehicle Assemblers to make 1,000 electric buses in Kenya over the next three years. [CleanTechnica]

Electric bus made in Kenya (AVA image)

¶ “GreenGo Plans 4-GW Danish Energy Park” • GreenGo Energy joined forces with Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality in Denmark to develop a 4-GW green energy park using renewable hybrid solar and wind energy. Under the plans, this energy will fed directly to the Megaton energy park, at the core of which will be 2 GW of electrolysis. [reNews]

¶ “Foresight Backs 100-MW German Electrolyser Project” • Foresight, through its managed funds, is to invest in a 100-MW green hydrogen project in Germany. Two Foresight funds, HH2E and HydrogenOne Capital Growth, are developing the project, located in Borna, Saxony. It will produce around 6000 tonnes of hydrogen a year, initially. [reNews]

http://Hydrogen storage (Hydrogen Web image)

US:

¶ “Puerto Rico Officially Privatizes Power Generation Amid Protests, Doubts” • Puerto Rico has been plagued by ongoing blackouts and decaying infrastructure. A new private company will take over power generation units of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, the public corporation in charge of generating energy on the US territory. [NBC News]

¶ “EPA Plans To Stop Six Power Plants From Dumping Toxic Coal Ash Into Unlined Ponds” • The EPA announced it plans to stop six coal-fired power plants from continuing to dump coal ash into unlined ponds. The agency announced last year that it would begin to enforce Obama-era regulations requiring coal-fired power plants to clean up their waste. [CNN]

Coal-burning power plant (Wim van ‘t Einde, Unsplash)

¶ “Florida Is Fueling Its EV Charging With Federal Funds” • The Federal Highway Administration approved the Florida DOT’s EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan, and Florida pledged funding for EV infrastructure improvements to address charging gaps. Interestingly, Florida’s senators wanted nothing to do with the legislation behind the funding. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tesla Customer Orders Now Are About Twice Its Production Capacity, Slight Price Increases Coming” • Many shareholders and fans have been worried that consumer demand is lower than Tesla’s production capacity. But Elon Musk says that order rates have been huge and orders have been approximately twice its production capacity. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla building (Craig Adderley, Pexels)

¶ “Microsoft and Qcells Announce Strategic Alliance” • Qcells is investing in building a US solar supply chain, and Microsoft is commited to be carbon negative by 2030. They are partnering on a supply chain for new renewable generrating capacity projected to require at least 2.5 GW of solar panels, enough to power over 400,000 homes. [Tech Times]

¶ “DeSantis Is Using Nature To Fight Climate Change” • Widely considered a top contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) cemented his status as an environmentalist when he made the largest investment ever in the Everglades this month. In one past action, he vetoed an anti-solar pwer bill. [Washington Examiner]

Have a positively great day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “People Building Artificial Beaver Dams In Drought-Stricken Montana” • In southwest Montana, landowners, volunteers, and others are wading into streams to create artificial beaver dams. The dams slow water runoff, which is quicker now with climate change bringing rain rather than snow. The dams may on day attract beavers. [Yale Climate Connections]

Beaver (Wolfgang Fürstenhöfer, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “How Climate Change Threatens To Close Ski Resorts” • Over Christmas and New Year, northwest Switzerland hit a record 20.9°C (70°F). The warm weather throughout the Alps is an omen of what awaits the ski industry. Many resorts are aware that they only have two options: close or adapt their business model to cope with mounting climate threats. [BBC]

¶ “Bill Gates Backs Start-Up Tackling Cow Burps” • Billionaire Bill Gates has announced an investment in Australian start-up Rumin8, which is developing a seaweed-based feed to reduce the methane emissions from cattle. Nearly a third of global methane emissions come from livestock and most of that is from beef and dairy cattle. [CNN]

Dairy herd in the Netherlands (Shyam, Unsplash)

¶ “Forecast: Europe Could End Reliance On Chinese Li-Ion Battery Cells By 2027” • Europe is on track to produce enough Li-ion cells by 2027 to meet its own demand for EVs and energy storage, analysis by Transport & Environment shows. But T&E said the EU needs a policy to counter US subsidies or risk losing investments in the EV supply chain. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “European Response To The US Inflation Reduction Act” • The European Green Deal has ambitious climate policies. It means to usher the EU into the net zero economy by 2050. But it requires a massive ramp up of technologies from wind turbines to EV batteries. The question is how much of the buildup’s value will be captured by European industry. [CleanTechnica]

Training at a BMW Group plant (Courtesy of BMW)

¶ “UAE Supports India’s Ambition Of 450 GW Of Renewable Energy By 2030” • The UAE’s expanded cooperation with India in the area of climate and clean energy aims to support New Delhi’s ambition to achieve 450 GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, a senior official said. [EastMojo]

¶ “Wholesale Power Prices Fall On Renewable Energy Output To Bring Consumer Relief” • Embattled consumers are set for some welcome relief after sky-high wholesale electricity prices more than halved in the final three months of 2022, an analysis by the Australian Energy Market Operator shows. The prices fell on abundant renewable generation. [ABC]

Grid storage batteries (Victorian government image)

¶ “IAEA Rejects Russian Claims That Ukraine Stores Arms At Nuclear Power Plants” • The International Atomic Energy Agency rejected claims by Russia that Ukraine stores arms at Ukrainian nuclear power plants. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said he had instructed IAEA staff to inspect for arms and the results showed there were none at the plants. [UrduPoint]

US:

¶ “Aptera Responds To Customer Feedback, Makes DCFC Standard On All Vehicles” • One piece of news about the Aptera stirred up a lot of displeasure and controversy: the first run of vehicles would come without DC fast charging. Seeing that reaction, Aptera decided to do whatever it takes to have higher speed charging ready. [CleanTechnica]

Aptera (Courtesy of Aptera)

¶ “At A CAGR Of Over 15% In 2023 To 2028, The North America PV Market Will Boost The Region’s Renewable Energy Sector” • The demand for the Solar PVs is growing fast in North America. Factors are demand in the private and public sectors for clean electricity, strong government policies, and the falling cost of electricity generated by PVs. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “Union Leaders Tell Biden, ‘Don’t Change The IRA’” • The leaders of several unions and environmental groups are urging US President Joe Biden to reject efforts by foreign governments and carmakers to revise the Federal EV tax incentives outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The IRA has had a big effect on US automobile manufacturing. [CleanTechnica]

Solar EV charging station (Kindel Media, Pexels, cropped)

¶ “Granholm Ecstatic At Red State Surge In Renewable Energy: ‘That Is Fantastic!’” • At a White House press briefing, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was asked by Yahoo News to weigh in on the sharp rise in renewable energy projects in Republican-led states like Texas since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. “That is fantastic,” she said. [MSN]

¶ “Colorado Co-Op Signs On For 1.2 TWh Of Annual Renewable Energy” • Invenergy, a leading renewable energy company, said it has entered a wholesale power supply agreement with CORE Electric Cooperative, the largest nonprofit electric cooperative in Colorado, for 400 MW of new solar and wind power and 100 MW of battery storage. [pv magazine USA]

Solar panels (Invenergy image)

¶ “Federal Study Calls For Rooftop Solar Panels To Meet Puerto Rican Renewable Energy Goals” • Puerto Rico should install rooftop solar panels in such sites as airports and industrial areas to reach national renewable energy goals, a study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory said. The island depends heavily on fossil fuels for electricity production. [The Hill]

¶ “NRC Rejects Request to Keep Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Online” • In 2022, PG&E asked the NRC to resume consideration of a 2009 application, which had been withdrawn in 2016, to extend the life of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant. The NRC rejected the proposal, saying that it needed current information on the plant’s condition. [POWER Magazine]

Have a simply resplendent day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Nucor’s Green Steel Trumps Anti-Wokedness In Bluegrass State” • Kentucky is celebrating its new green steel factory, the biggest in the US. It aims to be the top supplier to the domestic offshore wind industry. Kentucky is also part of the “anti-woke” movement, which seeks to prevent financial institutions from investing in clean energy. [CleanTechnica]

Kentucky green steel workers (Courtesy of Nucor)

¶ “US And EU Climate Markets And Cleantech” • Wasn’t it only a few months ago when Europe was far ahead of the US in climate action? Not anymore. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act in the US prompted growling and frowning by EU diplomats at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Ursula von der Leyen said, “We must also step up EU funding.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ “‘No Miracles Needed’: Prof Mark Jacobson On How Wind, Sun And Water Can Power The World” • “Combustion is the problem – when you’re continuing to burn something, that’s not solving the problem,” says Prof Mark Jacobson. The world can rapidly get 100% of its energy from renewable sources with, as the title of his new book says, “No Miracles Needed.” [The Guardian]

Wind farm (Charl Folscher, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “The Spanish Town Powered By Waves” • Mutriku is called “one of the best-preserved medieval towns in the Basque Country.” It was built as a fishing village. Its harbor’s breakwaters protecct it from the effects of the constant waves. In 2011, it installed the Mutriku Wave Energy Plant, the first commercial wave power plant in Europe. [BBC]

¶ “TESLA 50Hz To Provide 40 MW Of Rooftop Solar To Element Industrial In Romania” • Element Industrial develops, invests in, and manages logistics and industrial real estate in southeastern Europe. It signed an agreement with TESLA 50Hz (not affiliated with Tesla) to design and build rooftop solar installations on all its buildings in Romania. [CleanTechnica]

Rooftop solar system (Courtesy of TESLA 50Hz)

¶ “Sasol Seals Deal For Wind Power While Coal Mining Outlook Dims” • Chemicals and energy group Sasol signed three power purchase agreements for almost 300 MW of wind energy to help kick off its decarbonisation plans for its Southern African value chain. The group reported declines in revenues due to continued operational challenges at its coal mines. [News24]

¶ “KABISA Launching Awesome Electric Mobility Ecosystem In Rwanda” • Rwanda is one of the countries in Africa that has led the way in introducing incentives to catalyze the adoption of EVs. Now, thanks to the country’s progressive policies, the price point of new EVs is reaching cost parity with the purchase price of old ICE vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

EV charging in Rwanda (Courtesy of KABISA)

¶ “BPCL Signs MOU With Government Of Rajasthan For 1-GW Renewable Energy Plant” • Bharat Petroleum Corporation has signed an MOU with the Rajasthan government to set up a 1-GW renewable energy power plant. Bharat Petroleum has set itself the ambitious goal of Net Zero in Scope 1&2 emissions by the year 2040.  [Construction Week India]

¶ “India Can Save $19.5 Billion Per Year By Shifting From Coal To Clean Power, Says New Study” • India can save up to $19.5 billion a year if it goes with its plan to add 76 GW of utility-scale solar and wind power by 2025, research from Global Energy Monitor shows. The report ranked India in the top seven world countries for prospective renewable power. [Business Today]

Thar Desert (Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Ukraine Reports That Permanent IAEA Missions Are Now Operating At All Of The Country’s Nuclear Power Plants” • The Ukrainian nuclear company Energoatom reported that a number of permanent International Atomic Energy Agency missions are operating at all Ukrainian nuclear power plants, after arriving in the country over the past week. [MSN]

US:

¶ “NOWRDC Announces US Offshore Wind Supply Chain Road Map” • The National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium released a report showing how the US can develop a robust and equitable domestic supply chain required to achieve the national offshore wind target of 30 GW by 2030, with a fully domestic supply chain. [CleanTechnica]

Floating offshore windpower (DOE image)

¶ “Texas Solar Plant Enters Operation” • US independent power producer Advanced Power has commenced full commercial operation at a 140-MW (DC) solar farm in Texas. The Cutlass solar farm, in the Greater Houston area, started delivering power into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) system in July 2022. [reNews]

¶ “Hawaiian Electric Seeking Proposals For Renewable Energy Projects On Maui, Oahu” • Hawaiian Electric is seeking proposals for renewable energy projects on Maui and Oahu in a new round of clean energy procurement. The RFP includes development of firm renewable capacity, which can deliver power full time, on the islands. [Maui Now]

Maui (Benjamin Rascoe, Unsplash)

¶ “Federal Study Calls For Rooftop Solar Panels To Meet Puerto Rican Renewable Energy Goals” • Puerto Rico should install rooftop solar panels at such sites as airports and industrial areas to reach renewable energy goals, a federal study said. More than $12 billion in disaster funds were announced in early 2022 for recovery and the redesign. [The Hill]

¶ “New Study Confirms ExxonMobil Knew Exactly The Danger Posed By Climate Change” • ExxonMobil knew just how much the continuing use of carbon-producing fossil fuels was likely to heat up the planet at the same time it was funding a campaign tp denying the reality of global warming, according to a new study published in the journal Science. [GoLocalProv]

Have a remarkably satisfying day.

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Opinion:

¶ “How The World’s Largest Banks Are Funding Fossil Fuel Companies” • There’s no way to sugarcoat this. The world’s largest banks are providing the money fossil fuel companies need so they can continue degrading the environment to the point where the humans may no longer be able to survive on our little blue planet [CleanTechnica]

Money (Ibrahim Boran, Unsplash)

¶ “$1 Trillion Of Oil And Gas Assets Risk Being Stranded By Climate Change” • Mark Campanale, founder and executive chair of the nonprofit financial think tank, Carbon Tracker, explains that many companies risk having assets stranded both financially and physically because of the pressure that climate change is putting on the market to evolve. [BRINK News]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Algae That Blights Our Seas Is Harvested To Make Useful Products” • Excessive outbreaks of seaweed are clogging up waters from the Caribbean to the Baltic. Now the algae is being harvested alongside farmed crops to create ingredients for cosmetics and food products. The outbreaks happen when tiny cyanobacteria suddenly multiply rapidly. [BBC]

Mari Granström in a lab (Origin by Ocean image)

World:

¶ “Nearly 220 Million People In Pakistan Without Power After Countrywide Outage” • A nationwide power outage in Pakistan left nearly 220 million people without electricity on Monday, threatening to cause havoc in the South Asian nation already grappling with fuel shortages in the winter months. It is unclear how long the outage will last. [CNN]

¶ “BEV Sales Double In South Africa In 2022, Plenty More Room For Growth” • With only 1024 battery EVs sold in South Africa since 2018, it’s clear that sales have been slow compared to auto markets around the world. This is due to the limited variety of battery EV models in the country, coupled with the high import duties and taxes levied on EVs. [CleanTechnica]

BMW iX3 (BMW image)

¶ “IRENA Report Says Renewables Can Meet 60% Of Nigeria’s Energy Needs By 2050” • The Energy Commission of Nigeria and the International Renewable Energy Agency published a report, “Renewable Energy Roadmap for Nigeria.” It focuses on ways to meet the country’s growing energy needs in sectors by adopting renewables. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Climate Scientists Worry As ‘Sun Tourism’ Catches Up Fast In Himachal Pradesh” • ‘Sun tourism’ is catching up fast in the Indian mountains of Himachal Pradesh as one gets more balmy days in the winter compared to the country’s northern plains, where the fog is screening out the sun. It is a worrying sign for climate scientists. [The Weather Channel]

Mountains of Himachal Pradesh (Sreehari Devadas, Unsplash)

¶ “With Its New Energy Policy, Odisha Hopes For A Frictionless Transition To Renewable Power” • The government of the Indian state of Odisha is offering exemption on duty and surcharges, along with other benefits and is targetting renewable energy capacity of 10,000 MW by 2030, according to its renewable energy policy, 2022.  [Scroll.in]

¶ “Pexapark And Afry Have Launched A Daily Valuation Curve To Accelerate Renewables Investment” • Two European energy companies, Pexapark and Afry, launched the ‘Daily Valuation Curve,’ a pricing data system that will give investors and lenders greater certainty over the lifetime value of renewable energy projects. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Wind turbines (Courtesy of Afry)

¶ “Balanga Bishop Writes Against Revival Of Bataan Nuke Plant” • The Diocese of Balanga, led by Bishop Ruperto Cruz Santos, has spoken against the idea of reviving the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. The letter cited the 2018 findings of Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation, which said the Philippine plant is “absolutely outdated.” [Power Philippines]

US:

¶ “A Treasure Trove For Rural And Commercial-Scale Solar Projects” • Eight teams in the Solar Energy Innovation Network tackled the challenges of adopting renewable energy while also addressing disaster preparedness to provide a blueprint for other communities pursuing projects focused on solar-plus-storage, resilience, and general use of solar. [CleanTechnica]

Solar panels (Dennis Schroeder, NREL)

¶ “Tesla May Benefit From US Economy ‘Soft Landing,’ Goldman Sachs Reports” • As the Federal Reserve hopes to engineer a “soft landing,” steering the economy clear of recession while reducing inflation, companies like Tesla could benefit. One investment firm put Tesla on a list of companies that could be well-poised if the Fed succeeds. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “California ZEV Sales Near 19% Of All New Car Sales In 2022” • California has announced the latest data showing the state’s accelerating transition to zero-emission vehicles and ZEV market dominance. Last year, 18.8% of all new cars sold in California were ZEVs and 40% of all the ZEVs sold in this country are sold in California. [CleanTechnica]

Have a thrillingly carefree day.

