Science and Technology:
¶ “More Bad News For Fossil Fuels: Green Hydrogen Is Making Green Steel Happen” • Steelmaking was thought to be difficult if not impossible to decarbonize, with a key step in the process fully dependent on coal or natural gas. Well, that was then. The world’s first full-scale green steel plant is taking shape in Sweden, with help from green hydrogen. [CleanTechnica]
Aurora and green hydrogen (courtesy of H2 Green Steel)
¶ “Cobalt-Free Batteries Could Power Cars Of The Future” • Many EVs are powered by batteries that contain cobalt, a metal with high financial, environmental, and social costs. Researchers at MIT have now designed a battery material that could offer a more sustainable way to power electric cars, with a cathode based free of cobalt or nickel. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Euro 2024 E-Mobility Partner Is … BYD!” • Europe has a huge legacy auto industry, and many of these new electric cars come from those German, French, and other European auto brands. But the automotive company sponsoring UEFA’s Euro 2024, set to be its official e-mobility partner, is Chinese. BYD is the largest EV maker in the world. [CleanTechnica]
BYD Seal
¶ “The $1.6 Trillion Future Of The Auto Tech Opportunity” • The automotive industry is undergoing a significant transformation, with autonomous driving, EVs, connected and software-defined vehicles, and in-cabin monitoring at the forefront. Such changes are expected to create a market opportunity some estimate to be worth $1.6 trillion by 2034. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “BEV Sales Shoot Past All Expectations in Brazil In December, Rise 700%!” • Not long ago, Brazil’s battery EV sales were just symbolic: a fraction of a fraction. But the second half of 2023 has broken record after record, breaking all expectations and closing in on 3% battery EV share of the overall automobile in December, 700% growth YOY. [CleanTechnica]
Volkswagen ID. Buzz in Brazil (Courtesy of Volkswagen AG)
¶ “Romania’s Ministry Of Energy Is Putting €17.6 Billion Of EU Funds To Work” • Scheduled to be launched on March 1, two public calls in Romania will enable companies to get a total of €815 million in grants for renewable electricity projects. Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja said that the subsidies would cover 2 GW of capacity. [Balkan Green Energy News]
¶ “Libra’s Greenwood To Build Massive Solar Power Facility In Canada” • Greenwood Sustainable Infrastructure LLC, one of the renewable energy subsidiaries of Libra Group, announced the construction of a 100-MW (AC) solar facility in Saskatchewan. The Iyuhána Solar will be the largest built with a PPA from a Canadian utility since 2015. [GreekReporter.com]
Solar facility (Greek Reporter file photo, public domain)
¶ “EnergyAustralia Announces New 50-MW BESS” • Plans to develop a new Battery Energy Storage System next to the Hallett Power Station in Canowie, 210 km north of Adelaide, have been announced by EnergyAustralia. The Hallett BESS would have an initial power capacity of 50 MW with a total discharge capacity of up to 200 MWh. [Energy Magazine]
¶ “NI Saves £243 Million From Wind Power In 2023” • Wind Energy Ireland, with the help of energy specialists Baringa, reported that Northern Irish wind farms saved £243 million in 2023. The Irish renewable energy organisation confirmed in its annual report that 35% of the whole island’s electricity was provided by wind farms. [Current News]
Wind turbines (RTG, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
¶ “UK Government To Plow An Extra £1.3 Billion Into A Nuclear Plant” • The UK government says it will make £1.3 billion ($1.9 billion) of additional funding available to build the Sizewell C nuclear reactor project with EDF. Opponents of the project criticised the additional government funding, saying it lacked transparency. [Yahoo Finance]
US:
¶ “Lowering Energy Costs And Emissions In Rural America” • Updates are needed with climate change. So the NRDC endorsed the REAP Modernization Act, introduced by Senators Tina Smith and Ben Ray Luján and Representatives Abigail Spanberger and David Valadao, and the Rural Energy Equity Act, introduced by Senator Peter Welch. [CleanTechnica]
Sheep and solar panels (Courtesy of Lightsource bp)
¶ “Amazon Solidifies Global Leadership In Renewable Energy With Over 500 Solar And Wind Projects” • Amazon has been the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy for four year in a row. With a portfolio of more than 500 solar and wind projects globally, Amazon’s renewable energy could power yearly needs of 7.2 million US homes. [Energetica India]
¶ “The Largest Electric Vehicle Fleet In The US Will Belong To…The US Postal Service” • EV advocates have been pressuring the US Postal Service to come up with a meaty decarbonization plan, and things are finally starting to cook. The latest news is about Ford Motor Company’s E-Transit electric delivery van, which can deliver the zero emission goods. [CleanTechnica]
Ford E-Transit EV for the USPS (Ford Motor Company)
¶ “Kansas Renewable Energy Projects Announced” • The USDA’s Rural Development Kansas Director Christy Davis announced that Rural Development is investing $2.8 million in renewable energy projects in the state. The funds are intended to reduce energy bills, boost energy production, and create jobs. A dozen Kansas projects are to receive grants. [Fort Scott Biz]
¶ “Bloomberg Signs A 15-Year Renewable Energy Deal With Ørsted” • Bloomberg has committed to get 100% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2025, as a part of its commitment as a member of global corporate initiative RE100. It has just signed a 15-year agreement with Ørsted for electricity from the 471-MW Mockingbird project in Texas. [ESG Today]
Have a brilliantly successful day.
geoharvey 
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