Science and Technology:
¶ “New Direct Air Carbon Capture System Captures Water, Too” • Avnos shared a press release with CleanTechnica detailing the $36 million round of funding for its proprietary carbon capture system called HDAC, short for Hybrid Direct Air Capture. It captures water along with the carbon dioxide, and the US Navy finds that interesting. [CleanTechnica]
Avnos HDAC (Avnos image)
World:
¶ “Tesla Announces Pricing In Chile For Model 3 And Model Y: More Affordable Than Expected!” • It’s been three months since CleanTechnica reported that Tesla was officially hiring in Chile. Now the store is open, and pricing has been announced. It’s been pleasant to find that Tesla is not marking up its vehicles like most other brands do. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “A New Solution to Power Africa: Productive Use of Renewable Energy” • Access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa improved greatly over the last decade, reaching 49.4% of the population in 2022, up from 33% in 2010. But electricity consumption has not grown with access. Access to power is meaningless if customers can’t afford to pay for it. [CleanTechnica]
Solar power for pumping (Government of Makueni County, Kenya)
¶ “EVs Take 25.0% Share In France” • January saw plugin EVs take 25.0% share of the French auto market, an increase from 22.3% share, year on year. December’s overall auto volume was 122,284 units, up 9% YOY, but still far below 2017–2019 norms of about 155,000. France’s best selling full electric model in January was the Peugeot e-208. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Equinor’s Renewables Capacity Rises In Q4 2023” • Equinor’s power production from renewable energy sources reached 694 GWh in the final quarter of 2024, up 34% from the same quarter last year. This increase was mainly driven by production onshore by Rio Energy in Brazil and Wento in Poland, and offshore by Hywind Tampen. [reNews]
Wind power at Hywind Tampen (Equinor image)
¶ “Diesel Power Stations To Close As Big Batteries Take Centre Stage” • South Australia’s remarkable transition to renewable energy has claimed new fossil fuel victims. Engie revealed this week it will shutter two diesel plants in the state years ahead of schedule, as solar, wind, and battery storage have muscled them out of the market. [RenewEconomy]
¶ “Lightsource BP Energises UK Battery” • Lightsource BP has energised the 25-MW, 50-MWh Tiln battery to support 61-MW Tiln solar project, the first in its multi-gigawatt global energy storage pipeline. In the past two years, the company has worked to build energy storage opportunities to support the 60-GW of solar it is developing worldwide. [reNews]
Storage at a solar site (Lightsource BP image)
¶ “China Accounts for Nearly All New Coal-Fired Power Plant Construction” • According to data from Global Energy Monitor, a group that tracks global power generation projects, China was responsible for construction of 96% of all new coal-fired facilities last year, and for almost 70% of all new coal-fueled power plants that came online. [POWER Magazine]
¶ “‘Unprecedented Collapse’ In EU Coal And Gas Electricity Generation Last Year, Report Reveals” • According to a report by Ember, more of Europe’s electricity came from wind power than fossil gas for the first time last year. Wind and solar produced a record 27% of the bloc’s electricity in 2023. Coal and gas took corresponding nosedives. [Euronews]
Wind farm (Tyler Casey, Unsplash)
¶ “The UK’s First Geothermal Power Plant Holds Promise For A Greener And More Sustainable Future” • Construction has begun for the UK’s first geothermal power plant, marking a significant milestone for UK renewable energy. Geothermal Engineering Limited expects the plant, sited in Cornwall, to start generating electricity this year. [Open Access Government]
US:
¶ “What Is The Pineapple Express And Why Has It Drenched California?” • Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow bands of rain that hit the west coast of the US and Canada endwise, bringing lots of rain. If one starts near Hawaii, it is called the “Pineapple Express.” Studies from NOAA suggest that they will bring more rain with climate change. [BBC]
Atmospheric river (Naval Research Laboratory, public domain)
¶ “Climate Mayors Urge Biden Administration To Finalize The Strongest Possible Standards For Heavy-Duty Vehicles To Reduce Pollution And Improve Air Quality for Cities” • In a letter, 75 members of Climate Mayors urged the Biden Administration to finalize the EPA’s strongest proposed rule for the GHG Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Ford Teases Not-So-Secret Affordable EV, Again” • Word leaked out that the Ford Motor Company has assigned a secret task force to develop an affordable EV, aimed at competing with the low-cost lineup of Tesla and various Chinese auto makers. It’s pretty much the same secret that CleanTechnica’s Jennifer Sensiba noted in May of 2022, [CleanTechnica]
Affordable Ford (Ford Motor Company image)
¶ “Sublime Systems Receives $6.7 Million Award From DOE To Clean Up Cement Emissions” • Sublime Systems, an MIT spinoff, says it has found a way to eliminate 90% of the carbon emissions associated with making cement. Now Sublime Systems has been awarded $6.7 million by the DOE to help it advance electrolyzer technology. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Bill Looks To Reconfigure Tax Exemptions For Maine Yankee” • The fight over how the owners of the decommissioned Maine Yankee Nuclear Power Plant should be taxed has made its way to the state house, with Wiscasset town representatives pushing for a bill. The question centers on whether the facility should be paying taxes to the town. [WCSH]
Have a totally copacetic day.
geoharvey 
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