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Opinion:

¶ “‘Climate Deniers Are Victims Not Villains’ – A Psychologist’s Guide To Winning Them Over” • Climate denial comes from different kinds of people. Some are angry because they believe the fossil fuels interests. But the average climate dismissive is not an evil business mogul looking to squeeze all possible profit from the world before it burns. [Euronews]

Supercell (NOAA, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “How One Volcano Could Trigger World Chaos” • Every year, approximately 90,000 ships pass through the narrow sea lane of the Malacca Strait, which links the Indian Ocean to the Pacific. Their cargo comprises an estimated 40% of global trade. It’s only a matter of time before a natural disaster like an earthquake or volcano strikes the region. [BBC]

¶ “Robotic Technology Is Reducing The Price Of Offshore Wind Power” • Off the coast of Portugal, a team of underwater robots is scanning the bases of wind turbines, looking for signs of damage. The activity is part of a project to reduce inspection costs, keep wind turbines running for longer and ultimately reduce the price of electricity. [Environment + Energy Leader]

Windfarm in Lancashire (Pete Godfrey, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Ukraine War: Hiding From Putin’s Call-Up By Living Off-Grid In A Freezing Forest” • When Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilisation of Russian men in September of last year, Adam Kalinin – not his real name – did not want to leave the country. So he decided that the best thing he could do was to move to the forest and live off-grid. [BBC]

¶ “BMW’s Excellent Solid-State EV Battery Adventure” • The conventional lithium-ion technology has been shouldering the EV battery load for almost fifteen years, and automakers are looking for the next big thing. Solid-state batteries may be coming, but so will even more improvements to lithium-ion batteries. BMW is pursuing both. [CleanTechnica]

Solid-state battery (Courtesy of BMW Group)

¶ “Thai Manufacturers Urged To Shift To Renewable Energy To Reduce Costs” • The Ministry of Industry of Thailand stressed that manufacturers should seriously embrace renewable energy to reduce the burden of rising electricity bills. Renewable energy could be combined with efficient management of electricity to lower costs. [Vietnam Plus]

¶ “This ‘Floating City’ Concept Could Be The Answer To Climate Change” • This ‘floating city’ concept could house up to 50,000 people and be powered by 100% renewable energy. The living spaces are all connected by walkways, airways, and waterways. Take a look at its vertical gardens and 25 acres of interconnected social spaces. [Business Insider India]

Floating City (Luca Curci Architects + Tim Fu Design)

¶ “Ukraine Issues Warning Of Disaster As Russia Launches New Offensive In Zaporizhzhia” • As Russia has begun shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, elevating fresh fears of a possible nuclear catastrophe, Ukrainian officials again warned about the looming disaster in the making as intense fighting has broken out. [Republic World]

¶ “The Community Of Bataan Rejects The Plan To Activate The Nuclear Power Plant: Life Is More Important Than Cheap Electricity” • Citizens reflect that there are high risks and costs associated with nuclear energy. While nuclear power may seem cheap by producing cheap energy, the costs to convert, upgrade, and maintain the plant are exorbitant. [Agenzia Fides]

Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (Jiru27, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

US:

¶ “Dolphins Make A Splash In New York City’s Bronx River” • Dolphins are swimming in New York City’s Bronx River for the first time in over five years. “It’s true – dolphins were spotted in the Bronx River this week!” wrote the Parks Department. “This is great news – it shows that the decades-long effort to restore the river as a healthy habitat is working.” [CNN]

¶ “This Butterfly Was Once Thought Extinct. Now It’s Off The Endangered Species List” • Fender’s blue butterfly has fluttered away from the brink of extinction. The species, once so rare it was thought to be extinct, is no longer considered endangered. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is reclassifying the species from “endangered” to “threatened.” [CNN]

Fender’s blue butterfly (Jeff Dillon, US Fish and Wildlife Service)

¶ “Tesla’s Huge Expansion Plans At Giga Texas” • Tesla has been looking to expand Gigafactory Texas since its opening, but the scope of its plans hasn’t been exactly clear. Now, Tesla has filed official documents for multiple expansion projects, set to yield huge increases in the production capacity, the surface area, and the reach of the factory’s projects. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Aptera Reveals Launch Edition EV” • Aptera held a live online event where the company revealed the Launch Edition version of its three-wheeled solar-powered car. There are some really cool things about the final design, but also some downsides early adopters will face. You can see the event yourself or read a recap and commentary. [CleanTechnica]

Aptera Sol (Aptera image)

¶ “Octopus Energy And Enphase Bring Virtual Power Plant Technology To Texas” • Texas grid operator ERCOT is mandated by law to build the grid as cheaply as possible. So, of course, it fails. In fact, Texas has made installing a solar system with battery backup the least expensive option. Octopus Energy and Enphase have a plan for that. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “How LSU Researchers Could Help Protect Louisiana, Nation’s Cultural Heritage From Climate Change” • With support of a roughly $473,000 grant, an interdisciplinary team at LSU is developing a risk assessment scale that will help institutions understand their vulnerability to a number of different risks of a changing climate. [LSU Reveille]

Have a fabulously practicable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Confronting The Climate Crisis With Scientist Activism: The Essential Role Of Rule Breakers” • Our society generally agrees that in times of crisis, rules may have to be broken for vital causes by those willing to risk the consequences. But what of the climate crisis? What rules should scientists be breaking, taking chances to help solve it? [CleanTechnica]

Demonstration for science (Vlad Tchompalov, Unsplash)

¶ “The Future Of Tesla Is In Musk’s Hands” • In the last year, it has seemed that Tesla narratives focused a whole lot on the antics of mercurial Musk. Many former Tesla aficionados expressed their dismay over revelations about Musk’s private life and other uncomfortable circumstances, worried that his often outrageous antics affected Tesla’s brand identity. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Car-Size Laser Deflects Lightning Atop A Mountain In Switzerland” • Lightning deflection technology hasn’t changed much since Ben Franklin invented the lightning rod in 1752. Recently, Scientists were able to create a virtual lightning rod using a large, powerful laser atop a mountain in Switzerland, successfully diverting the path of lightning. [CNN]

Laser operating at Mount Säntis (Martin Stollberg, TRUMPF)

World:

¶ “31% Of New Vehicle Sales Plugin Sales In Germany In 2022!” • The German automotive market has opened the gates to plugin vehicles. December set a new monthly record, with an amazing 171,000 registrations. Plugin vehicles scored an amazing 55% share (32% battery EVs) of the auto market in December. Plugins took a 31% share for the full year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Italy Orders 7,100 MW Of Weird Floating Offshore Wind Energy Harvesters” • The floating wind field is a relatively new one, but Italy has just put in for an ambitious order of 7,100 MW from a new joint venture anchored by the startup Hexicon, which is marketing a floating wind platform that supports two wind turbines instead of just one. [CleanTechnica]

Floating offshore wind turbines (Courtesy of Hexicon)

¶ “NatWest To Receive 50 MW Of Renewable Energy Through New CPPA” • NatWest, has signed a Corporate Power Purchase Agreement with EDF Renewables UK. It will see the retail and commercial bank benefit from 49.9 MW of renewable power, which will be supplied to NatWest from Porth Wen Solar Farm in Anglesey, North Wales. [Solar Power Portal]

¶ “Masdar To Develop 5 GW Of Renewable Energy Projects To Advance Africa’s Clean Energy Objectives” • Masdar is helping African nations in their clean energy transition. At Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2023 by signing agreements with Angola, Uganda, and Zambia to develop renewable energy projects with a total capacity of up to 5 GW. [Business Upturn]

Ntinda, Uganda (Robin Kutesa, Unsplash)

¶ “Bloomberg: China To Increase Share Of Renewable Energy Sources To 52% By End Of Year” • Beijing plans to increase the share of renewable energy sources (RES) in electricity generation in 2023 to 52% compared to 49.6% at the end of 2022. Bloomberg wrote about it with reference to the report of the China Electric Power Council. [Armenia News]

US:

¶ “An EV Heads To Daytona, But It’s Heavier Than Any Car That’s Ever Raced There” • A small fleet of EVs will be serving every race at Daytona going forward. The REV Fire Group Inc, which makes fire-fighting apparatus, announced that starting this year, its all-electric Vector fire truck will be part of the firefighting fleet at Daytona International Speedway. [CleanTechnica]

All-electric Vector fire truck (REV Fire Group image)

¶ “Renewables Could Make Up A Quarter Of US Electricity Generation By 2024” • Renewable energy is poised to reach a milestone as the Energy Information Administration’s Short Term Energy Outlook projects that renewable sources will exceed one-fourth of the country’s electricity generation for the first time, in 2024. [Fast Company]

¶ “This Winter’s Rain And Snow Won’t Be Enough To Pull The West Out Of Drought” • The West has been slammed by rain and snow. “It’s great to see a big snowpack,” said Brad Udall, a water and climate researcher at Colorado State University. “We would need five or six years at 150% snowpack to refill these reservoirs. And that is extremely unlikely.” [KUER]

Lake Tahoe (Daniel Akre, Unsplash)

¶ “Community Solar Project Achieves High Efficiency And Good Return On Investment” • Many residents of Rhode Island are unable to install solar systems. Community solar projects allow consumers to benefit from a centralized solar installation, which reduces household energy bills and increases renewable energy on the grid. [POWER Magazine]

¶ “First Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Design Certified For Use In US” • For the first time, the NRC has certified the design of a small modular nuclear reactor. Companies seeking to build and operate a nuclear power plant can pick the design for a 50-MW small modular nuclear reactor by NuScale Power and apply to the NRC for a license. [CBS News]

Have a verifiably splendid day.

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Opinion:

¶ “This Is An Era Of Plentiful, Cheap, Renewable Energy, But The Fossil Fuel Dinosaurs Can’t Admit It” • It remains a mystery how a reputation for well-meant inadequacy clings to renewable energy. It can’t all be the result of fossil fuel industry lobbying. It’s one triumph after another in green energy. We just need to see that in our energy bills. [The Guardian]

Scottish wind farm (Ondrej Rafaj, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Lies, Damn Lies And Climate Change” • Big oil companies like Exxon and Chevron had the best scientists research the question of climate change. They knew it was coming, but they denied what they knew was true to protect profits. Now, catastrophic climate disruption has arrived. Disruptors like Greta Thunberg are not the ones who should be arrested. [rabble]

¶ “Why Mapping Wetlands With AI Is Important” • Chesapeake Conservancy’s data science team has developed an artificial intelligence deep learning model for mapping wetlands, which resulted in 94% accuracy. This method for wetland mapping could deliver important outcomes for protecting and conserving wetlands. [CleanTechnica]

Wetland (NOAA image)

Science and Technology:

¶ “The Race To Make Diesel Engines Run On Hydrogen” • Engineers at the University of New South Wales say they have successfully modified a conventional diesel engine to use a mix of hydrogen and a small amount of diesel oil. They claiming their patented technology has cut carbon dioxide emissions by more than 85%. [BBC]

World:

¶ “Candela C-8 Electric Boat Gets Larger Polestar 2 Battery And Range Increase” • The Candela C-8 now has the Polestar 2’s 69-kWh battery, rather than the 44-kWh battery it previously came with. With the new larger battery, the C-8’s range is up to 65 miles traveling at 22 knots; previously it was 50 miles. The price of the boat is unchanged. [CleanTechnica]

Candela C-8 (Candela image)

¶ “Stellantis Takes On Two Partners To Reduce EV Production Emissions” • Stellantis apparently doesn’t think it’s good enough that the EVs it makes operate with reduced emissions. It recently entered into two partnerships that will help it cut down on the carbon emissions associated with building its EVs, making EVs an even more superior choice. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Thousands Of Solar Electric Cars On Order” • Lightyear’s first solar electric cars went into production last December under the Lightyear 0 label. Now, Lightyear is selling Lightyear 2, which it is billing as its accessible, mass-market model with a bumped-up range of 800 km (500 miles) including solar charging. The price is €40,000 ($43,400). [CleanTechnica]

Lightyear 0 (Lightyear image)

¶ “Nofar Energy Plans 1.5-GW Renewables Portfolio In Romania For 2023” • Renewable energy company Nofar Energy has acquired a 73-MW solar project in Romania, as it is pushing to purchase, develop, and install solar power plants and wind farms with a total capacity of 1.5 GW in 2023. Project construction is set to start soon. [Balkan Green Energy News]

¶ “New Africa Renewable Energy Initiative To Unleash 1.2 Terawatts” • A new consortium launched the Africa Renewable Energy Manufacturing Initiative, which was set up to help drive the financial, technical, and socioeconomic investments needed to develop 1.2 terawatts of energy potential and 14 million new jobs in Africa. [MyJoyOnline.com]

Nairobi (Mustafa Omar, Unsplash)

¶ “IAEA Head Worries World Getting Complacent About Ukraine Nuclear Plant” • Rafael Grossi, director general of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency, said he is worried that the world was becoming complacent about the considerable dangers posed by the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia atomic plant in Ukraine. [The Business Standard]

US:

¶ “California Storms Were Great For Wine” • The atmospheric rivers that swept through California for two weeks caused an estimated $30 billion in damage. The torrents collapsed hillsides, uprooted trees, and washed out highways. At least 20 people died, and millions were under flood warnings. But the rain was a desperately needed gift to California wineries. [BBC]

Vineyard (Alex Gorbi, Unsplash)

¶ “Increasing Renewables Likely To Reduce Coal And Natural Gas Generation Over Next Two Years” • In its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, the Energy Information Administration projects that growth of US renewable power capacity will reduce output of both coal-fired and natural gas-fired power plants in 2023 and 2024. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “How Utilities Can Save Customers Billions Of Dollars” • The pandemic reduced coal-powered generation in 2020. RMI research looking at the hourly operation of power plants shows that there was a huge opportunity for even further reduced use of coal. The move would have driven $2.5 billion in consumer savings in that year alone. [CleanTechnica]

Coal-fired plant in Texas (Sam LaRussa, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Longroad Energy Begins Construction Of 285-MW Solar, 860-MWh Storage Project In Arizona” • Renewable energy developer Longroad Energy announced starting construction of a solar-plus-storage project in Arizona. The system, with 285 MW of solar PVs and 860 MWh of storage, is expected to be operating commercially in 2024. [Utility Dive]

¶ “Stony Brook-Led Study Reveals Summer Heatwaves And Low Dissolved Oxygen Contributed To Fishery Collapse” • A study by Stony Brook University researchers published in Global Change Biology shows that warming waters and heat waves contributed to the loss of an economically and culturally important fishery, the production of bay scallops. [SBU News]

Have a delightfully easy day.

