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World:

¶ “Beef Trade Risks Key Brazil Ecosystem – Campaigners” • Beef production by three of the world’s biggest meatpackers has been linked to illegal deforestation in Brazil’s Cerrado, a savannah region, according to campaigners. The savannah, which featured in Planet Earth III, hosts 5% of Earth’s species and is a buffer against global warming. [BBC]

Cerrado (Aline Marcele Ghilardi, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Trinidad Hires Foreign Experts To Help Contain Oil Spill And Remove Barge” • The government of Trinidad and Tobago said it is partnering with international experts to remove the wreckage of a barge that capsized in nearby waters and caused a major oil spill. T&T Salvage, based in Texas, and QT Environmental, of Minnesota, will work on the spill. [ABC News]

¶ “The Electric, Sustainable Snowmobile: Vidde Just Launched Its First Vehicle” • Aiming for its carbon emissions to be less than 100 g co2/km, Pininfarina and Vidde are collaborating to create an environmentally sustainable snowmobile that, beyond being electric, is designed to maximise the product life span, taking a circular standpoint. [CleanTechnica]

Vidde snowmobile (Courtesy of Vidde Mobility, via cision)

¶ “Car & General Launches Piaggio Electric 3-Wheelers in Kenya” • In many of Kenya’s towns, 3-wheeled tuktuks buzz around everywhere. They play vital roles in the economy, but they make a lot of noise and pollution. Car & General Trading Limited recently launched battery-electric versions of the tuktuks made by Piaggio. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Octopus Signs German PV Power Purchase Agreement” • A PPA will see Octopus supply steel maker Salzgitter with 126,000 MWh of electricity generated at the Schiebsdorf solar farm in the German state of Brandenburg, over a period of 10 years. Octopus plans to put more than €1 billion into Germany’s clean energy infrastructure by 2027. [reNews]

Solar farm (Octopus Energy image)

¶ “Electricity From Renewable Sources Up To 41% In 2022” • In 2022, renewable energy resources made up 41.2% of the gross electricity consumption in the EU, 3.4 percentage points more than in 2021 (37.8%) and well ahead of other electricity generating sources such as nuclear (less than 22%), gas (less than 20%) or coal (less than 17%). [European Commission]

¶ “China’s Coal Boom Slows As Top Mining Hubs Focus On Renewable Energy” • China’s coal boom is slowing as top mining regions limit growth and steer investment to the clean energy that will replace the dirtiest fossil fuel. Seven straight years of rising output have produced a glut of coal that kept prices low. But there are other costs. [The Straits Times]

Moving coal (Bart van Dijk, Unsplash)

¶ “Tidal Wave Of Capital Is Transforming Queensland Into A Renewables And Critical Minerals Superpower” • Queensland is set to transform from a fossil fuel petrostate to a renewable energy superpower. Queensland is bringing in investment into transmission and renewable energy to produce a tidal wave of public and private capital. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “Rio Tinto Doubles Down To Produce Renewable Aluminium” • Miner and aluminium producer Rio Tinto has doubled down on its moves to decarbonise the aluminium production chain. It announced its second renewable power purchase agreement, which will supply its Gladstone operations in Queensland. It is Australia’s largest PPA. [Australian Manufacturing Forum]

Rio Tinto train (Eddie Bugajewski, Unsplash)

¶ “Japan To Dump Another 54,600 Tons Of Irradiated Water Into Sea This Year” • Since August 24, 2023, TEPCO has released three batches of radioactive water from storage tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant for a total of 23,400 metric tons of water. The fourth batch of 7,800 tons is planned for the end of this month. [The Hankyoreh]

US:

¶ “Tesla Model Y And Model 3 Top California Auto Sales In 2023” • Tesla’s rapid growth and success have been seen more clearly in California than anywhere else. In that state, Tesla’s success is jaw dropping. Tesla has become a major automaker in the US, but in California, it’s a power the top tier of the auto market fighting for the #1 spot. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla (Tech Nick, Unsplash)

¶ “Biden Administration Backs Off Proposed Tailpipe Emissions Rules” • Joe Biden has been a firm supporter of the EV revolution ever since he took office. His administration proposed tougher tailpipe emissions standards that favor EVs. But opposition from car makers and auto unions has created a political environment that is not friendly to clean cars. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Record US Renewable Energy Investment Is Not Enough To Meet Climate Goals: Report” • US investment in wind and solar power plants hit record levels last year, but even that growth rate fell short of the level needed to meet the nation’s climate goals, an analysis shows. The US must add at least 60 GW of capacity this year to stay on track. [The Business Times]

Dam (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

¶ “Oregon’s Rural Power Utility Has Become A Big Polluter” • The Umatilla Electric Cooperative is responsible for 1.8 million tons of carbon emissions annually, according to state data, even though it has just 16,000 customers. It’s now the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases among all Oregon utilities because of one customer: Amazon. [Governing]

¶ “PLT Energia Forms 1-GW Texas JV” • PLT Energy US Corp, a subsidiary of Italian developer PLT Energia, has entered into a joint venture with GGS Energy to develop more than 1 GW of renewable energy in Texas. The JV’s first project will be Indigo Project Phase I, in West Texas, comprising 150 MW of PV and 180 MW of storage. [reNews]

Have a monumentally restful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Plug-in Hybrids: Are They Really A Solution To Reducing Emissions?” • Recently GM made headlines in saying they may restart production of plug-in hybrids after moving to battery EVs only in 2019. Are they moving backwards? Not necessarily. We need to move from gasoline to electricity quickly, and there may be a place for plugin-hybrids. [CleanTechnica]

Cadillac Escalade Hybrid (IFCAR, public domain)

¶ “What’s Fueling The Commercial Fusion Hype?” • Recent White House and US DOE pronouncements on speeding up the “commercialization” of fusion energy are so over the top as to make you wonder about the scientific competence of some who are in government. It is not close enough to being market-ready even to talk about it. [Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Tiny Shells Yield ‘Remarkable’ Increase In Organic Solar Cell Conversion Efficiency” • Last December a multi-school research team in Sweden reported a method for creating organic solar cells from kraft lignin, a common form of industrial wood pulp, instead of deploying plastic from petrochemicals. And its surface shape makes it more efficient. [CleanTechnica]

Organic active layer (Rendering by Hah via Eurekalert)

¶ “Revolutionizing Renewable Energy: Blockchain Technology And Microgrids Propel Solar Trading And Grid Integration” • As the world pivots towards sustainable energy solutions, a novel approach combining blockchain technology and advanced microgrid systems is set to transform solar energy trading and integration into utility grids. [BNN Breaking]

World:

¶ “Carmakers Failing To Deliver Affordable Electric Cars, Holding Back EV Adoption – Analysis” • Just 17% of electric cars sold in Europe are in the cheaper B segment, compared to 37% of new combustion engines, analysis finds. Carmakers are slowing EV adoption by prioritising sales of more costly large electric cars, the analysis shows. [CleanTechnica]

Panda Mini EV (Courtesy of Geely)

¶ “Chemical Pollution Victims’ Voices Ignored For A European Industrial Deal” • In October 2023, pollution victims from Italy, Belgium, and France requested an audience with Ursula von der Leyen to address the devastating health consequences of toxic PFAS chemicals. Despite their passionate plea, their voices are being ignored. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Kenyan Startup Roam Secures $24 Million in Funding to Accelerate Electric Mobility Solutions” • The transition to electric mobility is gaining momentum. The electric two-wheeler market has grown rapidly around the world over the past few years due to high fuel prices, rapid urbanization in developing countries, and the need to reduce air pollution. [CleanTechnica]

Roam Air electric motorcycle (Roam image)

¶ “SgurrEnergy Attains Milestone Of Over 100 GW In Renewable Energy Projects” • Renewable energy consultancy SgurrEnergy celebrates a major milestone, surpassing 100 GW of experience in renewable energy projects worldwide, with a portfolio built in over forty countries. India accounts for approximately 60 GW of its total capacity achieved. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Oz Offshore Consultation Is Kicked Off” • The Government of Australia is seeking feedback on the benefits and effects of future offshore wind development in a proposed area in the Indian Ocean off the Bunbury region in Western Australia. The area is at least 20km from the coast, has quality wind resources and some relatively shallow waters. [reNews]

Offshore wind turbines (insung yoon, Unsplash)

¶ “Telis Energy Italy Ignites Renewable Revolution With 3-GW Development Plan” • In a move that signals a major shift towards renewable energy in Italy, Telis Energy Italy, a subsidiary of the British-based Telis Energy, has unveiled ambitious plans to develop 3 GW of battery storage and hybrid renewable energy projects in the country. [BNN Breaking]

¶ “Energy Democracy Takes Off In Greece” • Hyperion, the first democratic renewable-energy community in Athens, looks like one of Germany’s progressive energy cooperatives. And the idea behind it is also much the same as with those in Germany: to create a democratic collective that produces renewable energy for its members and the broader community. [DW]

Solar array (Hyperion image)

¶ “CleanCo Commences Construction On $330 Million BESS” • Construction has commenced on a $330 million battery project in Swanbank, Queensland, to be delivered by publicly owned CleanCo in partnership with Tesla and Yurika. It is expected to be one of Queensland’s biggest batteries, with capacities of 250 MW and 500 MWh. [Energy Magazine]

US:

¶ “An Ancient Lake That Reemerged At Death Valley National Park Will Stick Around” • Death Valley’s famed Badwater Basin began filling up with water in August due to heavy precipitation from Hurricane Hilary, which prompted the first tropical storm watch in California state history. Now, a series of atmospheric rivers will keep it filled a while. [ABC News]

Lake in Badwater Basin (Steve Gribble, Unsplash)

¶ “EV Charging Station Blues Banished By Fresh Flood Of Money” • If you noticed a torrent of news about EV charging stations over the weekend, it’s no accident. New federal funds for building out EV charging station network are starting to kick in. Star Charge, a Chinese firm, is setting up shop in Ohio to make 20,000 EV chargers per year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “West Virginia House of Delegates Approves Expansion Of Renewable Energy Capacity” • The WV House of Delegates approved House Bill 5528 to increase the cap on the amount of renewable electricity a facility can generate. It also eliminates the sunset date on a state program aimed at promoting utility-scale renewable power. [Zelosos por Buenas Renovables]

Have an extraordinarily useful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Please Don’t Store Nuclear Waste In Our Precious Oil Field, Says Fossil Fuel Industry” • A Wall Street Journal story covered a plan to store nuclear waste in the most active US oil field. It was a fascinating collision between fossil and post-fossil energy that underscores a truth at the heart of the nuclear debate: nobody wants it in their backyard. [Futurism]

Pumpjacks in an oilfield (gerhard crous, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Novel Field Campaign Sets Sail to Improve Offshore Wind Forecasts” • Weather patterns are difficult to predict offshore due to complex atmosphere-ocean interactions and a lack of data. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and collaborators are charting a new course with help from novel approaches to technology and measurement. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Study Projects Geothermal Heat Pumps’ Impact On Carbon Emissions And Electrical Grid by 2050” • Modeling analysis led by the DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory gives the first detailed look at how geothermal energy can relieve the electric power system and reduce carbon emissions if widely implemented across the US. [CleanTechnica]

Geothermal heat pump system (Chad Malone, ORNL, US DOE)

