Opinion:
¶ “Why I’m Optimistic About Cleantech Over The Next Four Years” • Vic Shao writes, “Since Trump’s win, industry insiders and the media have been wallowing in an unusual amount of doom and gloom. … But let me share a contrarian view. I think we’re on the brink of a golden era for renewable energy and clean transportation deployments.” [Canary Media]
Wind turbines at dusk (Milada Vigerova, Unsplash)
¶ “Will the World’s First Nuclear Fusion Power Plant Be Built In Virginia? Here’s Why We’re Skeptical” • Commonwealth Fusion Systems says it will build the world’s first fusion power plant in an industrial park near Richmond, Virginia, within a decade. But there are a number of things that must take place before that can become reality. [Scientific American]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Energy-Positive Buildings Give More Than They Take” • Our buildings have huge environmental footprints. Some architects and builders are accepting the challenge to shrink them. They are starting with redesigning their interactions with materials to address the climate crisis while also meeting the vast demand for newly built space. [CleanTechnica]
Green technology (Courtesy of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens)
World:
¶ “BYD Seal Wins A Japan Car Of Rhe Year Award, First Chinese Car To Achieve This!” • BYD is on a roll, but even so, it seems shocking to see it winning a Japan Car of the Year award! The Seal is the first Chinese car, of any kind, to win the award. BYD is also expanding into more markets and adding to vehicle lineups in existing markets. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Solaris to Deliver First EU Battery Passport–Compliant Buses” • Berlin’s BVG transit system received the first electric bus with a battery passport: the Solaris Urbino 18 electric. In a statement, Solaris said the deliveries put BVG three years ahead of EU regulations, which will require a battery passport in all electric vehicles starting in 2027. [CleanTechnica]
Solaris Urbino 18 electric bus (Solaris photo)
¶ “It’s Against The Law In Canada To Call Hydrogen Buses Zero Emissions” • In the middle of 2024, the claims of environmental virtue remarkably disappeared from websites and social media of Canadian oil and gas companies and their lobbying groups. Why? Because of Bill C-59. It received Royal Assent, and that made it the law in Canada. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Wave Energy Microgrids Poised To Power Australian Aquaculture” • Backed by findings of an AquaGrid feasibility study funded by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, the integration of ocean energy, along with solar and battery systems, is set to provide power that will reshape Australian coastal aquaculture. [Offshore Energy]
Wave device (FDRC image)
¶ “South Korea Awards 1.9 GW Of Offshore Capacity” • South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has awarded 1,886 MW of offshore wind capacity across four projects in the country’s latest offshore wind capacity auction. The government has awarded 20-year fixed tariff power purchase agreements to the four developers. [reNews]
¶ “Germany Deploys 1 GW Of PV In November” • Germany deployed 1,016.9 MW of new PV capacity in November, official data shows. This compares to 1 GW in October and 1,183 MW in November 2023. Germany’s total installed capacity for the first 11 months of 2024 was 15.69 GW, up from 13.18 GW for the same period in 2023. [pv magazine International]
Solar panels (Michael Förtsch, Unsplash)
¶ “India To Mandate Energy Storage For Solar, Wind Projects” • India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy may introduce policies soon to mandate the inclusion of battery storage in new solar and wind projects. The move is aimed at addressing the intermittency of the rapidly growing share of renewable energy in India’s electricity mix. [pv magazine India]
US:
¶ “US DOE Extends V2X Work with Nine New Partners” • The vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capability may be the most commonly discussed, but going beyond that, you get vehicle-to-home (V2H) tech, vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability or “vehicle-to-everything” (V2X) capability. The US DOE has extended its Memorandum of Understanding on V2X. [CleanTechnica]
Ford F-150 Lightning plugged in (Ford image)
¶ “Convergent Seeks US Funds For Puerto Rican BESS Schemes” • Convergent Energy and Power got a conditional commitment from the US Government for a loan guarantee of up to $559 million for a portfolio of energy storage projects in Puerto Rico. One installation Convergent plans is a 100-MW solar PV system with a 55-MW, 55-MWh battery. [reNews]
¶ “RWE Reaches 10-GW Milestone In The US” • RWE reached the milestone of 10 GW of onshore wind, solar, and storage facilities in operation in the US. The German company owns and operates a diverse portfolio of more than 170 facilities in 24 US states, including 4.3 GW of solar, 5.2 GW of onshore wind and 0.5 GW of battery storage. [reNews]
Renewable capacity (RWE image)
¶ “EPA Allows California To Ban Gas-Powered New Car Sales By 2035” • California has been given the green light by the US EPA to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars and light trucks by 2035. The California Air Resources Board approved the controversial plan to begin phasing out sales of new gas-powered cars and light trucks in the state in 2022. [ABC News]
¶ “Massachusetts City Sources Solar Power From Illinois” • The City of Cambridge, Massachusetts announced it will enter the nation’s largest municipal virtual power purchase agreement, committing to purchase the renewable energy credits associated with a solar facility in Champaign County, Illinois. Electrons can’t be mailed, but credits can. [pv magazine USA]
Have an astounding temperate day.
geoharvey 
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