Opinion:
¶ “Deborah Katz: ‘What Could Go Wrong?’” • Whether NorthStar has done a good job cleaning up Vermont Yankee is important, but it doesn’t address the larger issues. The colossal failure of nuclear power can be seen in decommissioning, with the years of shipments of “low-level” waste to Texas. This small reactor will cost close to $800 million to clean up. [Greenfield Recorder]
Vermont Yankee (NRC, public domain)
Science and Technology:
¶ “China Unveils High-Capacity Hydrogen Gas Turbine For Clean Energy Use” • A Chinese new energy equipment firm has announced a successful test of the world’s first 30-MW pure hydrogen gas turbine. The Jupiter I turbine is the world’s largest single-unit power pure hydrogen generator, according to the Mingyang Group. [Hydrogen Central]
¶ “New Flow Battery Membrane Aims To Kill Natural Gas, Not Just Coal” • A multi-institutional team based at Imperial College in London and the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics in China has been developing a new membrane for flow batteries with a potential to combine low toxicity with high energy density and a long lifecycle. [CleanTechnica]
New type of membrane (Courtesy of Imperial College London)
World:
¶ “Andy Palmer Says ‘Hybrids Are A Road To Hell'” • Admittedly, Palmer is not a household name, but he is well known in the auto industry. He was chief operating officer and head of planning for Nissan until 2014, when he became CEO of Aston Martin. He told Business Insider that delaying adopting EVs to sell hybrids was a “fool’s errand.” [CleanTechnica]
¶ “China Developing World’s Largest Compressed Air Energy Storage System” • The Huaneng Group has a 300-MW, 1500-MWh CAES project running in China. Now, the Huaneng Group is launching phase two of its Jintan Salt Cavern Compressed Air Energy Storage project. When completed, it will be the largest CAES facility in the world. [CleanTechnica]
Storage system (CNSIG image)
¶ “Nearly All Of Uruguay’s Grid Runs On Green Energy” • It has a population of just under 3.5 million inhabitants, produces nearly 550,000 tons of beef per year, and has a reputation for soccer that includes two World Cups. Uruguay has also achieved what many countries have pledged for decades: 98% of its grid runs on green energy. [Fast Company]
¶ “NKT Lands Two HVDC Contracts In Germany” • NKT was selected by TenneT to supply HVDC power cable systems for two projects in Germany. It will design, produce, and install 525-kV onshore and offshore equipment for the LanWin7 scheme and part of the NordOstLink project. Commissioning the systems is expected in 2033-34, according to NKT. [reNews]
NKT cable production (NKT image)
¶ “Big Oil Backtracks On Renewables Push As Climate Agenda Falters” • Major European energy companies like BP and Shell doubled down on oil and gas in 2024 to focus on short-term profits. They slowed down, and sometimes reversed, climate commitments in a shift that they are likely to stick with in 2025, instead of spending on wind and solar projects. [MSN]
¶ “Grenada Seeking Bidders For 15.1-MW Airport Solar Project” • Grenada’s Public Utilities Regulatory Commission has requested qualifications for bidders for an independent power producer tender. The project aims to establish a 15.1-MWp solar system at Maurice Bishop International Airport, a key step in the island’s energy transition. [pv magazine International]
Airport (Estormiz, CC0 1.0, public domain)
¶ “Climate Crisis Exposed People To Extra Six Weeks Of Dangerous Heat In 2024” • The climate crisis caused an additional six weeks of dangerously hot days in 2024 for the average person, supercharging the fatal impact of heatwaves around the world. The effects of human-caused global heating were far worse for some people. [The Guardian]
¶ “Federal Government Unveils $100 Million Renewables Boost” • Australia’s Federal Government has committed to invest $100 million to deliver two regional big batteries and a solar farm to power 160,000 homes. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation for $100 million to Neoen for support of 1.3-GW of renewable energy and battery storage. [Utility Magazine]
Neoen solar array (Neoen image)
US:
¶ “Peak EV Fast Charging Is Up 50%, And So Are Fast Chargers” • Electric vehicle sales have increased this year, as CleanTechnica has reported, and there are certainly a lot more EVs on the road than there were a year ago. Sales numbers are just sales numbers, though. Is there evidence of a lot more EV charging? Well, at the peak charging time, it’s up 50%! [CleanTechnica]
¶ “New York To Charge Fossil Fuel Companies For Climate Damage” • Large fossil fuel companies will have to pay fees to help New York fight the effects of climate change under a bill signed by Gov Kathy Hochul. Companies responsible for large greenhouse gas emissions will pay into a state fund for projects to address climate change. [ABC News]
Refinery (Suthamally Hariharan Subramanian, CC0 1.0)
¶ “Solar Panel Recycling In Texas” • A report by American Clean Power shows that Texas has surpassed California in utility-scale solar capacity. But it’s time to address what happens when solar panels reach their end of life. Some solar panels installed in the early 2000s are already being decommissioned, and nearly 90% of them end up in landfills. [Environment America]
¶ “Nuclear-Power Stocks Slide After Regulator Rejects Plan To Power Amazon Data Center” • The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rejected a deal between Amazon and Talen Energy. According to FERC Commissioner Mark Christie, approving the proposal would spark consequences for both grid reliability and consumer costs. [AOL.com]
Have an unquestionably superior day.
geoharvey 
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