Opinion:
¶ “How China Achieved Its Clean Tech Dominance” • China holds a commanding lead in manufacturing most low-carbon technologies and looks likely to remain highly competitive. But the landscape is nuanced and varies by technology. There is still potential for other countries to catch up, and thus diversify global supply chains. [Energy Intelligence]
Great Wall of China (Pixy.org, CC0, public domain)
¶ “Fossil Fuel Companies Won’t Save Us From Climate Change. We Need Governments To Step Up” • The early contender for the least surprising newsflash of the year: Fossil fuel companies will not, of their own volition, save us from climate breakdown. So will government step up to drive an efficient shift away from fossil fuels? Or will it prop them up? [The Guardian]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Common Kinds Of Air Pollution Led To Changes In Teens’ Blood Pressure” • Exposure to higher levels of nitrogen dioxide was associated with lower blood pressure in teens, said a study published in the journal PLOS One. Exposure to particulate matter 2.5, also known as particle pollution, was associated with higher blood pressure. [CNN]
New York City (Pétrin Express, Unsplash)
¶ “Dust From The Moon Could Help Slow Climate Change, Study Finds” • The study, published in the journal PLoS Climate, explains how a cloud of lunar dust could be put between the Earth and the sun to block some solar radiation and reduce global warming. Some scientists say this is a bad idea. Also, its cost is estimated to be $1 trillion. [The Hill]
World:
¶ “Big Oil Faces Scrutiny After Huge Jump In Profits” • BP, Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Total Energies raked in record billion in profits in 2022, benefiting from the surge in oil and gas prices that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The companies are not doing more work or investing in anything. They are just taking huge profits at the expense of customers. [CNN]
Offshore oil rig (Pixy.org, CC0, public domain)
¶ “Australia Rejects A Coal Mine Near Great Barrier Reef Due To Risk Of ‘Irreversible Damage’” • A proposed open-cut coal mine near the Great Barrier Reef was turned down by the Australian government, which cited environmental laws and the risk of “irreversible damage.” The mining project would have been less than 10 km (6.2 miles) from the reef. [CNN]
¶ “Droughts Leave Cargo Riverboats High And Dry” • Increased droughts are forcing shipping companies to abandon some of the world’s main river cargo routes, warns Ann Christina Sloek-Andersen, a senior director at global shipping giant Maersk. On the Rhine, record low water levels meant some vessels were able to carry just 25% of their usual load. [BBC]
Shipping on the Rhine near Koblenz (Holger Schué, Pexels)
¶ “Arnott’s Group Links With Stanwell In Shift To Renewables” • Queensland government-owned utility Stanwell will supply Arnott’s Group with more than 68 GWh of renewable energy as part of an eight-year power purchase agreement. It will enable all operations at a company’s biscuit factory in Brisbane to run on clean energy. [pv magazine Australia]
¶ “Cauchari Solar Initiative Giving Argentina A Boost Into Clean Energy Future” • The largest solar project in South America sits at over 13,000 feet above sea level in the far north of Argentina. In 2019, it had over 1,000,000 solar panels generating power for 160,000 homes. With a new expansion, it will be able to provide electricity to 260,000 homes. [CleanTechnica]
Cauchari III (Manuel arequipa, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
¶ “GE Grid Solutions Wins Order To Modernize 39 Substations In Nepal” • GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business has announced that it was awarded a multi-million dollar contract from Nepal Electricity Authority to automate 39 substations of various ratings across Nepal, including building six Master Control Centers. [General Electric]
¶ “France In New Row With Germany And Spain Over Nuclear-Derived Hydrogen” • A new row has erupted between France, Germany and Spain over nuclear energy, with Paris furious about a lack of support from Berlin and Madrid for its efforts to have nuclear-derived hydrogen, which is labelled as ‘green’ in EU legislation, sources said. [EURACTIV.com]
French nuclear plant (Romainbehar, CC0 1.0, public domain)
US:
¶ “Electric Vehicle Battery Investments Ballooned In 2022” • EVs only represent about 6% of new vehicle sales in the US, but a big shift toward battery projects suggests rapid growth in the coming years. Research from think tank Atlas Public Policy shows over $128 billion in announced US investments in EVs, battery plants, and battery recycling in recent years. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Hurry, Chevy Bolts Down An Astonishing 47% To $19,995 Until March! (Net After Tax Credit)” • In 2021, the price of a Chevy Bolt was $37,495. Now, with a couple of price cuts the 2023 price is $27,495 (if you can find a dealer in your area that will sell it at MSRP). With Federal incentives, which are available until March, a Bolt can be had for $19,995. [CleanTechnica]
Chevy Bolt (Greg Gjerdingen, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “SK Battery America Factory Is Hiring More People Than Expected” • SK Battery America went through a long struggle to get its battery factory in the state of Georgia approved and under construction. Now the news is that it is employing people to work in the plant. And instead of the 2,600 envisioned, it is going to hire 3,000. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Ameren Missouri Is Expanding Solar Generation With The Largest Project In The Company History” • Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation, announced a big step toward bringing more renewable energy to customers. It has got a key approval in the planned acquisition of the its largest solar facility, a 200-MW solar plant. [PR Newswire]
Have a universally admired day.
geoharvey 
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