Science and Technology:
¶ “Scientists Set New Record Of Nuclear Fusion” • Using the Joint European Torus, a large toroidal device known as a tokamak, scientists sustained a record 69 megajoules of fusion energy for five seconds, using only 0.2 milligrams of fuel. This amount of energy is sufficient to power approximately 12,000 households for the same duration. [NEWS.am TECH]
Tokamak reactor, 2016 (US DOE via Wikimedia Commons)
World:
¶ “Nuclear Reactor Restarts In Japan Have Reduced LNG Imports For Electricity Generation” • After the 2011 Fukushima Disaster, Japan suspended operations at all of its nuclear reactors. As of December 2022, 11 GW of Japan’s nuclear capacity had returned to service, which reduced the liquefied natural gas imports for electricity generation. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “BYD Atto 2 – Potentially a Big Hit in Europe!” • The BYD Atto 3 is already quite popular in Australia and parts of Europe, and it is reaching many other markets in Asia and South America. But the Atto 3 will soon have a partner that could turn out to be an even bigger seller: the Atto 2. It is the same car that will be sold in China as the Yuan Up. [CleanTechnica]
BYD Atto 2
¶ “EVs At 23.0% Share In UK – BMW Leading BEV Brand” • In January, plugin EVs took a 23.0% share of the UK auto market, up year-over-year from 20.0%. Full electric volume increased by 21% YOY, and plugin hybrids by 31%. January’s overall auto volume was 142,876 units, up 8% YOY. BMW was the UK’s leading BEV brand in January. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Council Approves West Of Orkney Wind Farm” • Orkney Island Council’s Development and Infrastructure Committee gave its backing to the 2000-MW West of Orkney offshore wind farm. The West of Orkney wind farm will have up to 125 turbines on fixed foundations 30 km west of the Orkney Mainland. First power is planned for 2029. [reNews]
Wind farm (Orkney Islands Council)
¶ “Balochistan Installs Modern Solar Facilities” • In Pakistan, the government of Balochistan, with support of the government of China, completed installations of solar power facilities at twelve educational institutions, computer labs, and hospitals. Pakistan has a total solar potential of 2,900 GW and a wind potential of 340 GW. [The Express Tribune]
¶ “Ten Valves That Workers Were Supposed to Close Were Open at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, Believed to be Cause of Radioactive Water Leak” • Ten manual valves that workers were supposed to close were open on equipment at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant when about 5.5 tons of contaminated water leaked, TEPCO said. [The Japan Times]
Water tanks at Fukushima Daiichi (IAEA Imagebank)
US:
¶ “There Is Barely Any Ice In The Great Lakes Due To Warm Winter Temperatures” • Record warm winter weather is having severe ramifications on the ice cover that typically engulfs the Great Lakes at this time of year. Just 5.9% of the Great Lakes are currently covered with ice compared to an average of about 40% for this time of year, NOAA analysis shows. [ABC News]
¶ “Electrical 101: Ensuring Equitable EV Charging Access” • RMI’s forthcoming GridUp tool can help policymakers, regulators, and utilities understand the charging needs of rural and low-income communities. The tool is designed to help them to make well-informed decisions on where to place charging infrastructure so everyone benefits. [CleanTechnica]
EVBOX public charging (EVBOX image)
¶ “Whitehouse Proposes Legislation To Close Dark Money Tax Loophole” • Sheldon Whitehouse, the feisty senator from Rhode Island, is a fierce advocate for common sense and fairness in government. Reacting to a massive donation worth $1.6 billion to a conservative trust, Senator Whitehorse reacted with a bill to close certain tax loopholes. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “US DOE Establishing National Center of Excellence to Accelerate Domestic Offshore Wind Industry” • The US DOE announced investing $4.75 million to establish the Academic Center for Reliability and Resilience of Offshore Wind, a national center of excellence to accelerate reliable and equitable offshore wind energy deployment. [CleanTechnica]
Wind resource map (NREL image)
¶ “Hawaii Drops Last Coal-Fired Plant After Launch Of Tesla Megapack Battery System On Oahu” • A Tesla Megapack battery system led the state of Hawaii to bid farewell to its last coal power plant, ushering in a new era powered by clean, renewable energy. The Kapolei Energy Storage, on the west side of Oahu, is operational. [Yahoo Finance]
¶ “Bill Would Create New Tax Credits For Renewable Energy Facilities” • A New Mexico Senate bill aims to make the state more attractive for renewable manufacturing. The Advanced Equipment Income Tax Credit bill would create a tax credit for qualified manufacturing facilities related to solar and wind energy components. [KUNM]
Wind turbines (Lloyd Wilson, Sandia Labs via Flickr)
¶ “Climate Scientist Michael Mann Wins Defamation Lawsuit” • In a major victory, renowned climate scientist Michael Mann has emerged triumphant in a defamation lawsuit against right-wing bloggers Rand Simberg and Mark Steyn. The jury awarded Mann $1,001,000 in punitive damages, a resounding blow to those who defame climate scientists. [BNN Breaking]
¶ “Gretchen Whitmer Seeks Another $150 Million To Restart Palisades Nuclear Plant” • Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year recommends another $150 million to help restart the plant. Reports have indicated the federal government is preparing to offer a $1.5 billion loan for the plant also. [Bridge Michigan]
Have a grandly advantageous day.
geoharvey 
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