Science and Technology:
¶ “MIT Engineers Design Artificial Reef To Protect Coastlines And Marine Species” • MIT calls it an “architected” reef. It is a sustainable offshore structure engineered to mimic the wave buffering effects of a natural reef while also providing pockets of safety for fish and other marine life. It breaks up incoming waves, dissipating most of their energy. [CleanTechnica]
Graphic of artificial Reef (MIT News image)
¶ “How Mountains Could Store Mountains Of Clean Energy” • Mountains, or even hills, cliffs, and flat-topped buttes, could soon store a whole lot of clean energy. These vertically blessed places are ideal spots for a well-established form of energy storage that is getting renewed attention: pumped storage hydropower. Now NREL has a cost-estimation tool. [NREL]
World:
¶ “Digital Battery Passports Coming to EU” • Starting in February 2027, every new traction battery, two-wheeled vehicle battery, and industrial battery with a capacity of over 2 kWh that is sold in the EU will need a digital battery passport. There are several reasons for this, including transparency and sustainability in the battery value chain. [CleanTechnica]
Small traction battery (Kumpan Electric, Unsplash)
¶ “EVs At 58.1% Share In Sweden – The Volvo EX30 Took The #2 Spot” • March’s auto market saw plugin EVs at a 58.1% share in Sweden, down YOY from 59.9%. Plugin volumes were down YOY for battery EVs, but up slightly for plugin hybrids. Overall auto volume was 23,891 units, down 21% YOY. The Tesla Model Y was the month’s bestselling battery EV. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Tesla Rules In Europe – Europe EV Sales Report” • Some 202,000 plugin vehicles were registered in February in Europe, which is +10% YOY. But the growth rate was the same in the overall market, so the EV market share did not grow. February’s plugin vehicle share of the overall European auto market was 20% (13% battery EVs). [CleanTechnica]
Citroën ë-C3 (Citroën image)
¶ “Malaysian Player Targets 2-GW Renewables Portfolio For Australia” • Malaysian engineering and infrastructure company Gamuda has announced it will shift its focus in Australia to the clean energy and renewables infrastructure market, laying out plans to build a portfolio of 1 to 2 GW of solar and wind projects in the next five years. [pv magazine Australia]
¶ “Renewables Failing To Keep Pace With Energy Demand” • A report from REN21 found that persistent obstacles prevent renewables from keeping pace with rising energy demand. This leads to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Renewables are increasing in the overall energy mix, but they are not replacing coal, oil, and gas at the pace required. [reNews]
View from the top of a wind turbine (WindEurope image)
¶ “EU Clears Greek Aid For 813 MW Of PV With Storage ” • The European Commission approved €1 billion of Greek measures under EU state-aid rules to support two solar projects, one with lithium-ion batteries and one with molten-salt thermal storage. The Faethon Project and the Seli Project are both to be operating by mid-2025. [pv magazine International]
¶ “EU Carbon Market Emissions Fall Record 15.5% As Renewable Power Soars” • Carbon dioxide emissions regulated under the EU’s Emissions Trading System fell by a record 15.5% in 2023 as renewable power output soared, the European Commission said. Around 45% of the EU’s output of greenhouse gases is regulated by the EU ETS. [Reuters]
Coal-burning plant (Daniel Moqvist, Unsplash)
¶ “Russia Says Backup Power Line To Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Has Gone Down” • A backup power line supplying the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine has gone down, the Russian-controlled management of the plant said. The plant relies on external power to keep its nuclear material cool and prevent a catastrophic accident. [Reuters]
US:
¶ “US Audi EV Sales Grow 29%, BMW EV Sales Grow 63%” • Tesla sales may be drooping, but that is not an industry-wide problem. The two automakers most similar to Tesla in class and vehicle price are Audi and BMW, and they just reported that their full battery electric vehicle sales in the US grew 29% and 63%, year-over-year, respectively. [CleanTechnica]
BMW G26E i4 (Damian B Oh, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
¶ “US DOE Releases First Ever Federal Blueprint to Decarbonize America’s Buildings Sector” • The Biden-Harris Administration just released Decarbonizing the U.S. Economy by 2050: A National Blueprint for the Buildings Sector. It presents the first sector-wide strategy for building decarbonization to be developed by the federal government. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Argonne Spotlights Projects That Give Equitable Access To Sustainable Transportation In Underserved Communities” • In electrifying the transportation system, the US is committed to giving all residents fair and equitable access to clean, affordable transportation. And it is critical that underserved communities have a strong voice in planning. [CleanTechnica]
Public charging station (EVBOX image)
¶ “Senators Strike Compromise, Advance Bill Requiring Extra Public Meeting On Renewable Energy Projects” • Nebraska state lawmakers reached a compromise on a bill that was criticized as pulling up “the welcome mat” on renewable energy projects. John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union said, “It’s bad economic policy.” [Nebraska Examiner]
¶ “PSEG Tells NRC It Plans On Renewing Licenses For Three South Jersey Nuclear Plants” • PSEG Nuclear LLC has notified the NRC that it plans to seek renewal of licenses for its three nuclear power plants in South Jersey. They provide nearly half the state’s electricity and are [claimed to be] integral components of New Jersey’s clean-energy goals. [NJ Spotlight News]
Have a sufficiently amusing day.
geoharvey 
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