Science and Technology:
¶ “The Real Value Of Electrifying Non-Powered Dams” • Some non-power dams are suitable for conversion to generate power, but few have been in the last 20 years due to the complexity and concerns about economics. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed a way to calculate the economic value of a converted NPD. [CleanTechnica]
Allegheny River Lock and Dam 2 (Andrew Byrne, US ACE)
World:
¶ “33% Plugin Vehicle Market Share In China – February 2024 Sales Report” • Plugin vehicles are all the rage in the Chinese auto market, but Chinese New Year celebrations, which always slow things down, happened this year in February. There were 440,000 EV sales, which is down 9% year over year. The overal market had 1.33 million sales. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “I Want To Tackle It In A Big Way’: Meet The Nigerian Women Spearheading Solar Projects” • In Fadeyi’s childhood, she only had intermittent electricity, but she got a degree in chemistry and training in solar installation. Then She started a non-profit dedicated to climate advocacy and providing clean energy to poor communities. [Euronews.com]
Solar panels in Nigeria (EtinPower image)
¶ “NatPower UK To Invest $12.8 Billion Into Battery Storage ‘Gigaparks’” • A renewable energy developer announced it would invest almost $12.8 billion into a massive battery storage project in the UK. NatPower, a UK startup, plans to submit planning proposals for three ‘gigaparks,’which it hopes to follow up with 10 more parks in 2025. [OilPrice.com]
¶ “Significant Renewable Energy Gains In 2023 Put Global Goal Within Reach” • The world added 50% more renewable energy in 2023 than 2022, putting the global goal of tripling clean energy in the next six years within reach, experts have said. The IEA made the announcement after analysis of current policies and market developments. [Yahoo News UK]
Wind turbines (Bastian Pudill, Unsplash)
¶ “Japan, China Hold Expert Consultation on Fukushima Daiichi Treated Water Ocean Release” • The governments of Japan and China held an expert consultation meeting regarding the release of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean. The Japanese said that monitoring results showed no impact on seawater. [The Japan News]
US:
¶ “Clean Energy, One Community At A Time” • Many places are highly dependent on fossil fuels, but they might not have the time, experience, or other resources to convert to sustainable energy. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory provide technical assistance research that can help communities pursue sustainable energy options. [CleanTechnica]
House in Alaska (Courtesy of NREL)
¶ “Navajo And Hopi Country Deserve More EV Charging” • EV charging dead zones still exist in the US, some with no plans in sight to improve the situation. Here, we look into Navajo and Hopi tribal lands, and why it’s important to address the problem, not only for the people who live there, but for all of the people who struggle to visit the region. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “How Platte River Power Authority Is Accelerating Its Energy Transition” • Community-owned Platte River Power Authority is a wholesale electricity provider in northern Colorado. It has a policy goal to decarbonize by 2030. It was the first utility in the state to bring windpower online, and plans to grow its windpower sevenfold by 2025. [Longmont Times-Call]
Platte River wind turbines (Platte River Power Authority)
¶ “The US Federal Gov’t Attempts To Tackle Cement And Concrete Decarbonization” • Decarbonization of Cement and concrete is the object of $6 billion in grants by the US DOE. In total, 33 projects across more than 20 states will help accelerate the commercial scale demonstration of emerging industrial decarbonization technologies. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Comprehensive Analysis Of Texas Solar Farm Hail Storm Aftermath” • On March 15, 2024, a powerful hailstorm hit Fort Bend County, Texas. It damaged thousands of solar panels at the Fighting Jays Solar Farm. One lesson is that storm damage is getting worse. But there are ways to take that into account when new projects are developed. [Microgrid Media]
Have a contentedly unperturbed day.
geoharvey 