Opinion:
¶ “Single-Use Plastic Is Wreaking Havoc On The Planet. Here’s What You Can Do To Minimize Your Impact” • The life cycle of plastic begins with oil and gas are extraction. The fossil fuels are refined in facilities that use extreme temperatures and significant amount of water and energy. The plastic is used once. Then it is a waste and climate problem. [CNN]
Plastic (Antoine GIRET, Unsplash)
¶ “Germany’s Decision To Phase Out Nuclear Power Is Wise” • “With the shutdown of its last three nuclear power plants, Germany has completed its phase-out of nuclear power. As the minister responsible for nuclear safety in Germany, I believe that this was an excellent – indeed, visionary – move.” Here are five compelling reasons. [Arab News]
¶ “The North Seas Can Be The World’s Biggest Power Plant” • A statement by the prime ministers and other leaders of eight nations of western Europe says, “We need offshore wind turbines – and we need a lot of them. We need them to reach our climate goals, and to rid ourselves of Russian gas, ensuring a more secure and independent Europe.” [POLITICO]
Wind farm (US DOE, public domain)
Science and Technology:
¶ “SuperNode And CERN Collaborate On New Solutions For Renewable Energy Transmission” • SuperNode, an Irish firm developing superconducting energy transmission technology, and CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, have launched a collaboration to develop a novel type of insulation for superconducting cables. [Energy Digital Magazine]
¶ “The Sodium-Ion Battery Is Coming To Production Cars This Year” • Sodium is much less expensive than lithium, and it has a similar chemistry for batteries. Sodium is less energy-dense than lithium, but sodium batteries have big cost advantages. A number of companies are working on sodium batteries, and the first ones are set to come out this year. [CleanTechnica]
Sodium-aluminum battery (Sara Levine, PNNL)
World:
¶ “Australia Fuel Efficiency Standards Released – Thank You, Solar Citizens Et Al” • On April 3, the Solar Citizens’ Electric Ute Roadshow was making a big splash in the nation’s capital not just to promote the LDV eT60, but to push for national fuel efficiency standards. Now, progress on fuel efficiency standards has been announced! [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Ford To Build Electric Vehicles In Ontario, Rethinks China Strategy” • Ford builds the Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus at its factory in Oakville, Ontario, a facility that opened in 1953. Now Ford says it will invest $1.5 billion to transform the Oakville Assembly Complex into a Canadian hub for manufacturing EVs and battery packs. [CleanTechnica]
Ford F-150 Lightning in snow (Courtesy of Ford)
¶ “Israel Launches Largest Solar Project, To Power 60,000+ Households” • Israeli renewable energy company Teralight, the Moshavim movement and the Environmental Protection Ministry have launched the country’s largest solar project in the Jezreel Valley. The Ta’anakh project will operate with 250 MW of installed capacity. [The Jerusalem Post]
¶ “Upington Solar Power Complex Lauded For Positive Social Impact” • South Africa’s Upington solar power complex was lauded for its positive social impact on the communities around it. Scatec Solar had connected the 258-MW solar PV complex to the national grid in 2020.The Upington solar power complex consists of three solar PV plants. [EWN]
Visitors at the Upington Solar Power Complex (Scatec image)
US:
¶ “California Jury Exonerates Tesla In Autopilot Crash” • In a complaint, Justine Hsu said that Tesla was on notice prior to an accident she had in her 2016 Model S that the Autopilot and airbag systems could fail on city streets. But Tesla won the suit. It had warned drivers not to use the system on city streets, and it showed Hsu had been distracted. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “NREL Has Been Tapped To Help Electrify Four Major Freight Corridors” • The National Renewable Energy Laboratory will collaborate with industry partners on four out of seven projects to electrify freight corridors. Ultimately, they will inform plans for zero-emission charging infrastructure across more than half of the US. [CleanTechnica]
Freight truck (Rhys Moult, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Berkshire Hathaway’s Utility Company Is About To Hit A Major Renewable Energy Milestone” • Based on the latest annual data from Berkshire Hathaway’s utility operations, Berkshire Energy’s electricity production from renewable sources is on track to comfortably surpass the national average and come close to half of all power generation. [CNBC]
¶ “Metro Detroiter Fighting To Ban Utility-Scale Solar Farms Through Ballot Initiative” • A Michigan resident is trying to stop utility companies from building solar panels on farmland. She said she’s concerned about environmental impact. On the other side of this issue, at least one utility company tells 7 Action News those concerns are unfounded. [WXYZ]
Have an uninhibitedly rewarding day.
geoharvey 
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