¶ “Tackling Climate Change: Understanding How Soil Traps Carbon” • A new finding explains how soil sequesters plant-based carbon from the atmosphere. The outcome may promote ideas to help tackle climate change, including strategies to prevent carbon release. With 2,500 billion tons of carbon, soil is one of Earth’s largest carbon sinks. [Digital Journal]

World:

¶ “Climate Change: Plan To Capture, Ship, And Bury Power Station’s CO₂” • Plans have been unveiled to lay new undersea pipes to carry carbon emissions from one of Europe’s largest gas power stations. The scheme would link Pembroke power station with a liquified natural gas terminal across the Milford Haven estuary in Pembrokeshire. [BBC]

Ship at Milford Haven (Gareth James, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “’Zombie Fires’ Burning At An Alarming Rate In Canada” • In the dead of Canada’s winter, the embers of last year’s record wildfire season still remain. So-called zombie fires are burning under thick layers of snow at an unprecedented rate, raising fears about what the coming summer may bring. Their smoke can be seen rising, and it can be smelled. [BBC]

¶ “PNE Expands PPA Program” • The PNE Group has signed up more than 100 wind and PV project companies to its consulting program Power Purchase Agreements as a service. In 2023 alone, PNE’s PPA team signed up 39 wind and PV outfits with a total output of over 337 MW for PPAs for the short and long terms. PNE now supports 107 clean projects. [reNews]

Wind turbines (PNE image)

¶ “Report Identifies Bottlenecks Preventing Renewables Uptake In WA” • A report prepared for the Australian Energy Council has identified key bottlenecks preventing uptake of renewable energy projects in Western Australia. Roadblocks include a lack of new transmission planning and investment, along with slow, costly, opaque grid connection processes. [Energy Magazine]

¶ “Greece Set to Become Major Energy Exporter to Europe” • Greece could generate billions of euros of yearly income for its economy by developing an electricity connection to central Europe and exporting the country’s vast potential in renewable energy to consumers in Germany and elsewhere, according to a recent study. [GreekReporter.com]

Transmission lines (Varistor60, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Laos Gives Green Light To 1,200-MW Wind Power Project” • The Lao government has signed an agreement with Savan Vayu Renewable Energy Co, Ltd for developing a 1,200-MW wind power project in Sepon district of the province of Savannakhet, which borders Vietnam. The project is the largest of its kind in Laos to date. [VietnamPlus]

US:

¶ “The Texas Solar Energy Revolution Is Going Global” • The solar industry of Texas is in a weird situation politically, but that doesn’t seem to stop investors who want to pump money into the state’s economy. The latest news shows how manufacturers in other states and countries can base their clean power profiles on Texas renewable energy projects. [CleanTechnica]

Misae II Solar Park in Texas (Courtesy of Greenalia)

¶ “2024 Hyundai Kona Electric – The EV For Chevy Bolt Owners Whose Lease Is Up” • Someone who leases a Chevy Bolt might find that when the lease is nearly up, it is not easy to find a car to replace it. The problem is that GM does not yet have a suitable replacement. It may be that the Hyundai Kona Electric is exactly the car they want. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Sun Bear Solar Farm Will Be Eight Miles Long, One Mile Wide, And Have Two Million Solar Panels” • Sun Bear, a huge solar and battery storage installation in the Four Corners region of Colorado, will have more than two million solar panels on 5,500 acres of land belonging to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. The solar capacity will be 975 MW. [CleanTechnica]

Have an elegantly exquisite day.

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Opinion:

¶ “What Does It Matter To Floridians If Florida Goes Underwater Anyway?” • “My daughters learned this past week from me that Florida is likely to go under water at some point. They said that I should write about that on CleanTechnica! I told them we had, many times, and that this is quite well known. ‘What? And people aren’t doing anything about it?’” [CleanTechnica]

Florida (Florida-Guidebook.com, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Erratic Weather Fueled By Climate Change Will Worsen Locust Outbreaks, Study Finds” • Extreme wind and rain may lead to bigger and worse desert locust outbreaks, with human-caused climate change likely to intensify the weather patterns and cause higher outbreak risks, a study has found. This may lead to greater crop failures. [ABC News]

¶ “New ‘Time Travel’ Study Reveals Future Impact Of Climate Change On Coastal Marshes” • After a network of nearly 400 monitoring sites was established along the Louisiana coast, the rate of sea-level rise in the region was found to be over 10 mm (0.5 in) per year, at least three times the global average. It was a unique opportunity for study. [Eurasia Review]

Coastal Louisiana (Joshua J Cotten, Unsplash)

¶ “Once Melting Glaciers Shut Down The Gulf Stream, We Will See Extreme Climate Change Within Decades, Study Shows” • Studies suggest that Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation hit a dangerous tipping point in the past that sent it into sudden, unstoppable decline, and that it could hit such a tipping point again as glaciers and ice sheets melt. [Phys.org]

World:

¶ “Ford F-150 Lightning Makes It To #1 EV Market In The World – How Will It Do?” • The F-150 Lightning had just a little more than 24,000 sales in the US in 2023. That’s a far cry from the 150,000 or so annual sales the company’s targeting. But now, Ford has started exporting the F-150 Lightning, and one early market is Norway. [CleanTechnica]

Ford F-150 Lightning in Norway

¶ “Next Stop, Net Zero: Britain Boasts Europe’s Biggest New Zero Emission Bus Market” • Britain’s new bus, coach, and minibus market is growing back after three challenging years, with 4,932 new units registered in 2023, according to figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. That’s a 44.6% increase on 2022 levels. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Austria, Resolutely Opposed To Nuclear Power, Is Banking On Renewable Energies” • Nuclear power is on the rise in Europe. Brussels launched an industrial alliance to accelerate deployment of small modular reactors. Austria is fiercely opposed to that. Its last nuclear plant, at Zwentendorf, was never commissioned and is now a museum. [Actual News Magazine]

Zwentendorf control room (Miha Meglic, Unsplash)

¶ “Epson Goes 100% Renewable Energy And Plans Power Plant” • Manufacturing is notoriously difficult to decarbonise because of the amount of energy required to make things. Technology leader Epson Group is now sourcing all of of its energy from renewables at the Japanese giant’s global sites. It is also building a biomass plant. [Sustainability Magazine]

¶ “The Mekong Delta Works To Advance Its Renewable Energy Development” • With a coastline stretching about 700 km (435 miles), a vast exclusive economic zone of up to 360,000 km² (139,000 mi²) and strong coastal winds, the potential for offshore wind development across the Mekong Delta can reach between 1,200 MW and 1,500 MW. [VietnamPlus]

Offshore wind farm (Capmat007, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Morocco Will Power Homes In The UK” • UK-based Xlinks has announced the appointment of Vegar Serthwaite Larsen as CTO to lead the £1.4 billion ($1.7 billion) submarine cable project to carry renewably generated energy from Morocco to the UK. Four huge undersea cables are to supply 3.6 GW by 2030, meeting 8% of Britain’s electricity needs. [Atalayar]

¶ “Climate Change Is Forcing Some Australians To Weigh Up Relocating” • Big environmental changes mean ever more Australians will confront the tough choice of whether to move home or risk staying put. Hotter and more humid weather, increased flood risks, droughts, and bushfires are already causing falling populations in some places. [Phys.org]

Australia (Elsa Guyader, Unsplash)

¶ “USAID Invests $5 Million In Armenia’s Energy Independence” • In a notable move bolstering Armenia’s energy independence, the US Agency for International Development announced an infusion of an additional $5 million into the Armenia Energy Program, steering Armenia away from reliance natural gas and towards renewables. [BNN Breaking]

US:

¶ “One Firefighter Killed, Ten More Injured In ‘Catastrophic’ House Explosion In Virginia: Officials” • A firefighter was killed and ten others injured when a house in Sterling, Virginia exploded, the fire chief said. A resident had reported smelling gas. A 500-gallon underground propane tank on the side of the house was leaking gas. [ABC News]

Scene of the home explosion (Loudoun County Fire Department)

¶ “EV Sales Gloom Pierced By Jaunty Retro SUV From Scout Motors” • In the early years of the US auto industry, anyone with a dream and a monkey wrench could start making cars. Now, the new Volkswagen offshoot Scout Motors is forging ahead with plans to manufacture new electric trucks and SUVs inspired by a 20th century retro fan favorite. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “California’s Giant Solar And Storage Initiative” • The Edwards Sanborn facility in the Mojave Desert shows innovation and commitment to sustainable practices. It can produce 875 MW from solar PVs and store 3,287 MWh in its batteries. It can power about 238,000 homes and reduce CO₂ emissions by 320,000 tons each year. [Microgrid Media]

Have an unqualifiedly flawless day.

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World:

¶ “Thailand’s Floating Solar Solution” • The largest floating hydro-solar project in the world came online in Thailand in 2021. Its success prompted the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand to advance fifteen new clean energy projects. The combined capacity from the new projects supported by EGAT will total over 2.7 GW. [CleanTechnica]

Floating solar array (Courtesy of Miya Water via Xfloat)

¶ “Germany EV Sales Report: Back to the Past” • In January, after the subsidies-derived sales rush of December, Germany’s plugin vehicle market had a hangover month. Comparing sales to the previous January does not say much because that month had the same problem. But we can note that January 2024 sales were off 9% from January of 2022. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “A Green Revolution Powered By Renewable Energy” • The Electric Picnic festival, nestled in the green heart of Stradbally, County Laois, is taking a bold step forward. For the first time in its history, and perhaps in the annals of festivals across Ireland and the UK, the stage will be bathed in the glow of renewable energy. [BNN Breaking]

Stradbally (Ben Eubank, Unsplash)

¶ “Amazon And Vena Energy Announce 125-MW Solar Project In Queensland” • Amazon and Vena Energy have announced that a 125-MW renewable energy project in Woleebee, Queensland is operating. The Amazon Solar Project Australia – Wandoan is expected to supply annual electricity needs of more than 60,000 Australian homes. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Harnessing Renewable Energy for Peacekeeping And Hope in Somalia” • In Somalia, climate change and conflict intersect. But an innovative initiative harnesses renewable energy for peace and stability. The UN Energy Compact on Renewable Energy for Peacekeeping aims to promote sustainable development and reduce environmental impacts. [BNN Breaking]

Somalia (David Clode, Unsplash)

¶ “SkyPower Global And Africa Finance Corporation Partner For Congo Renewable Energy” • African infrastructure solutions provider Africa Finance Corporation and SkyPower Global have entered a Joint Development Agreement for the first phase of SkyPower’s Green Giant project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Climate Change Has Brought Forward The Flowering Period In Doñana National Park By 22 Days, Finds Study” • Researchers from the University of Seville investigated how the flowering of 51 species of shrubs, bushes, and trees has changed over the last 35 years in southern Spain. The peak flowering time shifted from May 9 to April 17. [Phys.org]

Doñana National Park (José Luis Filpo Cabana, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

US:

¶ “Facing Warmest Winter On Record, Minnesota Forced To Pivot On Recreation Offerings” • Winter sport enthusiasts flock to Minnesota each year for activities like skiing, skating, ice fishing, and more. But as climate change driven by global warming brings shorter and less predictable winters, winter recreation is changing. [ABC News]

