Opinion:
¶ “Geoengineering May Be The Least Worst Climate Solution” • Almost everyone agrees geoengineering is a lousy idea, one that is fraught with incalculable danger. Yet human greed, ignorance, and stupidity make it unlikely people will choose the best course, which is to drastically reduce our reliance on oil, methane, and coal for heat and electricity. [CleanTechnica]
Solar intervention (Chelsea Thompson, NREL, public domain)
Please click on the image to enlarge it.)
¶ “Why Good Inventions Get Lost” • Many inventions have no way to benefit the inventor, humanity, or the environment. There may be important answers to climate change out there that cannot be developed because they will not pay their developers. That is a horrible reason to allow a planet to be ruined. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Debunking Solar PV Fears” • As numbers of PV installations modules have risen, some people have raised concerns about the materials they’re made from, promoting disinformation about the safety of recycling modules. A team at NREL in Colorado clarified this waste from solar panels and published an essay in the journal Nature Physics. [Living on Earth]
Solar panels (Chelsea, Unsplash, cropped)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Better Battery Performance And Less Degradation At The Same Time” • To safely store energy and make it rechargeable, you need to wire the individual battery cells together, build a way to cool them, and control the flow of energy in and out of the cells to prevent them from getting damaged and potentially even catching fire. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Haughey’s Bog: Why Are Peatlands Important?” • Haughey’s Bog in County Tyrone is the latest peatland in Northern Ireland to begin the journey to restoration. Peatlands cover 12% of the land area of Northern Ireland, but 86% of peatlands there are in a degraded state. Instead of storing carbon dioxide, they emit it. Restoration is vitally important. [BBC]
Peatland (K B, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “‘Moment Of Truth’ For Oil Industry: Deepen The Climate Crisis Or Help Fix It” • Oil and gas producers must confront a “pivotal” choice: continue to accelerate the climate crisis or become part of the solution, a new IEA report says. The world needs to take drastic action to limit rising global temperatures to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. [CNN]
¶ “Nissan Will Invest Over $1 Billion To Make EV Versions Of Its Best-Selling Cars” • Nissan will invest £1.12 billion ($1.4 billion) to update its factory in northeast England to make electric versions of its two best-selling cars, the Qashqai and Juke crossovers. It is a boost for the British government as it tries to revive the country’s ailing economy. [ABC News]
Nissan Qashqai (Jameel Ismail, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Stellantis Opens “Circular Economy Hub” in Turin, Italy” • Stellantis opened the “SUSTAINera Circular Economy Hub” in Turin, Italy. This is a big step in the company’s plan to work toward a circular economy. It enables a “holistic 360-degree approach” via the company’s “4R” strategy: Reman, Repair, Reuse, and Recycle. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “BYD Produces Its Six Millionth Plugin Vehicle!” • BYD is now neck and neck with Tesla in terms of quarterly pure battery EV sales, and it has long been the world leader in plugin vehicle sales. As further evidence of its position at the top of the market, the company just passed the milestone of 6 million cumulative plugin vehicles produced. [CleanTechnica]
Six millionth plugin vehicle (BYD image)
¶ “Australia Plans To Add 32 GW Of Renewable Energy By 2030” • The Australian Government looks to add 32 GW of renewable, dispatchable energy capacity to its national electricity grid by 2030. A national framework to increase renewables investment will be used to underwrite 9 GW of dispatchable projects and 23 GW in variable capacity. [Power Technology]
US:
¶ “Range Energy Electrifies The Semi Trailer” • Range Energy has just completed a testing of its electric semi trailers by Mesilla Valley Transportation, a company that provides breakthrough testing, design, and development services for the trucking industry. The Range Energy semi trailer fits an innovative e-axle, battery pack, and smart pin. [CleanTechnica]
Range Energy semi trailer (Range Energy image)
¶ “Reliability v Sustainability: Inside The Debate Over The EPA’s Proposed Carbon Rules” • The American electric grid is going through major changes, prodded by state and federal policies, market forces pushing cheaper and cleaner power sources, and aging power infrastructure. That’s run up against transmission constraints and other delays. [Maryland Matters]
¶ “Michigan First State In Midwest To Set Power Storage Benchmark” • Michigan will become the first state in the Midwest to establish an energy storage standard. Ten states already set power storage goals but only two set more ambitious benchmarks than Michigan’s new target of at least 2,500 MW of energy storage by 2030. [MLive.com]
Solar panels (Provided By Boyne Mountain Resort)
¶ “Alaska’s Pricey, Fossil Fuel-Based Electric Power Could Thwart Investment, Mining Executive Says” • Steep electricity prices and heavy dependence on fossil fuels to generate power discourage development of new mining projects in Alaska. That’s the blunt message a mining executive had for Alaska’s natural resource development industries. [Anchorage Daily News]
¶ “Investors File Lawsuit Against NuScale After Cancellation Of SMR Project” • A class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of people who purchased NuScale securities between Mar 15, 2023, and Nov 8, 2023, after NuScale’s Carbon Free Power Project was cancelled. It alleges that NuScale made false or misleading statements during that time. [Power Engineering]
Have an unaffectedly creative day.
geoharvey 