Opinion:
¶ “Hawaii’s Clean Energy Push: A Model For The Mainland?” • A massive clean energy experiment is taking place in Hawaii. It’s not that they are doing anything radically different in terms of renewable energy deployment, they’re just doing far more of it per capita than any other US state. And Hawaii is meeting its aggressive renewable energy plans. [Oil Price]
Pakini Nui Wind Farm (Yoshi Canopus, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
World:
¶ “China Has Nudged Japan Aside As Number 1 Auto Exporter, Japanese Data Show” • The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association reported Japan exported 4.42 million vehicles in 2023. Earlier data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows China exported 4.91 million vehicles last year, largely EVs and hybrids. [ABC News]
¶ “Mexico’s Supreme Court Rules Against An Electricity Law Favoring A State-Owned Utility Over Private Firms” • A panel of Supreme Court justices in Mexico ruled against President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s rules that favored the state-owned electric power company over cleaner private power companies, which are mostly foreign-owned. [ABC News]
Wind farm in Mexico (Daniel Cravioto, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “25% of New Car Sales in China Were 100% Electric in 2023!” • Plugin vehicles in China once again ended the year with a record month, growing by 46% year-over-year in the last month of the year to a record 980,000 units. Range-extended vehicles have become trendy in China, with most packing 40 kWh-ish batteries and fast charging capabilities. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “30% Plugin Vehicle Share In France!” • Plugin sales continued to grow in France in December, reaching a record 54,413 units. Most of that was battery EVs. Their sales were up an amazing 50% year-over-year in December, to a record 37,355 units. Plugin hybrid EVs also joined to the party, by growing some 17% YoY to 17,056 registrations. [CleanTechnica]
Fiat 500e Cabrio (Alexander Migl, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “President Murmu Unveils India’s Renewable Energy Triumph: Soars To 188 GW With Solar Surging 26-Fold in A Decade” • Pres Droupadi Murmu declared that the government is prioritizing green energy, revealing that renewable energy capacity in India more than doubled over a decade to 188 GW. Solar capacity had a 26-fold increase. [SolarQuarter]
¶ “IEA’s Report Reveals 50% Surge In Global Renewable Capacity In 2023, Bringing Global Total To Nearly 510 GW” • A report by the International Energy Agency shows that the world added 50% more renewable energy capacity in 2023 than in 2022, bringing the global total to nearly 510 GW. Of the new capacity, 75% was solar PVs. [SolarQuarter]
Solar array (Raphael Cruz, Unsplash)
¶ “GE Vernova, Kandenko And Cosmo Eco Power To Develop Onshore Wind Farm In Fukushima” • GE Vernova’s onshore wind business announced it was selected by Abukuma South Wind Power LLC as the supplier for the 90-MW Abukuma South Wind Farm in the area of the city of Iwaki and town of Hirono, in Fukushima Prefecture. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
¶ “‘Time Is Right To Invest In Emerging Offshore Markets’” • World Bank offshore wind development program co-lead Sean Whittaker said, “There has never been a better time” for offshore wind developers to move into emerging markets. Speaking at the WFO Global Summit in Barcelona, he said his organisation has helped 26 countries speed up deployment. [reNews]
Wind turbines (SSE Renewables image)
¶ “Britain Not Planning Hinkley Point C Loan Guarantees, Says Downing Street” • The UK has no plans for loan guarantees for the Hinkley Point C nuclear project to ease the financing costs on EDF, a spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said. “Hinkley Point C’s financing is a matter for the project’s shareholders, it’s not for government.” [Reuters]
US:
¶ “Sea Otters, Once Hunted To Near Extinction, Are Preventing Coastal Erosion As Their Populations Grow, Study Finds” • A recent discovery is that sea otters are Mother Nature’s solution to the prevention of coastal erosion. The sea otters eat burrowing crabs that have no other major predators. Crab burrows make coastal lands unstable. [ABC News]
Sea otters (Kedar Gadge, Unsplash)
¶ “John Podesta Will Take Over For John Kerry As US Climate Diplomat” • John Podesta, a senior White House adviser focused on clean energy and climate, will take over as top US climate diplomat when John Kerry steps down, a source familiar with the move said. He has been working on clean energy and carrying out the Inflation Reduction Act. [CNN]
¶ “Renewed US National Movement to Convert Private Utilities to Public Utilities” • A renewed US movement is afoot to replace corporate utilities with public, citizen-owned utilities. There have been energy cooperatives in the Midwest for nearly a century and a half. The American Public Power Association gives support for public power companies. [CleanTechnica]
Utility worker (USDA, public domain)
¶ “Delaware Judge Invalidates Elon Musk’s Tesla Pay Package” • Five years ago, the board of directors of Tesla approved a special compensation package for Elon Musk that exceeded by far any executive pay plan in the history of the world. If Musk hit certain targets, he would be entitled to total compensation of $56 billion. A judge said that’s too much. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Chugach Electric Offers Its Support For Renewable Energy Benchmarks” • Just a fifth of the electricity produced on Alaska’s Railbelt comes from renewable sources. The rest is from fossil fuels, primarily natural gas. But with a natural gas shortfall on the way, clean energy advocates want to push Railbelt utilities to boost renewables. [Alaska Public Media]
Have a perfectly wonderful day.
geoharvey 
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