Opinion:
¶ “Nuclear Energy Remains Weapon Of Choice For Climate Deniers And Coal Lobby” • Australia’s National Party and its Liberal Party coalition partners are in furious agreement: They are not the slightest bit serious about strong climate action. SMRs and nuclear power are a perfect tool to use for deferring action on climate change for years. [Renew Economy]
Change the politics (Tania Malréchauffé, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “State-Level Building Electrification Factsheets” • Over just a few years, electrification has become crucial to effective building decarbonization policy. Momentum has been increasingly driven by economics (especially for new construction), improved carbon savings from grid and technology improvements, and climate change. Here are factsheets. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Revolutionizing Lithium Production On A String” • Princeton researchers have developed an extraction technique that greatly reduces the amount of land and time needed to produce lithium. They say their system can be used to improve production at lithium facilities, unlocking sources seen as too small or diluted to be worthwhile. [CleanTechnica]
Researcher Meiqi Yang (Bumper DeJesus, via Princeton University)
World:
¶ “Could Cleaner Air Reduce The Risk Of Suicide?” • A new frontier of potentially preventative research on suicide is rising that might, at first, seem unrelated: improving air quality. Over the past few years, various studies have identified associations between raised levels of air pollution and increased suicide risk. What should we make of this evidence? [BBC]
¶ “Island States Seek Climate Protection From Law Of The Sea” • Tuvalu and Antigua and Barbuda are both small island nations that face ongoing impacts from rising sea levels. Their prime ministers will appear at legal hearings at an international court in Hamburg, to seek an advisory opinion on the obligations of countries to combat climate change. [CNN]
Road on Funafuti, Tuvalu (Davidarfonjones, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Bringing Clean Deliveries To India” • In India, on-demand transportation and deliveries are convenient but polluting. The “final mile” in e-commerce ofton accounts for over 50% of the logistics cost. The Shoonya initiative seeks to create a market for zero-emissions deliveries by giving buyers data on the carbon pollution their purchases produce. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “The Hottest Electric Vehicles Are In China” • There are 138 automakers in China, the No 1 auto market in the world. At least 40 of the 138 are purely electric companies, according to JD Power. In 2022, EV sales in China totaled 6.9 million units, an increase of 93.4% from 2021, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. [ABC News]
Zeekr 009 (Navigator84, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Octopus Launches 50-MW Scottish Wind Farm” • Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust opened a 50-MW onshore wind farm in South Lanarkshire. The £75 million project has a PPA with Kimberley Clark. The power supplied to the personal care giant’s facilities in the UK will make up almost 80% of the power needs for three factories. [reNews]
¶ “Enercon Reaches 60-GW Wind Milestone” • Enercon has announced it has reached 60 GW of onshore wind capacity installed worldwide. More than 32,000 wind turbines have been planned, produced, and commissioned in 50 countries since the company’s foundation in 1984. This capacity is about what would be in 60 conventional power plants. [reNews]
Wind farm (Enercon image)
¶ “Former Rubbish Dump In Essex Becomes UK’s Third Largest Solar Farm” • The largest solar farm in Europe to be built on a closed landfill is begun generating electricity from a former Essex rubbish dump. The Ockendon solar farm, the third largest in the UK, has over 100,000 solar modules covering 70 hectares (173 acres) of land. [The Guardian]
¶ “GreenGo Makes 500-MW German PV Pact” • GreenGo Energy entered the German market with a 500-MW solar partnership with Encavis AG. The developer already has a market presence in USA, Europe and Northern Africa. GreenGo said the partnership in Germany adds to the company’s existing 600-MW late-stage project portfolio in Denmark. [reNews]
Solar farm (Encavis and GreenGo)
¶ “Investors And Unions Press Labor To Invest $100 Billion To Compete In Global Green Economy” • The Australian federal government is being pushed to provide an extra $100 billion over 10 years to boost jobs and reduce emissions including through investments in clean industries and manufacturing of renewable energy components. [The Guardian]
US:
¶ “How Biden Is Bringing More Environmental And Climate Justice To The US” • This past year, the EPA invested $3 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act in the new Environmental and Climate Justice Grant Program to accelerate environmental justice efforts, address pollution, and support a more equitable future for communities. [CleanTechnica]
Brooklyn neighborhood (Redd F, Unsplash)
¶ “Lithium Deposit In Extinct Nevada Volcano Could Be Largest In The World” • A paper in the journal Science Advances reports the discovery of what may be the largest lithium deposit known to exist, inside the caldera of an extinct volcano in Nevada. This could have a major impact on America’s ability to make batteries without relying on Chinese sources. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Appalachian Power Is To Purchase More Solar And Wind Energy” • Appalachian Power Co will buy electricity from six solar farms as it shifts to all-renewable energy by 2050. The State Corporation Commission approved its latest renewable energy plan, which details the company’s plans provide 100% green energy to Virginia customers. [Roanoke Times]
Have a good-old glorious day.
geoharvey 