Opinion:
¶ “Top Clean Energy Accomplishments from US DOE in 2023” • In 2023, the US DOE made monumental strides in advancing the country’s clean energy goals. The DOE has been hard at work to combat the climate crisis, lower costs for American families and pave a path for our clean energy future. This article has a few of the top accomplishments of 2023. [CleanTechnica]
Power lines (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Scientists Find New Way To Desalinate Seawater Using Solar Power, Study Says” • Researchers at Nankai University in Tianjin, China, may have found a more efficient water to desalinate water using solar power, according to a paper in the journal Science Advances, offering a solution for global water scarcity through the use of renewable energy. [ABC News]
¶ “Floating Solar Power Plants To Hitch A Ride With Offshore Wind Farms” • The latest green development involves floating solar panels on the ocean instead of planting them on land. To ice the green cake, a Dutch-Norwegian shipyard spinoff called SolarDuck is laying plans to leverage offshore wind farms for its new floating solar technology. [CleanTechnica]
Solar Duck floating solar array (Courtesy of SolarDuck via RWE)
¶ “More Range from Nickel-Rich Electric Vehicle Batteries” • A seemingly simple shift in lithium-ion battery manufacturing could pay big dividends, improving EVs’ ability to store more energy per charge and to withstand more charging cycles, according to new research led by the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Is Nuclear Energy The Answer? It Depends On The Risk Threshold” • The cost of solar and wind power has been dropping as technology develops and the sector scales. SMR-generated nuclear power costs at least three times as much as power from solar or wind. The case of the NuScale SMR demonstrates the stark challenges. [JD Supra]
Sizewell nuclear plant (Geographer, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)
World:
¶ “Angola Leaves OPEC In Output Quota Row” • Angola has announced it is leaving OPEC over a dispute on output quotas. This follows last month’s decision by the thirteen-member oil cartel and ten allied nations to further reduce oil production in 2024 to prop up volatile global prices. Angola produces about 1.1 million barrels per day. [BBC]
¶ “30% Of New Cars In France Now Plugin Electric Cars!” • Plugin vehicles continue to rise in France, with last month’s registrations ending at 45,281 units. There were 30,769 battery EVs (20% share of the overall auto market) and 14,512 PHEVs (10% share). The former jumped 52% year over year, while the latter were up by 18%. [CleanTechnica]
2023 Peugeot E-208 (Rutger van der Maar, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “23% Of Energy Consumed In 2022 Came From Renewables” • The share of renewable sources in gross final energy use at the EU level reached 23.0% in 2022. This represents an increase of 1.1 percentage points from 2021. The revised Renewable Energy Directive has revised upwards the EU’s 2030 renewable energy target from 32% to 42.5%. [European Commission]
¶ “Britain’s Roofs Can Be A Huge Resource For Solar Energy” • Roofs occupy an enormous amount of surface area in British cities and yet only a small fraction of this space is used for solar panels, despite the obvious benefits. There is the equivalent of thousands of hectares of suitable roofs. The chapel at King’s College, Cambridge is an example. [The Guardian]
King’s College (Wayne Yao, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Renewable Energy Now Exceeds 50% Of Installed Capacity” • China’s installed capacity of renewable energy has exceeded 1.45 billion kW (1,450 GW) this year, according to data released by the National Energy Administration. That means renewable energy accounts for more than 50% of the country’s total installed power generating capacity. [China Daily]
US:
¶ “Dreaming Of A White Christmas? Try Alaska. Meanwhile, Some US Ski Areas Hit With Rain” • “Some people will get their dream, their wish, and get a white Christmas right at the last minute,” said Judah Cohen, the director of seasonal forecasting at Verisk Atmospheric and Environmental Research. He said that climate change is behind reduced snow cover. [ABC News]
No White Christmas? (krakenimages, Unsplash)
¶ “Amprius Announces Ten-Fold Capacity Expansion At Its Fremont, California Battery Production Facility” • Amprius technologies makes some of the world’s highest energy density lithium-ion battery cells using proprietary silicone nanowire anode technology. Amprius is working on a gigawatt-hour scale production facility in Colorado. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Seattle Gets Creative To Limit Methane Gas Pollution As Industry Pushes Back” • After an appellate court ruled that because the federal Energy Policy Conservation Act prevents cities and states from setting certain standards, local authorities can’t ban fossil fuel burning appliances, the city of Seattle decided to get creative. [CleanTechnica]
Seattle (Stephen Plopper, Unsplash)
¶ “‘Water Is Life’: Navajo Nation Fights Serial Entrepreneur’s Hydropower Plant” • After Nature & People First proposed a pumped storage facility to replace the closed Navajo Generating Station, Navajo environmentalists are opposing the project. They assert that it will adversely affect the largest land area held by Indian peoples in the US. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Senators Markey And Warren Call For Strong Review Of Proposed Changes To Emergency Response Capabilities At Seabrook Nuclear Power Station” • Senators Markey and Warren urged the NRC to evaluate carefully a proposal to move important emergency response staff for the Seabrook plant from the plant to Florida. [Senator Edward Markey]
Have an entirely lovely day.
geoharvey 