¶ “The Silverspot Butterfly, Native To Three US States, Is Inching Closer To Extinction” • The silverspot butterfly, a species native to three US states, is inching closer to extinction, prompting the federal government to take immediate action. The three main threats for butterfly populations are habitat degradation, habitat loss, and climate change. [ABC News]

Silverspot butterfly (Creed Clayton, US FWS)

¶ “EPA’s Carbon Standards Are a Powerful Tool” • Power plants are the second-largest source of US carbon emissions after transportation, and, after years of delay, the US EPA proposed new standards to address this pollution. The EPA says it plans to finalize those standards in April 2024. This article has links to sites that provide information. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “As Demand Grows For Electric Cars, So Does The Market For Green Jobs In The EV Industry” • From software developers and regional planners to vehicle makers and construction workers, jobs in the EV industry are rising in the US. EV sales reached a market share of 7.6% last year, and some estimates say they could climb to 67% over the next decade. [CleanTechnica]

EV (Hyundai Motor Group, Unsplash)

¶ “States Can Quantify Benefits of Climate-Friendly Transport Options With RMI’s Smarter MODES Calculator” • To reduce transportation pollution in the US, we need to swap gas-powered cars for EVs and build an electrical grid capable of charging them all. But many experts have shown the need to reduce the miles Americans drive. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Oregon Power Company Requests Nearly 17% Spike In Rates” • One of Oregon’s electricity companies, Pacific Power, requested a 16.9% rate adjustment to invest in wildfire risk management, transmission infrastructure, and renewable projects. In addition to the increased wildfire risk, extreme weather events were cited as a reason for the request. [KGW]

Oregon (Nick Romero, Unsplash)

¶ “Revolutionizing Renewable Energy: Solarcycle’s New Venture In Georgia” • Solarcycle, a company from Arizona specializing in solar panel recycling, plans to set up an innovative $344 million glass-recycling plant in Georgia. This is big news for renewable energy because it will focus on what happens to solar panels at the end of their lives. [Microgrid Media]

¶ “Fish v Electricity: Could Salem Nuclear Plant Be Shut Down?” • A judge in an obscure administrative court in Trenton, NJ, is set to hand down a ruling that could end a challenge to the Salem nuclear plant’s ability to pump billions of gallons of water out of the Delaware River each day. It’s a big environmental battle you might have never heard of. [Milford LIVE!]

Have an enthrallingly beautiful day.

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(, CC-BY-SA 3.0) km² CO₂ NH₃ CH₄ ₹ NOₓ ‽ ♦♦♦♦♦

Opinion:

¶ “Is Nuclear The Answer To Australia’s Climate Crisis?” • Here are four arguments against nuclear power investments: Olkiluoto 3, Flamanville 3, Hinkley Point C, and Vogtle. They are major latest-generation plants completed or nearly so in Finland, the US, the UK, and France. Their cost overruns average over 300%, with more increases to come. [menafn]

Nuclear plant (Jonas Denil, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Argonne Scientists Use AI to Identify New Materials for Carbon Capture” • A suitable material for effective low-cost carbon capture has yet to be found. Metal-organic frameworks offer hope. Generative AI, machine learning, and simulations enable researchers to identify environmentally friendly metal-organic framework materials. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “HelioSea: A Revolutionary Floating Solar Power System Redefining Offshore Energy Production” • In an era where renewable energy has become the linchpin of sustainable development, scientists at the University of Oviedo, Spain, unveiled an innovative floating solar power system. HelioSea is not just another solar power system. [BNN Breaking]

Rendering of HelioSea

World:

¶ “VinFast Introduces Range of Right-Hand Drive EVs” • Taking a step in global expansion, VinFast Auto debuted its first range of right-hand drive EVs at the Indonesia International Motor Show 2024. Indonesia’s President, Joko Widodo, made an appearance at the event and autographed the VinFast VF 5 showcased in VinFast’s booth. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Delivering Net-Zero Shipping By 2050: Introducing The Green Balance Mechanism” • The global shipping regulator, the UN International Maritime Organisation, set a target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 for the industry. Now it needs to develop climate regulations by 2025 that make it possible to reach that target. [CleanTechnica]

Container ship (Venti Views, Unsplash)

¶ “Vattenfall Strikes Solar PPA With A German Chemical Company” • Vattenfall will supply around 120 GWh of solar power per year to specialty chemicals company Evonik under a new long-term electricity supply contract. From 2025, two new Vattenfall solar farms in Schleswig-Holstein will supply power to Evonik. [reNews]

¶ “The Uruguay Way: Achieving Energy Sovereignty In The Developing World” • As it successfully transitions away from fossil fuels, Uruguay now generates up to 98% of its electricity from renewable sources. The country offers lessons in energy sovereignty and the importance of community engagement in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. [Earth.Org]

Wind turbines in Uruguay (Matias Contreras, Unsplash)

¶ “Ridge Clean Energy Files Scottish Hybrid Plan” • Ridge Clean Energy filed a planning application with the Energy Consents Unit of the Scottish Government for the Ladyfield Renewable Energy Park. The project is about 5 km north of Inveraray in Argyll. It will pair thirteen onshore turbines with a capacity of 58.5 MW with a 40-MW battery system. [reNews]

US:

¶ “As Aquifers Are Depleted, Areas Along The East Coast Of The US Are Sinking” • A study by researchers at Virginia Tech and the US Geological Survey using the latest satellite data shows that parts of America’s east coast are subsiding. The culprit appears to be caused by withdrawing too much water from the aquifers beneath those coastal areas. [CleanTechnica]

Coastal Delaware (Gökhan Kara, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Minnesota Power Opens 400-MW Onshore Wind RFP” • A request for proposals for up to 400 MW of wind energy, to come online by the end of 2027, was issued by Minnesota Power. The procurement of wind through this RFP will increase Minnesota Power’s wind portfolio of approximately 870 MW of owned and contracted capacity by nearly 50%. [reNews]

¶ “Solar And Battery Storage To Make Up 81% Of New US Electric-Generating Capacity In 2024” • Developers and power plant owners plan to add 62.8 GW of electric-generating capacity in 2024, data in the EIA’s Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory shows. The largest share is solar, at 58%, followed by batteries, at 23%, and wind, at 13%. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “USDA Census of Agriculture Shows US Losing Small Farms to Factory Farming But Gaining in Renewable Energy” • The latest Census of Agriculture from the US Department of Agriculture raises concerns over a loss of small farms and a growth in larger farms, while also showing some promise with the growth of renewable energy in agriculture. [EcoWatch]

¶ “Empire Wind Secures Clean Air Permit” • The US EPA has issued a Clean Air Act permit for Equinor and BP’s 816-MW Empire Wind 1 project offshore New York. The EPA conducted an air quality analysis that showed the main air quality impacts of the project will occur during construction and will be offshore over the water area of the project. [reNews]

Offshore wind turbines (Equinor image)

¶ “BPU Pulls Plug On Unpopular Nuclear Subsidy” • A surcharge on every New Jersey utility customer’s monthly bill, amounting to $70 annually for the typical homeowner and much more for manufacturers, will end next year when the state eliminates a $300 million annual subsidy aimed to keep its three nuclear plants from closing. [NJ Spotlight News]

¶ “Georgia Power Announces Operators Reached Self-Sustaining Nuclear Fission Inside The Nuclear Reactor” • Georgia Power announced on Wednesday that operators reached self-sustaining nuclear fission inside the nuclear reactor. This means the heat produced in the reaction can create steam and power turbines which generate electricity. [WUGA]

Have a gloriously relaxing day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Victoria’s Blackout Had Nothing To Do With Renewables. Claiming That It Did Won’t Fix The System” • As workers and system managers scrambled to get power back on, after storms blacked out 500,000 electricity customers, some people were unable to resist blaming renewable energy. But it was a coal plant and transmission lines that failed. [The Guardian]

Loy Yang power station (Marcus Wong, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “The Unstoppable Rise Of Renewable Energy: Solar, Wind, And Beyond” • In the evolving world of energy, renewables are taking center stage, transforming the global landscape and redefining power dynamics. Here, two leading academic thinkers engage in a riveting discussion on the trends shaping the world energy market. [BNN Breaking]

Science and Technology:

¶ “24M Claims The 1000 Mile Battery Is Nearly Here” • 24M’s unique liquid electrolyte, Eternalyte™, used with Impervio™, provides a low cost way to eliminate the metal dendrites of lithium-ion batteries and achieve excellent cycle life with low electrical resistance to cathode active materials. This paves the way for better lithium batteries. [CleanTechnica]

24M Electrode-to-Pack Tecnology (24M image)

World:

¶ “January 2024 Breaks Global EV Sales Record: Take That, Haters” • Reports kept coming along of bad EV sales. Then some researchers at Rho Motion actually crunched the numbers. They found that a record 660,000 EVs sold globally in January of 2023, but this year’s January EV sales blew past that mark by 69% for a total of more than 1 million. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Romanian City of Galați Invests In 40 New e-Buses” • The authorities of Galați, Romania, selected Solaris to supply forty electric buses. Solaris is to deliver twenty battery buses in a 9-meter version and twenty with a length of 12 meters. The e-buses will be equipped with plug-in charging and rails for inverted pantographs. [CleanTechnica]

Solaris electric bus (Solaris image)

¶ “Turkey Sets Ambitious Goal Of 7,500 MW Of Renewable Capacity For Industrial Use In 2024” • Turkey declared a large increase in its renewable energy sector, allocating 7,500 MW of renewable capacity for industrial use this year. The Energy and Natural Resources Minister stated that $5 billion in investments would be implemented promptly. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Only Asia On Track To Triple Renewable Energy Capacity By 2030, Fuelled By Growth In India And China: Report” • Driven by growth in India and China, Asia is at this time the largest contributor to additional global renewable energy capacity needed to triple production by 2030, report from global think tank Climate Analytics said. [Swarajya]

Wind turbines in India (Thangaraj Kumaravel, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Permanent Magnet Motor Market Surges Amidst EV And Renewable Energy Boom” • In a world racing towards a cleaner and more sustainable future, the permanent magnet motor market is seeing an unprecedented boom. With the increasing popularity of EVs and renewable energy sources, the demand for these motors is soaring. [BNN Breaking]

¶ “Spending Watchdog Launches Investigation Into Sellafield” • Britain’s public spending watchdog launched an investigation into risks and costs at Sellafield, the UK’s biggest nuclear waste dump. The National Audit Office, scrutinises use of public funds. It announced it will examine whether the site is managing and prioritising the risks effectively. [The Guardian]

Sellafield (Simon Ledingham, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

US:

¶ “First February Tornadoes In Wisconsin Caused $2.4 Million In Damages” • The first tornadoes ever recorded in Wisconsin in the usually frigid month of February caused damage of over $2.4 million, officials said. They struck Rock County on February 8. They hit thirty homes, killed some cattle, and damaged farming equipment and buildings. [ABC News]

¶ “Why Ice Did Not Form In The Great Lakes This Winter” • This is the winter that wasn’t in the upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions. The ice cover has just kept melting away since last week’s Great Lakes ice analysis showed that it was only 5.9%. With climate change, the Great Lakes are among the fastest-warming lakes in the world. [ABC News]

Lake Michigan, near Muskegon, on February 11 (Jen Day, NOAA)

¶ “US EV Sales Up 385% Since 2019, Normal “ICE” Vehicle Sales Down 14%” • In sales trends of the past four years, sales growth for EVs crushed that for combustion engine vehicles. Comparing 2023 and 2022 totals, EVs saw 47% growth while combustion cars saw 10% growth. Comparing 2023 and 2021, EVs grew 142% while combustion cars fell 3%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Texas Shatters Own Solar Power Record, Weird Political Situation Or Not” • Texas has emerged as the renewable energy pace-setter in the US, despite top public officials who don’t have very nice things to say about clean power. The big dollars are flowing into clean energy, and Texas now gets more electricity from the sun than from coal. [CleanTechnica]

Solar power (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

¶ “US DOE Challenges Solar Industry to Triple Community Solar by End of 2025” • At the US DOE’s National Community Solar Partnership Annual Summit, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Jeff Marootian, challenged the community solar industry to commit to a target of 20 GW of community solar by 2025, up from 7 GW today. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Vogtle Unit 4 Reaches First Criticality” • Operators have started the nuclear reaction at Vogtle Unit 4, an announcement from Georgia Power said. This step, known as initial criticality, is when the nuclear fission reaction becomes self-sustaining so it can generate enough heat to produce electricity. The step will be followed by testing. [Power Engineering]

Have an utterly superb day.

