Opinion:
¶ “Over 50 Solar + Storage Companies Take Action on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, And Justice” • America’s solar and storage industry is quickly transforming our energy system, creating new opportunities in every corner of the country. This rapid growth cannot be haphazard if we want to ensure equitable growth as part of this transition. [CleanTechnica]
Solar + storage (Sungrow EMEA, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “LNG Stakeholders Have Something New To Worry About Now” • Ammonia could pull the rug out from under the LNG export market because of hydrogen, which is efficient to ship as atoms within ammonia molecules. Ammonia can easily be made from hydrogen and liquified. It is efficient to transport ammonia and take hydrogen from it as needed. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “EAV 2Cubed 4-Wheeled E-Cargo Bikes Could Replace Urban Delivery Vans” • Vehicles that deliver goods and services create quite a bit of traffic congestion and air pollution urban areas, as well as carbon emissions. EAV, a company based in the UK, has an option that could be a great addition to delivery fleets. It is the EAV 2Cubed. [CleanTechnica]
EAV 2Cubed (Screenshot from EAV website)
¶ “Glow-In-The-Dark Red Herrings And Dead Whales” • During 2023, Australia made steady progress towards its 82% renewable energy for the grid by 2030. Some would say that we are halfway there! Progress is being hindered a bit by new naysayers, some of whom are promoting nuclear power. That is a glow-in-the dark red herring! [CleanTechnica]
¶ “China Added More Solar Panels In 2023 Than US Did In Its Entire History” • China installed more solar panels in 2023 than any other nation has built in total, adding to a massive renewable energy fleet that’s already leading the world by a wide margin. China added 216.9 GW of solar capacity last year, blowing away its previous record of 87.4 GW. [Financial Post]
Dual axis trackers in China (Vinaykumar8687, CC-BU-SA 4.0)
¶ “Scotland Generates Record Amount Of Renewable Energy, Figures Show” • The latest data show that renewable technologies generated the equivalent of 113% of Scotland’s overall energy consumption in 2022. This is the highest level of renewables recorded to date, and it marks an increase of 26 percentage points compared to 2021. [The National]
¶ “North Macedonia Sees 160% Year Over Year Growth In 2023 Renewable Energy Licences” • The energy regulator for North Macedonia said that it issued licences for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources with a total installed capacity of nearly 399 MW in 2023, up by 160% compared to a year before. [SeeNews]
GE wind turbine (Borja Fasi Fernandez, GE Renewable Energy)
¶ “Energy Vault Expands Its Global Footprint For Gravity Energy Storage With License Covering South Africa” • Energy Vault, a grid-scale energy storage provider, announced that it signed a new licensing and royalty agreement in the Southern African Development Community region with Gravity Energy Storage Solutions Ltd. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
US:
¶ “North America Experienced An Unprecedented ‘Hot Drought’ In The Last Century, Research Shows” • Western North America has experienced an unprecedented “hot drought” over the last century, according to research that shows the amplification of heat in the region over recent decades. The paper was published in Science Advances. [ABC News]
Lake Mead (ricardo frantz, Unsplash)
¶ “Bid To Overhaul New Mexico Oil And Gas Regulations Clears First Hurdle Amid Litigation” • An effort to modernize oversight of the petroleum industry in New Mexico advanced past its first committee vetting at the state legislature. The bill would rewrite parts of the state’s 1930s-era Oil and Gas Act so regulators can keep pace with the industry’s growth. [ABC News]
¶ “US DOE Is Helping NOAA’s Mauna Loa Observatory Get To Net-Zero” • The US DOE awarded NOAA $5 million to support converting the Mauna Loa atmospheric baseline observatory in Hawaii to be a net-zero carbon facility. Among other things, the Mauna Loa Observatory monitors the global increase in levels of greenhouse gases. [CleanTechnica]
Mauna Loa Observatory (Christine Smith, NOAA)
¶ “Infographic Shows What Electrify America Did In 2023” • Electrify America’s chargers enabled many people to consider an EV, and road trips that had once been impractical are now totally doable. Reliability problems, however, have been a major drag. This mixed story continued in 2023, An infographic from the company lets us how it’s going. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “USPS Charging Stations Begin Arriving At Sorting And Delivery Centers” • The US Postal Service unveiled its first set of EV charging stations at an event, which it held at its Sorting and Delivery Center in South Atlanta. USPS charging stations like these will be installed at hundreds of S&DCs across the country throughout 2024. [CleanTechnica]
Canoo delivery truck (Canoo image)
¶ “Ørsted Withdraws from Maryland Offshore Wind Power Deals” • Following consultation with the State of Maryland, Ørsted has withdrawn from the Maryland Public Service Commission Orders approving the Skipjack 1 and 2 offshore wind projects. The projects are not viable due to changing economic conditions. [Offshore Engineer Magazine]
¶ “A Bill To Designate Nuclear Energy As Clean Energy Dies In Committee” • A Colorado Senate bill that would have defined nuclear energy as clean energy died in committee. SB24-039 would have included nuclear energy in the statutory definition of clean energy sources. Opponents said such a designation would have a negative environmental impact. [Colorado Politics]
Have a concepturally dreamy day.
geoharvey 