Opinion:
¶ “2027 – The Year It Is Over For ICE Vehicles” • “This morning, I was struck by this headline: ‘BMW M also forecasts that BEVs and PHEVs will overtake sales of ICEs as early as 2027.’ I’ve got news for BMW – by 2027, PHEVs won’t sell, and BEVs will be 90% of the market. If BMW isn’t making enough BEVs, it will lose market share.” [CleanTechnica]
BMW i3 (Vitali Adutskevich, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “20% Of New Cars In Europe Have A Plug!” • In February, 182,000 plugin vehicles were registered in Europe, up 14% year over year . Unfortunately, the overall market grew almost as fast, so the plugin market share was close the where it was 12 months ago. Last month’s plugin vehicle share of the overall European auto market was 20%. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Mercedes-Benz Expands Lithium Production In Germany” • Rock Tech Lithium Inc, a German-Canadian startup, broke ground for a lithium plant in Guben, Brandenburg. Rock Tech is partnering with Mercedes-Benz to provide a high-grade lithium hydroxide, which will aid in scaling up production of fully electric vehicles. [CleanTechnica]
Groundbreaking (Mercedes-Benz image)
¶ “PM Invites UAE Firm To Invest In Renewable Energy Sector” • The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, invited Hayat Bio-Tech, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, to invest in Pakistan’s renewable energy sector. He gave assurance that the government would extend all possible facilitation in this regard. [The News International]
¶ “SAIC, GM, And Wuling JV Launched The Wuling Bingo In China, And It’s Priced At Just $8,682!” • The Wuling Bingo, a 5-door hatchback, was launched in China. It will have two options, one with a 30 kW (41hp) motor, and another at 50 kW (68 hp). They will come with batteries of 17.3 kWh and a 31.9 kWh and ranges of 203 km and 333 km. [CleanTechnica]
Wuling Bingo (Zotyefan, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Shell Splits Up Global Renewable Power Unit In Shakeup” • Shell will split up its global renewable power business as part of a shakeup by new CEO Wael Sawan, Bloomberg reported. The change embeds renewables operations such as wind and solar within regional divisions of Shell Energy, the company’s power business. [Offshore Technology]
¶ “Germany Will Complete Nuclear Phase-Out As Planned But Technology’s Risks Remain” • In Germany, the era of nuclear power will end on 15 April as planned, the country’s environment minister said. Minister Steffi Lemke stressed that the phase-out would not endanger the power supply security in Germany or other countries. [Clean Energy Wire]
Neckarwestheim nuclear plant (Courtesy of EnBW)
US:
¶ “End Of Utah Coal Power In Sight As Rocky Mountain Power Moves To Renewables And Nuclear” • Rocky Mountain Power announced it will shut down its coal-fired power plants in Emery County by 2032 and replace them with smaller nuclear-powered plants in the same locations. In the mean time, it will reduce the plants’ pollution. [The Salt Lake Tribune]
¶ “Turning America Into A Solar Manufacturing Powerhouse” • In 2021, the Solar Energy Industries Association’s goal to create 50 GW of US production capacity by 2030 seemed farfetched, but now, that goal is within reach. The country is on its way to becoming the most competitive and collaborative solar and storage industry in the world. [CleanTechnica]
Solar manufacture (Image courtesy of Boviet Solar)
¶ “US Data Centers Buy 40 GW Of Renewable Power – Two-Thirds Of The Corporate Market” • The amount of renewable power booked by data center operators increased by 50% in a year, and the sector now consumes two-thirds of the renewable power available to corporates in the US, according to a report from S&P Global. [DatacenterDynamics]
¶ “Grid Transmission Progress In The US” • As the US continues to see the highest levels of renewable energy investment in its history, the investment required to expand and improve the energy transmission grid will need to keep pace. Through a combination of private investment and support by the Biden administration, it is happening. [CleanTechnica]
Sticks & strings (National Energy Technology Laboratory image)
¶ “More Renewable Energy, Advanced Nuclear Energy Planned For The West” • A long-term resource plan put out by PacifiCorp anticipates a nearly fourfold increase in new wind and solar energy by 2032 and a system-wide 70% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The 2023 Integrated Resource Plan also includes 7,400 MW of energy storage. [Deseret News]
¶ “Ford Inks $4.5 Billion Battery Materials Deal, May Reprise The Capri Name For New EV” • Ford announced that it concluded an agreement with PT Vale Indonesia and China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt to collaborate to advance more sustainable production of nickel in Indonesia and to help make electric vehicle batteries more affordable. [CleanTechnica]
Ford EV (Ford image)
¶ “Pilgrim Nuclear Owner Agrees To Wastewater Study, But Says It Won’t Pay For It” • The company decommissioning the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station agreed to cooperate with an independent environmental study, but refused to pay for it. The study would evaluate risks involved with discharging over a million gallons of radioactive wastewater into Cape Cod Bay. [WBUR]
¶ “Senate Votes To Lift Nuclear Construction Ban” • The Illinois Senate approved a measure that would lift a moratorium on nuclear power plant construction. The vote was 39 to 13. The state’s ban went into effect in 1987 and was intended to remain in effect until the federal government identifies a national nuclear waste disposal strategy. [WGLT]
Have a fantastically amusing day.
geoharvey 
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