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World:

¶ “Safety Panel Urges Fukushima Operator To Communicate With Public Better” • A panel of safety experts urged the operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan to communicate more quickly with the public over incidents such as last week’s leak of contaminated water, which went for a week without comment. [ABC News]

Fukushima Daiichi before meltdowns (KEI, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “16% Of New Cars Were Battery EVs In France In January” • The French plugin passenger car market is continuing to grow. Most recently, this is all thanks to pure battery EVs jumping 37% to 20,017 registrations, or 16% share, in January. Plugin hybrids were also up, with a moderate rate of 2% year-over-year, to 10,509 units, or 8.6% share. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Cascaded Geothermal Heating And Cooling Networks for Industry, Trade, And Residential Buildings” • The NEFI project CASCADE, running to the end of 2025, is investigating cascaded heat, passing residual heat from one building to use in another, in the Austrian municipalities of Steyr, Gmunden and St Martin im Mühlkreis. [CleanTechnica]

Steyr (Leonhard Niederwimmer, Unsplash)

¶ “Adani Green Energy Links 551 MW Of Solar Capacity Plant To National Grid” • Adani Green Energy Limited has successfully operationalised a 551-MW solar PV plant in Gujarat’s Khavda renewable energy park, and it has started supplying electricity to the national grid. The park is to be the largest renewable energy installation in the world. [The Hans India]

¶ “China’s Renewable Installations Surpass Expectations, But Potential Utilization Risks Exist” • China is set to reach its 2030 wind and solar capacity target of 1.2 TW six years early, with installed capacity already reaching 1.1 TW by end-2023, Fitch Ratings says. The China Electricity Council forecasts 260 GW of new installations in 2024. [Mettis Global]

Wind turbines in Xinjiang (Chris Lim, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Government Adds Over 7,000 MW To Grid Via Renewable Energy Programme: Mantashe” • Over 7,000 MW has been connected to South Africa’s electricity grid, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe said. The addition is a result of the government’s Renewable Independent Power Producer Programme. [Central News South Africa]

¶ “AGL And AEMO Search For Answers On Loy Yang Outage” • In Victoria, storms tore down at least six transmission towers on one of the main 500 kV transmission lines, triggering a massive frequency excursion that took 2,700 MW of generation capacity, including the Loy Yang A brown coal generator owned by AGL Energy. [RenewEconomy]

Loy Yang power plant (Billy Joachim, Unsplash)

¶ “Poland Analyzes Whether Nuclear Plant Will Be Ready By 2033 Amid Delays” • Poland is analyzing whether its first nuclear power plant can be built by 2033 amid delays the project suffered under the previous government that lost power in October, the climate minister said. She said the financing model to build it has not been decided. [Reuters]

US:

¶ “New Mexico Legislators Seek Cleaner Transportation Fuels, Would Follow West Coast’s Lead” • New Mexico’s Legislature has approved a bill aimed at reducing climate-warming pollution from cars and trucks through financial incentives to businesses. California, Oregon, and Washington are already enforcing carbon fuel standards. [ABC News]

New Mexico (Raychel Sanner, Unsplash)

¶ “Feds Finalize Areas For Floating Offshore Wind Farms Along Oregon Coast” • The federal government finalized two areas for floating offshore wind farms along the Oregon coast, authorities announced, bringing the state closer to commercially developing and producing a renewable energy source that’s part of the fight against climate change. [ABC News]

¶ “Wildfire Smoke To Worsen Across US, Putting 125 Million At Risk: Study” • Wildfires are expected to worsen across the US, and the effects of wildfire smoke could bring startling health risks to 125 million Americans by mid-century, a study by First Street Foundation revealed. It shows the rise of wildfires is becoming a national crisis. [ABC News]

Wildfire (Ross Stone, Unsplash)

¶ “Biden–Harris Admin Invests $60 Million To Expand Clean, Renewable Geothermal Energy” • In support of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the US DOE announced that it had selected three projects to get up to $60 million to demonstrate the efficacy and scalability of enhanced geothermal systems for generating electricity. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Siemens Invests In US Transformer Factory” • Siemens Energy is investing $150 million in a power transformer factory in Charlotte, North Carolina, creating almost 600 local jobs. Today, only 20% of US large power transformer demand is met by domestic supply with lead times of up to five years, according to the company. [reNews]

Transformer (Jasonbook99, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “US EV Sales: Strong Increases Year Over Year Every Month of the Year” • There are a lot of headlines and there’s a lot of hype falsely declaring that the EV market is struggling. Sometimes such stories are focused on the US market and sometimes they are focused more broadly, but no matter what their focus, they are wrong. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Bills That Would Open The Door For Virginia Utilities To Charge Customers For Nuclear Development Costs Advance” • Bills that would allow Dominion and Appalachian Power to seek approval to start charging customers for the costs of developing small modular nuclear reactors moved forward in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate. [Cardinal News]

Have a fantastically providencial day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “In A Warming World, Climate Scientists Consider Category 6 Hurricanes” • As increasing ocean temperatures contribute to ever more intense and destructive hurricanes, climate scientists introduced a hypothetical Category 6 to the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale, which would encompass storms with wind speeds greater than 192 mph (309 km/h). [CleanTechnica]

Twin Tropical Cyclones (Courtesy of Earth Observatory)

¶ “Industrial Heat Pumps Are Coming For Your Fossil Fuels” • Electric heat pumps have been driving fossil fuels out of buildings and homes as electricity replaces oil and gas for heating, cooling, water heating, and drying laundry. Hard-to-decarbonize industries are next in line for a clean energy makeover, and the US DOE is on it. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “This Huge 1.2-MW Tidal Kite Is Now Exporting Power To The Grid” • Minesto’s fully operational Dragon 12 has emerged as a groundbreaking innovation in the renewable energy landscape, harnessing the power of tidal flows with a concept reminiscent of a futuristic military drone, yet behaving somewhat like a kite underwater. [Wonderful Engineering]

Minesto Dragon 12

¶ “Fervo Energy Claims 70% Reduction In Geothermal Drilling Time” • Fervo Energy has published early drilling results from its Cape Station geothermal project. Fervo says it drilled its fastest Cape well in just 21 days, a 70% reduction in drilling time from Fervo’s first horizontal well drilled in 2022. With faster drilling, costs have fallen by almost 50%. [Power Engineering]

World:

¶ “Mars Will Bring 300 Electric Heavy-Duty Trucks To Its European Fleet By 2030” • Mars Inc recently partnered with freight technology company Einride to add 300 electric heavy-duty trucks to the Mars European fleet. Bjoern Anderseck, Mars Global Supply Chain Transformation Lead, answered some questions for CleanTechnica. [CleanTechnica]

Electric truck (Courtesy of Mars and Einride)

¶ “Migrating Species Crucial To Planet Are Under Threat, Says UN” • The world’s most vulnerable migratory species are facing increasing risks of extinction, a landmark UN report warns. From turtle doves to green turtles, and from European eels to African penguins, migratory species play essential roles in protecting the Earth’s habitats. [BBC]

¶ “Green Hydrogen Exporters Risk Monopolising Renewable Energy, And The EU May Not Even Need Renewable H₂ Imports: Report” • The EU has massively overestimated how much green hydrogen it will need by 2030 and how much it will need to import, according to a report published by the engineering consultancy Ricardo. [Hydrogen Insight]

Ursula von der Leyen (European Commission image)

¶ “Abandoned Coal Mines Being Repurposed Into Renewable Energy Hubs” • As many governments around the globe aim to phase out the use of coal, researchers are exploring the potential for old mining sites. Rather than be left abandoned, old coal production sites could be used for a multitude of purposes to support a green transition. [OilPrice.com]

¶ “Atlas Copco Powers Up 16-MW Offshore Turbine” • Atlas Copco has supplied a QES 60 power generator for the successful installation of the world’s first 16-MW offshore wind turbine in south-east China’s Fujian Province. The 16-MW unit has the world’s longest turbine blades at 123 metres (403.5 feet), with each blade weighing 54 tonnes. [reNews]

Wind turbine construction (Atlas Copco image)

¶ “$2 Trillion A Year Needed To Triple Renewables Investment” • A report by think tank Climate Analytics calculates $8 trillion of investment is needed for new renewables and $4 trillion for grid and storage infrastructure to deliver the 2030 tripling goal agreed at COP28. Combined, the amount works out at $2 trillion a year on average. [reNews]

US:

¶ “$34,995 Chevy Equinox EV Coming Later This Year” • People will be able to buy the 1LT base model of the Equinox EV at a starting price of $34,995 plus a destination fee of $1395 later this year, Chevrolet says. The Equinox EV will be eligible for the full $7500 federal tax credit/rebate, making the net cost $31,090, well below the average US new car cost. [CleanTechnica]

2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV 3LT (Courtesy of GM)

¶ “US House Forces Military To Stop Using Chinese-Made Batteries” • Politicians in the US House of Representatives have forced the US Marines to disconnect a battery energy storage system that went into service at Camp Lejeune just a year ago. Why? The batteries in the energy storage system were made by CATL, a Chinese company. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US PV Developer Acquires 84-MW Portfolio” • US developer Standard Solar has acquired an 84-MW solar portfolio in Illinois. It consists of three sets of community solar gardens with a total capacity of 84 MW. Construction is scheduled to commence in 2024. Most of the projects are projected to be finished by the year’s end and the rest in 2025. [reNews]

Solar array (Sungrow EMEA, Unsplash)

¶ “UW-Madison Commits to 100% Renewable Electricity by 2030” • Sustainability initiatives at University of Wisconsin, Madison are not new, but the latest push is the first to encompass all aspects of campus. The plan aims to develop more solar on campus, become a “zero waste” campus by 2040 and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2048. [GovTech]

¶ “Ex-Regulatory Chief, 2 Execs Indicted In Sprawling Ohio Nuclear Power Bribe Case” • Former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chairman Samuel Randazzo and a pair of FirstEnergy Corp executives, identified as ex-CEO Charles Jones and Vice President Michael Dowling, were indicted as part of the so-called House Bill 6 scandal of 2018. [upi]