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Opinion:

¶ “The Nuclear Fallacy: Why Small Modular Reactors Can’t Compete With Renewable Energy” • Small modular reactors are the nuclear industry’s next big hope, because no government can gain a mandate to build dozens of big reactors any more. But SMRs don’t solve the problems of high cost and waste. They can’t compete with solar and wind. [CleanTechnica]

SMR under construction (Courtesy of NuScale Power)

Science and Technology:

¶ “New Generator Rolls Into Ocean Energy” • Most sensors that monitor tsunamis, hurricanes, and maritime weather run on battery power. But replacing batteries at sea is expensive and difficult. What if the replacement problem could be avoided by powering devices indefinitely from the energy in ocean waves? We may have a way to do that. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Temperatures On Greenland Haven’t Been This Warm In At Least 1,000 Years, Scientists Report” • After years of research on the Greenland ice sheet, scientists reported in the journal Nature that temperatures there have been the warmest in at least the last 1,000 years, which is the limit for the time they can analyze by examining ice cores. [CNN]

Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland (Annie Spratt, Unsplash)

¶ “South Africa’s Energy Crisis Deepens As Blackouts Hit Twelve Hours A Day” • South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa was forced this week to cancel a trip to Davos by an escalating energy crisis that is inflicting rolling blackouts on the continent’s most developed economy. The problem stems from failing old coal-fired plants and high cost of oil. [CNN]

¶ “UK Round 4 Offshore Projects Sign Lease Agreements” • The Crown Estate has signed lease agreements for six UK offshore wind projects around the coastlines of England and Wales, which were tendered under its Round 4 seabed auction. The milestone Agreements for Lease will allow developers to progress work on nearly 8 GW of sites. [reNews]

Offshore wind turbines (Crown Estate image)

¶ “France’s Engie Aims To Expand In Renewables Across The GCC” • France’s Engie is looking to boost its operations in the Gulf Cooperation Council’s renewables sector and make the most of opportunities, a senior executive has said. The UAE and Saudi Arabia, the Arab world’s two largest economies, both have net-zero emission targets. [The National]

¶ “Bristol City Leap Renewable Energy Deal Set To Be Worth £1 Billion To City” • A partnership is set to help Bristol reach net zero and bring £1 billion of investment to the city. The Bristol City Leap initiative, set up by the council and renewable energy company Ameresco, aims to transform the way Bristol generates, distributes, stores, and uses energy. [Business Live]

Bristol harborside (Mikey Harris, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “IAEA Sends Staff To All Ukraine Nuclear Plants To Reduce Risk Of Accidents” • The International Atomic Energy Agency is placing teams of experts at all of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants to reduce the risk of severe accidents as Russia’s war against the country rages on, agency head Rafael Grossi said. The IAEA is affiliated with the UN. [PBS]

US:

¶ “New Aircraft Design From NASA And Boeing Could Benefit Passengers In The 2030s” • NASA and Boeing will work together on the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project to build, test and fly an emission-reducing single-aisle aircraft this decade, NASA announced. The first test flight of this experimental aircraft is set to take place in 2028. [CNN]

Rendering of new aircraft design (Boeing image)

¶ “The Federal Reserve Is Testing How Climate Change Could Hurt Big Banks” • The six largest US banks have until July to show the Fed what effects disastrous climate change scenarios could have on their bottom lines. The banks have to show how their finances fare under such climate stresses as heat waves, wildfires, floods, and droughts. [CNN]

¶ “US Races Ahead In EV Manufacturing Investments” • The US is poised to attract the most investments globally in EV and battery manufacturing, for the first time surpassing announced investments in China and closing in on Europe. Companies have announced $210 billion of investments in the EV industry, up from just over $50 billion in 2021. [CleanTechnica]

Proterra factory in South Carolina (Courtesy of Proterra)

¶ “USDA To Make $300 Million Available For Local Renewable Energy In Nevada” • The USDA will make available $300 million for the state of Nevada to invest in renewable energy for rural areas. The funding will include $250 million from the Inflation Reduction Act. The USDA is now seeking applications for the fiscal year 2023. [KOLO] (All states have funding available.)

¶ “Evergy Calls On Renewable Energy Projects To Help It Reach Carbon Emissions Goal” • Evergy, based in Kansas City, Missouri, issued a Request for Proposals for up to 1,240 MW of generation resources that can be in service by 2026. Evergy said it plans to add over 3,500 MW of renewable energy and retire over 1,900 MW of coal-based generation. [KCTV5]

Kansas City Scout (Darren Hibbs, Unsplash)

¶ “Gas-Fired Peaker Plants In California Are Adding Energy Storage To Their Facilities” • Four natural gas-fired plants in California will co-locate 420 MWh of storage from a North Carolina company that offers battery storage and software. The batteries would store extra solar energy produced during the daytime for use later. [Nature World News]

¶ “Nebraska Public Power District Launches Siting Study For SMRs” • Nebraska Public Power District is beginning the process of studying sites that could have the potential to host advanced small modular nuclear reactors. NPPD’s application for funding has been approved by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. [American Public Power Association]

Have an amazingly fortuitous day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Billionaires Battle Over Sun Cable: David Waterworth” • Disagreements about management of Sun Cable, the world’s biggest renewable energy export project, led to numerous conflicting headlines. I was hoping that after four days, the dust might have settled and the situation might be clearer. I’m not sure, but here’s what I can make of it. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it (Sun Cable image)

Science and Technology:

¶ “To Integrate Renewables, Energy Storage Is A Cost-Effective Alternative: Study” • Energy storage is a cost-effective alternative to transmission lines for integrating renewable energy, supporing reliability, and modernizing the grid, according to a recent study. Storage would typically have a lighter impact on the land and shorter development time. [Utility Dive]

¶ “The Rich Should Pay Higher Fares To Clean Up Aviation, Says Heathrow Boss” • Rich travelers will have to pay more to fly if the aviation industry is to transition to greener fuels, the boss of one of the world’s biggest airports said. Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said that wealthy individuals and companies should pay extra to fly with sustainable aviation fuel. [CNN]

Plane at Heathrow (Isaac Struna, Unsplash)

¶ “Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Detained By Police In Germany At Coal Mine Protest” • Greta Thunberg was detained by German police at a protest over the expansion of a coal mine in the west German village of Lützerath. She was part of a large group of protesters that broke through a police barrier and encroached on a coal pit. [CNN]

¶ “Geely Group Sales Of Electrified And Clean Alternative Fuel Vehicles Doubled To Over 675,000 Units, 29% Of Sales” • There are over a dozen auto brands in Zhejiang Geely Holding Group’s portfolio, Volvo Cars, Polestar, and Lotus are a few. Electrified and clean alternative fuel vehicle sales of its brands have doubled to over 675,000 units. [CleanTechnica]

Zeekr 001 (Courtesy of Geely)

¶ “51% Plugin Vehicle Share In The Netherlands! Tesla Model Y #1 Overall!” • December was another strong month in the Dutch market for plugin vehicle sales, with 15,757 plugin registrations. That result translated into a brilliant 51% plugin vehicle market share, with 44% share from just full battery EVs. The market for plugin EVs has had steady growth. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “IFC To Help Kyrgyz Republic Develop Renewable Energy Through Public-Private Partnership” • IFC and the government of the Kyrgyz Republic announced a partnership under the World Bank Group’s Scaling Solar program to develop up to 150 MW of solar power, increasing the Kyrgyz renewable capacity and diversifying its energy mix. [IFC Press Releases]

Nomad games village, Kyrgyzstan (Dastan Suiuntbekov, Unsplash)

¶ “Masdar Signs 1-GW Kazakhstan Wind Deal” • Masdar has signed an agreement related to the development of a 1-GW wind power plant in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The move would mark Masdar’s first investment in Kazakhstan, though it has already developed a strong presence in other countries of Central Asia. [reNews]

¶ “China Sets Another Solar Power Installation Record While Putting The Brakes On Fossil Fuel Capacity” • The installation of solar farms in China hit a record in 2022, while the amount of new fossil fuel-powered capacity fell for a second consecutive year. China continues to reduce its reliance on coal to generate electricity. [South China Morning Post]

PVs and wind turbines in Xinjiang (w0zny, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “‘Big Oil Peddled The Big Lie’: UN Chief Slams Energy Giants” • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned fossil fuel giants for ignoring their own climate science, accusing the oil and gas industry of seeking to expand production despite their knowing “full well” that their business model is incompatible with human survival. [CNBC]

¶ “Assessing The Cost And Feasibility Of France’s Nuclear Future” • A French government proposal to shorten the process of approving new nuclear energy projects is being considered by the Senate. The government says the law is necessary and cost effective, but climate activists including Greenpeace say it’s a waste of time and money. [RFI]

Saint Laurent nuclear plant (Nitot, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

US:

¶ “Locally Caught Fish Are Full Of Dangerous Chemicals Called PFAS, Study Finds” • Fish caught in the fresh waters of the US’s streams and rivers and the Great Lakes contain dangerously high levels of the “forever chemical” PFAS. The EPA is reducing the permissable amount of PFAS in water to 0.02 parts per trillion. Fish can have 8,000 parts per trillion. [CNN]

¶ “$2.9 Billion Approved For California Zero-Emission Vehicles Infrastructure” • The California Energy Commission approved $2.9 billion for zero-emission transportation infrastructure in the state. The funds will be used for the installation of more EV chargers, zero-emission trucks, school and transit buses, and hydrogen refueling technology. [CleanTechnica]

Electric bus in Washington, DC (Mario Sessions, Unsplash)

¶ “Microgrid Boosts San Pasqual Band’s Energy Sovereignty And Security” • The San Pasqual Reservation basks in the abundant sunshine of San Diego County all through the year. In June 2022, the Tribe commissioned a hybrid solar-storage-liquid propane microgrid system to boost energy reliability and resilience on the Reservation. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Entergy Texas Helps Customers Reduce Carbon Footprint” • Entergy Texas launched its Green Select program, which allows residential and business customers to match some or all of their electricity with clean, renewable energy generated in state. The program offers affordable options to help achieve environmental sustainability goals. [Entergy Newsroom]

Have a wonderfully relaxing day.

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World:

¶ “A Major Oil Exporter Is Hosting A UN Climate Summit. Opinions Are Divided” • The COP28 climate summit is mired in controversy. It is being held in one of the biggest oil exporting nations – the United Arab Emirates – and headed by one of the most prominent faces in its oil industry. Some people fear that it has been hijacked by the fossil fuels interests. [CNN]

Abu Dhabi (Belinda Fewings, Unsplash)

¶ “Carbonfuture And MASH Makes Join Forces For 50,000 Tonnes Of Carbon Removal” • In what is likely to be the largest ever carbon removal purchase agreement to date, MRV platform and carbon credit marketplace Carbonfuture has partnered with Indo-Danish company MASH Makes to secure 50,000 tonnes of carbon removal. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ora’s Good Cat Said To Be Coming To South Africa This Year” • The Mini Cooper SE is currently the cheapest battery EV in South Africa at around R700,000 ($41,000). Nothing else is below R1 million. But that is going to change soon. Expectations are that the Ora Good Cat will retail in South Africa for around R600,000 ($35,000). [CleanTechnica]

Ora Good Cat (Evnerd, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Vulcan Energy And Stellantis To Develop Renewable Energy Assets In Germany” • Automaker Stellantis is set to invest in a geothermal energy project in Germany with lithium developer Vulcan Energy Resources to help power a manufacturing facility for electric vehicles, Vulcan said. The phased project is aimed at providing renewable heat to the facility. [Nasdaq]

¶ “Parkwind Unleashes First Power From Arcadis Ost 1” • Parkwind produced first power from its 257-MW Arcadis Ost 1 wind farm in the German Baltic Sea. The Belgian developer said the first Vestas V174-9.5MW turbine is generating power for the German grid. Turbine installation is ongoing and full commissioning is expected this year. [reNews]

Installation in fog (Parkwind image)

¶ “Northern Ireland Avoids Paying To Import Gas As Wind Farms Provided 42% Of Electricity Last Year” • Northern Ireland consumers avoided paying £500 million to import gas last year because wind farms provided nearly 42% of the electricity. The figures come from a new analysis published by energy specialists Baringa. [Belfast News Letter]

¶ “Ocean Winds Extends French Floater Partnership” • Ocean Winds and Banque des Territoires have teamed up to respond to France’s AO6 tender for floating offshore windpower in the Mediterranean. The AO6 tender is part of the French ambitions to develope of offshore wind power in France, with the objective of 40 GW of installed capacity by 2050. [reNews]

Floating offshore turbines (Lino Escuris, Ocean Winds)

¶ “Irish Wind Farms Supply 34% Of Country’s Power” • Ireland’s wind farms provided 34% of the country’s electricity last year, saving almost €2 billion for gas, new research shows. According to an analysis published by energy specialists Baringa, Ireland’s wind farms share of the country’s electricity supply rose by four percentage points compared to 2021. [reNews]

¶ “RWE Strikes German Offshore Wind Power Deals” • RWE has secured deals to provide twelve customers with electricity from its 295-MW Nordsee Ost and the 302-MW Amrumbank West offshore wind farms. The agreements cover power supplies to eleven German industrial customers from 2025 and one large municipal utility from 2026. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm (RWE image)

¶ “UN Watchdog Is Optimistic About Ukraine Nuclear Plant Protection” • The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog said he hoped to make progress on a safe zone deal around the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine, but stressed it was a tough negotiation. Russian forces captured the Soviet-era plant in March, soon after their invasion. [Gulf Today]

US:

¶ “California Hit With One Final Round Of Storms” • California has been hit by a final round of storms, bringing more rain and snow to a state already reeling from at least 19 weather-related deaths. Skies will begin to look sunnier starting Tuesday, the NWS said, but a final gasp of wet weather will hit some areas on Wednesday and into Thursday. [BBC]

Walnut orchard (© Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “EPA Requirement Keeps Electric Buses Out Of Low-Income Schools” • In order to qualify for first round of funding from these EPA grants, school districts are being required to identify the specific diesel buses they’d replace with electric buses. The problem there is that many low-income school districts don’t own their own buses. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Over 40% Of Lincoln Dealers Say No To Ford’s EV Plans” • It looks like Ford’s grand plan to electrify its North American franchise dealers by 2030 hit a roadblock. As it turns out, more than 40% of Ford’s Lincoln brand dealers have decided they don’t want to spend nearly a cool million dollars to install EV chargers at their stores. [CleanTechnica]

Lincoln Corsair (Courtesy of Ford)

¶ “Tesla Still Leads The US EV Market – By A Lot” • Tesla’s cars made up four out of six of the most popular EVs sold in the USA in the first nine months of 2022, according to data from a recent Kelley Blue Book report. The Model Y and Model 3 boasted huge strides over other market offerings, both outselling the next top-sellers by over 100,000 units. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Battery Storage Can Help Solve Texas’ ‘Super Duck’ Challenge Of Integrating Renewable Energy” • The ERCOT grid is facing some extreme swings in its ability to match supply with growing demand for electricity, presenting an opportunity for energy storage. ERCOT is responsible for the grid and wholesale power markets in most of Texas. [Energy Storage News]

