Opinion:
¶ “Renewables Grew Rapidly In 2023, But Must Grow Faster To Meet Climate Change Goals” • The world’s renewable energy grew at a record pace in 2023, the International Energy Agency reported in its first assessment since nations agreed in December on ambitious new targets to slow dangerous climate change. The world added nearly 510 GW. [ABC News]
Wind farm (Anastasia Palagutina, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Massive Amounts Of Tiny Plastics Found In Bottled Drinking Water, Study Finds” • Researchers from Columbia University and Rutgers University published the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which reveals an average of 240,000 detachable plastic fragments were found in a standard liter of bottled water. [ABC News]
¶ “How Passenger Electric Planes Could Become A Reality Within The Next Decade” • The race to decarbonize aviation is heating up, with researchers finding a way to make passenger airplanes operate on 100% electric power. One new plane will be able to hold 90 people and fly up to 500 miles without having to stop to recharge. [ABC News]
Aviation startup Elysian’s E9X (Elysian image)
¶ “Membrane-Free Green Hydrogen To Chase The Fossil Fuel Blues Away” • Fossil fuel stakeholders plan on petrochemicals staying afloat as renewable energy takes over power generation, but new green hydrogen technology is beginning to pull the rug out from under their feet. A membrane-free electrolysis system could make green hydrogen cheap. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Seven Stunning BYD Stats From 2023” • BYD has released the news that it sold more than 3 million plugin vehicles in 2023, the first company to make that achievement. In that sales update, BYD included several other stats that jumped out as well. For one thing, BYD’s exports rose 334.2% to 242,765 units! And there are a lot more stats to consider. [CleanTechnica]
BYD Atto 3 getting ruined by salt water
¶ “Renewable Additions Up 50% To New Record In 2023” • Global renewable power additions rose by almost 50% on the year to an estimated 507 GW in 2023, spurred by “continuous policy support,” energy watchdog the IEA said. The additions, three-quarters of which were solar power, set a record high for a 22nd consecutive year. [Argus Media]
¶ “Solar Energy Claims Around 55% Share In Indian Renewable Capacity As Of December 2023” • India has positioned itself as a frontrunner in the global shift towards renewable energy, with solar power spearheading the journey. As of December 2023, solar energy claims 54.76% share of the country’s total renewable installed capacity, with 73.31 GW. [SolarQuarter]
Solar water heater in India (Kushagra Dhall, Unsplash)
¶ “Australia’s Forrest Promises Investments For 14 GW Of Clean Energy” • Australian mining billionaire Andrew Forrest has committed to launch projects helping to deliver 14 GW of clean energy in the country by the end of the decade. That is a third of the government’s renewable energy target. The additions will be wind, solar, and battery projects. [Reuters]
¶ “Europe’s Largest Renewable Energy Generator To Invest $6.6 Billion In Norwegian Hydro, Wind” • Statkraft, Europe’s largest renewable energy generator, is investing nearly $6.6 billion into its Norwegian hydro and wind power facilities and construction of new onshore wind farms. The investment includes upgrades at older facilities. [Environment+Energy Leader]
Dam in Norway (Bjørn Kamfjord, Unsplash)
¶ “UK Government Plans Further Nuclear Power Expansion” • The government hopes to boost the nuclear power industry with the biggest expansion of the sector in 70 years. The government claims that this would lower bills and improve energy security. [Really‽] Many of the UK’s reactors are scheduled to be retired over the next decade. [BBC]
US:
¶ “California Governor Newsom Proposes Some Housing And Climate Cuts To Balance $38 Billion Budget Deficit” • Gov Gavin Newsom released details of a new $291 billion state spending plan for the 2024-25 budget year that accounts for an estimated $37.9 billion deficit. Newsom proposes to cut $2.9 billion from spending for climate change. [ABC News]
Governor Gavin Newsom (TechCrunch, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “NREL Analysis Unveils The Connection Between Electric Vehicles And Photovoltaics” • People who own EVs are more likely to add solar panels to their home, analysis by researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory shows. The impact of owning solar panels also has a bearing on whether a homeowner buys an EV, but not as strongly. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “More And More US Homes Facing Flood Risk” • The list of the nation’s most flood-prone homes is growing longer. NRDC’s updated Losing Ground dashboard now includes data on severe repetitive loss properties from the inception of the National Flood Insurance Program through late 2022. With a changing climate, the trends are worrying. [CleanTechnica]
Flood (Pixabay)
¶ “Clean Electricity Is Driving Down US Emissions” • America’s electrical grid is increasingly powered by renewable energy, and this helped slash the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions last year, even as the wider economy grew, according to new estimates by Rhodium Group. The report says that US emissions dropped by 8% in 2023. [Canary Media]
¶ “Thousands Of Vermonters Remain Without Power Following Gusty Winter Storm” • Fierce wind gusts of nearly 70 mph in some places targeted the western part of the state in the predawn hours, damaging barns, felling trees, closing roads and leaving utilities scrambling to restore power to thousands of people. There were nearly 30,000 outages. [VTDigger]
Have an essentially fabulous day.
geoharvey 