Have a delightfully agreeable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Take A Cue From Texas: Socialize Energy” • Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick might not seem to have much in common with socialists. But he did propose a rather socialist-sounding energy policy: If investors didn’t agree to build more natural gas plants in Texas, Patrick said, “then the state will have to build them ourselves.” [The New Republic]

Texas wind farm (Jason Dent, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “If AMOC Runs Amok, Life Will Change Dramatically” • The Gulf Stream, which gives warmth to Europe, is part of Atlantic meridional overturning current, or AMOC. A paper in Science Advances, warns of indications that AMOC could slow and stop flowing altogether in the not too distant future, changing lives of people across the world. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Future Fleet Of Low-Emission RoRos To Use Norsepower Rotor Sails” • French shipowner, Louis Dreyfus Armateurs SAS and the Finnish mechanical sail company, Norsepower Oy Ltd, announced that Norsepower Rotor Sail™ technology will be installed on a low-emission roll-on/roll-off fleet that will be chartered to Airbus. [CleanTechnica]

Ships powered by Norsepower Rotor Sails

¶ “Netherlands Starts The Year With 23% Battery EV Share!” • In the context of a recovering overall market (+6% year over year), battery EVs surged 57% YOY in January, to 7,865 registrations and to start the year with 23% market share, their best January ever. Plugin hybrids were up 12%, to 4,320 registrations, for a 13% market share. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Panasonic Energy Partners With NOVONIX For Sustainable Synthetic Graphite Supply For Battery Production” • Panasonic Energy Co, Ltd announced that it signed a off-take agreement with NOVONIX Limited for the supply of synthetic graphite, the main component of the anodes of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

Graphite supply (Courtesy of Novonix and Panasonic)

¶ “Iberdrola Inks Italian PPA” • Iberdrola announced it will supply long-term clean energy through a power purchase agreement to Tosano supermarkets in Italy, which has more than 19 hypermarkets and nearly 4000 employees. The off-site deal provides for the supply of clean energy for 10 years, guaranteed by an Iberdrola solar PV system. [reNews]

¶ “Taiwan: Renewable Energy Hits Record High Production And Penetration Rates” • Wind and solar generation reached 10.01 GW on Sunday, a new record for renewable energy production in Taiwan. Taipower also stated that this year, with wind and solar at more than 52%, renewable energy now makes up over half of all power used. [RTI Radio Taiwan International]

Car park with solar panels, Taiwan (SSJF01, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Wind Turbines Generated Over A Third Of Ireland’s Power Last Month” • Wind turbines supplied over a third of Ireland’s electricity needs in January, 1,379 GWh out of a total demand of 3,831 GWh. Data also show a decrease in the average wholesale price of electricity in Ireland, dropping to €99.90/MWh from €162.16 the previous year. [Big News Network.com]

¶ “Poland: Spa Town Turns To Renewable Energy For Cleaner Air” • Smog enveloping the Polish spa town of Ladek-Zdroj was anathema to it’s image as a health resort. After choking on polluted air for many years, the town turned to renewables to clean up its act and improve its air quality. It managed to reduce electricity costs a lot in the process. [DW]

Lądek-Zdrój (Aktron, Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Nuclear Energy Push In PHL Seen ‘Too Late’ Amid Climate Crisis” • Developing nuclear energy in the Philippines could be too late due to the climate crisis, an analyst said, suggesting a focus on renewable energy. “If we’re waiting for ten years for something to all come together and miraculously work together and agree on that, it’s too late.” [BusinessWorld Online]

US:

¶ “Why There May Be Much Fewer Monarch Butterfly Sightings In The US This Summer” • Monarch butterfly sightings may be sparser than usual in the US and Canada following a drastic drop in populations wintering in Mexico, researchers told ABC News. The biggest threats monarchs face are habitat loss and changes in weather patterns. [ABC News]

Monarch butterfly (Gary Bendig, Unsplash)

¶ “Clean Power Alliances Talks To La Cañada Flintridge” • In California, Clean Power Alliance External Affairs Manager Dalia Gomez provided some background information on Clean Power Alliance and how it serves 32 jurisdictions in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. CPA will buy the clean power, and Southern California Edison will deliver it. [Outlook Valley Sun]

¶ “Snowmass Village Leans On Renewable Energy To Power Buildings” • Snowmass Village, Colorado, hopes join Aspen as one of a few cities in the country that are run on 100% renewable energy. It is contracting with the nonprofit Community Office for Resource Efficiency to identify properties 50,000 square feet or smaller for free electrification studies. [AOL.com]

Snowmass Village (Werdna, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Climate Change Is Making It More Dangerous For Kids To Play Outside, Report Finds” • A study by climate analytics firm First Street Foundation projected that by midcentury, increased levels of microscopic soot particles and ozone in America’s air will be back to the levels they were before a decades-long federal campaign to clean up the air. [WGN Radio 720]

¶ “Expanding Invasive Weeds Can Bring Ecological And Socio-Economic Damage To The US Due to Climate Change, A Study Says” • Climate change could expand the population of invasive weeds in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern US, according to findings of a study published in the journal Invasive Plant Science and Management. [Nature World News]

Have an abundantly fruitful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Las Vegas Raiders Blow One Giant Raspberry At Renewable Energy Foes” • The Las Vegas Raiders will showcase Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as a paragon of renewable energy virtue to Super Bowl audiences everywhere when the 49ers and the Chiefs come to town. And the Raiders are not shy about laying it on thick. [CleanTechnica]

Allegiant Stadium (Jeffrey Hayes, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Getting To Know The ​”Ghost” Inside Batteries” • Researchers at the US DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory shed important new light on what the early signs of battery failure look like. Their study relates to a condition called soft-shorts. It provides the research community with valuable knowledge and methods to design better EV batteries. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Particulars Of PM 2.5: Why Particulate Matter … Matters” • Unlike the other major air pollutants, particulate air pollution is defined by size rather than the chemicals it contains. With their densities typically reported in micrograms per cubic meter, the smaller these particulates are, the more damage they can wreak on the human body. [CleanTechnica]

Smog in Sydney (Marek Piwnicki, Unsplash)

¶ “How California’s Hurricanes Are Predicted To Become More Severe With Climate Change” • Most of the rain in California and the West comes from atmospheric rivers. Scientists estimate that atmospheric rivers will get stronger as temperatures continue to rise, making this a bigger problem. dominant driver water supply and flooding in California. [World Nation News]

¶ “Olivine: Natural Solution To Combat Climate Change” • Sahit Muja, the Founder and CEO of Global Mining, Green Minerals, and Albanian Minerals, emphasizes magnesium olivine’s role as an eco-friendly building block poised to eliminate 1 trillion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. It could be a natural solution to climate change challenges. [EIN News]

Olivine (Hannes Grobe, AWI, CC-BY-SA 2.5)

World:

¶ “Climate Campaigners Urge China To Invest In Renewable Energy In Pakistan” • Pakistani climate campaigners urged China to invest in renewable energy in their country. Their demand was raised at a rally led by the Pakistan Kissan Rabita committee in front of the Lahore Press Club to mark the Chinese Lunar New Year on Saturday. [Business Recorder]

¶ “City Offering Stratas Free Energy, Solar Assessments” • The City of Penticton, British Columbia, is offering free energy assessments and solar generation studies for stratified multi-family buildings whose residents want to go green. A limited number of assessments and studies are offered in an effort to improve sustainability. [Penticton Herald]

Skyscape at Penticton (Luke Kowand, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Govt Weighs The Use Of Green Hydrogen For Peak Power Generation” • India’s Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy proposed using green hydrogen for power generation to ensure round-the-clock availability of green power and ensure peak grid power supply. A plan for a 100-MW pilot project is already under way. [domain-b.com]

¶ “Redcar Solar Energy Farm Plans Approved Despite Fears” • In North Yorkshire, members of Redcar and Cleveland Council’s regulatory committee went against the recommendation of a planning officer that they refuse plans by EDF Renewables UK for a site near Yearby village. The facility would generate up to 49.9 MW of electricity. [The Northern Echo]

Yearby (Mick Garratt, CC BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “France’s EDF Shuts Down Two Nuclear Reactors After Fire At Chinon Plant” • Nuclear energy operator EDF has shut down two reactors in western France after a fire in a non-nuclear sector of the plant, the company said. France’s nuclear safety watchdog said the fire had led to an electricity outage that triggered the automatic shutdown. [MSN]

US:

¶ “Transforming The US Steel Industry: A Great Lakes Memo Series” • The Great Lakes, from Minnesota to Pennsylvania, are a regional powerhouse of steel-making. The region has 60% of all steel production capacity in the US and 100% of coal-based steel production. RMI has produced a series of state-specific memos on reducing emissions. [CleanTechnica]

Steel making (Morteza Mohammadi, Unsplash)

¶ “Shell Shuts Down Its US Hydrogen Filling Stations” • Warning signs appeared last year when Shell scrapped its plans to build 48 hydrogen refueling stations for light duty vehicles in California. The $40 million in state incentives to install hydrogen fueling stations was not enough. Now Shell is closing the last of the ones it had opened. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “UK Largest Renewable Energy Supplier Building Longview Plant Along Columbia River” • Drax, the self-described largest power station in the UK, is building a plant along the Columbia River in Longview, Washington, to harvest wood pellets for Asia to generate power. Drax aims to use Pacific Northwest forests to replace coal overseas. [Longview Daily News]

Forest at the Columbia River (Elena Kuchko, Unsplash)

¶ “Controversial Energy Project In Southern Washington State Moves Closer To Breaking Ground” • A federal commission has released its environmental review for the Goldendale Energy Storage Project. It puts the project in Washington State closer to breaking ground, much to the consternation of several tribes and environmentalists. [Oregon Public Broadcasting]

¶ “Amazon’s Oregon Data Centers Set To Purchase Clean Power” • Amazon’s data centers in eastern Oregon will start buying clean electricity as they start to meet their renewable energy goals, according to a company statement. As part of the project, $1.2 million will be donated to a nonprofit organization that installs solar panels for NPOs. [Daily Tidings]

Have a remarkably enjoyable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Redefining Costly, Unproven New Nuclear Technology As ‘Clean’ Is Dishonest” • A Colorado legislative committee recently nixed a bill that sought to boost new, unproven nuclear energy technologies by redefining the fission process as “clean energy,” which it’s not. But proponents will likely keep on pushing new, speculative nuclear projects. [ColoradoPolitics.com]

Small modular reactor (NuScale image)

¶ “Here’s Another, Often Overlooked Reason Why Nuclear Energy Is A Bad Thing” • Once commissioned, a nuclear power plant cannot be shut down without incurring enormous costs. The “payback time” for a nuclear power plant is between 10 and 18 years. Payback for windpower takes about a year, and for solar, it takes less than three years. [The Good Men Project]

World:

¶ “Critical Atlantic Ocean Current System Is Showing Early Signs Of Collapse, Prompting Warning From Scientists” • A crucial system of ocean currents may already be on course to collapse, a report says. The implications are alarming for sea level rise and global weather, with temperatures that plunge dramatically in some regions and rise in others. [CNN]

Atlantic Ocean (Jacob Buller, Unsplash)

¶ “‘Super El Niño’ Is Here, But La Niña Looks Likely” • This El Niño is one of the strongest on record, a rare “super El Niño,” but forecasters believe that La Niña is likely to develop in the coming months. The switch could get flipped to La Niña, with cooler than average conditions in the eastern tropical Pacific, as soon as summer, but more likely by fall. [CNN]

