Opinion:
¶ “Building Decarbonization Policy Must Center Housing and Health Equity” • A brief from the NRDC highlights how racist practices create poor housing quality for at-risk communities and what can be done about this within building decarbonization policy. The NRDC collaborated with the Building Energy, Equity, and Power Coalition on the brief. [CleanTechnica]
New York City (Magnus Andersson, Unsplash)
¶ “Positive Environmental Stories From 2023” • As 2023 draws to an end, we’re confident the good news will keep on coming, as renewable power soars, vulnerable ecosystems gain rights, and climate protocols start to pay dividends. Climate anxiety is very real, but these good news stories from throughout 2023 prove there is hope for our planet. [Euronews.com]
World:
¶ “Climate Change: Seasonal Shifts Causing ‘Chaos’ For UK Nature” • The loss of predictable weather patterns is “causing chaos” for nature, according to the National Trust. It warns climate change is upsetting the regular rhythm of the seasons, making plants and wildlife vulnerable to disease. The effects can be seen at estates the National Trust manages. [BBC]
Red deer (Barry Edwards, National Trust)
¶ “Renewable Energy Drive For Indigenous Groups In Colombia” • Colombia approved regulations to encourage communities and indigenous groups to produce energy through renewable sources and sell it to the national grid. Earlier this month, bidding was opened for its first offshore wind farms. Only 1% of the country’s energy comes from alternative sources. [BBC]
¶ “Solar Panel Prices Down 30–40% In 2023, US Prices Down 15%” • The average global solar module price in the 3rd quarter of 2023 was down 30–40% from the 1st quarter of 2023, mostly due to imbalances in supply and demand in China. The US market gets almost no solar panels from China, but prices were down 15% in the same time. [CleanTechnica]
Solar panels (Mariana Proença, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Renewable Energy Investments To Surge 83% To $16.5 Billion In 2024” • India’s investments in renewable energy projects are expected to increase over 83% in 2024 to $16.5 billion, as the country focuses on energy transition to reduce carbon emissions, the Power Ministry estimates. India’s goal is to have 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030. [The Hindu]
¶ “Uruguay’s Green Power Revolution: Rapid Shift To Wind Shows The World How It’s Done” • In 2008, to escape high oil prices, Uruguay’s President Vázquez needed rapid solutions. He turned to Ramón Méndez Galain, a nuclear physicist, who would transform the country’s energy grid into one of the cleanest in the world, based on wind power. [The Guardian]
Wind turbines (Luca Bravo, Unsplash)
¶ “Record Amount Of Green Energy Installed In Italy This Year” • Italy installed a record amount of renewable energy this year, data released by a monitoring group shows. Over the first nine months of this year, 3.1 GW of renewable energy were installed, a record amount of new capacity for the period, the Renewable Energy Sources Observatory reported. [Xinhua]
¶ “EverGen Infrastructure Announces Completion Of The Fraser Valley Biogas Expansion” • In Australia, EverGen Infrastructure Corp reported completion of the Fraser Valley Biogas expansion and the delivery of first gas injection. Having acquired the facility in 2021, EverGen has delivered Fraser Valley Biogas’s original intended design. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
Fraser Biogas (Courtesy of EverGen Infrastructure)
¶ “Start Of Construction Underway For Three Big Solar Parks In Romania” • Romania joined the group of gigawatt-scale markets this year in terms of installed PV capacity. In fact, SolarPower Europe expects the country to reach 8.7 GW by 2027. The solar boom is fueled in all segments from prosumers to municipal authorities. [Balkan Green Energy News]
¶ “TEPCO’s Operational Ban Is Lifted, Putting It One Step Closer To Restarting Reactors In Niigata” • Japanese nuclear regulators lifted an operational ban imposed on a nuclear plant owned by TEPCO Holdings, the operator behind the Fukushima Daiichi plant. This allows the company to resume preparations to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant. [KRDO]
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant (D a, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)
US:
¶ “Maine Storm Has Delayed A Key Vote On California-Style Limits For Gas Vehicles” • The rollout of potential regulations to drastically cut gas-powered vehicle sales in Maine was pushed back by a year because the Board of Environmental Protection had to delay a key vote after a storm caused power outages. The end of public comment was also delayed. [ABC News]
¶ “In Montana, Wind Is About To Overtake Coal Generation Capacity” • Data from the Energy Information Administration show that Montana coal plants had 1,631 MW of nameplate capacity in October. In the same period, Montana’s wind capacity was 1,479 MW. But two new Montana wind farms will soon come online, changing the balance. [Electrek]
Wind farm (Clearwater Wind image)
¶ “Illinois To Require EV Charging At Rental Properties Starting January 1” • Earlier this year, the Illinois Senate passed Bill 40, which will require single-family homes and newly constructed residential buildings with parking spaces to include conduits for EV charging, and it is going into effect on January 1. Other states are considering similar laws. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Solar Power Setting Records In 2023” • Solar installations are expected to hit new record highs in the US this year. In the 3rd quarter of 2023, solar installations were up 35% year over year. Analysts from the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie expect around 33 GW of solar power capacity will be added in 2023. [CleanTechnica]
Have a totally copacetic day.
geoharvey 