Opinion:
¶ “Should AI’s Role In Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Be Greater?” • Scientists warn that damage from climate change will get much worse unless we change course. Could AI’s role in developing new climate models save us carbon emissions? AI’s role in the struggle against climate change is both prominent and controversial already. [CleanTechnica]
Computer processor (Roman Spiridonov, Unsplash)
¶ “Quebec Has All Conditions For Success To Be Green Fertilizer Giant” • Green ammonia fertilizer is a serious business, unlike green ammonia for energy. Quebec has all the conditions for success it needs to make it a reality. The province also has all the facilities it needs to send ammonia to Europe, where it is in demand as a chemical fertilizer. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Amtrak Has Big Plans For 2024, But Congress Wants To Derail A Big Advantage” • With funding and support for the railroad up in the last few years, some key upgrades and improvements are going into place that could help many more travelers take it seriously. But some members of Congress are pushing safety issues that are not realistic. [CleanTechnica]
Amtrak train (Amtrak image)
¶ “It’s A New Dawn For Solar Power In Scotland: Susan Law” • It is a commitment which adds even further breadth to the ways in which landowners could diversify by becoming involved in the renewable energy industry. It supports the national drive towards net zero. It also helps make enterprises financially sustainable, particularly farming. [The Scotsman]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Will Climate Change Affect Chocolate Production?” • People around the world are discussing the disastrous effects of climate change on our planet; glaciers will melt, sea levels will rise, new diseases will appear, droughts and floods will destroy our habitats and farmlands, it may become too hot or cold to farm. But what about cacao beans for chocolate? [ScienceABC]
Cacao bean (Pixabay, Pexels, CC0)
¶ “Sea Of Methane Sealed Beneath Arctic Permafrost Could Trigger A Climate Feedback Loop” • Thick permafrost forms a tight seal that has so far prevented millions of cubic feet of methane from wafting out, but there’s no guarantee that the potent greenhouse gas won’t escape some day, a study in the journal Frontiers in Earth Science says. [Space.com]
World:
¶ “Climate Scientists Agree: 2023 Was Bad But The Worst Is Yet To Come” • People look forward to a new year with hopes of a better life. But the mood is somber among climate scientists this year, where the consensus is that 2023 marked the end of the prelude to climate change and the start of a new reality of an overheated planet. [CleanTechnica]
Smoke stack (Pixabay, Pexels)
¶ “Renewable Energy Share in EU Energy Use Hits 23% in 2022” • The EU has slightly increased the share of renewable energy it consumes, hitting 23% in 2022, Eurostat data shows. Compared with 2021, this represents an increase of 1.1 percentage points. The EU’s 2030 renewable energy target was raised from 32% to 42.5%, with an aim to increase it to 45%. [Rigzone]
¶ “China’s Solar Sector Steams Ahead Of EU And US” • Chinese manufacturers have a huge cost advantage over international rivals, a Horizons report from Wood Mackenzie says. China’s dominance is the result of economies of scale of large facilities, and Chinese companies have easy access to funding and less restrictive policies. [DW]
Solar panels (Pixabay, Pexels)
¶ “Energy Bill Price Hike Takes Effect As Record Numbers Struggle With Debt” • A £94 increase to the average household energy bill has come into effect as a response to rising wholesale prices. Ofgem’s price cap rose 5%, driven largely by international wholesale energy market instability and global events, especially the conflict in Ukraine. [The Independent]
¶ “Magnitude 7.4 Quake Strikes Central Japan” • A powerful earthquake and tsunami struck central Japan and its western coast at 4:10 pm on Monday, triggering warnings for residents to evacuate, knocking out power to large areas, and disrupting flights and rail services. Nuclear regulators said there were no irregularities at nucle plants. [Japan Today]
Wave (Todd Turner, Unsplash)
US:
¶ “Solar And Wind Are 71% of New Power Capacity in USA in October” • Looking at official figures from FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and adding in a CleanTechnica estimate for small-scale solar power additions, we conclude that 71% of new power capacity additions in the US came from solar and wind power as of October. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “New Flow Battery Electric Car To Be Made In The USA” • The crazy dream of a flow battery EV really is not so crazy after all. The European firm nanoFlowcell set up a US office to pitch its new QUANTiNO twentyfive electric car with new flow battery technology. Now the company is hatching plans for a whole US flow battery ecosystem. [CleanTechnica]
QUANTiNO twentyfive EV (Courtesy of nanoFlowcell)
¶ “Ram 1500 REV Electric Pickup Stays True To Its Roots” • Ram has introduced its actual version of an electric pickup truck, the Ram 1500 REV. It has some styling shown earlier in a concept, but it avoids any ground breaking changes. Eliminate some of the LED displays, and it looks like a slightly refreshed version of the current Ram 1500. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Illinois’ New Nuclear Bill Goes Dark Before It Can Spark” • Illinois ended its 36-year nuclear moratorium, but it’s a mistake to think that means more nuclear-powered electricity is coming to local homes. The legislation keeps the door shut on building traditional nuclear power plants. It ends the moratorium only for small modular reactors. [Illinois Policy]
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