Opinion:
¶ “Baseload Power Doesn’t Make Sense Anymore” • Today, despite all the reasons to know better, many people still insist that we need baseload power. I see this every day in the news. I think it is sheer folly. Let me start with a statement that some people might find hard to take: It is not possible to run a grid on just baseload power. [CleanTechnica]
Coal-burning power plant (Jason Blackeye, Unsplash)
¶ “Is Nuclear Power Coming Back from the Dead? Not If We Can Help It Say Activists Who Buried Nukes More Than 40 Years Ago” • As the industry seeks a revival with backing from the US Congress, the White House, and teams of industry propagandists, prominent activists from the No Nukes/Safe Energy movement of the 1970s are reviving, too. [Amherst Indy]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Scientists Divided Over Whether Record Heat Is Acceleration Of Climate Crisis” • Scientists are divided about high marine air temperatures. Some stress that current trends are within climate model projections. Others are perplexed by the speed of change because the seas are the Earth’s great heat moderator and absorb more than 90% of climate warming. [The Guardian]
Sky and ocean (Silas Baisch, Unsplash)
¶ “Toxic Plastic Chemicals Number In The Thousands, Most Are Unregulated, Report Finds” • Researchers have developed a database of all known chemicals used in plastic production. It’s a staggering number: 16,000 plastic chemicals, with at least 4,200 of them considered “highly hazardous” to human health and the environment, according to the authors. [CNN]
World:
¶ “How A Beautiful Spanish Tourist City Became The Green Capital Of Europe” • Valencia is one of Spain’s sunniest cities, thanks to its prime location on the Mediterranean. Now, it can also claim to be among the most sustainable after winning the coveted Green Capital of Europe title. The title is given annually by the European Commission. [CNN]
Valencia (Al Elmes, Unsplash)
¶ “German Greenhouse Gas Emissions Dropped Sharply Last Year” • Official data shows Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 10.1% last year as use of renewable energy grew, use of coal and gas diminished and economic pressures weighed in. The German government says it is on course to meet its target to cut emissions 65% by 2030. [ABC News]
¶ “The Dogood ZERO: An Electric Microcar For Urban Living” • The little Dogood Motors ZERO EV claims it has more space inside than a Lamborghini, and it has “more electric range than a Ferrari.” While such statements may be technically true, they also seem to be a very funny comparison for an electric microcar that costs £6,000 ($7,640). [CleanTechnica]
Dogood Motors ZERO EV (Dogood Motors image)
¶ “EVs Surpassing Renewables In New Investment” • The surge in e-mobility investment directly arises with the growth of final consumption. In 2023, global sales of all types of EVs – battery powered vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and fuel cell vehicles – came to 13 million units, making a growth rate of 29.8%, TrendForce reported. [The Global Energy Association]
¶ “Volkswagen And Skoda Are Moving Forward With Plans For Less Expensive Electric Cars” • Everybody is clamoring for less expensive electric cars. The Chinese are already building them, but many people worry that cheap cars from China will ruin traditional automakers. That might change. Here’s news on cars coming from Volkswagen and Skoda. [CleanTechnica]
Skoda Epiq concept Courtesy of Skoda
¶ “Alberta Government Releases Map Of No-Go Zones For Renewable Power Projects” • The government of Alberta has released some details of where and how it will permit wind and solar development, prohibiting it along a broad stretch of the province’s western edge, assessing its visual impact in five large areas, and restricting it on agricultural land. [MSN]
¶ “Barbados Targets 100% Renewable Energy By 2030, OTEC Plays A Vital Role” • Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion is gaining traction in the Caribbean region. After meetings last year with the governments of Grenada and the Turks and Caicos Islands, Barbados is starting to explore OTEC for its transition to renewable energy by 2030. [EIN News]
Night-time in Barbados (acobie inniss, Unsplash)
US:
¶ “Batteries And Green Energies Like Wind And Solar Combine For Climate Solution” • The US is rapidly adding batteries for large scale energy storage. Increasingly, these are getting paired with solar and wind projects. Electric grid operators, electric utilities and renewable energy developers say the combination is essential for a green energy future. [ABC News]
¶ “Dogsledding: How Climate Change Forces Iditarod To Adapt” • For the first time in 25 years of running dogsledding tours, Tanya McCready must invest in snowmaking equipment. The vanishing snow along the trails she mushes her sled dogs and the once frozen lake she says is no longer safe to cross signify a changing climate. [ABC News]
Sled dogs (Yann Gbs, Unsplash)
¶ “Study: We Need Waaaaaaaay More EV Chargers At Retailers” • A report from Consumer Reports examined which retailers are leading and which are lagging when it comes to EV chargers. It says, “Only about 1% of the 270,000 retail locations controlled by the 75 retail and fast-food companies we reviewed offer any EV charging.” CR calls this “bleak.” [CleanTechnica]
¶ “US Proposed Budget Supports Nuclear Projects” • The 2025 budget request includes nearly $1.6 billion for the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, to support securing high-assay low-enriched uranium supplies, develop new reactor technologies, support R&D, advance the use of additive manufacturing and AI, and deploy US reactors overseas. [Eurasia Review]
Have a luminously gorgeous day.
geoharvey 
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