Have an enchantingly lovely day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Europe’s Warm Winter Is Robbing Putin Of A Trump Card” • The threat of cutting Russian gas supplies was Putin’s trump card, if the war he started dragged into a long winter. But the winter has been milder than expected, and Western and Central Europe have coordinated gas consumption. taking one of Putin’s largest bargaining chips out of his hands. [CNN]

Mild winter weather (Dominik Dombrowski, Unsplash)

¶ “Why The Oil And Gas Companies Are Considering Green Hydrogen” • As interest in green hydrogen picks up, energy firms are using renewable energy to power hydrogen production. But one reason for the interest in green hydrogen by some energy companies is to support longer-term oil and gas production by helping to decarbonize operations. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “Solar Energy For Household Consumption: Its Financial Feasibility” • Solar energy in Nepal is abundant and cheap. There is more than enough solar energy for every Nepali to enjoy the same energy consumption as in the developed countries. A solar power plant generates clean, environment-friendly and reliable electricity. [The Himalayan Times]

Solar water pump in Nepal (Prabuddha Raj, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Earth Is 1.1°C Warmer Than In The 19th Century” • Since the early 1900s, the Earth has warmed up by about 1.1°C as climate change becomes the biggest destabilising factor across the world. The latest assessment by scientists at the American space agency, NASA, reveals how the planet is losing its coolness as years become warmer and warmer. [India Today]

World:

¶ “Lützerath: German Police Oust Climate Activists After Clashes Near Coal Mine” • German police say they have removed almost all climate activists from a German village that will be destroyed to allow the expansion of a coal mine. Hundreds of police cleared around 300 activists from Lützerath. There were two people still holding out in a tunnel at the site. [BBC]

Lützerath (Bodoklecksel, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “Tevva Plans On Fuel Cells For New Electric Truck” • Last summer, Tevva was talking up a 7.5-tonne electric truck for the European market powered primarily by batteries, with a fuel cell on board to function as a range extender. Tevva has unveiled a 19-tonne electric truck. The truck is expected to have a range of up to 500 km (310 miles). [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ørsted Applies For Four Permits For Swedish Offshore Wind Farms” • Ørsted has applied for permits to build four additional large offshore wind farms in Sweden. Pending permit approvals and a plan for offshore grid build-out, Ørsted aims to deliver the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in Sweden, Skane Offshore Wind Farm, by 2029. [reNews]

Baltic Sea at Gotland (Michal Lawrenin, Unsplash)

¶ “2,000 MW Of RE Projects In Mindanao Pipeline” • Around 2,000 MW of renewable energy projects are under development in Mindanao, a government representative said. Projects with a combined capacity of 400 MW are already committed, implying that they have financial backing and are in the process of getting necessary permissions. [Power Philippines]

¶ “Nigeria Launches Renewable Energy Roadmap With IRENA Collaboration” • The Nigerian government and the International Renewable Energy Agency have launched a Renewable Energy Roadmap to help meet Nigeria’s energy demands. Nearly 60% of Nigeria’s energy demand in 2050 could be met with renewable energy sources. [ESI Africa]

Lagos, Nigeria (Namnso Ukpanah, Unsplash)

¶ “Shell’s 500-MW, 1,000-MWh Battery Storage Project To Be At Former Coal Power Station” • Shell Energy has announced plans to build, own, and operate the Wallerawang 9 Battery, a 500-MW, 1,000-MWh battery facility in New South Wales. The project is to be sited at a former coal power station. It will help integrate renewable generating capacity. [Energy Matters]

¶ “Global Leaders And Climate Activists Gather In Snowless Davos Ahead Of World Economic Forum 2023” • At the Swiss resort of Davos, where World Economic Forum 2023 is meeting, snowpack remains meagre on the lower slopes due to a massive heatwave bringing high temperatures to Europe and forcing ski resorts to shut down operations. [Earth.Org]

Davos looking green (Marvin Meyer, Unsplash)

¶ “Bataan Bishop Opposes Nuclear Plant: ‘We Don’t Want To Put Life On The Brink Of Danger’” • Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos has expressed opposition to reviving the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant amid the dangers it poses to people’s lives and to the the environment. Some people think the plant will save money, but it will add burdens. [POLITIKO]

US:

¶ “Nikola And Allison Collaborate On Next-Gen Electric Semi” • It looks like the wild world of over-the-road trucking is about to get a little bit wilder. Allison Transmission has teamed up with Nikola. Together, they’re putting their Class 8 battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell EVs through the wringer at Allison’s state-of-the-art testing center. [CleanTechnica]

Testing an electric semi (Allison image)

¶ “Wholesale US Electricity Prices Were Volatile in 2022” • The average wholesale electricity prices at major trading hubs in the US rose throughout much of 2022 and were, at times, volatile as a result of extreme weather events. The limited availability of coal to substitute for higher-priced natural gas also contributed to higher electricity prices. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Boskalis Wins US Offshore Wind Farm Contract” • Boskalis has acquired the contract to construct a large offshore windfarm off the US coastline. The Boskalis project scope includes the transportation and installation of the wind turbine foundations and power cables. Two crane vessels and several transport and cable-laying vessels will be deployed. [reNews]

Have an upliftingly convenient day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Electrifying Everything Is A Critical Pathway To Decarbonize The World And Our Lives” • A number of organizations, such as the World Bank, have developed “pathways” or “pillars” for reaching net zero emissions globally by 2050. The core strategies are remarkably consistent, and one critically important pathway is electrifying everything. [CleanTechnica]

Transmission lines (Thomas Despeyroux, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Energy Storage Is Going Underground” • Compressed air storage and gravity storage systems are so low tech, they seem almost laughable compared to battery storage, which is much superior in some ways. But there are numerous ways to store excess renewable energy to keep the lights on, and the low tech solutions can be important. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Another Year, Another Record In Denmark’s Renewable Energy Progress” • In the past 40 years, Denmark has integrated 7 GW of wind and PV solar capacity into the electric grid. The fresh numbers from 2022 show that the country’s electricity needs are now covered by 60% renewables. In 8 years, that figure will quadruple. Yes, that’s 240%! [CleanTechnica]

Wind turbines at Copenhagen (CGP Grey, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Green Hydrogen – Morocco Makes Big Moves” • The Belgian company John Cockerill has announced the formation of a joint venture with a yet-unnamed Moroccan company with the aim of investing in the development of the nascent green hydrogen industry in Morocco. The partners plan to build an electrolyser production plant there. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Renewable Energy Will Surpass Coal For The First Time” • Renewable energy makes up for around 28% of global energy use, but that is expected to rise to 38% by 2027, IEA data shows. At the same time, coal, which is currently responsible for about 36.3% of the energy that we consume, will be reduced to just 29.7% by 2027. [Digital Information World]

Solar panels (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

¶ “UN Chief Calls For Renewable Energy ‘Revolution’ For A Brighter Global Future” • Renewable energy is the only credible path forward if the world is to avert a climate catastrophe, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said. Only renewables can safeguard our future, close the energy access gap, stabilize prices, and ensure energy security. [Devdiscourse]

¶ “Nearly One Billion Served By Healthcare Facilities Without Reliable Electricity” • Although electricity is critical to healthcare provision, nearly a billion people in poorer countries are served by health facilities that lack reliable supply, according to a newly published report backed by the UN. That is one out of every eight people, globally. [UN News]

Mother and child (Mark Garten, UN Photo)

¶ “Japan’s Unilateral Radioactive Wastewater Discharge Harmful And Irresponsible: Green Activist” • Japan’s push to discharge radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the ocean is irresponsible and harmful, as Japan is pursuing it without consultations with neighboring countries, a South Korean green activist said. [Xinhua]

US:

¶ “Why Michigan Is Trying To Shut Down Canada’s Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline” • Michigan commissioned an independent risk analysis of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline. It says an oil spill could cost almost $2 billion in damages. Also, any pipeline accident in the Straits of Mackinac could “represent a point of no return for species loss.” [BBC]

Mackinac Island (Erin Vanderklok, Unsplash)

¶ “California Battles Deadly Storms With Millions Under Flood Watch” • Around 25 million people in California are under a flood watch this weekend as the latest in a parade of deadly storms drenches the state. Several waterways have flooded, at least 19 people have died and thousands have been told to evacuate their homes. [BBC]

¶ “California Youths Help Storm Clean-Up As Schools Reopen” • Most of California’s youth have more experience with wildfires than with rainfall, due to the decades-long drought. But now, at Midland School in Santa Barbara County, pupils have pitched in to help save school buildings from being submerged by a creek that almost never normally flows. [BBC]

Normally dry stream (Courtesy of Midland School)

¶ “JA Solar Announces New Arizona PV Factory” • Chinese solar giant JA Solar has announced plans to build a new manufacturing facility in Phoenix, Arizona, to produce high-performance solar PV panels. The solar panel factory is expected to be operational by Q4 2023, and it is expected to create more than 600 new jobs in the region. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Honda And LG Invest $3.5 Billion In New Ohio Plant” • Honda and LG Energy Solutions announced a joint venture to produce lithium-ion batteries for upcoming Honda and Sony/AFEELA EVs at a new plant about 40 miles southwest of Columbus, Ohio. LGES and Honda committed to investing $3.5 billion to build out the new facility. [CleanTechnica]

Honda e prototype (Honda image)

¶ “Four Upper Valley Communities Poised For Power-Pooling Plan” • Four Upper Valley communities are poised to be in the initial group of local governments receiving their electricity from the nonprofit Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire. It is to pool the buying power of the municipalities of Lebanon, Hanover, Enfield, and Plainfield. [Valley News]

¶ “LU Grant Funding To Propel Diversity In Climate Science” • An $800,000 grant from the DOE will send Lincoln University students to learn from some of the nation’s top climate scientists. The grant will fund ten days at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, followed by time in the Smoky Mountains, for five students each year for four years. [News Tribune]

Have an elegantly flawless day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Now Is The Time For Clean Vehicles In New Mexico” • New Mexico could see public health and economic benefits if the state adopts three clean vehicle rules this year: the Advanced Clean Truck rule, the Heavy-Duty NOx Omnibus rules, and the Advanced Clean Cars II rule. The rules will also stimulate New Mexico’s economy. [CleanTechnica]

Las Cruces, New Mexico (Neomexicanus lc, public domain)

World:

¶ “Lithuanian Gas Pipeline Hit By Large Explosion” • A large blast hit a gas pipeline in northern Lithuania, near the Latvian border. Images broadcast by local media showed massive flames illuminating the night sky, but officials say there have been no injuries caused by the explosion. The pipeline’s operator said it did not believe the blast was suspicious. [BBC]

¶ “Germany Plans To Destroy This Town For A Coal Mine. Thousands Are Gathering To Stop It” • Police have removed hundreds of activists. Some of them have been in Lützerath for more than two years, occupying the homes abandoned by former residents after they were evicted, most by 2017, to make way for expansion of a lignite mine. [CNN]

Excavating machine (Pixabay, Pexels)

¶ “Low Renewable Energy Costs To Aid India’s Green Hydrogen Push” • India has the cheapest renewable energy in the world. As part of a green hydrogen plan, the National Green Hydrogen Mission, India aims to make 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030, with the potential to reach 10 million tonnes as export markets grow. [The National]

¶ “NASA: 2022 Was Fifth Warmest Year On Record” • The last nine consecutive years have been the warmest nine on record. The year 2022 effectively tied for Earth’s fifth warmest year since 1880, as Earth is about 2°F (1.11°C) warmer than the average for the late 19th century. Forest fires, hurricanes, and droughts are getting stronger as a result. [CleanTechnica]

Ocean heat (NASA image)

¶ “German Solar Power Firm Sees Soaring Demand” • Soaring demand for home solar power systems in Germany could boost revenues at Solarwatt to €500 million this year, up more than 50%. Homeowners are installing solar panels, batteries, and heat pumps, as they seek to cut their energy bills after huge price hikes last year. [Euronews]

¶ “UAE’s Masdar To Develop Number Of Renewable Energy Projects In Kyrgyzstan” • Masdar, the UAE’s leading renewable energy company, has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Energy of Kyrgyzstan to develop renewable energy projects with a capacity to generate 1 GW, Trend reports citing Masdar’s press service. [Trend News Agency]

Nomad homes, one with PV panel (Joel Heard, Unsplash)

¶ “Hitachi Energy To Develop Solar Projects With Sun Africa” • Hitachi Energy signed a memorandum of understanding with Sun Africa and UGT Renewables to collaborate on utility-scale solar PV power generation projects. The partners are completing their first project together, a 370-MW solar PV power plant across seven sites in Angola. [reNews]

¶ “REA Hails Scottish Net Zero Target” • The Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology has welcomed the Scottish government’s intentions to meet its existing net zero target by 2045, five years ahead of the UK Government target. The plan includes an ambition to double renewable generation capacity by 2030 to 20 GW. [reNews]

Whitelee wind farm (Rosser1954, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “UN Nuclear Watchdog To Establish “Continuous Presence” In Ukraine” • The head of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency, will go to Ukraine next week to establish a “continuous presence” at all of the country’s nuclear power plants, according to a news release. This extends presence already established at the Zaporizhzhia plant. [Axios]

US:

¶ “Giant Parts Of 9,000-Ton Tesla Cybertruck Giga Press Arrive At Giga Texas” • CleanTechnica reported in October of 2022 that IDRA had started shipping the huge 9000-ton Cybertruck Giga Casting machine from its plant in Italy to the US. Now two semi trucks loaded with huge containers on their trailers were spotted at Giga Texas. [CleanTechnica]

Gigafactory Texas (Tesla image)

¶ “Tesla Reduces New Car Prices In Effort To Boost Sales” • Tesla has greatly reduced its prices for Model S, Model X, and Model Y cars in the US. In some cases, the price reductions make the Tesla cars eligible for tax reductions, magnifying the benefits. There were similar reductions in Europe, and after price cuts in China, Tesla sold 30,000 cars in three days. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Rural Communities Have Won Billions Of Dollars To Fund Renewable Energy” • Last year, rural advocates won big in the Inflation Reduction Act by securing billions of dollars for rural communities to implement clean energy. Now, the USDA Rural Utilities Service is asking for input on how to set up and roll out these funding programs. [Appalachian Voices]

Appalachian view (Abigail Ducote, Unsplash)

¶ “Powerful Clean-Energy Line To Crisscross New Mexico” • A 400-mile, $2 billion clean-energy transmission line planned for New Mexico became an official “public-private” project this week, boosting its development prospects. Operations are planned to start in 2028, potentially carrying 4 GW of renewable energy from Clayton to Farmington. [Albuquerque Journal]

¶ “California PUC Launches Rulemaking To Consider Extension Of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant” • The California Public Utilities Commission voted to open a rulemaking to consider extending the operations of the 2.2-GW Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. Unit 1 could be kept running through October 31, 2029, and Unit 2 until October 31, 2030. [Utility Dive]

Have a really restful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Yikes! USA Has Only Major Power Grid Without A Plan” • The US electric grid is often referred to as the greatest machine in the world. But in the aftermath of winter storm Elliott, we need to ask ourselves: is this machine a match for the extreme weather events that are blanketing the country with ever increasing frequency and ferocity? [CleanTechnica]

Icy transmission lines (Jerry Zhang, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Contrails Are A Problem For Aviation – But There Could Be An Easy Solution” • Environmentally, contrails are surprisingly bad. A study looked at aviation’s contribution to climate change and concluded that contrails create 57% of the sector’s warming impact by trapping heat that would otherwise be released into space. Fortunately, there is a solution. [CNN]

¶ “Scientists Claim Carbon Capture Is Viable And Fossil Fuel Producers Should Bear The Costs” • Scientists in the UK, the US, and the Netherlands published a study that says carbon capture is now a viable technology and fossil fuel companies should pay to remove the CO₂ attributable to their activities as a condition of being allowed to operate. [CleanTechnica]

