Science and Technology:
¶ “New Solid State EV Battery Deploys Ceramic “Brain” From Saint-Gobain” • US startup Ion Storage Systems is getting ready to launch a solid-state EV battery into a high volume commercial manufacturing line, with a little help from materials specialist Saint-Gobain. If all goes well, it will charge faster, cost less, and be better in other ways. [CleanTechnica]
Core of Ion solid-state battery (Ion Storage Systems image)
¶ “Zeekr’s New Golden Batteries Are … Golden” • EV battery technology continues to advance, sometimes at what seems to be a rapid clip. Much of the progress is subtle, incremental, nearly ignored progress that eventually adds up to a lot. But a new golden battery going into the Zeekr 007 electric car is both eye catching and a big deal. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “University Of Waikato In New Zealand Replaces More Than Half of Its Fleet With EVs- First Batch Is Made Up of BYD ATTO 3’s” • In New Zealand, the University of Waikato is transitioning its fleet to electric. The university will have nearly 80 EVs for employees once this program is completed. It is also installing EV charging stations. [CleanTechnica]
BYD Atto 3 (Courtesy of the University Of Waikato)
¶ “Renewables Have Provided More Than Half Of All Germany’s Electricity This Year” • In some places, particularly those whose economies depend on extracting fossil fuels, renewables are said to be unreliable and costly, but Germany is proving the doubters wrong. Germany has generated more than half of the electricity it used this year with renewables. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “First Phase of Volkswagen North America Gigafactory Is Complete” • Volkswagen is one of the auto industry leaders in US EV sales. It’s one of the more serious and more successful car makers in the US in terms of battery EV sales. The good news is that the first phase of Volkswagen’s battery gigafactory in St. Thomas, Ontario, is complete. [CleanTechnica]
Future PowerCo Ontario plant (Courtesy of Volkswagen AG)
¶ “UK Solar Farm To Supply Discounted Power” • Photovolt Development Partners developed the 840-MW Botley West Solar Farm in West Oxfordshire. It is to deliver affordable electricity to residents at preferential rates through a retail energy company, SolarRetail. Some energy generated by Botley West is going to the local community at a discount. [reNews]
¶ “Seven European Countries Pledge CO₂-Free Power Systems By 2035” • Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland pledged to eliminate CO₂-emitting power plants from their electricity systems by 2035. Taken together, the countries account for nearly half of EU power production. [The Business Standard]
Wind turbine (Gustavo Quepón, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “GMB Union Says Urgent Action Is Needed To Tackle Safety Concerns At Sellafield” • The GMB trade union has called on the government and nuclear authorities to take “urgent action” to address safety concerns at the Sellafield nuclear site. The union wrote to demand more investment to keep 11,000 workers at the vast nuclear rubbish dump safe. [The Guardian]
US:
¶ “California Set To Become Second State To OK Rules For Turning Wastewater Into Drinking” • California regulators are set to vote on new rules to let water agencies recycle wastewater and put it right back into the pipes that carry drinking water to homes, schools, and businesses. It’s a big step for the state, but water is precious in California. [ABC News]
California Aqueduct (Ikluft, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “You Can Get A New Tesla Model 3 For $20,000 In New Jersey (Maybe)” • There is a lot of discussion about the prices of Tesla’s falling. Now someone on a platform formerly called Twitter, who goes by the name “Sami,” has gone beyond the norm to show that you can actually get a Tesla Model 3 in New Jersey for just $19,590 at the moment. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Some Good Climate News: Five Clean Energy Milestones We Hit In 2023” • Climate news can often feel gloomy. But amid the negative reports, there are optimistic stories about progress. The transition away from fossil fuels relies on expanding renewable energy and adopting electric appliances. Here are a few goals we achieved this year. [Fast Company]
Renewable electricity (Grzegorz Górniak, Unsplash)
¶ “Construction Underway On Kentucky’s Largest Solar Farm” • Construction of what is to be the largest solar array in Kentucky is underway. National Grid Renewables said its new Unbridled project, about 160 miles southwest of Louisville, is expected to go into commercial operation next year with 160-MW of generating capacity. [POWER Magazine]
¶ “WIN Waste Uses Refuse Collected By Mack EVs To Power Trucks” • Mack Trucks customer WIN Waste Innovations, a leader in the recycling and waste industry, received two Mack LR Electric Class 8 refuse vehicles. It is to be the first company in Massachusetts to power electric trucks exclusively by the waste collected by the trucks themselves. [NGT News]
Mack electric refuse truck (WIN Waste Innovations)
¶ “CPV Completes Massive Solar Project On Former Coal Mine in Pennsylvania” • Competitive Power Ventures’ affiliate CPV Renewable Power announced that CPV Maple Hill Solar, a 100-MW (AC) solar power generation facility in Portage Township, Pennsylvania, has completed construction and successfully entered operations. [Solar Power World]
¶ “Holtec Announces Delay In Indian Point Decommissioning” • Summary: Holtec International, the company responsible for decommissioning the Indian Point Energy Center in New York State, has announced a delay in the completion of the project. The decommissioning, originally scheduled to be finished by 2021, has been delayed before. [EnergyPortal.eu]
Have an entertainingly perfect day.
geoharvey 