¶ “Zero Carbon Charge Signs Deal To Bring 480-kW EV Ultra-Fast EV Chargers To South Africa” • South African firm Zero Carbon Charge signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese energy storage systems maker Shanghai Magic Power Tech and a local partner for 120 ultra-fast renewable charging stations in South Africa. [CleanTechnica]

EVs charging (Courtesy of Zero Carbon Charge)

¶ “EVs Drop To 17.3% Share In Germany As Hangover Hits” • EV sales dropped in the German auto market in January, as plugin EV sales fell to a 17.3% share, after a sudden, entirely unexpected cancellation of all incentives in late December. Battery EV sales were hit hard, while plugin hybrid EV sales were down slightly, compared to last year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Electric Vehicle Sales Growing Fast!” • A full 16% of global auto sales were plugins vehicles last year, up from 14% in 2022, 9% in 2021, and 4% in 2020. Going from a negligible 4% to a notable 16% so quickly is a thing of S-curves and disruptive technology. For December of 2023, the plugin vehicle market share was up to 22% globally. [CleanTechnica]

Charging an EV (Ernest Ojeh, Unsplash)

¶ “Dublin Battery System To Support The Irish Power Grid” • In a bid to support Irish grid stability, the Electricity Supply Board has opened a major battery plant at its Poolbeg site in Dublin. It is a 75-MW, 150-MWh fast-acting energy storage. The system is currently the largest site of its kind in commercial operation in Ireland. [Smart Energy International]

¶ “Greece Breaks Records In Renewable Energy For 2023” • The share of renewable electricity production, including hydropower plants, reached a historic high in 2023 in Greece at 57%. It was the first time more than half of the Greek electricity was generated by renewable resources. This came about as Greek windpower capacity exceeded 5 GW. [Greek Herald]

Wind turbines (Harry Cunningham, Unsplash)

¶ “Green Groups Hit Out At Labour’s £28 Billion Rollback” • The UK Labour Party said it will roll back its commitment to invest £28 billion in renewable energy projects each year, including offshore windpower. Green groups criticised Labour’s decision to reduce its previous investment plan for the country’s renewable energy sector. [reNews]

US:

¶ “Michael Mann Awarded $1 Million By Jury In Defamation Suit” • Climate scientist Michael Mann is known for developing the image called the “hockey stick” graph. That image has been used in many papers and reports over the years. It also induced attacks on Mann that were funded by fossil fuel interests. Mann sued his attackers and won. [CleanTechnica]

Michael Mann (Oregon State University, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Noting ‘Unprecedented’ Coral Bleaching And Heat Stress, NOAA Expands Coral Reef Alert System” • Water temperatures are climbing to unprecedented heights, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has added new levels to its alert system to account for increasingly severe coral bleaching and higher mortality rates. [CNN]

¶ “Another Heat Pump Headache For Fossil Fuel Stakeholders” • A coalition of nine US states has joined forces to promote heat pumps, decarbonizing thousands of buildings by pushing oil and gas out of the heating, air conditioning, and hot water business. To the dismay of the fossil energy stakeholders, HVAC industry leaders are eager to pitch in. [CleanTechnica]

Have an imaginatively ordered day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Scientists Set New Record Of Nuclear Fusion” • Using the Joint European Torus, a large toroidal device known as a tokamak, scientists sustained a record 69 megajoules of fusion energy for five seconds, using only 0.2 milligrams of fuel. This amount of energy is sufficient to power approximately 12,000 households for the same duration. [NEWS.am TECH]

Tokamak reactor, 2016 (US DOE via Wikimedia Commons)

World:

¶ “Nuclear Reactor Restarts In Japan Have Reduced LNG Imports For Electricity Generation” • After the 2011 Fukushima Disaster, Japan suspended operations at all of its nuclear reactors. As of December 2022, 11 GW of Japan’s nuclear capacity had returned to service, which reduced the liquefied natural gas imports for electricity generation. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “BYD Atto 2 – Potentially a Big Hit in Europe!” • The BYD Atto 3 is already quite popular in Australia and parts of Europe, and it is reaching many other markets in Asia and South America. But the Atto 3 will soon have a partner that could turn out to be an even bigger seller: the Atto 2. It is the same car that will be sold in China as the Yuan Up. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Atto 2

¶ “EVs At 23.0% Share In UK – BMW Leading BEV Brand” • In January, plugin EVs took a 23.0% share of the UK auto market, up year-over-year from 20.0%. Full electric volume increased by 21% YOY, and plugin hybrids by 31%. January’s overall auto volume was 142,876 units, up 8% YOY. BMW was the UK’s leading BEV brand in January. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Council Approves West Of Orkney Wind Farm” • Orkney Island Council’s Development and Infrastructure Committee gave its backing to the 2000-MW West of Orkney offshore wind farm. The West of Orkney wind farm will have up to 125 turbines on fixed foundations 30 km west of the Orkney Mainland. First power is planned for 2029. [reNews]

Wind farm (Orkney Islands Council)

¶ “Balochistan Installs Modern Solar Facilities” • In Pakistan, the government of Balochistan, with support of the government of China, completed installations of solar power facilities at twelve educational institutions, computer labs, and hospitals. Pakistan has a total solar potential of 2,900 GW and a wind potential of 340 GW. [The Express Tribune]

¶ “Ten Valves That Workers Were Supposed to Close Were Open at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, Believed to be Cause of Radioactive Water Leak” • Ten manual valves that workers were supposed to close were open on equipment at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant when about 5.5 tons of contaminated water leaked, TEPCO said. [The Japan Times]

Water tanks at Fukushima Daiichi (IAEA Imagebank)

US:

¶ “There Is Barely Any Ice In The Great Lakes Due To Warm Winter Temperatures” • Record warm winter weather is having severe ramifications on the ice cover that typically engulfs the Great Lakes at this time of year. Just 5.9% of the Great Lakes are currently covered with ice compared to an average of about 40% for this time of year, NOAA analysis shows. [ABC News]

¶ “Electrical 101: Ensuring Equitable EV Charging Access” • RMI’s forthcoming GridUp tool can help policymakers, regulators, and utilities understand the charging needs of rural and low-income communities. The tool is designed to help them to make well-informed decisions on where to place charging infrastructure so everyone benefits. [CleanTechnica]

EVBOX public charging (EVBOX image)

¶ “Whitehouse Proposes Legislation To Close Dark Money Tax Loophole” • Sheldon Whitehouse, the feisty senator from Rhode Island, is a fierce advocate for common sense and fairness in government. Reacting to a massive donation worth $1.6 billion to a conservative trust, Senator Whitehorse reacted with a bill to close certain tax loopholes. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US DOE Establishing National Center of Excellence to Accelerate Domestic Offshore Wind Industry” • The US DOE announced investing $4.75 million to establish the Academic Center for Reliability and Resilience of Offshore Wind, a national center of excellence to accelerate reliable and equitable offshore wind energy deployment. [CleanTechnica]

Wind resource map (NREL image)

¶ “Hawaii Drops Last Coal-Fired Plant After Launch Of Tesla Megapack Battery System On Oahu” • A Tesla Megapack battery system led the state of Hawaii to bid farewell to its last coal power plant, ushering in a new era powered by clean, renewable energy. The Kapolei Energy Storage, on the west side of Oahu, is operational. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “Bill Would Create New Tax Credits For Renewable Energy Facilities” • A New Mexico Senate bill aims to make the state more attractive for renewable manufacturing. The Advanced Equipment Income Tax Credit bill would create a tax credit for qualified manufacturing facilities related to solar and wind energy components. [KUNM]

Wind turbines (Lloyd Wilson, Sandia Labs via Flickr)

¶ “Climate Scientist Michael Mann Wins Defamation Lawsuit” • In a major victory, renowned climate scientist Michael Mann has emerged triumphant in a defamation lawsuit against right-wing bloggers Rand Simberg and Mark Steyn. The jury awarded Mann $1,001,000 in punitive damages, a resounding blow to those who defame climate scientists. [BNN Breaking]

¶ “Gretchen Whitmer Seeks Another $150 Million To Restart Palisades Nuclear Plant” • Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year recommends another $150 million to help restart the plant. Reports have indicated the federal government is preparing to offer a $1.5 billion loan for the plant also. [Bridge Michigan]

Have a grandly advantageous day.

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Opinion:

¶ “The War In Ukraine, Fossil Fuels, And Petro-Dictators” • The damage caused by fossil fuels does not end with climate change, pollution, and fires. Some nations that become wealthy by extracting and exporting fossil fuels also develop their military might and become overly aggressive. Russia and Vladimir Putin give us one example. [CleanTechnica]

Standing up for Ukraine (Courtesy of Razom We Stand)

Science and Technology:

¶ “NASA Expert Explains How New Technology Will Investigate The Remarkable Warming Trend” • The time from February 2023 through January 2024 set a record as the warmest twelve months, at 1.52°C (2.74°F) above the 1850 to 1900 pre-industrial average. Climate change, El Niño, and warm oceans combined to cause the heat. [ABC News]

¶ “Wind Power Returns To Cargo Ships, And Now With Plastic Bottles” • The cargo shipping industry is slowly moving towards low emission fuels, but in the meantime wind power is ready and eager to go. Various forms of high tech sails are showing up on shipping lanes, and to gild the sustainability lily, some are made with recycled plastic bottles. [CleanTechnica]

Cargo ship with Rotor Sails (Courtesy of Norsepower)

¶ “NASA Launches New Climate Mission To Study Ocean, Atmosphere” • NASA’s satellite mission to study ocean health, air quality, and the effects of a changing climate for the benefit of humanity launched successfully into orbit. Known as PACE, the Plankton, Aerosol, Climate, ocean Ecosystem satellite, the spacecraft is performing as expected. [NASA]

World:

¶ “World’s First Year-Long Breach Of Key 1.5°C Warming Limit” • For the first time, global warming has exceeded 1.5°C across an entire year, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. World leaders promised in 2015 to try to limit the long-term temperature rise to 1.5°C, which is seen as crucial to help avoid the most damaging impacts. [BBC]

What we are doing‽ (Marek Piwnicki, Unsplash)

¶ “The Fukushima Nuclear Plant Leaked Radioactive Water, But None Escaped The Facility” • Highly radioactive water leaked from a treatment machine at the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, but no one was injured and radiation monitoring shows no impact to the outside environment, the utility operator said. [ABC News]

¶ “Ethiopia Banning Non-Electric Car Imports” • Details are a little thin at this point, but the Ethiopian Ministry of Transport and Logistics, Alemu Sime, recently said the country will not allow cars to enter the market unless they are EVs. “A decision has been made that automobiles cannot enter Ethiopia unless they are electric ones,” he said. [CleanTechnica]

Addis Ababa (Yohannes Minas, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “New Zealand EV Market Crash: 5% Penetration In January 2024” • January delivered an EV market crash in plug-in EV sales in New Zealand, to their lowest level in several years. After the monster sales records of December 2023, the removal of the EV tax incentive, and the double whammy of the Road User Charge, it was to be expected. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Statkraft And Better Energy Ink Polish Solar PPA” • Statkraft and Better Energy have strengthened their partnership in Poland, signing agreements to trade energy from four solar parks. Statkraft will purchase green energy from Better Energy’s Krapkowice solar park for 10 years, under a new set of power purchase agreements. [reNews]

