Science and Technology:
¶ “Next-Generation EV Batteries Could Have Something In Common With The US Army: Silicon” • Silicon battery science has been slowly creeping out of the laboratory and into the market, with the promise of lower costs and higher performance than regular lithium-ion batteries. The trickle may turn into a flood, with help from the US Army. [CleanTechnica]
Polycrystalline silicon (Warut Roonguthai, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)
World:
¶ “India Must Leapfrog To Renewables And Hydrogen, Avoid Fossil Fuels: Adani” • India must leapfrog to renewable power and renewable hydrogen as an equitable solution and not replace one fossil fuel with another, Gautam Adani said. The Chairman of Adani Group, he published this thought in a World Economic Forum blog post. [S&P Global]
¶ “Five Ways Power Sectors Worldwide Can Drive Down Their Emissions” • For the first time, the IEA projects declining global coal demand over its forecast period.This builds on actions from last year, ranging from the release of coal transition-enabling investment plans in Asia to the actual transition away from coal in much of the world. [CleanTechnica]
NASA map of the world (Public Domain)
¶ “Battery Bonanza To Charge Queensland’s Renewables Future” • Premier Steven Miles announced a $179 million investment in the next stages of its successful local network connected batteries program. The funding, sourced from the Queensland Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Jobs Fund, will see twelve local network-connected batteries installed. [Media Statements]
¶ “Octopus Project Combines Direct Air Capture With Water Recovery” • Capture6 is developing Project Octopus, a system that will be installed as part of a new water treatment facility in Korea. It is billed as “the world’s first fully integrated water management and carbon dioxide removal facility using a seawater desalination plant.” [CleanTechnica]
Planned K-water treatment plant (Courtesy of Capture6)
¶ “Iberdrola Strikes 1.3-GW Iberian Pact” • Iberdrola and the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, managed by a Norges Bank group, are to add 1,300 MW of new renewable energy capacity to unlock a joint investment worth more than €2 billion over the next three years. The 674 MW of wind and solar they have will be increased to 2,600 MW. [reNews]
¶ “Azerbaijan Makes Smooth Shift To Renewables From Fossil Fuels” • Azerbaijan’s economy has seen a significant change in the last several months, especially in the non-oil sector, where the renewable energy industry has led to a rise in exports. In November 2023, it was made public that electric energy had become Azerbaijan’s top export. [AzerNews]
Street in Baku, Azerbaijan (Azar Kazzimli, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Eby Announces $36 Billion For BC Hydro Infrastructure Over Next 10 Years” • Premier David Eby stated that British Columbia Hydro plans to spend $36 billion on community and regional capital projects during the decade starting 2024-2025. This figure represents “significant” funding for electrification and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. [Boundary Creek Times]
¶ “Africa’s Chance For Green Electricity” • A study published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment by the University of Tübingen and other institutions found that 80% of the energy needed in Africa could come from renewable sources by 2040, if the capacity of existing power plants is fully put to use and all the plants on the drawing-board are built. [Tech Xplore]
Wind turbine in South Africa (NJR ZA, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “German Onshore Wind Power Expansion Gets Significant Push In 2023 But Auctions Miss Target” • Onshore wind power was expanded in Germany last year by over 3.5 GW. Almost 50% more turbines were installed than were in the previous year, bringing the country’s total onshore wind capacity to 61 GW. But auctions did not meet expectations. [Clean Energy Wire]
¶ “Nuclear Power Expansion Plans Highlight Fuel Bottlenecks” • Nuclear energy was highlighted at the COP28 meeting with a declared hope of seeing its capacity triple. The declaration was based on the idea that nuclear energy could help achieve global net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Yet many industry watchers remain in doubt. [Chemistry World]
Nuclear plant (Stefan Kühn, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)
US:
¶ “Now You Can Claim Your Tesla EV Federal Tax Rebate Online” • Tesla has no dealers to help you get the EV Federal Tax Rebate online. So how does it do with that? When you order your shiny new Tesla online, the company asks if you would like to get your rebate upfront. If you say yes, all it takes is a click of the mouse. Tesla takes care of all the rest. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Solar And Wind To Lead Growth Of US Power Generation In Next Two Years” • As a result of new solar projects coming on line this year, the EIA forecast that US solar generation will grow 75% from 163 billion kWh in 2023 to 286 billion kWh in 2025. It expects that wind generation will grow 11% from 430 billion kWh in 2023 to 476 billion kWh in 2025. [CleanTechnica]
Please click on the image to enlarge it.
¶ “Why Texas’ Grid Isn’t Failing During This Year’s Extreme Cold” • Three years ago, when extreme cold took out the power for millions of people in Texas for days. Texas now has around 25% more wind power than it did in 2021, it has three times as much solar power, and there is nearly three times as much battery storage. [Fast Company]
¶ “Los Angeles’ Renewable Energy Plan Won’t Tank The Economy, Study Finds” • The City of Los Angeles’ plan to rely entirely on renewable electricity sources by 2035 won’t have a significant effect on the local economy, says research from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. The study examines nine ways to make the transition. [Tech Xplore]
Have an unqualifiedly fine day.
geoharvey 