Opinion:
¶ “Costa Rica Restored Its Forests And Switched To Renewable Energy. Can The World Learn From It?” • Switch to renewable energy. Stop deforestation. Restore ecosystems. They’re lofty goals that more and more corporations and governments are setting for themselves. If it seems too ambitious, just look to Costa Rica. [The Verge]
Costa Rica (Filip Mroz, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “The EV Sales Seesaw Continues: Tesla Down In California, Volkswagen Up In China” • You could get whiplash trying to keep up with all the EV sales data. Polestar is down, but Volvo EVs are up. It’s enough to make you think there is no rhyme or reason to EV sales patterns. Tesla sales fell a bit in California, but VW EV sales rose sharply in China. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Wind Power In Australia’s Energy Transition” • Squadron Energy is 100% Australian owned and has 1.1 GW of renewable energy in operation and 900 MW under construction. Squadron expects to be providing 14 GW of generation capacity by 2030. This would power six million Australian homes, equivalent to half the homes in Australia. [CleanTechnica]
Wind turbine blades at Port of Brisbane
¶ “Australian Outback Postie Goes Electric” • The Australian Outback can be rugged, dusty, and dangerous. But parts of it are quite flat, very suitable terrain for the Benzina Zero Duo electric delivery vehicle. Now it seems that the impact two-wheelers have on global oil consumption is noticeable, and Benzina Zero is a growing part of that. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Uzbekistan To Build Over 20 GW Of Renewable Capacity By 2030” • Uzbekistan will create more than 20 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev said. Trend reports that the president also said the country is aiming to increase its share of the green energy balance to 40%. [Trend News Agency]
Train in Uzbekistan (Abdul Raaz, Unsplash)
¶ “Microsoft Signs A $10 Billion Agreement To Power AI With Renewables” • Tech giant Microsoft struck a landmark deal with Brookfield Asset Management, committing to back an estimated $10 billion in new renewable energy projects. Brookfield is to develop 10.5 GW of renewable energy capacity for Microsoft between 2026 and 2030. [Computing UK]
¶ “Philippines Expects 2 GW Of New Solar During 2024” • The authorities in the Philippines say the nation is on target to add 1.98 GW of solar this year, alongside 590 MW of battery storage, as part of more than 4 GW of renewable energy projects. The Philippine DOE expects 966 MW of solar capacity will likely be switched on by June. [pv magazine International]
Solar panels in the Philippines (Xtechi no sama, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “World Heading On 3°C Trajectory” • A five-year delay to the energy transition could see the global average temperature rise to 3°C above pre-industrial levels, Wood Mackenzie analysis shows. The data provider studied the implications of a delayed energy transition, amid political uncertainties, inflation, and elections across the world. [reNews]
US:
¶ “Appeals Court Rejects Climate Change Lawsuit By Young Oregon Activists Against Us Governmen” • A federal appeals court panel of three judges rejected a long-running lawsuit brought by young Oregon-based climate activists who argued that the US government’s role in climate change violated their constitutional rights. [ABC News]
Stop climate change (Kelly Sikkema, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Elimination Of Tesla’s Charging Department Raises Worries” • Elon Musk’s move to lay off the department responsible for the Tesla’s EV chargers has touched off worries in the auto industry that EVs from other automakers will have trouble joining Tesla’s network. The entire group of about 500 people was laid off by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. [ABC News]
¶ “DOE Finalizes Efficiency Standards For Water Heaters To Save Americans Over $7 Billion On Utility Bills Annually” • The US DOE finalized energy-efficiency standards for residential water heaters to save American households roughly $7.6 billion per year on their energy and water bills, while significantly reducing carbon pollution. [CleanTechnica]
Heat pump water heater (Courtesy of LG)
¶ “New NOAA Climate Action Plan Emphasizes Needs Of Underserved Communities” • NOAA’s Climate Action Plan aims to expand the reach and accessibility of NOAA’s climate services, enabling the agency to better respond to the climate adaptation and resilience needs of all communities, with an emphasis on historically underserved populations. [NOAA]
¶ “$71 Million To Electrify Tribal Homes With Clean Energy” • The Interior Department announced $71 million in funding through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to help Tribal communities electrify their homes. This investment is a critical step toward the goal of electrifying all homes in Indian Country with clean resources. [CleanTechnica]
PV system (Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs)
¶ “Plant Vogtle Unit 4 Begins Commercial Operation, No More New Nuclear Under Construction” • Georgia Power announced that the 1,114-MW Unit 4 nuclear reactor at Plant Vogtle entered into commercial operation after connecting to the power grid in March 2024. There are no nuclear reactors under construction now in the US. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Congressional Investigation Reveals New Evidence Of Big Oil’s Decades-Long Campaign To Deny Climate Science” • Oil and gas companies, along with their top trade groups, were aware for decades that carbon emissions contribute to climate change, according to a scathing new report published by congressional investigators. [DeSmog]
Have a simply magnificent day.
geoharvey 