Pumpjack (Zbynek Burival, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Huge Rare Earth Metals Discovery In Arctic Sweden” • The EU’s largest deposit of rare earths has been found in Sweden. No rare earths are currently mined in Europe, and 98% of rare earths used in the EU in 2021 came from China. The deposit’s discovery is seen as “decisive” for the green transition, as demand for EVs and wind turbines increases. [BBC]

¶ “Hitachi And Petrofac Win Early Works Deal For 2-GW Dutch Grid Hubs” • TenneT has entered into early works agreements with Hitachi Energy and Petrofac to support the group’s 2-GW Dutch program. The three companies will start working on the first two offshore converter stations for TenneT’s HVDC offshore wind grid expansion. [reNews]

Wind turbines (Waldemar Brandt, Unsplash)

¶ “Ecuador Accepts 511 MW In Renewable Energy Bids” • After all bids opened so far came in below required price caps, Ecuador plans to award contracts for 511 MW in ten solar, wind, and hydro projects worth about $800 million in February, the electricity vice minister said. The price caps ranged by technology from 5.24¢/kWh to 6.78¢/kWh. [Argus Media]

¶ “Finland: Wind Power Increased By 75% Last Year, Boosting Energy Security And Climate Goals” • Finland’s wind capacity increased by 75% last year, according to the Finnish Wind Energy Association. Almost half of Finland’s windpower is domestically owned, and the renewable energy source is providing a lifeline during the current energy crisis. [Euronews]

Wind turbines (Thomas Galler, Unsplash)

¶ “Japan Eyes Delay Of Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Water Release: Report” • Japan revised the timing of a planned release to the sea of radioactive wastewater at Fukushima Daiichi to possibly summer, indicating a delay from the initial target of this spring, after factoring in the progress of a release tunnel and the need to gain public support. [Business Standard]

¶ “Total Eren And Ecopetrol Partner On 100-MW Columbian PV” • Total Eren has partnered with Columbian energy company Ecopetrol to implement a 100-MW solar project in the Latin American country. The Rubiales solar park will be built on the site of Ecopetrol’s Rubiales field, located in the municipality of Puerto Gaitan, in the Meta Province. [reNews]

Solar array (Total image)

US:

¶ “Exxon Accurately Predicted Global Warming From 1970s But Continued To Cast Doubt On Climate Science” • Exxon’s own scientists accurately predicted future global warming in reports dating back to the late 1970s, but for years the company publicly cast doubt on climate science while lobbying against climate action, new analysis shows. [CNN]

¶ “More Than 30 Tornadoes Reportedly Hit Several States As Severe Weather Swept Across The South” • Severe storms swept across the South on Thursday. Ferocious winds sent residents running for cover, blew roofs off homes, and killed at least six people in Alabama. At least 34 preliminary tornado reports were recorded as of Thursday evening. [CNN]

Tornado (Ralph W lambrecht, Pexels)

¶ “US Interior Department Takes Steps To Strengthen Offshore Clean Energy Development” • The Department of the Interior announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will publish a proposed rule to update and simplify regulations for clean energy development on the US Outer Continental Shelf to facilitate project approvals. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hawaii’s First Two Community-Owned Solar Projects Coming To Molokai” • Hawaiian Electric and Hoāhu Energy Cooperative Molokai are moving ahead with the state’s first two community solar plus battery projects. These projects could meet over 20% of Molokai’s energy needs and serve an estimated 1,500 households on the island. [Maui Now]

Molokai (Courtesy Hawaiian Electric, cropped)

¶ “Governor Hochul Announces Completion Of Plug Power’s $125 Million Manufacturing Facility In Albany County” • New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the completion of a Plug Power manufacturing plant in Albany County. Plug Power’s GenDrive fuel cell systems are used to power electric motors in the electric mobility market. [Governor Kathy Hochul]

¶ “Interactive Mapping Tool For Siting Renewable Energy Projects” • Argonne National Laboratory released an online geospatial mapping tool to aid siting decisions and identify areas that are suitable for solar, wind, and other clean energy projects. It is a free, open resource to identify suitable locations for siting renewable energy projects. [pv magazine USA]

Have an excitingly comfortable day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “New UCF-Developed Battery Could Prevent Post-Hurricane Electric Vehicle Fires” • A researcher at the University of Central Florida has developed an aqueous battery that could prevent electric vehicle fires. The UCF-designed battery is fast charging, reaching full charge in three minutes, compared to the hours it takes lithium-ion batteries. [CleanTechnica]

Rivian in water (Rivian image)

World:

¶ “Global Experts Worry Simultaneous Crises Could Become The New Norm” • In a survey of risks, the World Economic Forum found that over 80% of respondents expected either “persistent crises” or “multiple shocks” over the next two years, at best leading to “divergent trajectories” for countries and at worst triggering “catastrophic outcomes.” [CNN]

¶ “Ocean Heat Hit Another Record High In 2022, Fueling Extreme Weather” • The world’s oceans were the warmest on record for the fourth year in row in 2022, according to a study published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. It is a troubling indication of the climate crisis caused by humans releasing heat-trapping gases. [CNN]

Stormy water (Nareeta Martin, Unsplash)

¶ “Toyota Hilux Hydrogen Fuel Cell Pickup Prototype Unveiled” • In much of the world, the Toyota Hilux pickup is one of the most popular vehicles. Toyota recently showcased its Toyota Hilux Revo Battery EV Concept. Toyota is not stopping there, but is looking to continue its work on hydrogen fuel cells. This time, it is focusing on the Hilux. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Siemens Energy Consortium Receives $4 Billion Wind Power Grid Contract” • Siemens Energy and Spain’s Dragados Offshore have been awarded a contract worth more than €4 billion ($4.29 billion) to build two converter systems for offshore wind energy grid connections in Germany, the German company said in a statement. [Offshore Magazine]

Offshore wind turbines (Nicholas Doherty, Unsplash)

¶ “India Could Potentially Add 45 GW Of Corporate Renewables By 2027” • Bridge to India says deployment of renewables by corporations will likely grow by 22% per year over the next few years, reaching 45 GW by 2027. Open-access PV and rooftop solar will remain the dominant sources of renewable power for corporate consumers. [PV Magazine]

¶ “Wind Power Sets New UK Record” • National Grid ESO has confirmed that wind provided more than half of the UK’s power at one time on the evening of January 10, 2023, setting a new record, according to RenewableUK. Wind generated 21.6 GW of electric power in the half-hour period between 6:00 and 6:30 pm, providing 50.4% of the UK’s power. [reNews]

Wind turbines (Master Wen, Unsplash)

¶ “Zimbabwe Looks To Public To Provide Solar Power Amid Energy Crisis” • As lingering droughts hit southern Africa’s hydropower dams, Zimbabwe faces growing electricity shortages, but connecting individuals and businesses that have installed private solar panels to the national grid could help fill some of the gap. [Devdiscourse]

¶ “Pacific Pleads With Japan Over Nuclear Waste Release” • In a few months, Japan will start dumping one million tonnes of treated wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi power plant into the Pacific Ocean. Japan must work with the Pacific to find a solution to its nuclear waste plan or we face disaster, the Pacific Islands Forum warned. [Stuff.co.nz]

Contaminated water (IAEA Imagebank, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

US:

¶ “Storms Relentless As California Drenching Goes On” • The famously sunny southern coast of California has been hit by storm after storm since the December holidays, eroding roads, felling trees and causing landslides. As of Tuesday evening, at least 17 people had died in weather-related incidents since the storms began, Governor Newsom said. [BBC]

¶ “Ford EVs Made Up 4.5% Of Ford USA Sales In December” • Ford started to arrive on the EV scene in 2022. Ford has three compelling EVs, with the hot Ford Mustang Mach-E, the solid Ford F-150 Lightning, and the utilitarian Ford E-Transit. This doesn’t compare to the many fossil fuel vehicles it sells, but at least it’s off the blocks. [CleanTechnica]

Ford F-150 Lightning (Ford image)

¶ “NYC Set To Add 900 EVs To City Fleet” • New York City got a $10.1 million grant from the US Transportation Department and quickly announced plans to replace more than 900 city-owned, fossil fuel-powered vehicles with electric ones and add 315 more EV charging stations. Nearly 20% of the city’s municipal fleet be fully electric by the end of this year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Duke Energy Begins Operating 207-MW Wind Farm In Iowa” • Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions has placed into operation a 207-MW wind farm in Iowa. The Ledyard Windpower project is the company’s first wind farm in the state, which accounts for 10% of US wind power. Amshore Renewable Energy was the project’s co-developer. [Power Engineering]

Wind technicians (Courtesy of Duke Energy)

¶ “Qcells Plans Largest Clean Energy Manufacturing Investment In US History” • The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that Qcells, the solar panel manufacturing division of South Korea’s Hanwha, planned to invest in new factories in Georgia, saying it was “the largest clean energy manufacturing investment in US history.” Now it’s official. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Pipe Issue Delays Startup Of New Vogtle Nuclear Unit” • The startup of the first of two new reactors at the Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia is being pushed back to at least April, one month after officials with Georgia Power had planned to start generating electricity from the unit. The delay is due to a vibrating pipe in the cooling system. [POWER Magazine]

Have an emphatically worthwhile day.

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Opinion and Interview:

¶ “Mangrove Lithium CEO Talks Lithium Resources, Refining, And Localization” • When he started working on his PhD, Dr Saad Dara focused on water desalination and treatment, largely for oil and gas. Then someone asked if lithium chloride could be converted into lithium hydroxide, and that led to Mangrove Lithium. Here is an interview. [CleanTechnica]

Uyuni salt desert in Bolivia (Alexander Schimmeck, Unsplash)

¶ “Coal 2 Nuclear: Another Smokescreen That Obscures Real Climate Solutions” • After the failure of the much-trumpeted “nuclear renaissance” that never was, the nuclear lobby and its federal lackeys have come up with another PR clunker – Coal 2 Nuclear (hence, C2N). In reality, this is less C2N than CPR for an ailing nuclear power industry. [CounterPunch]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Why California’s storm is unlikely to reverse its drought” • Given the decades-long drought in California, you might be wondering if this extreme weather could in some ways be a positive. But the downpour is unlikely to have a big impact on the drought. Experts say it would take consecutive years of severe wet weather to reverse it in the long-term. [BBC]

Low water level (Ross Stone, Unsplash, cropped)

World:

¶ “The Past Eight Years Were The Eight Warmest On Record For Planet” • The last eight years have been the eight warmest on record as the growing concentration of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere pushes global temperatures toward a dangerous tipping point, analysis by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service shows. [CNN]

¶ “Volkswagen’s Worldwide Deliveries Of 100% Electric Vehicles Grew About 24% In 2022” • Volkswagen is advancing quickly in ramping up EV production. Worldwide ID model deliveries more than doubled in 2022, and sales in China had an increase of 102.9% year over year. The ID.4 is the company’s top EV model globally. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen ID.4 (Ssu, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “World’s Longest Electric Vehicle Highway – It’s Now Under Construction” • Although all hopeful EV drivers can see from the road is concrete pads surrounded by temporary fencing in Kalbarri, this is the beginning of construction for the world’s longest EV highway, from Kunnanurra in the north of Western Australia to Esperance in the south. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “MyHydro To Start Construction Of The First Of 33 Small Hydropower Plants In DRC” • The Democratic Republic of Congo has one of the lowest electrification rates in the world, at around 10%. The country is blessed, however, with over 50% of Africa’s total water resource. MyHydro plans to install turbines of a new design by Natel Energy. [CleanTechnica]

Natel Energy turbine (MyHydro image)

¶ “Sisco Sapena Launches H2PLT, The Company Behind Spain’s First Green Hydrogen Microgeneration Network” • H2PLT plans to create Spain’s first green hydrogen microgeneration network. It will use small PV farms and surplus solar electricity to make green hydrogen. The hydrogen is stored and used to generate electricity as needed by a fuel cell. [PR Newswire]

¶ “EDF Renewables Unveils UK Mega-Solar Project” • EDF Renewables and Luminous Energy have unveiled plans for a solar farm with battery in the UK east Midlands region. With a potential output of up to 800 MW, Springwell Solar Farm could provide the equivalent energy to supply around half of all the homes in Lincolnshire. [reNews]

Solar panels (EDF image)

¶ “$35 Billion Solar Venture Backed By Forrest, Cannon-Brookes Goes Into Voluntary Administration” • One of Australia’s largest renewable projects backed by prominent billionaires Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest and Mike Cannon-Brookes has collapsed. Sun Cable said the move followed an “absence of alignment” with the shareholders’ objectives. [News.com.au]

US:

¶ “Extreme Weather Has Cost The US More Than $1 Trillion In The Past Seven Years, Feds Report” • The US was lashed by 18 extreme weather and climate disasters costing at least $1 billion each last year, a report shows. They came as tornadoes, extreme heat and cold, deadly flooding and hurricanes, and a climate change-fueled drought in the West. [CNN]

Climate and weather disasters (NOAA image)
Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Google, Ford, GM, And Solar Companies Partner To Promote Scaling Of Virtual Power Plants” • A coalition of heavy hitters, including Ford, General Motors, Google Nest, OhmConnect, Olivine, SPAN, SunPower, Sunrun, SwitchDin, and Virtual Peaker, is to scale up the market for virtual power plants for grid resilience and decarbonization. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “How Many EV Chargers Does America Need? S&P Global Says ‘Lots’” • Even though many EV owners charge at home, the total number of EV chargers motorists can use will need to quadruple between 2022 and 2025 and grow more than eight-fold by 2030, an S&P Global report says. By 2030, nearly 30 million EVs will be on the US roads. [CleanTechnica]

Charger (Sophie Jonas, Unsplash)

¶ “US Greenhouse Gas Emissions Went Up Again In 2022” • US greenhouse gas emissions grew by 1.3% in 2022, according to a report by the Rhodium Group. US emissions are now 15.5% below 2005 levels, the report said, leaving the nation on an uphill climb toward meeting its commitment to cut emissions 50% to 52% by the end of the decade. [Scientific American]

¶ “BP Starts Construction On Ohio Solar Power Facility” • British energy company BP announced that it started construction on a solar power facility in Ohio that could eventually provide enough clean energy to meet the equivalent demand of nearly 20,000 average households. The 134-MW Arche Solar project is in rural Ohio, near the Michigan border. [UPI]

Have a truly glorious day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Electric Vehicle Battery Pack Costs In 2022 Are Nearly 90% Lower Than In 2008” • The US DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office estimates that the cost of an electric vehicle lithium-ion battery pack declined 89% between 2008 and 2022. The 2022 estimate is $153/kWh on a usable-energy basis. The estimate for 2008 is $1,355/kWh. [CleanTechnica]

Nissan Leaf battery, 2009 (Tennen-Gas, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

World:

¶ “The Ozone Layer Is On Track To Recover Within Decades As Harmful Chemicals Are Phased Out, Scientists Report” • In rare good news for the planet, the Earth’s ozone layer is on track to recover completely within decades, as ozone-depleting chemicals are phased out across the world, according to a new assessment backed by the UN. [CNN]

¶ “Could Floating Solar Farms Survive Out At Sea?” • Indonesia has over 10,000 islands, so getting electricity  to all its people is a huge challenge. Cables to remote islands are expensive. Solar power is one option to provide those islands with energy. But solar farms take up lots of space, so installing solar panels on the ocean surface is under study. [BBC]

Indonesian island (Denissa Devy, Unsplash)

