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.
geoharvey 