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.
geoharvey 