Flowers and panels (Bettery Energy image)

¶ “Climate Change Is Fueling The Disappearance Of The Aral Sea. And It’s Taking Residents’ Livelihoods” • Lifelong farm workers and other residents near the Aral Sea say they’re facing a catastrophe they can’t beat: climate change. It is accelerating the decades-long demise of the Aral, which once was the lifeblood for the thousands. [Winnipeg Free Press]

US:

¶ “More Rapid Deployment Of Renewable Energy And Energy Storage Are Needed for a Resilient Power Grid in Puerto Rico” • With lots of solar and wind power, energy storage, and advanced extreme weather impact modeling, Puerto Rico could achieve a 100% renewable power grid by 2050 according to a study on Puerto Rican grid resilience. [CleanTechnica]

Puerto Rico (Andrea Starr, PNNL)

¶ “New Method Monitors Grid Stability With Hydropower Project Signals” • Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, developed a way to predict electric grid stability using signals from pumped storage projects. It provides critical information as the grid shifts more to renewable power. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Super Bowl To Be Hosted In First 100% Renewable Energy NFL stadium” • Super Bowl LVIII will pit the Kansas City Chiefs against the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, February 11. This will be the first Super Bowl that takes place in Allegiant Stadium, home of the Raiders, which is 100% powered by renewable energy. [pv magazine USA]

Allegiant Stadium (David Lusvardi, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Arizona Utility Regulators Vote To Kill Renewable Standards” • Arizona utility regulators voted to begin the process of repealing the state’s energy efficiency and renewable standards. Industry advocates expressed disbelief, saying most states are expanding their renewable standards, and Arizona is the only state they know of scrapping them altogether. [12News]

¶ “A Bill That Would Reform The Renewable Energy Standard In Vermont Clears Key Panel” • The Vermont House Environment and Energy Committee voted in favor of H.289, a bill that would increase the amount of renewable energy that Vermont utilities are required to purchase to 100% by 2030. It heads to the House Ways and Means Committee next. [VTDigger]

Have a simply marvelous day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “New Direct Air Carbon Capture System Captures Water, Too” • Avnos shared a press release with CleanTechnica detailing the $36 million round of funding for its proprietary carbon capture system called HDAC, short for Hybrid Direct Air Capture. It captures water along with the carbon dioxide, and the US Navy finds that interesting. [CleanTechnica]

Avnos HDAC (Avnos image)

World:

¶ “Tesla Announces Pricing In Chile For Model 3 And Model Y: More Affordable Than Expected!” • It’s been three months since CleanTechnica reported that Tesla was officially hiring in Chile. Now the store is open, and pricing has been announced. It’s been pleasant to find that Tesla is not marking up its vehicles like most other brands do. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “A New Solution to Power Africa: Productive Use of Renewable Energy” • Access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa improved greatly over the last decade, reaching 49.4% of the population in 2022, up from 33% in 2010. But electricity consumption has not grown with access. Access to power is meaningless if customers can’t afford to pay for it. [CleanTechnica]

Solar power for pumping (Government of Makueni County, Kenya)

¶ “EVs Take 25.0% Share In France” • January saw plugin EVs take 25.0% share of the French auto market, an increase from 22.3% share, year on year. December’s overall auto volume was 122,284 units, up 9% YOY, but still far below 2017–2019 norms of about 155,000. France’s best selling full electric model in January was the Peugeot e-208. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Equinor’s Renewables Capacity Rises In Q4 2023” • Equinor’s power production from renewable energy sources reached 694 GWh in the final quarter of 2024, up 34% from the same quarter last year. This increase was mainly driven by production onshore by Rio Energy in Brazil and Wento in Poland, and offshore by Hywind Tampen. [reNews]

Wind power at Hywind Tampen (Equinor image)

¶ “Diesel Power Stations To Close As Big Batteries Take Centre Stage” • South Australia’s remarkable transition to renewable energy has claimed new fossil fuel victims. Engie revealed this week it will shutter two diesel plants in the state years ahead of schedule, as solar, wind, and battery storage have muscled them out of the market. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “Lightsource BP Energises UK Battery” • Lightsource BP has energised the 25-MW, 50-MWh Tiln battery to support 61-MW Tiln solar project, the first in its multi-gigawatt global energy storage pipeline. In the past two years, the company has worked to build energy storage opportunities to support the 60-GW of solar it is developing worldwide. [reNews]

Storage at a solar site (Lightsource BP image)

¶ “China Accounts for Nearly All New Coal-Fired Power Plant Construction” • According to data from Global Energy Monitor, a group that tracks global power generation projects, China was responsible for construction of 96% of all new coal-fired facilities last year, and for almost 70% of all new coal-fueled power plants that came online. [POWER Magazine]

¶ “‘Unprecedented Collapse’ In EU Coal And Gas Electricity Generation Last Year, Report Reveals” • According to a report by Ember, more of Europe’s electricity came from wind power than fossil gas for the first time last year. Wind and solar produced a record 27% of the bloc’s electricity in 2023. Coal and gas took corresponding nosedives. [Euronews]

Wind farm (Tyler Casey, Unsplash)

¶ “The UK’s First Geothermal Power Plant Holds Promise For A Greener And More Sustainable Future” • Construction has begun for the UK’s first geothermal power plant, marking a significant milestone for UK renewable energy. Geothermal Engineering Limited expects the plant, sited in Cornwall, to start generating electricity this year. [Open Access Government]

US:

¶ “What Is The Pineapple Express And Why Has It Drenched California?” • Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow bands of rain that hit the west coast of the US and Canada endwise, bringing lots of rain. If one starts near Hawaii, it is called the “Pineapple Express.” Studies from NOAA suggest that they will bring more rain with climate change. [BBC]

Atmospheric river (Naval Research Laboratory, public domain)

¶ “Climate Mayors Urge Biden Administration To Finalize The Strongest Possible Standards For Heavy-Duty Vehicles To Reduce Pollution And Improve Air Quality for Cities” • In a letter, 75 members of Climate Mayors urged the Biden Administration to finalize the EPA’s strongest proposed rule for the GHG Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ford Teases Not-So-Secret Affordable EV, Again” • Word leaked out that the Ford Motor Company has assigned a secret task force to develop an affordable EV, aimed at competing with the low-cost lineup of Tesla and various Chinese auto makers. It’s pretty much the same secret that CleanTechnica’s Jennifer Sensiba noted in May of 2022, [CleanTechnica]

Affordable Ford (Ford Motor Company image)

¶ “Sublime Systems Receives $6.7 Million Award From DOE To Clean Up Cement Emissions” • Sublime Systems, an MIT spinoff, says it has found a way to eliminate 90% of the carbon emissions associated with making cement. Now Sublime Systems has been awarded $6.7 million by the DOE to help it advance electrolyzer technology. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Bill Looks To Reconfigure Tax Exemptions For Maine Yankee” • The fight over how the owners of the decommissioned Maine Yankee Nuclear Power Plant should be taxed has made its way to the state house, with Wiscasset town representatives pushing for a bill. The question centers on whether the facility should be paying taxes to the town. [WCSH]

Have a totally copacetic day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Rising Temperatures And Rising Authoritarianism – Trends That Are Intertwined” • As Earth’s annual average temperatures push against the 1.5º C limit, social scientists warn that we may move into a dangerous new era in human history. Research shows the increasing climate shocks could trigger unrest and authoritarian backlashes. [CleanTechnica]

No planet B (Markus Spiske, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Should There Be A Category 6 For Hurricanes? These Climate Scientists Say Yes” • The Saffir-Simpson scale currently goes from Category 1 to 5. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests adding a Category 6. The new scale would cap Category 5 storms at 192 mph and anything above that would be Category 6. [CNN]

World:

¶ “Study Of Sea Sponges Lead Scientists To Believe Earth Has Already Passed 1.5°C Of Warming” • A study of 300 years of ocean temperature records kept preserved within sea sponges in the Caribbean indicate that global mean surface temperatures may have already exceeded 1.5°C and that a 2°C Celsius rise could be possible by the end of the decade. [ABC News]

Sponges (NOAA, Unsplash)

¶ “BYD #1 In World In Plugin Vehicle Sales In 2023” • In the last stage of the 2023 race, BYD had another record month, this time with 321,000 registrations. It again beat Tesla, which had 195,265 deliveries. So BYD beat Tesla by a significant margin. With a 56% year-on-year growth rate, the Shenzhen company was the fastest growing make. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “World EV Sales Report – Tesla Model Y Is The Best Selling Model In The World!” • The last months of 2023 brought a record-fest for world plugin vehicle sales, with three months out of the last four setting new sales records. December had over 1,550,000 registrations. In the overall market, the Tesla Model Y was the global best seller. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model Y (Murphy Zheng, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “EVs At 93.9% Share In Norway – Record High” • January saw plugin EVs at 93.9% share in Norway, a new record high. All but battery EV powertrains faced higher taxes from January 1st, and had low sales, following December’s pull forward. Overall auto volume was subdued, at 5,122 units. January’s best seller was the Tesla Model Y. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Pacific Green Australia Announces Plans For 30 Hectare, Grid-Scale Battery Park In Portland, Victoria” • British-owned energy company Pacific Green Australia plans to build a 1-GW battery park on 30 hectares in Portland, Victoria. It will be one of the largest batteries in the nation. Pacific Green hopes to be feeding energy into the grid by 2026. [ABC]

Proposed energy park (Supplied by Pacific Green Energy)

¶ “Shell Joins RSP Wave Power, Subsea Energy Storage Project” • Shell has joined the Renewables for Subsea Power project, which is powering subsea equipment off the coast of Orkney, Scotland, through a combination of wave power and subsea energy storage. Shell Technology, a Marine Renewable Program, comes with the investment. [Offshore Magazine]

¶ “Pause On Renewables Projects To Lift At Month’s End As Planned” • The Alberta government’s seven-month moratorium on approving wind and solar power projects will end on February 29 as planned. Premier Danielle Smith confirmed the date in Ottawa. “We are the destination for solar and wind investment in the country,” Smith said. [CBC]

Calgary (Kyler Nixon, Unsplash)

¶ “One Of The World’s Biggest Atomic Power Plants Used To Have A Staff Of 12,000. Now Only 3,000 Run It” • Security at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant remains fragile amid worrying recent staff cuts enacted by Russian occupiers. It is one of the ten biggest atomic power plants in the world, the UN nuclear watchdog chief said. [CTV News]

US:

¶ “Celebrating Another Breakthrough In Domestic Lithium Production” • Last week, Controlled Thermal Resources broke ground on a geothermal power plant in California’s Salton Sea. The facility will not only generate electricity from geothermal energy, but also serve a vital, dual purpose: extracting lithium from the hot brine that powers it. [CleanTechnica]

Groundbreaking (Photo from Controlled Thermal Resources)

¶ “Largest Proposed Wind Farm In Washington Reduced By Half, Firefighting Issues Are Part Of The Problem” • A wind farm that was to be the largest in Washington was reduced by half as it raised concerns about birds and viewsheds. Its developer said new restrictions could be bad for renewable energy development in the state. [Oregon Public Broadcasting]

¶ “Increasing Alternative Energy Standards Would Bring Billions In Investment To Pennsylvania” • The governor of Pennsylvania pledge 30% renewable energy by 2030. Three business groups crunched the numbers and found that if that happens, more than $13.1 billion could be invested in Pennsylvania over the next seven years. [pv magazine USA]

Solar installation in Pennsylvania (US DA, Public domain)

¶ “Texas Recently Generated 80% Of Its Power From Renewable And Nuclear Power. Here’s Why That Matters” • Starting at 9:45 am Sunday, more than 78% of electricity running on the grid managed by the ERCOT came from either wind, solar, or nuclear power. That percentage hovered between 78% and 80% until nearly 4 pm. [Houston Chronicle]

¶ “Biden’s $1.5 Billion Clean Energy Boondoggle” • We got word that the Feds agreed to pony up $1.5 billion to restart a 50-year-old “clean energy” power plant in Michigan. It’s a nuclear power plant that couldn’t compete with other sources of energy, costing up to 57% more than competing sources, so it was shut down in 2017. Now they want to restart it. [Energy and Capital]

Have a tolerably perfect day.

