Opinion:
¶ “This Awesome Water Capsule Should Be Electric! Oh, Wait …” • As soon as I saw its picture, I felt myself entering the market for a little boat. It looks so cool. It’s got coverage from the sun – but not in the old, typical way of a normal boat. It’s small and seems like it could be affordable – no need for more in order to chill on the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. [CleanTechnica]
Jet Capsule ZERO (Courtesy of Lazzarini Design)
¶ “Shipping Ports Move Molecules So Electrification Is Hard For Them To Grok” • How many cognitive biases get in the way of electrification? Ports are in the business of handling masses of gases, liquids, and solids, and so are predisposed to think that there are going to be lots of energy carrying molecules in their ports to be used by port vehicles. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Adding Context To That Consumer Reports Electric Car Reliability Report” • Almost everyone in the US has seen the headlines. “Consumer Reports pummels EV reliability,” says a headline in the Detroit Free Press. I decided to actually read what Consumer Reports had to say. Maybe the people at the Detroit Free Press should have. [CleanTechnica]
EV charging (Oxana Melis, Unsplash, cropped)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Green, Blue, Gold, And More: What The Different Colors Of Hydrogen Mean” • The color tells how the hydrogen was made. That is increasingly important as hydrogen becomes a promising energy source in the face of the climate crisis. When burned, hydrogen doesn’t emit CO₂, a stark contrast to fossil fuels. But we need to know how it was made. [Fast Company]
World:
¶ “World’s Largest Floating Solar Power Plant Taking Shape On Hydropower Plant” • The plans for the world’s largest floating solar power plant show how quickly the floating solar field can grow. The project is to expand an existing 145-MW floating solar array at the Cirata hydropower reservoir in West Java, Indonesia, to reach up to 500 MW. [CleanTechnica]
Floating solar array at Cirata plant (Courtesy of Sungrow)
¶ “Record 29.7% EV Share In France – Two Top Ten Teslas” • In France, a record 29.7% EV share was set in November, up from 24.4% year on year. Full electrics alone took over 20% of the auto market for the first time. Overall auto volume was 152,709 units, up 14% YOY, though still below the 2017-2019 seasonal average of roughly 180,000 units. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Indonesia Eyes ‘Phenomenal’ Geothermal Power Potential” • Indonesia is home to 40% of global geothermal resources and is keen to harvest energy from the Earth’s crust. But experts do not agree about whether the industry will be able to hit its ambitious goals to generate large amounts of energy given the costs and lack of incentives. [South China Morning Post]
Geothermal energy in Indonesia (Selisik, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Masdar And EDF Sign Major Agreement With Government Of The Kyrgyz Republic To Develop Up To 3.6 GW Of Hydropower And Renewable Projects” • Masdar and EDF igned an agreement with the Ministry of Energy of the Kyrgyz Republic to explore the development of hydropower and renewable projects with a combined capacity of up to 3.6 GW. [PR Newswire]
¶ “Cop: 22 Countries Pledge To Triple Nuclear Capacity” • The US and 21 other countries have committed to work towards tripling global nuclear energy capacity by 2050, from 2020 levels. The US stressed that financing and high-level political engagement would be needed to deliver on the ambitions to keep global warming well below 2.0°C. [Argus Media]
Sizewell B nuclear plant (John Fielding, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
US:
¶ “Harris Goes To Dubai To Tackle Climate Change And War” • Filling in for President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris flew to the Middle East to tackle a pair of challenges that have flummoxed White Houses for decades: climate change and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Each carries political risk for next year’s elections. [ABC News]
¶ “GM Expects Its Electric Vehicles To Become Profitable In 2025” • When GM chief financial officer Paul Jacobson spoke to analysts at a Barclays conference, he admitted the company had not found the pace it had expected to meet its EV making goals. Nevertheless, he expressed confidence that GM’s EVs would be profitable in 2025. [CleanTechnica]
2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV 3LT (Courtesy of GM)
¶ “An IRA Grant Could Help Low-Income Residents In New Hampshire Go Solar” • The New Hampshire DOE requested a $70 million federal grant to expand community solar programs for low-income residents. Such an infusion of funds could lower energy bills, accelerate decarbonization, and even catalyze affordable housing. [Canary Media]
¶ “New York Opens Offshore Wind Solicitation” • The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has launched expedited solicitations for offshore wind and land-based renewable projects as part of a plan to bolster New York’s renewables industry. One goal is to get 70% of the electricity from renewables by 2030. [offshoreWIND.biz]
Have an enthusiastically received day.
geoharvey 