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.
geoharvey 
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