¶ “Indian Company Breaks Ground At 1 Gigawatt Solar Power Park” • Indian hydropower company SJVN has announced start of construction of a large solar power park in the northern state of Rajasthan. The solar park will have a capacity of 1 GW. It will be developed on 5,000 acres at an estimated cost of ₹55 billion ($660 million). [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Electric Trucks: It’s Time To Gear Up” • Trucks are a climate problem for Europe. In addition to the noise and air pollution they generate, their greenhouse gas emissions reach 26% of the total of the road sector. Today, they are almost exclusively diesel powered. Without major change, their emissions will continue to grow in the coming decades. [CleanTechnica]

Truck charging depot (Daimler Truck image)

¶ “India Expects Utilities’ Annual Coal Demand To Surge About 8% After Renewables Shortfall” • India expects its power plants to burn about 8% more coal in the fiscal year ending March 2024, according to a senior government official and a power ministry presentation, after the country missed its 2022 renewable energy goal by more than 30%. [Reuters]

¶ “Renewables To Surpass Coal As Global Electricity Source In Just 2 Years” • Clean energy achieved momentum globally in 2022, but sadly, the momentum was triggered by a destructive action. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine catapulted the world into a global energy crisis. And that in turn sparked a drive to switch from fossil fuels to renewables. [Electrek]

Coal-burning power plant (Sam LaRussa, Unsplash)

¶ “Fears Over Potential Delay To Small Nuclear Reactor Rollout” • Concerns have been raised that the rollout of small modular reactors in the UK could be delayed due to funding challenges. According to The Times, a funding deal for the first fleet of mini nuclear reactors is not expected to materialise for at least another 12 months. [New Civil Engineer]

¶ “Environment Minister Meyer Confirms Phase-Out Of Nuclear Power In Mid-April” • Lower Saxony’s Environment and Energy Minister Christian Meyer (Greens) confirmed the shutdown of the nuclear power plant in Lingen in April. Even with a view to next winter, nuclear power is no longer necessary for security of supply in Germany, he said. [Market Screener]

Lingen nuclear plant (Krd, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

US:

¶ “Montecito Residents Told To Flee Deadly Downpour” • The elite coastal enclave of Montecito has been ordered to evacuate during a major storm that has landed most of California under flood watch. Forecasters are warning state residents to brace for a “relentless parade of cyclones” over the next week. Around 90% of Californians were under flood watch. [BBC]

¶ “A US Federal Agency Is Considering A Ban On Gas Stoves, Report Says” • A federal agency is considering a ban on gas stoves as concerns about indoor pollution linked to childhood asthma rise, according to a report first published by Bloomberg. A US Consumer Product Safety commissioner told Bloomberg gas stove usage is a “hidden hazard.” [CNN]

Gas stove (Ilse Driessen, Unsplash)

¶ “Governor Hochul Announces Approval Of Siting Permits for Three Major Solar Energy Facilities” • Governor Kathy Hochul announced the New York State Office of Renewable Energy has issued three siting permits for clean energy with a total capacity of 309 MW. The new projects bring the total approved to 1.8 GW since 2021. [Governor Kathy Hochul]

¶ “Six Polluted Waterways Slated For Restoration” • Good news for a new year! In 2022, NOAA helped to recover more than $114 million from polluters to restore six waterways after oil spill and industrial pollution incidents. NOAA and partners assessed the impacts of the incidents and reached legal settlements with those responsible to fund restoration. [CleanTechnica]

Research vessel at an oil spill (Courtesy of NOAA)

¶ “Trade Groups Say White House Guidance On GHG Analysis Will Ease Renewable Energy Permitting” • The White House Council on Environmental Quality’s interim greenhouse gas emissions guidance will ease the permitting process for clean energy projects, trade groups say. It clarifies best practices for analyzing GHG emissions. [Utility Dive]

¶ “DOE Opens Call For Deployable Solutions To Secure The US Power Grid” • The US DOE and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are calling for applications for the second cohort of the Clean Energy Cybersecurity Accelerator program. It will bring experts together for rapid develop of cybersecurity for grid operations. [Department of Energy]

Have a laudably rewarding day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Why Nuclear Fusion Is Not The Holy Grail” • Last month, scientists made a breakthrough in nuclear fusion energy. The reaction produced more energy than it consumed. But the numerous inefficiencies this statement ignores aren’t the only problem. A useful fusion reactor is still a long way off, and we don’t know how far off. [Foreign Policy]

Viewing port, 2011 (LLNS, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Three Reasons The World Is Seeing More Record-Breaking Deluges And Flash Floods” • Human-caused climate change is making severe flooding events like these more common. In mountainous regions, three effects of climate change are more intense precipitation, shifting snow and rain patterns, and the effects of wildfires on the landscape. [The Hindu]

World:

¶ “German Coal Mine Stand Off Amid Ukraine War Energy Crunch” • Lützerath, in western Germany, is about to be swallowed up by a massive coal mine. Around 200 climate activists, who are now all that stand in the way of the diggers expanding the Garzweiler opencast mine, have been warned to leave or be forcibly evicted. [BBC]

Lützerath and mine (Alle Dörfer, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Single-Use Cutlery And Plates To Be Banned In England” • Single-use items like plastic cutlery, plates, and trays will be banned in England, the government said. It is not clear when the ban will come into effect, but it follows similar moves already made by Scotland and Wales. This latest measure does not cover items found in supermarkets or shops. [BBC]

¶ “UK’s EV Share Hits 40% In December – Tesla Model Y Overall Bestseller” • The UK’s auto market saw plugin EVs take 39.4% of new sales in December, a new record, up from 33.2% year on year. Full electrics took 32.9% of the market. The Tesla Model Y was the UK’s overall third best selling vehicle in 2022, and the top seller in December. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model Y (Damian B Oh, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Virtual Power Plant Industry Driven By Rising Renewable Energy Production” • The virtual power plant market size was $3,367.7 million in 2022, and it will grow at a rate of 16.9% per year in the years to come, reaching $12,273.3 million by 2030, according to projections by a market research company, P&S Intelligence. [openPR.com]

¶ “Renewable Power Spreads To Remote Islands At Risk Of Being Cut Off In Disasters” • Generating renewable energy such as solar and wind power is becoming more common on remote islands across Japan. The aim in this trend is only partly to reduce greenhouse gas emissioins. It is also to secure electric power in case of disasters. [The Japan News]

Only traffic light on Kozo Island (Mkill, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “Novel Database On Existing, Planned Renewables, Solar Projects In Africa” • German researchers created a georeference database for large wind, solar, and hydropower projects in Africa. The Renewable Power Plant Database for Africa features 1,074 hydropower projects, 1,128 solar plants, and 276 wind power assets, providing data for each. [PV Magazine]

¶ “WA Land Allocation Advances Plans For 26-GW Renewable Energy Hub” • British energy giant BP’s plans to build one of the world’s largest renewable energy and green hydrogen hubs in Western Australia got a significant boost when the government of the state allocated land to support development of the proposed 26-GW project. [pv magazine Australia]

Boodarie industrial area (Pilbara Ports Authority image)

¶ “DOE Names 9 Chinese Firms With $13.7 Billion Investment Pledges” • In a press conference, Philippine Department of Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla has named the nine Chinese companies that committed to invest some $13.76 billion in the country following a recent visit of President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr to China. [Philippine News Agency]

US:

¶ “Most Of California Could Experience Significant Flooding This Week” • Significant widespread flooding is possible across much of California as more heavy rain hits the state, forecasters say. Two major bouts of rain will impact the West Coast over the next few days. The concern is not just the rain, snow, and wind, but each event follows the last so quickly. [CNN]

Flood (Norm Hughes, California Department of Water Resources)

¶ “The IRS Answers All Your EV Tax Credit Questions – Sort Of” • People have a lot of questions about the new EV federal tax credit created by the Inflation Reduction Act. It’s little wonder. The rules are complex. In an attempt to clarify things, the IRS has released an FAQ document that attempts to answer the most common questions people have. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “GM Disagrees With Treasury And IRS On What Is An SUV” • There was some consternation at Cadillac when they discovered Treasury and the IRS want to classify the Lyriq as a passenger car, not an SUV. The car starts at $62,990. If it’s an SUV, it is eligible for the full federal tax credit. But as a passenger car, Lyriq buyers will get nothing. [CleanTechnica]

Have an uncomplicatedly lighthearted day.

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(, CC-BY-SA 3.0) CO₂ NH₃ CH₄ ₹ NOₓ ‽ ♦♦♦♦♦

Opinion:

¶ “What Does It Mean That (Once Rare) Atmospheric Rivers And Bomb Cyclones Are Becoming More Frequent?” • Atmospheric rivers and bomb cyclones are ever more frequent and intense parts of the North American meteorological landscape. That fact is perfectly compatible with projections of climate change driven by our warming our planet. [The Hill]

Atmospheric river (National Weather Service image)

¶ “ESG Leader Parnassus Is Considering Investing In Nuclear Power Companies – This Is A Terrible Idea” • In a sea change, Parnassus Investments, the sustainable funds powerhouse, is considering investing in nuclear energy, citing climate change and improved nuclear safety. Why would they change? Nuclear power is still expensive and dangerous. [Daily Kos]

World:

¶ “BYD Sold 229,020 Atto 3 EVs In Ten Months” • In 2022, BYD sold 1,868,543 “new energy vehicles,” of which 946,239 were plug in hybrids. The rest, 911,140, were battery EVs. One star of BYD’s new lineup is the BYD Atto 3, which was launched in February of 2022. BYD sold 229,020 Atto 3s by the end of the year, for 25% of its battery EV sales. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Atto 3 (Hubert Berberich, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “EVs Take 55% Of The German Auto Market In December!” • The tide has turned in the electrification of the German auto market, with plugin EVs taking the majority of sales for the first time in December. Plugins took 55.4% of the month’s passenger auto sales, with full electrics taking 33.2%, and plugin hybrids taking 22.2%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ireland’s Big 7-GW Offshore Wind Power Push Underway” • In the republic of Ireland, they plan to install 7 GW of offshore wind by 2030. The first step, issuing the Maritime Area Consents, was taken in December 2022. “Seven new projects, amounting to 2.5 GW, will enter the Irish planning system and are expected to take part in ORESS 1.” [CleanTechnica]

Offshore wind farm (Capmat007, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Renewable Sources Set Energy Record In El Salvador” • Last year, the main generators of renewable energy in El Salvador were hydroelectric, geothermal, and solar. In combination, they supplied 83% of the electricity that reached Salvadoran homes, according to the Hydroelectric Executive Commission of the Lempa River [Prensa Latina]

¶ “China Seen Accelerating Wind And Solar Power Installation Under 5-Year Plan, Reaching 2030 Renewable Target Ahead Of Time” • Climate analysts expect China to reach its 2030 goal for renewable energy about five years ahead of schedule, after at least 30 provinces unveiled their respective programs under the national five-year plan. [South China Morning Post]

Solar array (Sungrow EMEA, Unsplash)

¶ “Iberdrola To Install First Floating Solar PV Power Plant” • The Iberdrola group plans to install in Brazil, through its subsidiary Neoenergia, its first floating PV plant. It will be built on the reservoir behind the Xaréu dam on the island of Fernando de Noronha, where Iberdrola is developing various sustainable energy solutions. [Energy Digital Magazine]

US:

¶ “ZF Partners With Beep To Bring Robo-Shuttle To Market” • ZF and US mobility provider Beep have formed an alliance to introduce a new shuttle service in America. They presented the shuttle in Las Vegas at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show. By joining together, ZF and Beep are paving the way for a more convenient mode of transportation. [CleanTechnica]

Autonomous shuttle (image courtesy of ZF)

¶ “TI Claims New Battery Management System Can Increase Range Of Electric Cars” • This week, Texas Instruments was at the Consumer Electronics Show 2023, where it introduced its latest battery cell and battery pack management tools. TI says its battery management tools could increase the range of an electric vehicle by as much as 20%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “House Bill 6 Left Ohio With Least Stringent Clean-Energy Program In US, Study Shows” • Since passage of a 2019 law now embroiled in criminal scandal, Ohio has had the least stringent clean-energy requirements of any US state with a renewable standard, a survey shows. Ohio derives the smallest share of its energy from renewable sources. [Cleveland.com]

Have an acceptably magnificent day.

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World:

¶ “Natural Gas Prices Haven’t Been This Low Since Russia Went To War” • Natural gas prices in Europe and the US have tumbled to levels last seen before Russia sparked a global energy crisis by invading Ukraine. Europe can thank a record-breaking spell of warm weather, as well as its own barnstorming effort last summer to fill gas storage. [CNN]

Gas storage tanks (Patrick Federi, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Geely’s Panda Mini EV Joins A Growing List Of Cool EVs In China” • Geely wants you to “unleash your cuteness” with its new Panda Mini EV that comes with a 64-inch panoramic sun roof (canopy). It starts from about ¥55,800 in China, which is about $8,000. Hopefully, more of these mini EVs will start to find their way to other parts of the world. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Kenya Electricity Generating Company Plans To Install 3,000 MW of Additional Renewable Generation Capacity” • Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC has an installed capacity of 1,904 MW, of which over 86% is from green sources. KenGen now seeks to add 3,000 MW by 2030 and get 100% of its electricity from renewables by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

Geothermal plant (Courtesy of KenGen)

¶ “Nel Bags 120-MW German Electrolyser Order” • Nel has secured a 120-MW electrolyser order from HH2E, a German green hydrogen developer, for a project in the German Baltic coastal town of Lubmin. The expected order is worth more than €30 million. It will become binding with the signing of the final purchase contract. [reNews]

¶ “‘French Renewables Bill Must Not Be Watered Down’” • Ahead of the vote on the country’s Renewable Energy Acceleration Act, WindEurope has called on French policymakers to boost energy security. WindEurope warned that unhelpful amendments to the text could cause the bill to slow down the uptake of renewables instead of speeding it up. [reNews]

Wind farm (WindEurope image)

¶ “Nel And Statkraft Sign Norwegian Hydrogen Deal” • Hydrogen technology company Nel signed a contract with Statkraft for 40 MW of electrolysers and to develop a Norwegian green hydrogen value chain. Statkraft aims to bring its annual development rate to 4 GW of new power production and to add 2 GW of renewable hydrogen production by 2030. [reNews]

¶ “Climate Change Is Leaving African Elephants Desperate For Water” • African elephant numbers have dropped from about 26 million in the 1800s to 415,000 today. While this is largely due to European colonisation, poaching and habitat loss, these majestic animals now face another grave challenge. Drought is leaving them without sufficient water. [Devdiscourse]

Elephant mother and child (Casey Allen, Unsplash)

¶ “International Nuclear Fusion Energy Project Faces Delays, Say Scientists” • A little less than a month after scientists working on a nuclear fusion project in the US made a major breakthrough, some not-so-good news has come for other scientists working on a similar international project. The dates in a projected timeline for production were not realistic. [WION]

US:

¶ “Great Salt Lake Will Disappear In Five Years Without Massive ‘Emergency Rescue,’ Scientists Say” • Utah’s Great Salt Lake is facing “unprecedented danger,” experts say, It has fallen to an alarmingly low levels in a megadrought fueled by climate change. A dire report calls for “emergency measures” to save the Great Salt Lake from going dry. [CNN]

Great Salt Lake (Patrick Hendry, Unsplash)

¶ “EPA Is Proposing A New Rule To Crack Down On Deadly Air Pollution” • For the first time since 2012, the US EPAis proposing an update to the federal air quality standard for fine soot. It is a step that has long been awaited to reduce deadly air pollution. It would reduce the amount of particulate matter, called PM2.5, allowed to be in outdoor air. [CNN]

