Opinion:
¶ “Moving energy” • The renewable energy future starts with the political leadership. Once a leader in New England in the energy transition off of fossil fuels, Vermont is now the only state in the region to not have updated its renewables requirement in the last eight years as the reality of the costs of the climate crisis have sunk in. [Rutland Herald]
Vermont (Patrick Bald, Unsplash)
¶ “UN Nuclear Chief ‘Ignoring’ Huge Costs For India, Neighbours In The Event Of A Mishap” • The UN nuclear chief said nuclear energy must be part of the equation to tackle climate change. Keen observers of the nuclear power industry find such advocacy of nuclear power as a climate solution to be bizarre and against the true interest of humanity. [Counterview]
Science and Technology:
¶ “The Best Is Yet To Come: New Tandem Silicon-Perovskite Solar Cell Sets Record” • Solar cells may seem like old hats by now, but there is still plenty of room for innovators to push costs down and pump efficiency up. A new record-setting silicon-perovksite solar cell is just one example of the renewable energy firepower emerging from the lab. [CleanTechnica]
New record (Courtesy of LONGi via prnewswire)
World:
¶ “Toxic Gas Putting Millions At Risk In Middle East, BBC Finds” • Toxic pollutants released when gas is flared are putting millions more people to risk than previously feared, a BBC investigation suggests. Flaring is going on across the Gulf, including in the UAE, the COP28 hosts. Research suggests pollution is worsening air quality across the entire region. [BBC]
¶ “Lightning And Hailstorms Kill 24 In Western India” • At least 24 people have been killed by lightning, hailstorms, and intense rain in the Indian state of Gujarat, officials said. Such storms are unusual in the state during winter. Scientists have been warning that rising global temperatures are fuelling a surge in extreme weather events. [BBC]
Lightning (Rahul Viswanath, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Mercedes-Benz Expanding Solar At South Africa Factory, Investing In EV Charging Countrywide” • Mercedes-Benz South Africa is investing R100 million ($5.35 million) in a solar array with 22,847 solar panels at its East London manufacturing plant. The first phase of the installation has 3,692 PV solar panels. It was completed in 2022. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Virgin Atlantic To Fly From Heathrow To JFK Using 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel” • Virgin Atlantic will fly a Boeing 787 Dreamliner 3,500 miles from Heathrow to JFK using 60 tons of 100% sustainable aviation fuel – a first. Before it could do this, it needed to get permission from a slew of government agencies in the UK and the US. [CleanTechnica]
Virgin Atlantic flight (Courtesy of Virgin Atlantic)
¶ “Renewable Energy Used For Heating Homes In North China” • Amid a cold wave sweeping North China, Li Chengqin, a resident of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, sips her tea while she watches TV in her cozy living room. This year she no longer has to frequently feed her stove with coal. Her new stove is powered by wind energy. [China Daily]
¶ “How Morocco Became Europe’s Clean Energy Supplier” • Morocco is quickly positioning itself as a potential supplier of renewable energy to energy-hungry Europe. Although Morocco is not as well endowed with oil and gas as its neighbors, it has managed to develop a vibrant solar energy sector by taking advantage of year-round sunshine. [Oil Price]
Solar panels in Morocco (sofoton.es, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Construction Starts On Glasgow Airport Solar Farm” • In a partnership with energy transition adviser and developer Ikigai Group, Glasgow Airport has completed the development phase and the subsequent financial close for a 20-MW solar plant with Zestec Renewable Energy. About £18.5 million is being invested to create the solar farm.[reNews]
US:
¶ “When Sea Levels Rise, So Does Your Rent” • With sea levels rising around the globe, Miami is facing an urgent need to adapt. As property investors look inland, away from the exclusive, low-lying beach area, they saw Little Haiti, a poorer neighbourhood, which is about 18 feet (5.5 meters) above sea level. Now rising rents are forcing its residents out. [BBC]
Little Haiti (Averette, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “You CAN Drive 55: NTSB Proposes Speed Limit Software” • The most recent National Transportation Safety Board call for speed-limiting software in new cars comes as a response to an investigation into a multi-vehicle crash in Las Vegas in 2022. That accident was blamed on excessive speed that resulted in nine fatalities. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “YouTube’s Loaded With EV Disinformation” • YouTube seems to be full of anti-EV material. One popular channel has several very similar videos about different manufacturers supposedly giving up entirely on EVs. There was a number of straight out lies and blatant misinformation in the video. And it is not the only channel like this. [CleanTechnica]
Propaganda (Screenshot from a fake news channel)
¶ “Local Electric Cooperative And Tennessee Solar Company Collaborate On Solar Farm In McNeal” • More than 60,000 solar panels now cover 160 acres of land near McNeal, Arizona. It’s the result of a joint partnership between a local electric cooperative and a Tennessee-based solar company to bring more solar power to a couple thousand homes. [AZPM News]
¶ “City Of Boston Announces Community Choice Electricity Rates” • The City of Boston encouraged all customers to choose BCCE as their electricity supplier. New rates will be in effect from December 2023 to December 2025 using Direct Energy as the contracted supplier. The renewable energy cost less than Basic Service Rate from Eversource. [Boston.gov]
Have a wildly successful day.
geoharvey 