Opinion:
¶ “There’s Still Time For California Regulators To Stop Killing The California Solar And Storage Industry” • New state policies reduced California’s incentives to install solar power and storage, discouraging families and businesses from deploying systems. The Solar Energy Industries Association calls on policymakers to address the problems. [CleanTechnica]
Rooftop solar (Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Can Ocean Energy Power Carbon Removal?” • A mass of sargassum, a seaweed, sometimes has huge bits break off and wash ashore in Florida or the Caribbean. If that seaweed could be sunk instead of covering beaches, it would carry a huge amount of carbon to the ocean floor, sequestering massive amounts of carbon that was recently in the air. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Should More British Homes Be Built Using Straw?” • This year, straw from Lithuania will envelop a building in a quiet town in West Yorkshire. The panels will be supplied by a Slovakian firm, EcoCocon. Each timber-framed panel is around 400 mm thick and contains a mass of chopped straw. They help meet a rising demand for insulation and sustainability. [BBC]
Straw panel installation (EcoCocon image)
¶ “Westbridge Progresses Italian Solar Projects” • Westbridge Renewable Energy is developing two new solar projects in Italy. The 32-MW Gierre solar project is in Lazio and the 30-MW NM solar project is in Umbria. Both projects have secured land and grid access, completed feasibility studies, and now planning applications are in progress. [reNews]
¶ “Mobilizing Electric Vehicles In Rural India” • This week, NRDC, with partners Self Employed Women’s Association and the Small Industries Development Bank of India, unveiled a first-of-its-kind initiative to pilot EVs in rural areas of India. Access to clean mobility can transform livelihood opportunity growth in rural areas. [CleanTechnica]
New owners of two-wheeler EVs (Image by NRDC India)
¶ “Northern Territory Launches Plan To Power 72 Remote Indigenous Communities With 70% Renewables” • The NT government has launched community consultations on its Remote Power System Strategy, in a bid to power 72 remote Australian indigenous communities with an average of 70% renewables, by 2030. [RenewEconomy]
¶ “Ford Transit Connect PHEV Coming To Europe This Year” • Ford announced that it will introduce its third generation Transit Connect to the European and UK markets, with sales starting in the second half of 2024. One version of the new Transit Connect will offer a plug-in hybrid powertrain with 68 miles of battery-only range. [CleanTechnica]
Ford Transit Connect (Ford image)
¶ “India Unveils 13.9 GW Coal Plants In Highest Annual Surge In Six Years” • India is set to bring online 13.9 GW of new coal-fired power plants this year, marking the highest annual increase in at least six years, the country’s power ministry said. There are surging power demands, low per-capita emissions, and concerns about energy security. [BW Businessworld]
¶ “Kenya’s Complete Transition To Clean Energy Gets World Bank Support” • The Climate Investment Funds endorsed a $70 million plan, with an allocation of $46.39 million, to advance the integration and use of renewable energy in the Kenyan grid. The move will enable the country’s transition to 100% clean energy by 2030. [Construction and Civil Engineering News]
Kenya (Damian Patkowski, Unsplash)
US:
¶ “Electric Vehicles And Hybrids Surpass 16% Of Total 2023 US Light-Duty Vehicle Sales” • Combined sales of hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid EVs, and battery EVs in the US rose to 16.3% of total new light-duty vehicle sales in 2023, according to data from Wards Intelligence. In 2022, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery EV sales were 12.9% of total sales. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Carbon Dioxide, Radio Isotopes, The Keeling Curve, And The Greatest Cover Up In History” • Seventy years ago, Los Angeles had an air pollution problem that led to the word ‘smog’ being coined. Petroleum and automotive companies came to realize that pollution is a problem, and they created a massive cover-up to protect their profits. [CleanTechnica]
Smog in Los Angeles (Lan56, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)
¶ “Vesper Energy Secures $590 Million Financing For Hornet Solar Project” • Vesper Energy, a developer, owner, and operator of renewable energy assets, finalized financing for its Hornet Solar project. Set to provide renewable energy to communities throughout Texas, the project aims to enhance grid stability and address price volatility. [SolarQuarter]
¶ “Xcel Energy To Build 3.6 GW Of Renewable Capacity And 600 MW Of Storage In Minnesota” • Utility Xcel Energy announced plans to decarbonise its operations in the Midwest. The plans involve the construction of 3.6 GW of new renewable power generating capacity and 600 MW of new battery energy storage system facilities. [PV Tech]
Xcel Energy solar system (Xcel Energy image)
¶ “Vibrations In Cooling System Mean New Georgia Nuclear Reactor Will Again Be Delayed” • Georgia Power Co said that vibrations in a cooling system of its second new nuclear reactor will delay when the unit starts operating. Plant Vogtle’s Unit 4 now will not begin operating until sometime between April 1 and June 30. [The Public’s Radio]
¶ “State Says Holtec Must Report On Chemicals In Vaporized Wastewater” • While Holtec International awaits decisions by regulators on discharging water from the Pilgrim nuclear plant, it has got rid of 200,000 gallons of the water by using heaters in the reactor cavity to evaporate it. The state wants a report on contaminants. [The Provincetown Independent]
Have a spactacularly quiet day.
geoharvey 