¶ “Widespread Damage To The California Coast In The Wake Of Major Storms” • A deadly storm has inflicted widespread damage in northern California, dumping record-breaking rain along the coastline. Waves washed away walls of homes, while mudslides, sinkholes, and flooding were reported throughout the region. Two deaths have also been reported. [BBC]

Window smashed by a wave (Cambria fire department)

¶ “Joe Biden Making Great Climate Progress, But US Misses Self-Imposed Deadlines For Several Environmental Goals” • As soon as he took office, Joe Biden recognized the “maximum threat” of climate change and created a White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy. Here is a look at what has been accomplished, and what has not been. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Mercury Marine Unveils Its First Electric Outboard Boat Motor” • Mercury Motors presented its all-new Avator™ 7.5e electric outboard at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It is a revolutionary accomplishment, as it is both the first of its kind from Mercury and one of many slated to be released this year! [CleanTechnica]

Boat with an electric outboard motor (Mercury Marine image)

¶ “What To Know About Home Depot’s New Energy Deal” • The Home Depot recently announced plans for all its facilities to be powered by solar energy by 2030. The company purchased 100 MW of solar energy from National Grid Renewables in Denton County, Texas. This purchase is the equivalent of 8% of Home Depot’s total electricity use. [House Digest]

¶ “UCS Commends Vox Media Ban On Fossil-Fuel Advertising” • Vox Media confirmed this week that the company will no longer accept advertising revenue from fossil-fuel companies or groups that do lobbying in support of fossil-fuel companies. Vox Media owns New York Magazine and Vox, among other widely read publications. [Union of Concerned Scientists]

Have a conveniently grand day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Flying Boats And Other Tech For Cleaner Shipping” • The Pioneer is an electric foiling workboat developed by Artemis Technologies. The foil, a wing-like structure beneath the boat, lifts the hull out of the water, reducing drag. Combine that with an electric motor, Artemis says, and you have a vessel with 90% reduced fuel costs and no emissions. [BBC]

Artemis Technologies electric boat (Artemis Technologies image)

World:

¶ “Germany And Norway Will Build A Big Hydrogen Pipeline” • German power producer RWE and Norwegian energy firm Equinor announced plans to build hydrogen-fueled power plants in Germany over the next few years, as well as a major pipeline between the two countries to feed them. They will use methane to make hydrogen and perform carbon capture. [CNN]

¶ “Up To Half Of The World’s Glaciers Could Disappear Even If Ambitious Climate Targets Are Hit” • Glaciers will lose far more ice, causing more sea level rise than current scientific estimates project, a study shows. Researchers found that up to half of all glaciers could be lost by the end of the century, even given the world’s ambitious global climate actions. [CNN]

Perito Moreno Glacier (Birger Strahl, Unsplash)

¶ “Sierra Madre: Fighting To Save What’s Left Of A Rainforest” • The Sierra Madre is the backbone of Luzon, the island in the Philippines. Stretching for more than 500 km (310 miles), her peaks are thought to shield the 64 million people from the worst of strong typhoons. But 90% of the original rainforest is gone, so lanslides and flash floods are common. [BBC]

¶ “New Zealand Achieves 30% Plugin Vehicle Penetration” • Back in August, CleanTechnica broke the news that New Zealand had reached a point that 12% vehicle sales were plugins. Now, New Zealand has bumped that up to 30%! Part of that difference centered around one-off factors, but a big part was that Tesla models are finally available. [CleanTechnica]

New Zealand landscape (Tobias Keller, Unsplash)

¶ “Aussie Miners Consider The Renewable Option” • Aussie miners may be the most efficient and well governed companies in the world. It is only natural that they consider using renewable energy and head toward net-zero emissions. Mines use massive amounts of power 24/7, so hybrid options including wind, solar, hydro, and batteries are the best option. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “France’s EVs Take Record Quarter Share Of Market” • For December French plugin EVs grew to take 25.0% share of the auto market, up fractionally from 24.4% a year ago. Overall auto volumes for the month were flat year on year, but full year 2022 volumes were down almost 8% on 2021. The Dacia Spring was December’s bestselling BEV. [CleanTechnica]

Dacia Spring (© M 93, CC-BY-SA 3.0 Germany)

¶ “Germany Generated A Historical Amount Of Electricity From Wind Energy This Week” • On January 4, Germany set a wind energy record. European Energy Exchange data showed wind farms nationwide had produced more than 50,000 MW of power, resulting in the highest production of electricity ever from wind turbines. [Green Matters]

¶ “Global Renewable Power Capacity To Double In Five Years: IEA Report” • The global capacity of renewable power generation is expected to almost double over the next five years as countries step up efforts to deal with the energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a report by the International Energy Agency has shown. [毎日新聞, The Mainichi]

Rooftop solar system in a village (Pixabay, Pexels)

¶ “UK’s 2022 Was Hottest Year On Record, Says Forecaster” • The UK experienced its hottest year on record in 2022, the national weather service said. Human-induced climate change made what would normally be a once-in-500-year event likely to happen every three or four years. Since 1884, all the ten warmest years have occurred after 2003. [Devdiscourse]

¶ “Wind Power Hits Record As Turbines Deliver Over A Quarter Of UK Electricity In 2022” • Data from National Grid show wind was the second largest source of electricity over 2022, supplying 26.8%. It represents a gain of five percentage points compared to 2021. Wind now accounts for a greater proportion of the UK’s electricity mix than nuclear. [The Telegraph]

Wind turbines (Sam Forson, Pexels)

US:

¶ “Evacuations Ordered In California As Deadly Storm Slams Into Coast” • Heavy rain and powerful winds are pounding the northern California coast and forecasters have warned people to expect more flooding and mudslides. California has been under a state of emergency since Wednesday. Over 160,000 home and businesses have lost power. [BBC]

¶ “The Hardest Part of Electric School Buses, Made Easier” • The EPA’s Clean School Bus Program is investing $5 billion over five years in clean school buses, and almost all of them electric so far. It’s easy to focus just on the electric school buses themselves. They’re big, photogenic, quiet, and emit no bad smells. But they do need chargers. [CleanTechnica]

Lion electric school bus (Lion image)

¶ “Solar Projects Help Meet California’s Green Energy Goals, But There’s More To The Story” • To the east of Palm Springs, on an expanse of desert called Victory Pass, construction workers drive row after row of big metal posts into the desert floor. They will hold enough solar panels to power more than 130,000 homes. But at what cost to the fragile desert? [KCRW]

¶ “Rhode Island Aims To Be First To Use Inflation Reduction Act To Deploy Solar For Low-Income Homeowners” • Rhode Island is seeking a company to partner with two state agencies to deploy solar on low-to-moderate income, or LMI, single-family homes using environmental justice tax credits that are in the Inflation Reduction Act. [Utility Dive]

Have a thoroughly exuberant day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Electric Vehicle Misconceptions: Managed!” • Most consumers and fleet managers aren’t familiar with EVs, and thus have some concerns about thems that are not based in reality. We’re going to address some common EV myths here and bust them open. Some myths are just black and white issues, and some are more nuanced. We’ll look at both types. [CleanTechnica]

EV charging (Michael Fousert, Unsplash)

¶ “Should The US Mandate Food Waste Composting?” • Should the US mandate food excess composting? What other solutions might work to reduce methane emissions in landfills? How does the use of digital technology, which has been accessed more and more since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, offer hopes to further reduce food waste? [CleanTechnica]

¶ “No ‘Winter Of Discontent’ For West, But Energy Realities Still Hit Home” • After Russia invaded Ukraine, oil prices soared and Moscow choked off almost all the natural gas it fed to Europe. But the resulting energy crisis did not go the way Vladimir Putin planned. It united the world around the idea that energy security is paramount. [Christian Science Monitor]

Gas works (Ratul Ghosh, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Green Surge Is Circuit Breaker On Nuclear Revival” • Nuclear power received what seem like two plum gifts for 2023. High energy prices and the desire to decarbonize spurred renewed interest in nuclear technology, which provides about 10% of the world’s electricity supply. But a surging supply of green power is likely to limit any renaissance. [Nasdaq]

¶ “How France’s Prized Nuclear Sector Stalled In Europe’s Hour Of Need” • France should be in a strong position as Europe reels from an energy crisis, drawing on its notable nuclear industry. But the French nuclear sector has been going through a rough patch. Analysts blame a mixture of bad luck and a political deal from a decade ago. [MSN]

Cooling towers (Johannes Plenio, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “BYD Hits Nearly 1 Million BEV Sales In 2022” • Overall, BYD sold 1,863,494 plugin vehicles in 2022. The company sold 911,140 battery EVs. Tesla was the first automaker to surpass 1 million BEV sales in a year, scoring 1.31 million sales in 2022, but BYD is not that far behind on that milestone. It will surely be the second automaker to reach it. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Zambia Increases Load-Shedding To 12 Hours A Day!” • Water levels in Kariba Dam are dangerously low, mainly due to climate change-induced irregular rainfall patterns. The dam’s hydro plants provide power to Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Zambezi River Authority directed power companies in both countries to reduce generation at Kariba. [CleanTechnica]

Kariba Dam (Manfidza, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Norway’s EV Sales Explode Ahead Of Policy Changes” • The Norwegian auto market saw plugin EV volume explode to take 87.6% share in December, with huge numbers of BEVs registered, and overall auto volumes double those of seasonal norms. The freak volume in December 2022 resulted from one-off effects ahead of new policies and taxes. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Duo Plan Greenland’s ‘First’ Commercial Wind Project” • H2Carrier and Greenland-based company Anori have signed a Letter of Intent to develop the first commercial wind farm in Greenland. The 1.5-GW wind farm is intended to supply power to H2Carrier’s vessel, P2XFloater, for on-board production of hydrogen and green ammonia. [reNews]

P2XFloater (H2Carrier image)

¶ “UK Urged To Introduce Onshore Wind Targets” • Targets for onshore wind as well as for tidal energy will help the UK to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels, an Environmental Audit Committee report says. It details a string of measures the UK needs to take to reduce its fossil fuel dependency, which accounts for 78% of the UK’s energy needs. [reNews]

¶ “How Chile Is Becoming A Leader In Renewable Energy” • As the effects of climate change become more apparent, countries around the world are facing a similar dilemma – how to reduce carbon emissions without causing economic damage. Chile could offer policymakers around the world a playbook for transitioning to renewable energy. [The World Economic Forum]

Wind farm in Chile (Rosario Nieto Chadwick, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Battery Energy Storage System Global Market Report 2022: Ukraine-Russia War Impact” • The global battery energy storage system market is expected to grow from $3.36 billion in 2021 to $4.34 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate of 29.1%. The growth comes after Russia invaded Ukraine, disrupting the recovery from the pandemic. [Yahoo Finance]

US:

¶ “Powerful Bomb Cyclone Slams Into California With Hurricane-Force Winds And Heavy Rain” • A powerful bomb cyclone slammed into the California coast Wednesday night, lashing the state with heavy downpours and hurricane-force winds as the storm advanced onshore. Peak wind gusts at 85 mph were recorded in Nicasio Hills. [CNN]

Storm (Dan Meyers, Unsplash)

¶ “LLNL’s Energy Flow Diagrams Show The US Isn’t Moving The Needle On Climate Action” • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has published energy flow diagrams for the US since 2010. Looking at this chart and others like it, we can see that in seven years of electrification and deployment of wind and solar, the US barely budged the needle. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Texas Ag Agency Says Climate Change Threatens State’s Food Supply” • On the heels of a historic drought that has devastated crops from the High Plains to South Texas, a report from the Texas Department of Agriculture has linked climate change with food insecurity and identified it as a potential threat to the state’s food supply. [KVUE]

Have a steadfastly edifying day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Peter Sterling: A Vermont Solution To Fighting Climate Change: 100% Renewable Energy” • It’s 2023 and the question is no longer “is climate change here” but “what is Vermont going to do to stop it?” We already have a law in place, the 2015 Renewable Energy Standard, that takes us part way there. It’s time to take the next step. [Caledonian Record]

Vermont (Kevin Davison, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “The Promise Of Batteries That Come From Trees” • As demand for EVs soars, scientists are searching for materials to make sustainable batteries. Lignin, a constituent of wood, is shaping up to be a strong contender. Stora Enso, a forestry company in Finland, hired engineers to look into the possibility of using lignin to make batteries. [BBC]

World:

¶ “Snow Shortage Threatens Alps With Wet Winter Season” • Across the Alps, unseasonably warm wet weather has put a real damper on the start of the ski season. Resorts around Salzburg last had snow a month ago. In Chamonix, France, a shortage of water idled snow cannons. Some Swiss resorts opened their summer biking trails. [BBC]

Alps (Ricardo Gomez Angel, Unsplash)

¶ “Now 13% Of New Vehicle Sales Globally Are 100% Electric Vehicles!” • Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 46% in November 2022 compared to November 2021, to 1,060,000 units, a new record, beating the 1,040,000 registrations of the month of September. Altogether, 18% of new vehicles sold across the world have a plug. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Top Five Automakers For Electric Vehicle Sales Globally” • BYD continued its rise in November, up to an 18.4% share of the plugin market. Tesla increased its share to 13%. Also in the top five were Volkswagen Group, SAIC, and Geely-Volvo. Tesla stood out among full battery EVs, with an 18.1% share, while BYD came in second with a 12.7% share. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Seal (GZrex, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “In Europe, 17.3% Of New Cars Are Fully Electric, 27.7% Have A Plug” • The European automotive market is back in the black, with a 17% growth rate in November. Things are even better for the plugin vehicle market. About 281,000 plugin vehicles were registered in November, 26% growth compared to the same month of 2021, setting a record. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Brazil Connects 6.5 GW Of Non-Hydro Renewables In 2022” • Brazil gave the go-ahead to 6,504.7 MW of wind, solar, and biomass power plants to operate in 2022, power sector regulator Aneel announced. Overall, the country added 8,235.1 MW of capacity last year. Wind parks accounted for 2,922.5 MW, while solar provide 2,677.3 MW. [Renewables Now]

Omega Energia Brazilian wind park (Omega Energia image)

¶ “Germany Delays Emissions Goals Despite Renewable Energy Boom” • Berlin aims to become carbon-neutral by 2045 and to cut 65% of emissions by 2030 compared with 1990, but short-term measures to ensure energy security following Russia’s attack against Ukraine left it behind schedule. Germany’s CO₂ emissions held steady last year. [TRT World]

¶ “Wind Power Sets Third Generation Record In A Year” • A new wind energy record was set last week in the UK, National Grid ESO confirmed. Wind power generated 20.918 GW of electricity over a half-hour period on 30 December 2022. Trade body RenewableUK said that wind energy provided 61.4% of the UK’s power that day. [reNews]

Wind turbines (Waldemar Brandt, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “California Braces For More ‘Brutal’ Flooding And Mudslides As Experts Warn It Won’t Quench Historic Drought” • Parts of drought-plagued California are facing an onslaught of powerful storms, bringing flooding rainfall and even mud and debris flows to the state. The entire state will see impacts of the storm, but it won’t be enough to end the drought. [CNN]

¶ “Demand For Chevy Bolt EV/EUV Spikes, Dealers Salivate” • For many of us, an EV that starts under $30,000 is ideal because it’s what we can afford. Even people who can afford a Tesla at over $50,000 would rather keep their monthly budget open for other things. The Chevy Bolt may not be the best EV, but it fits what many people want. [CleanTechnica]

