Science and Technology:
¶ “New Offshore Oil & Gas Drilling Ban: Implications For Clean Hydrogen” • To the extent that the drilling ban puts the squeeze on the domestic supply of natural gas, it will help support the growth of green hydrogen. The US domestic hydrogen supply chain depends almost entirely on extracting hydrogen from natural gas. [CleanTechnica]
Deepwater Horizon (USCG, public domain)
¶ “Underwater Robots Could Lower Offshore Renewable Costs, Edinburgh Study Suggests” • The unpredictable nature of waves has limited the use of robots in the upkeep of offshore platforms. Such machines have difficulty remaining stable and able to move with precision. Technology from the University of Edinburgh addresses this. [Power Engineering International]
World:
¶ “November Global EV Sales: Automakers” • In November, #1 BYD, deep into pricing out the competition (fossil fueled and electric…) didn’t disappoint. It scored some 485,000 registrations, a new record. With sales at this level already, one might wonder how high the Shenzhen make’s sales could go. Would 800,000 units per month be possible? [CleanTechnica]
BYD Song Plus (Zotyefan, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “November Global EV Sales: Models” • Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 32% in November 2024 . There were 1.84 million registrations, which is a new record month, the third in a row. BEVs were up by 22% YOY, to a record 1.2 million units. Plugin hybrids did even better, jumping 55% YOY, its sixth record month in a row! [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Jeonnam 1 Enters Commissioning Phase” • All the turbines have been installed at the 96-MW Jeonnam 1 offshore wind farm off South Korea and it is being prepared for commissioning. Construction began in early 2023. Siemens Gamesa installed the final turbine in December 2024. The wind farm is expected to be operating in the first half of 2025. [reNews]
Wind turbine installation (Siemens Gamesa image)
¶ “Renewables Supply Nearly Half Irish Demand” • Electricity from renewable sources provided for close to half of Ireland’s total demand in December, according to provisional data from grid operator EirGrid. Overall, renewables provided 46.7% of electricity in December, from sources that included solar, wind, and hydropower. [reNews]
¶ “Ziton Expands O&M Jack-Up Fleet” • Wind Discovery has been registered in the Danish International Register of Shipping. Ziton added the jack-up ship to its fleet, to provide operations and maintenance services in the offshore wind industry. The fleet of Ziton-operated offshore wind vessels now includes six O&M-dedicated jack-ups. [reNews]
Wind Discovery (Ziton image)
¶ “First Nations Chiefs Shouldn’t Be Duped By ‘Nuclear-Is-Green’ Deception” • The federal government needs the support of Indigenous peoples to expand nuclear power generation capacity in Canada. So nuclear power is now being touted as “Green.” It is not green, but big corporations are paying to support that particular myth. [NB Media Co-op]
US:
¶ “Biden’s Move To Permanently Block Offshore Oil Drilling Sparks Trump’s Ire” • President Joe Biden is making a sweeping move to ban all future offshore oil and natural gas drilling on America’s East and West coasts, the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s North Bering Sea. President-elect Donald Trump is angrily vowing to reverse the move. [ABC News]
Offshore Oil&Gas rig (Zachary Theodore, Unsplash)
¶ “USA Can Recycle 90% Of Wind Turbine Mass” • A report from the US DOE advises on how to increase recycling and reuse of wind energy equipment to create a more circular economy and sustainable supply chain. Among other findings, the research shows that existing US plants could process 90% of the mass of decommissioned wind turbines. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Thomas Built Buses Unveils Its Second Generation Electric School Bus ” • Thomas Built Buses, a division of Daimler Trucks, is a leading maker of school buses in North America. Thomas Built announced the second generation Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley battery electric school bus, with customer driven improvements and advanced technology. [CleanTechnica]
Gen 2 Jouley electric school bus (Thomas Built Buses image)
¶ “US Government Agrees To Ten Year Nuclear Power Plan” • Building new nuclear power plants is not easy, and old ones are having their lives extended to meet growing demand, largely from data centers. Now, the General Services Administration is buying over $1 billion for electricity in the next ten years from Constellation Energy nuclear plants. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Ohio’s Largest Solar Project Goes Online” • The 577-MW Fox Squirrel Solar project in Ohio is now fully operational, delivering full generational capacity to Amazon. Fox Squirrel Solar is a 50-50 partnership between EDF Renewables and Enbridge. The solar farm is the largest solar project in Ohio, though larger ones are being built. [pv magazine USA]
The Fox Squirrel Solar project (Matt Reese, EDF Renewables)
¶ “Delaware Signs $128 Million Deal With US Wind” • The Delaware government has signed agreements with US Wind to provide renewable energy, community and lease benefits to the state and its residents worth over $128 million. The company is preparing to build two proposed offshore wind projects over the coming years. [reNews]
¶ “Aptera Motors Is Back And Showing Off Its Solar-Power Car” • Aptera Motors, once on the brink of being relegated to the scrap heap of good but impractical ideas, is not only back, but about to show off the latest iteration of the solar electric vehicle. Aptera says its three-wheel vehicle needs no charging at all for most daily driving uses. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
Have a perfectly funny day.
geoharvey 