Opinion:
¶ “Unpacking The New 1300-Page FERC Transmission Line Ruling” • The new FERC rule requires local utilities and regional grid operators to look beyond their own parochial interests to plan how the nation’s electrical grid should be structured in the future. The goal is to ensure we all have plenty of electrical energy available when it is needed. [CleanTechnica]
Transmission lines (Courtesy of Heimdall Power)
Science and Technology:
¶ “NREL’s Open-Source Vehicle And Mobility Tools Offer Routes To Reduce Transportation Energy Use And Emissions” • Energy efficiency and on-road performance are central to the future of transportation and the clean energy transition. The US DOE’s NREL produced modeling and analysis tools that target barriers to technology advancement. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Waste Heat From Google Data Center To Warm A Town In Finland” • Data centers use as much as 1.5% of all of the world’s electricity, a number that is expected to increase dramatically. One question is what to do with the heat. Google plans to send the waste heat from its data center in Hamina, Finland, to its district heating system. [CleanTechnica]
Aerial view of Hamina (Ville Hyvönen, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Citroën Wins Contract For 1,000 ë-C3s In India” • Citroën has just taken a new step in its commitment to sustainable mobility by announcing a major partnership with OHM E Logistics. The brand will gradually supply 1,000 ë-C3 electric vehicles to the Indian logistics company, strengthening their fleet dedicated to shared mobility services. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “First New Turbine Powers Up At The Tummel Bridge Power Station” • The first new turbine at the Tummel Bridge Power Station in Perthshire has commenced generating renewable electricity following its successful installation and energization. The project aims to increase the station’s potential output from 34 MW to 40 MW. [Energy Live News]
Tummel Bridge Power Station (SSE Renewables)
¶ “Three States Are At Risk Of Blackouts In Coming Years, But There’s A Solution Within Reach” • People living in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, could be at risk of blackouts in the coming years unless new renewable energy projects are completed and connected to the grid quicker than what the national operator expects. [9News.com.au]
¶ “Wind Power And Photovoltaic Generation Will Soon Surpass Nuclear And Hydroelectric Generation” • The International Solar Energy Society explained how solar and wind energy dominate new global capacity additions. In the last decade, PV capacity increased nine-fold, wind generation tripled, natural gas grew 3%, and nuclear and coal were each up 1%. [evwind.es]
Solar farm (Harisankar, Unsplash)
¶ “Nuclear-Free Councils Hit Out At ‘Mad Delusion’ Of New Reactor” • Calls for a nuclear revival in Scotland are dismissed as “mad delusion” by Scottish Nuclear Free Local Authorities, a group of councils opposed to nuclear power. They insist that renewables “represent the only way forward to achieve a sustainable, net-zero future.” [John O’Groat Journal]
¶ “China National Nuclear Power Starts Work On The Nation’s Largest Offshore Solar Farm” • China National Nuclear Power has kicked off construction of the nation’s largest offshore solar farm, as part of efforts to boost low-carbon energy supply and decarbonise the economy. The 2-GW solar farm is referred to as a “pilot project.” [South China Morning Post]
Work on solar farm on mud flats (Image from handout)
US:
¶ “US Electricity Consumption from Light-Duty Vehicles Likely Surpassed Rail in 2023” • According to estimates in the Energy Information Administration’s Electric Power Monthly, light-duty vehicles used more US electricity than rail systems for the first time in 2023. Rail has long been the largest electricity end-use category in transportation. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “City of Arvin, California And Veolia North America Break Ground On Innovative Solar Energy Installation” • The City of Arvin, California and Veolia North America broke ground on a solar energy installation that will meet all the power needs of the city’s wastewater treatment plant and eliminate emissions from power generation. [CleanTechnica]
Solar installation (Courtesy of Veolia North America)
¶ “Toyota Launches Class 8 Tern 100% Electric Truck At US Market” • Toyota is launching a “Tern” Class 8 heavy duty electric truck for the US market. This is a big move considering that Toyota has been notoriously late to the 100% battery-electric party. The new Tern electric truck comes under the umbrella of Toyota Group’s Hino branch. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Solar Reaches 87% New US Capacity In Q1” • A review by the SUN DAY Campaign of data just released by FERC reveals solar provided nearly 87% of all new capacity in the first quarter of 2024. In March, 99.7% of capacity added was solar, marking the seventh month in a row with solar adding more capacity than any other source. [reNews]
Solar array (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)
¶ “SCE, Lotus Win California Grid Upgrade Gig” • Southern California Edison and Lotus Infrastructure Partners won a tender to deliver transmission capacity in California to enable more renewables. Lotus will lead the project’s development and upon completion and regulatory approval, SCE will buy it and lease 25% of its transmission capacity to Lotus. [reNews]
¶ “Michigan Regents Approve $70 Million Solar Power Project” • The University of Michigan’s Board of Regents has approved a $70 million plan to construct solar power arrays on its campuses. Radial Power, a sustainable energy firm based out of Houston, was chosen to design and build the installations with combined capacities of 25 MW. [WOODTV.com]
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