Opinion:
¶ “How Aggregated PPAs Create Clean Energy Options For SMEs” • The World Bank says that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent 90% of businesses globally. Mid-sized companies are the engine of the global economy. So, it’s safe to say that if we don’t get mid-sized companies on board, the energy transition won’t happen. [CleanTechnica]
Solar array (Courtesy of Schneider Electric)
Science and Technology:
¶ “New Material Found By AI Could Reduce Lithium Use In Batteries” • A new substance that could reduce lithium use in batteries has been discovered using artificial intelligence and supercomputing. It was found by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Microsoft. Scientists say the material potentially could reduce lithium use by up to 70%. [BBC]
World:
¶ “2023 Confirmed As World’s Hottest Year On Record” • The year 2023 has been confirmed as the warmest on record, driven by human-caused climate change and boosted by the natural El Niño weather event. Last year was about 1.48°C warmer than the long-term average before humans started burning large amounts of fossil fuels, the EU’s climate service says. [BBC]
Signal (Kelly Sikkema, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “EVs Take 30.1% Share In France” • December saw plugin EVs take 30.1% share of the French auto market, an increase from 25.0% share, year on year. Full battery electric sales volume grew 50% YoY, while plugin hybrids grew 17%. December’s overall auto volume was 181,013 units, up 14.5% YoY, though still slightly below 2017-2019 norms. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Volkswagen BEV Sales Increase 21.1% In 2023” • Volkswagen continues its rise up the EV revolution ladder. Volkswagen’s full battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales rose 21.1% in 2023, compared to the previous year. Overall, Volkswagen automotive sales were up 6.7%, so it is clear that BEV sales grew much more strongly than non-BEV sales. [CleanTechnica]
Volkswagen ID.7 (Volkswagen image)
¶ “Wind Turbines Beat Gas Plants To Grab Record Share Of UK Power” • Britain’s thousands of wind turbines grabbed their biggest slice of the electricity mix ever in December, sending output from gas-fired plants to their lowest in almost four years. Windpower accounted for 41% of the output last month, and the share for gas was 26%. [Yahoo Finance]
¶ “Egypt Signs Agreement For The Middle East’s Largest Wind Power Project” • A consortium led by Saudi-listed ACWA Power and including Hassan Allam Utilities, which is the investment and development arm of Egypt’s Hassan Allam Holding, signed a 25-year land usufruct agreement to build a 1.1-GW wind power project in Egypt. [ZAWYA]
Wind farm in Egypt (Hatem Moushir, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Egypt To Invest $83 Billion In Renewable Energy Projects” • Egypt plans to invest nearly $83 billion in solar energy and other renewables projects in the next few years as part of an effort to expand its renewable sources, according to a government report. The country’s renewable sourcess are expected to provide nearly 42% of its energy in 2030. [ZAWYA]
¶ “400-MW PV Plant Powers Up In Uzbekistan” • The first 400-MW phase of China Energy Engineering Group’s 1-GW solar project has been connected to the grid in Uzbekistan. The project uses Arctech’s trackers tailored to survive Uzbekistan’s frequent sandstorms and dry climate. The 1-GW project is expected to generate 2,400 GWh annually. [reNews]
Solar array (Antonio Garcia)
¶ “Germany Adds Record 14 GW Of Solar In 2023 – Half Is On Households” • Renewable energy capacity in Germany grew by more than 17 GW or 12% in 2023 to a total of around 170 GW. The increase is driven by solar (14.1 GW) and wind power (3.2 GW). Half of the country’s new solar capacity installations were in the home segment. [Balkan Green Energy News]
US:
¶ “First 100% American Made Electric Fire Truck Enters Service In Mesa, Arizona” • E-One, based in Florida, is a full spectrum builder of fire apparatus and is a pioneer and recognized leader in extruded aluminum and stainless steel construction. Recently, the company has introduced Vector, the first American-made all-electric fire truck. [CleanTechnica]
Electric fire truck (Courtesy of REV Group)
¶ “US Saw A Historic Number Of Billion-Dollar Disasters In 2023” • Last year proved to be one of the costliest in the US due to extreme weather disasters, according to a report by the NOAA. The US was hit with more billion-dollar disasters in 2023 than any other year on record, highlighting the increased risk arising from a changing climate. [ABC News]
¶ “US Battery Storage Capacity Expected To Nearly Double In 2024” • Planned and currently operational US large-scale battery capacity totaled around 16 GW at the end of 2023. Developers plan to add another 15 GW in 2024 and around 9 GW in 2025, according to data in the EIA’s latest Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory. [CleanTechnica]
Please click on the image to enlarge it. (EIA image)
¶ “US EIA: Solar Will Supply Almost All Growth In US Electricity Generation Through 2025” • The EIA expects solar generation will be the leading source of growth in the US electric power sector. In its January Short-Term Energy Outlook, it forecasts new capacity will boost the solar share of total generation to 7.0% in 2025, up from 4.0% in 2023. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Nuclear Expert Blasts NuScale Amid Investor Suit Arising From Cancelled Idaho Project” • Nuclear expert Mycle Schneider weighed in on NuScale’s announcement last November that it was cancelling its partnership with Utah power systems on a project to develop of six NuScale reactors at the US DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory. [InvestorsObserver]
Have a gloriously effortless day.
geoharvey 
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