World:
¶ “COP28 Host UAE To Ramp Up National Oil Production” • United Arab Emirates, the country hosting COP28 climate talks aimed at cutting fossil fuel emissions is massively ramping up its own oil production, the BBC has learned. Should this surprise us? Sultan al-Jaber, the president of COP28, is also the chief executive of the UAE’s state oil firm Adnoc. [BBC]
Sultan al-Jaber (Kiara Worth, UN Climate Change)
¶ “Drastic Emissions Cuts, Transition To Renewable Energy Crucial As ‘Humanity’s Fate Hangs In The Balance’, Secretary-General Tells World Climate Action Summit” • UN Secretary-General António Guterres gave remarks to the World Climate Action Summit, COP28, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The remarks are available in this article. [UN Press]
¶ “26% BEV Share In China! – China EV Sales Report” • Plugin vehicles are all the rage in the Chinese auto market. Plugins scored more than 808,000 sales last month, up 41% year over year, for the market’s third record month in a row. The last two months of the year may continue the record streak. So far, 2023’s sales are over 6.2 million units. [CleanTechnica]
BYD Song Pro 2023 (Quzhouliulian, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
¶ “‘Liquid Air’ Energy Storage Could Save The Day For Offshore Wind Industry” • Offshore wind has been bedeviled by high costs and market uncertainties. Long duration energy storage could come to the rescue. Ørsted is banking on a new high tech “liquid air” energy storage system, and they have reportedly seen good results from an initial analysis. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Record-Low EV Battery Prices In 2023” • Thanks to a variety of factors, lithium-ion battery packs are at record low prices. After dropping 14%, they are down to $139/kWh. The steep price drop and record low average price come on the heels of price increases in 2022 that had brought battery prices back to 2020 levels. The world changes fast. [CleanTechnica]
Lithium-ion batteries (Vardan Papikyan, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Tesla Secures Massive 1.6-GWh Megapack Order For Giant Project” • Tesla has secured a massive Megapack order for a new giant energy storage project that will likely become the largest storage facility in the world. That project, the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub, is in Victoria. It will have capacities of 600 MW and 1,600 MWh. [Electrek]
¶ “At COP28, Countries Launch Declaration To Triple Nuclear Energy Capacity By 2050” • At COP28, over twenty countries from four continents launched the Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy. The declaration says that nuclear energy is key to dealing with climate change and sets a goal of tripling the nuclear energy capacity by 2050. [Department of Energy]
Nuclear power plant (Jametlene Reskp, Unsplash)
US:
¶ “US Coal Electricity Dropped In 2022, Down To 20% Of US Electricity” • US coal-related CO₂ emissions decreased by 7% in 2022 relative to 2021. This decrease was largely due to an 8% decline in coal-fired power generation because of retiring coal-fired capacity. The carbon intensity of electricity declined by 4% in the US in 2022. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “New England’s Decades-Old Shrimp Fishery, A Victim Of Climate Change, To Remain Closed Indefinitely” • In New England, the shrimp business fell victim to warming waters in 2013 because of a moritorium by regulators. A healthy shimp population needs cold water. The moratorium will remain in place indefinitely, fishery regulators ruled. [ABC News]
Shrimp (Jerry Shen, Unsplash)
¶ “Electric Vehicles And Hybrids Are 18% of US New Vehicle Market” • An update from the US EIA shows that combined EV and hybrid vehicle sales are up to a record-high 18% of the US new vehicle market. “Sales of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and [battery EVs] rose in the US to 17.7% of new light-duty vehicle sales in third-quarter 2023.” [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Lower US CO₂ Emissions Due In Part To Shifts In Power Generation Sources” • A forecast by the US Energy Information Administration is for the US energy sector to emit about 4,790 million metric tons of CO₂ in 2023, a 3% decrease from 2022. Much of this decline results from lower electricity generation from coal-fired power plants. [CleanTechnica]
Emissions (US Energy Information Administration)
¶ “Work Resumes On $10 Billion Transmission Project Despite Tribal Objections” • The tractors are back at work clearing land and building access roads for a $10 billion transmission line that the Biden administration describes as an important part of the nation’s renewable energy transition. Tribal leaders vow to keep pushing to protect the land. [KRWG]
¶ “New Jersey Plans To Restart Offshore Wind In 2024 After ‘Bump In The Road’” • The Governor of New Jersey is looking to restart the state’s offshore wind programs reiterating that it is committed to offshore wind as a key component of its renewable energy program. The state is commitment to having 100% clean energy by 2035. [The Maritime Executive]
Offshore wind farm (Ørsted file photo)
¶ “Renewable Energy Company’s Billion-Dollar Investment Promises Brighter Future For Armstrong County” • A renewable energy company from Brazil is capitalizing on the wind blowing in Armstrong County, Texas. A billion-dollar investment will deliver a new funding stream for the county in the first part of project development. [KVII]
¶ “Court Rejects Anti-Renewables Challenge To PJM Rule” • The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld a ruling by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that allows renewables to compete fairly with fossil fuel power plants in PJM. The ruling eliminated a provision giving fossil fuels advantages they needed to remain competitive. [Earthjustice]
Have a powerfully restorative day.
geoharvey 
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