Chevrolet Bolt EV (Greg Gjerdingen, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “US Army Tests A New Flow Battery From Lockheed Martin” • The US Army is one step towards its goal of reducing fossil fuel use, as a new flow battery from Lockheed Martin is to be tested at Fort Carson in Colorado. If all goes according to plan, the new battery will be installed at Department of Defense facilities, both within the US and overseas. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Top 20 NREL Stories Of 2022” • Throughout 2022, researchers, staff, and leadership at the US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory were hard at work. As the year draws to a close, we look back at some of the laboratory’s most impactful accomplishments from 2022 that are helping to build a clean energy future for the world. [CleanTechnica]

Energy Secretary Granholm speaking (Werner Slocum, NREL)

¶ “Massachusetts Approves Commonwealth And Mayflower PPAs” • The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities has approved the power purchase agreements for the Mayflower and Commonwealth Wind offshore wind farms. The decision comes despite concerns raised by both developers over the financial viability of the sites under the current terms. [reNews]

¶ “FirstEnergy Agrees To Pay $3.9 Million For Failing To Tell FERC About Energy Bill Bribery Payments” • FirstEnergy is working through issues related to bribes it doled out in support of HB 6, energy legislation in Ohio that provided about $1 billion to two nuclear power plants owned by a former subsidiary, now called Energy Harbor. [Utility Dive]

Have an altogether amusing day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Falling Solar Panel Prices In China Will Impact Countries Around The World” • A glut of polysilicon led leading Chinese solar panel manufacturers to lower their prices by up to 27%. This could not come at a better time for Europe, which is racing to install large numbers of solar panels to offset the loss of cheap methane from Russia. [CleanTechnica]

Solar panels (Thomas Coker, Unsplash)

¶ “Four Reasons To Give Up Defending Fossil Fuels” • Here are four reasons that businesses, asset managers, governments, and individual investors should avoid fossil fuels: Fossil fuels can’t compete with renewable energy. They are unacceptable risks. They can’t be trusted. They have sacrificed their social licenses to operate. That is just a start. [The Hill]

¶ “Nuclear Is Not The Answer To The UK’s Energy Needs” • The government and the opposition have completely ignored a number of warnings, and they go doggedly on, supporting the construction of the nuclear reactor at Sizewell and considering plans to build others. But nuclear is not the answer to the UK’s energy requirements. [The Guardian]

Sizewell B (John Brodrick, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

Science and Technology:

¶ “The Wait For Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Aircraft Just Got Shorter” • Batteries and fuel cells have scaled up for semi trucks, locomotives, and construction vehicles along with stationary energy storage. Sending them up on an airplane is a different matter entirely, but recent activity indicates that zero emission aircraft are close at hand. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “India Readies $2.2 Billion In Incentives For Green Hydrogen” • The Indian government could soon announce an incentive program worth $2.2 billion to help reduce the production of cost of green hydrogen. According to Reuters, the incentive package could be part of next year’s budget scheduled to be tabled in India’s parliament on February 1. [CleanTechnica]

India’s Parliament House (David Castor, public domain)

¶ “BERC Approves Bihar DISCOMs To Procure 600 MW Of Solar Power At ₹2.50/kWh” • The Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission gave the state distribution companies permission to buy 600 MW of solar power from the Solar Energy Corporation of India or a period of 25 years at a rate of ₹2.50/kWh (3.0¢/kWh) and a trading margin of ₹0.07/kWh. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Power Sector Seeks Solutions For Supply Chain Issues” • The pandemic has exposed issues with the global supply chain that provides resources for power generation and energy storage. The pressure of having enough equipment to meet industry needs has spurred an emphasis on domestic manufacturing in the US and elsewhere. [POWER Magazine]

President Biden (Werner Slocum, NREL)

¶ “2022 Another Remarkable Year For Australian Renewables” • Not many years ago, some so-called experts claimed more than 20% renewables would be a disaster for the electricity grid. In 2022, Queensland had the lowest portion of renewable electricity at 22.4%, New South Wales was next lowest at 27.7%, and the other states ranged from 38.2% to 93.1%. [SolarQuotes]

¶ “Renewable Energy Jobs On The Rise” • In 2021, renewable energy jobs reached 12.7 million globally in a trend that’s set to continue. They grew by around 700,000 between 2020 and 2021, according to the Renewable Energy and Jobs Annual Review 2022 by IRENA. The highest number of renewable energy jobs are for solar power, at 4.3 million. [Oil Price]

Installing rooftop solar (Bill Mead, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Major Winter Storm Threatens Powerful Tornadoes And Flooding In The South And Heavy Snow And Freezing Rain Across The Plains And Midwest” • Leaving California with floods, a major storm is likely to pull moisture from a very warm Gulf of Mexico for severe thunderstorms in the South. The Plains and Upper Midwest will get ice and snow. [CNN]

¶ “EPA Can Now Regulate Waterways – A Huge Shift After A Decade Of Legal Challenges” • It’s amazing what difference a US federal rule can make. With the stroke of a presidential pen, the US EPA can now regulate and protect hundreds of thousands of small streams, wetlands, and other waterways. Of course, the Supreme Court could change that. [CleanTechnica]

Stream (Rahul Dey, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Battery Manufacturing Is Creating Lots And Lots And Lots Of Jobs” • With the demand for EVs on the rise, new Battery Belt factories are reinventing the workplace in many communities of the Rust Belt. Battery manufacturing is creating new economic development opportunities – and no college degree is needed to qualify for employment. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Human Waste And Climate Change Are Destroying Old Cape Cod” • The Cape is a magical place. Towns along Cape Cod Bay are so quaint and perfectly preserved they make you feel like you have stepped back in time a century or two. Sadly, that Cape Cod is dying. It is literally drowning in the detritus of civilization, pollution and climate change. [CleanTechnica]

Cape Cod National Seashore (National Park Service image)

¶ “Fossil Fuel Power Fell Up To 68% As Blackouts Hit US South” • Duke Energy Corp and the Tennessee Valley Authority cut power to homes and businesses during the holiday season at a time when an extreme winter storm pounded the South. The outages were due to major generating failures at plants powered by coal and natural gas. [Rigzone]

¶ “Youngkin Wants A Small Nuclear Reactor In Southwestern Virginia. Here’s What We Know About Nuclear Waste Disposal In Virginia” • A number of questions swirl around the governor’s plan to put a small modular nuclear reactor in Southwest Virginia. Many of them center around concerns about the waste it would produce. [Cardinal News]

Have a spectacularly beautiful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Tesla In 2022 – Stats, Factory Progress, Milestones” • 2022 has been a big year for Tesla, with the automaker surpassing some key milestones despite a bear market. Tesla is heading into 2023 with substantially increased production output, a growing charging infrastructure and energy sector, and firm financials to back these milestones up. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla store (Image courtesy of Tesla)

¶ “Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine Has Forever Changed How The World Does Science” • Despite widespread Western support for Ukraine, it is difficult to disentangle US scientific and technical collaborations with Russia. American scientists themselves resist, arguing that their work is too important and urgent to disrupt, especially relating to climate change. [Yahoo News]

Science and Technology:

¶ “The Hidden Underwater Forests That Could Help Tackle The Climate Crisis” • Seaweed forests can act as a vital buffer against the climate crisis, absorbing carbon dioxide from seawater and the atmosphere. Ocean forests may store as much carbon as the Amazon rainforest, according to one analysis. But there is a lot about it that is unknown. [The Guardian]

Kelp (Peter Southwood, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

World:

¶ “Delhi Proposes 6-GW Solar Power Target” • Media reports say the government National Capital Territory of Delhi issued a draft solar power policy that set a goal of 6 GW of solar power capacity installed by the end of 2025. With this, the government hopes to increase the share of solar power in Delhi’s power consumption from current 9% to 25%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Highland Peatbog Seeking Worldwide Recognition” • In the 1970s, peatbogs were drained as huge diggers made massive ditches for planting non-native trees for commercial forestry. Then the environmental damage became clear. Now a vast area of peatbog in Scotland’s Flow Country could become one of Unesco’s newest World Heritage sites. [BBC]

Flow country (Jayzed kay, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “EU To ‘Decouple Gas And Renewables Prices’” • The European Union is planning to decouple market prices for renewables and gas as part of a revamp of the bloc’s energy policy. The Financial Times reported that Brussels wants to prioritise cheaper green power, and that would upend the current system that generally sees fossil fuels set the market rate. [reNews]

¶ “Tata Power To Set Up 255-MW Wind-Solar Project For Indian Utility” • Tata Power Renewable Energy has secured a letter of award from Tata Power Delhi Distribution to set up a 255 MW hybrid power project in the Indian state of Karnataka, featuring 170 MW of wind and 85 MW of solar. Tata Power RE currently has 6.05 GW of capacity. [PV Magazine]

Windpower (Karsten Würth, Unsplash)

¶ “How China’s Solar Panel Price War Could Drive Renewable Energy Installations Globally” • Amid falling costs of polysilicon, due to excess supply, leading Chinese manufacturers Longi Green Energy Technology, TCL Zhonghuan, and Tongwei Solar reduced prices by as much as 27%, according to the China Silicon Industry Association. [South China Morning Post]

¶ “Railways Rolls Out Energy Efficiency Plan To Meet 2030 Net-Zero Target” • India’s railways ministry rolled out an energy efficiency plan to be carbon-neutral by 2030. The ministry is looking to reduce overall energy use with efficient operations and increased use of renewables. Non-traction uses account for over 2,100 GWh per year. [Business Standard]

Sabroom Railway Station (Apurba Biswas, public domain)

¶ “Britain Opens Nuclear Fuel Fund With Goal Of Cutting Its Dependence On Russia” • The UK has a £75 million ($90.5 million) fund aimed to help boost domestic production of nuclear fuel for power plants and cutting reliance on Russian uranium supplies. It is ready to process grant applications from businesses involved in uranium conversion. [CNBC]

US:

¶ “Epic Flooding Leads To Water Rescues And Highway Closures In California As The Storm System Threatens More States” • A massive storm has caused life-threatening flooding in California and is pushing east. At least two people have been killed and scores of others rescued from the flooding in parts of northern California over the weekend. [CNN]

Please click on the image to enlarge it. (NOAA image)

¶ “$4,000 Tax Credit For Used EVs Under $25,000 Starts Now, But When Will Tesla Model 3 Be Eligible?” • EVs have become increasingly popular in recent years due to their environmental benefits and cost savings, among other reasons. Now, EVs that are at least two years old, selling for under $25,000 may be eligable for incentives. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Toyota To Study V2G In Texas In 2023” • Toyota Motor North America and Oncor Electric Delivery, a Texas-based electric transmission and distribution company, have collaboratively established a novel Vehicle-to-Grid technology pilot project. This research equips Toyota and Oncor to support EV charging more effectively in America. [CleanTechnica]

Toyota EV (Toyota image)

¶ “Two Partnerships Expand Access To Clean Energy And Transport In The Eastern US” • As we close the year out, we should mention a couple of neat energy projects we learned about this month from the eastern US. They help increase access to clean energy and clean transport, but they also help level the playing field in other ways. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New York – 6 GW Of Energy Storage By 2030 Proposed” • A roadmap to have 6 GW of energy storage in New York State by 2030 is to be considered by the NY PUC. That is at least 20% of the state’s peak electricity load. The roadmap proposes adding 3 GW of bulk storage, 1.5 GW of retail storage and 200 MW of residential storage. [Power Engineering International]

Have an amply pleasant day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Sorghum: Harnessing The Power Of Climate Smart Crops” • As we begin to see the effects of climate change, it is clear that not all crops will be reliable producers in the long term. Extreme weather patterns and changing ecosystems pose a threat to many of the sources of food and energy we rely on. Sorghum, however, is up to the challenge. [The Business Journals]

Sorghum (Larry Rana, USDA, public domain)

World:

¶ “What Happened To The World’s Ozone Hole?” • Back in the 1990s, the hole in the planet’s ozone layer was a pressing global crisis. To address the issue, the Montreal Protocol was signed by every country on Earth – to date the only treaty to be universally ratified. Unfortunately, the scope of climate change makes it much more difficult to address. [BBC]

¶ “Happisburgh: The Norfolk Village Crumbling Into The Sea” • Happisburgh and other parts of the Norfolk coast have the highest number of properties at risk from coastal erosion in England. During the last 20 years, 34 homes have crumbled into the water in Happisburgh because of coastal erosion. The erosion is linked to the changing climate. [BBC]

Erosion defence (DS Pugh, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Victoria’s Roadmap From Gas To Electricity” • The Australian state of Victoria is making headlines as it moves from brown coal to wind and from fossil fuel gas to battery-firmed solar. As such, it is making a great effort to take the general public along for the journey along Victoria’s Roadmap, with education playing a key role in the process. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “3D-Printed Electric Car Whipped Up By Canadian Auto Parts Companies” • 3D printing has steadily wormed its way into the auto parts field. Everyone wants a piece of the action, including Canadian auto parts suppliers. They are breaking out of the pack with Project Arrow, an electric car featuring a fully functional 3D-printed chassis. [CleanTechnica]

Project Arrow electric car (Courtesy of Project Arrow)

¶ “Greener Power: India To Produce Half Of Its Energy Needs From Renewable Sources By 2030” • India is projected to surpass the government’s target of producing half of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2030. While solar and wind projects dominate, newer trends, such as microgrids, are redefining the energy paradigm. [The New Indian Express]

¶ “Awesome Dutch BEV Sales In 2023” • The Dutch market for first-time battery EV buyers may grow a little, perhaps from 20% market share to 25% in 2023. But a market of BEV replacement orders is starting, perhaps reaching 15% market share. The whole year could be over 40% BEV market share, growing to 50% at the end of the year. [CleanTechnica]

Amsterdam (Azhar J, Unsplash)

¶ “Nuclear Plants Face Shutdown Over Tax On Windfalls” • EDF, which operates all five of the UK’s operating nuclear plants, said the Chancellor’s raid on power producers will make it harder to keep the ageing Heysham 1 and Hartlepool stations open as long as hoped. It would mean the sites close in March 2024, removing a “cushion” of spare capacity. [MSN]

US:

¶ “New (Green) Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trucks, New Hope For Nikola” • The US startup Nikola got off to a rough start after it launched in 2014, but things have been looking up for the zero emission automaker of late. The company is finally on track to bring its promised Tre hydrogen fuel cell truck to the market for long-distance shipping. [CleanTechnica]

Tre hydrogen fuel cell truck (Courtesy of Nikola)

¶ “New Mexico EV Charging Stations Update (Some Got A Second Jolt Of Cash)” • New Mexico charging stations have been having supply chain issues. In Alamogordo, Allsup’s had built a new station, and everything was in place except for one very notable thing: the stations themselves. Here is an update on how things are going in the state. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Massive Tesla Supercharger Buildout In Response To Massive Sales Of Model Y, 3, S, And X” • The I-15 (Salt Lake City and Saint George, Utah corridor to Las Vegas, Nevada, and on to Southern California) corridor has become a very heavily traveled route for Tesla vehicles. The Tesla Supercharger buildout and use along this route has become really clear. [CleanTechnica]

I-15 in Arizona (NWAyeah, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “California Offshore Wind Promises A New Gold Rush While Reducing Emissions” • Installation of enormous floating wind turbines needed to turn West Coast ocean gales into clean electricity may be years off, but results of a federal lease auction this month off California promised to kickstart a work boom on the state’s northern and central coasts. [OPB]

¶ “Warming Waters Are Driving Bering Sea Crashes, But Alaska’s Fishing Industry Is Quiet On Climate” • The number of snow crabs in the Bering Sea is down by billions, devastating Alaska’s crab fishing fleet. Many people at a meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council blamed trawlers. Scientists say climate change is the likely culprit. [Alaska Beacon]

Have an inspiringly fortunate day.

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geoharvey is not tax-deductible.