Science and Technology:
¶ “Sakuu Announces 3D-Printed Solid-State Battery Success” • Sakuu announced it has successfully and consistently fabricated 3D-printed, fully functional batteries in custom shapes and sizes at its Silicon Valley battery pilot facility since December of last year. The battery cells contain patterned openings for thermal management. [CleanTechnica]
Sakuu prototype production line (Courtesy of Sakuu)
¶ “Vestas Has A Solution For Recycling Old Wind Turbine Blades Into New Ones” • The world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer, Vestas, has just announced a novel process for turning old wind turbine blades into new ones, and considering the ink spilled claiming that old blades are “piling up” in landfills, this could be a game-changer. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “The Race Across Europe To Build Green Steel Plants” • A small town in Sweden’s frozen north is on course to produce Europe’s first commercial green steel. Steel production is responsible for around 7% of all greenhouse gas emissions. But the new plant will use hydrogen technology, designed to cut emissions by as much as 95%. And others are coming. [BBC]
Green steel plant (H2 Green Steel image)
¶ “Antarctica Sea-Ice Hits New Record Low” • There is now less sea-ice surrounding the Antarctic continent than at any time since we began using satellites to measure it in the late 1970s. It is the southern hemisphere summer, when you’d expect less sea-ice, but this year is exceptional, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. [BBC]
¶ “Sonnen And TenneT Power German Grid With Electric Cars” • TenneT and sonnen announced that they powered the German grid with electric cars. TenneT is a top electricity grid operator in Europe, and sonnen produces and manages stationary battery systems. These electric cars are joining sonnen’s core virtual power plant network. [CleanTechnica]
EV for sonnen virtual power plant (sonnen image)
¶ “Sri Lanka To Sell Renewable Power To India” • Sri Lanka and India will sign a pact to link power grids and start negotiations on an upgraded trade agreement within two months, according to Sri Lankan High Commissioner in India Milinda Moragoda. A key part of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery plan is development of its renewable energy. [Sri Lanka Mirror]
¶ “Sweden Grants Kriegers Flak Subsea Cable Consent” • The Swedish government has given Vattenfall permission to lay out underwater cables for offshore wind power at Krieger’s Flak in the southern Baltic Sea, a step in the expansion of offshore wind power. The work must be completed within a 10-year period, according to the permit. [reNews]
Offshore wind turbines (Vattenfall image)
¶ “EDF Renewables Picks Up 10-GW Australian Floater” • EDF Renewables acquired the 10-GW Newcastle floating offshore wind farm in Australia. Currently under development near the Port of Newcastle, the project is proposed for the Hunter‐Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone as part of the NSW Government Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap. [reNews]
US:
¶ “NREL Scientists Find More Eureka Moments, Patent Activity Climbs In FY ’22” • Researchers at NREL received another 57 patents during Fiscal Year 2022, up from 47 awarded the prior year. Anne Miller, Technology Transfer Office director, said on average, NREL files 170 patent applications annually and releases 48 open-source software titles. [CleanTechnica]
NREL researchers (Werner Slocum, NREL)
¶ “New High: 16% EV Adoption In California In 2022” • EV sales made up 16% of new vehicle sales in California in 2022, with a total of 292,496 battery-EVs hitting the state’s roads, according to data from the California Energy Commission. Additionally, there were 50,748 plug-in hybrids and 2,574 fuel-cell vehicles sold in the state last year. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Ford F-150 Lightning Production Halted Due To Battery Fire Incident” • An F-150 Lightning sitting in a holding lot on Ford company property caught fire earlier this month, leading to the company halting production at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center and issuing a stop shipment order until the cause of the battery fire has been identified. [CleanTechnica]
Ford F-150 Lightning (Ford image)
¶ “DC Circuit Court Rules In Favor Of Solar Energy In PURPA Eligibility Case” • In a victory for nationwide renewable energy, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit upheld the decision of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to grant the status “qualifying facility” to Broadview Solar’s solar-plus-storage plant in Montana. [Southern Environmental Law Center]
¶ “Texans Support Expanding Renewable Energy Over Fossil Fuels” • Two years after Winter Storm Uri left millions in Texas without power for days, a poll found that a majority of Texans support expanding US reliance on solar power (64%), geothermal (59%), and wind (57%). Only 41% favored expanding US reliance on onshore conventional oil and gas. [Power Engineering]
Wind turbines on the high plains (Leaflet, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “EPA Outlines $27 Billion ‘Green Bank’ For Clean Energy Projects” • The Biden administration has outlined how states and nonprofit groups can apply for $27 billion in funding from a “green bank,” the so-called Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, that will provide low-cost financing for projects intended to cut planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. [WFMZ]
¶ “Southern Co Boosts Cost Estimate, Delays Timing For Nuclear Reactors” • US energy company Southern Co delayed the timing and boosted cost estimates for its Georgia Power utility’s share of two nuclear reactors being built in Georgia. Southern forecast Georgia Power costs would rise to $10.593 billion, up from a prior forecast of $10.383 billion. [Nasdaq]
Have an admirably gorgeous day.
geoharvey 