World:
¶ “India Says No To BYD Factory Plan” • In what may be a hint of troubles ahead for China as it seeks to become a global economic giant, India rejected a plan from BYD and Megha Engineering and Infrastructures to invest $1 billion to build an EV and battery factory. India and China have animosities, and security concerns may have been an issue. [CleanTechnica]
BYD Atto 3 (Courtesy of BYD South Africa)
¶ “G20 Bloc Fails To Reach Agreement On Cutting Fossil Fuels” • The Group of 20 major economies meeting in India failed on Saturday to reach consensus on phasing down fossil fuels after objections by some producer nations. Scientists and campaigners are exasperated by international bodies’ foot-dragging on action to curb global warming. [Yahoo Finance]
¶ “GWEC Calls For More Ambition On Renewables Deployment” • More ambition on renewable energy is needed to reach net zero by 2050, the Global Wind Energy Council says. After the Clean Energy Ministerial, GWEC chief executive Ben Backwell said: “The outcome of the G20 Clean Energy Ministerial today gets us no closer to a net zero world by 2050.” [reNews]
Offshore wind farm (GWEC image)
¶ “Solar Power Has A Strong Case In Kenya Due To Its Favorable Weather And Position On The Equator” • Kenya is on the equator and has favorable weather. It does not suffer from the seasonality of many other areas of the world, giving it a massive opportunity for solar power to compete as a consistent and reliable source of power all year round. [SolarQuarter]
¶ “The Largest And Most Powerful Wind Turbine Ever Built Is Now Operational” • The world’s largest wind turbine constructed to date is now up and running and contributing to the power grid in China. The turbine is a MySE 16-260. The nomenclature designates a power capacity of 16 MW and a rotor diameter of 260 meters (853 feet). [ScienceAlert]
Turbine being installed (China Three Gorges Corporation image)
¶ “BASF, MingYang Plan Chinese Offshore Project” • BASF and Mingyang Smart Energy agreed to partner on building and operating an offshore wind farm in China. The wind farm will supply renewable energy electricity to BASF’s Verbund site in Zhanjiang, driving 100% green electricity supply and fostering sustainable, smart production. [reNews]
¶ “Remote Xhosa Community Pioneers Use Of Solar Power To Transport Tourists” • Bulungula Lodge in Nqileni Village, a rural community on the Wild Coast of South Africa, has pioneered eco-tourism since it opened in 2004. Solar panels were ten times as expensive then as they are now, yet the lodge has operated on solar power for almost twenty years. [SA Good News]
Hut at Bulungula Lodge (Bulungula Lodge image)
¶ “1040-MW UK Battery Receives Planning Consent” • Carlton Power has secured planning permission for a 1040-MW battery energy storage scheme at the Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park in Greater Manchester. The £750 million scheme will strengthen grid security and resilience in northwestern England and support the growth of renewable power. [reNews]
¶ “World’s Biggest Wind Power Projects Are In Crisis Just When World Needs Them Most” • Offshore wind projects are facing an economic crisis that cut billions of dollars in planned spending this week, just as the world needs clean energy more than ever. Affected offshore wind projects include some off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. [Mining.com]
Offshore wind power plant (Image by Iberdrola)
¶ “Fukushima Fish With 180 Times Legal Limit Of Radioactive Cesium Fuels Water Release Fears” • A fish living near drainage outlets at Fukushima Daiichi contained levels of radioactive cesium 180 times Japan’s safe limit. A total of 44 fish with cesium levels above the safe limit were found in the nuclear plant’s port between May 2022 and May 2023. [The Guardian]
US:
¶ “Cruise Robotaxis Enter Miami” • GM’s robotaxi firm Cruise is slowly expanding, and its next market appears to be Miami. Aside from the fun combination of Miami and robotaxis, what is interesting about the news is how fast the Cruise robotaxi firm has been expanding. It has begun or expanded service in four cities since November. [CleanTechnica]
Robotaxi (Courtesy of Cruise)
¶ “Eight Solar Microgrids In San Diego To Deliver Clean Energy And Local Resilience” • Cost-saving solar microgrids are coming to eight public buildings in San Diego, with a substantial boost from Shell New Energies, a subsidiary of the British oil giant. San Diego has broken ground on the first the of eight microgrids it plans to install. [The Energy Mix]
¶ “What’s Driving Sudden Flare Of Solar Energy And Storage In Colorado?” • Colorado has had a lot of solar and other renewable energy projects that independent experts say are keeping it ahead of a fast-growing pack of successful green-development states. Accelerants are lucrative tax credits and grants from the Inflation Reduction Act. [Vail Daily]
Solar panels in Paradox Valley (Tony Webster, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “One Year Old US Climate Law Is Already Turbocharging Clean Energy Technology” • The US climate law that passed one year ago offers a 30% discount off this installation via a tax credit, and that’s helping push clean energy even into places where coal still provides cheap electricity. For one family in Frankfort, Kentucky, it was a good deal. [WWNY]
¶ “State Regulators To Hear Plant Vogtle Progress Report After Nuclear Expansion Stalled Again” • Georgia Power announced that a new nuclear reactor at Plant Vogtle is on its way to being fully operational in the coming months. The news comes several days before the utility faces another showdown over the project’s ballooning costs. [Georgia Recorder]
Have a charmingly providential day.
geoharvey 
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