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Opinion:

¶ “The War On Renewables Heats Up Across America” • Climate change is a threat to our way of life. Only renewables can help slow the changing climate. But due largely to misinformation disseminated by fossil fuel companies, people all across America believe that renewables like wind and solar are a threat to their way of life and must be stopped. [CleanTechnica]

Landscape to maintain (NOAA, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “The ShAPE of Buildings to Come: Scrap Aluminum Can Transform Recycling Life Cycle” • The circular economy just closed the loop on scrap aluminum, thanks to a new patent-pending technology from the US DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Scrap aluminum could gain new life as parts of building structures. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Sandia Uses Electric Grid Analytics To Combat Wildfire Risks And Aid Post-Wildfire Recovery” • Sandia National Labs’ wildfire grid resilience program aims to determine and mitigate risk of ignition, reduce wildfire spread, and decrease consequences of major wildfires through new tools and better informed decision making. [CleanTechnica]

Fire whirl in Colorado (Kyle Miller, US BLM)

World:

¶ “Russian Oil Getting Into UK Via Refinery Loophole, Reports Claim” • A so-called “loophole” means Russian crude is refined in countries such as India and the products sold to the UK. This is not illegal and does not breach the UK’s Russian oil ban, but critics say it undermines sanctions aimed at restricting war funds Russia’s war funds as it makes war in Ukraine. [BBC]

¶ “Carlton Power Plans 20-MW UK Hydrogen Scheme” • Kraft Heinz is partnering with Carlton Power on its first renewable green hydrogen project in the UK. The proposed scheme could fuel at least 50% of Kraft Heinz’s Kitt Green manufacturing plant in Wigan, helping reduce carbon emissions and advance the company net zero ambitions. [reNews]

Kraft Heinz factory (Kraft Heinz image)

¶ “Germany And Israel Bolster Energy Ties: Focus On Hydrogen And Renewables” • German Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck, met in Jerusalem with Israel’s Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Eli Cohen, to reinforce their collaborative work plan and address Israel’s post-war needs. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Anti-Renewables Rally Inspires Counter Action, As Farmers Share Solar And Wind Benefits, Debunk Myths” • A protest against large-scale solar and wind and transmission projects has inspired a number of counter movements from farmers who say the lease payments from renewable energy projects have kept their farms afloat. [RenewEconomy]

Australian farm (Cgoodwin, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Small Modular Reactors Do Not Solve The Many Problems Of Nuclear, NGOS Say” • As the European Commission prepares to launch its industry alliance for Small Modular Reactors on 6 February, civil society organisations stress the high costs and slow progress, making this technology a risky distraction from dealing with climate change. [EU Reporter]

¶ “How Fruit Farmers In Tohoku Are Coping With Climate Change” • The area of Yamamoto and Watari, in southern part of Miyagi Prefecture, is known for its relatively warm climate. But the unusual sight of tangerines, which are vulnerable to cold, coexisting with apples, which are vulnerable to heat, may be a symbol of rapid global warming. [The Japan Times]

Tangerine on a tree (Mateus Bandeira, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “OpenET Study Helps Water Managers And Farmers Put NASA Data to Work” • The system alled OpenET uses an ensemble of six satellite-driven models that harness publicly available data from the Landsat program to calculate evapotranspiration (ET), the movement of water vapor from soil and plants as it goes into the atmosphere. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Average Cost Of Car Insurance Up More Than 20% In Last Year” • Yahoo! Finance reports that car insurance costs were 20.3% higher in December than they were a year earlier, with the average annual premium costing $2,542, according to Bankrate. Part of that increase is due to inflation. But part of it is due to the weather brought by climate change. [CleanTechnica]

Storm damage (Mick Haupt, Unsplash)

¶ “Five Years Later, New Hampshire’s Community Power Law Is Reshaping The Electricity Market” • New Hampshire member towns in the year-old Community Power Coalition are reaping the benefits of banding together for electricity. Small customers in the coalition’s sixteen active member towns will buy electricity at a 26% reduced rate. [New Hampshire Bulletin]

¶ “New York City Approves Empire Wind O&M Hub Design” • New York City’s Public Design Commission approved the design for the offshore wind operations and maintenance building Equinor plans to built at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. This is an important step in revitalizing a working waterfront at this historic port. [Offshore Engineer]

Have a manifestly splendid day.

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World:

¶ “Equinix And Schneider Electric Behind Seven New Wind Farms” • Equinix and renewable energy developer wpd signed seven 20-year Power Purchase Agreements, aided by Schneider Electric. As a result, seven wind farms will be built across France, four in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, two in Hauts-de-France and one in Pays de la Loire. [Energy Digital Magazine]

Wind farm in Yunnan (Luo Lei, Unsplash)

¶ “Regional Communities Gather From Latrobe Valley To Wollongong To Say Yes To Renewables, Community Power, Climate Action” • Regional communities gathered in Australia to send a strong message that they support renewable energy and want to see stronger action on climate change and new jobs in wind and solar power. [The National Tribune]

¶ “Premier: Harness Sarawak’s Strength In Renewable Energy To Propel State’s Economic Development” • Sarawak needs to harness its strength in renewable energy production to propel the state’s economy forward, said the Malaysian state’s Premier. He said the strength of Sarawak lies in its energy generation by its many renewable resources. [Malay Mail]

Dam in Sarawak (Gem Lyn, Unsplash)

¶ “Rooftop Solar Plan To Add 20-22 GW, But Challenges Cloud Sunrise Sector” • The residential rooftop solar power sector could become another sunrise sector in India with a business potential of about ₹1.5 lakh crore to ₹2 lakh crore ($12 billion), if all things perform precisely like the Sun, according to industry officials and experts. [IBTimes India]

¶ “Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited Illuminates Asia’s Largest Tea Estate With Innovative Solar Technology” • Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited commissioned a 1040-kW bifacial solar system at Chengmari Tea Estate, Asia’s largest tea estate. This project is the first deployment of on-ground bifacial modules in eastern India. [SolarQuarter]

Tea garden (Rupeshsarkar, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Czech Republic Expanding On Plan For Nuclear Reactors” • The Czech government said recently it plans to build up to four nuclear reactors instead of one as the country tries to become more energy independent and wean itself off fossil fuels. Prime Minister Petr Fiala said building more reactors could reduce the price per reactor by up to 25%. [NWAOnline]

¶ “Google Signs Its Largest Offshore Wind Power Agreement To Date” • Google has signed power purchase agreements with CrossWind and Ecowende consortia, joint ventures of energy companies Shell and Eneco. This announcement is in line with its goal to achieve net-zero emissions across all of its operations and value chains by 2030. [Inceptive Mind]

Google data center in Eemshaven, Netherlands (Google image)

US:

¶ “Tesla Ordered To Pay $1.5 Million Over Alleged Hazardous Waste Violations In California” • A California judge ordered Tesla Inc to pay $1.5 million as part of a settlement of a civil case alleging the company mishandled hazardous waste at its car service centers, energy centers, and a factory, multiple county district attorneys announced. [ABC News]

¶ “Nevada Supreme Court Ruling Says That Surface Water And Groundwater Are One And The Same” • The Nevada Supreme Court has ruled in a unanimous decision that the state may restrict new groundwater pumping if it will impact other users and wildlife. The decision will change how the state manages its groundwater. [CleanTechnica]

Desert in Nevada (D Lok, Unsplash)

¶ “Grid Electronics Research to Bridge Gap to Cleaner, More Reliable Power” • Most of the North American electric grid uses AC power. But renewable energy generation and electric cars require DC. Power electronics are used to switch between these flows and to link separate systems. ORNL researchers have been developing a set of building blocks. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Counties Are Blocking The Future Of Renewable Energy: These Maps, Graphics Show How” • At least 15% of counties in the US have effectively halted new utility-scale wind, solar, or both, USA Today found. But the opposition to renewable energy isn’t as simple as left vs. right. There’s no one group fighting renewables. [USA Today]

Have an especially fortunate day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Electric Cars: It’s All About Efficiency” • Cars and trucks powered by internal combustion engines are only about 20% efficient. This means that just one fifth of it is actually used to move them forward. By contrast, almost 90% of the energy stored in the batteries of electric cars is used to move them forward. [CleanTechnica]

Charging an EV (Andrew Roberts, Unsplash)

¶ “Tripling Nuclear Energy By 2050 Will Take A Miracle, And Miracles Don’t Happen” • It is time to abandon the idea that further expanding nuclear technology can help with mitigating climate change. We need to deal with carbon emissions quickly and inexpensively. Nuclear power is much too expensive and a buildout will take too long. [Down to Earth]

World:

¶ “UN Climate Chief’s Message: Fewer Loopholes, Way More Cash To Halt Climate Change” • United Nations’ climate chief Simon Stiell says to keep Earth from overheating, the nations of the world need to put fewer loopholes in climate agreements and far more money – trillions of dollars per year – into financial help for poor nations. [ABC News]

Melting ice (NOAA, Unsplash)

¶ “24% Plugin Vehicle Share In Europe” • The overall European automotive market fell 4% in December, its first drop in sixteen months. This was influenced by the German market, which fell by 23% in December, possibly influenced by the economic clouds on the horizon and a chaotic cut in EV subsidies. New EV sales fell 29% year-on-year, in the EU. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EVs Take 52.5% Share In Sweden” • The January market in Sweden saw plugin EVs take 52.5% share, almost flat from 52.4%, year-over-year. Plugin volumes were up YOY for both battery electrics and plugin hybrids. January’s overall auto volume was 17,159 units, up some 18% YOY. The bestseller for the month was the Tesla Model Y. [CleanTechnica]

Volvo EX30 (Alexander-93, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Govt Invites Bids For 4 GW Offshore Wind Projects” • India’s new and renewable energy ministry has invited bids to 4 GW of develop offshore wind energy. The bids are for four blocks of 1 GW each on open access basis, for offshore wind power projects off the coast of Tamil Nadu, through international competitive bidding. [The New Indian Express]

¶ “Hydrogen Electric Aircraft Scheme Hatched By EU Nations” • Much of the attention around electric aircraft involves moving beyond small, regional-hopping passenger planes into the long distance territory of jumbo jets. The US-UK startup ZeroAvia is one stakeholder leaning on hydrogen fuel cells to do the heavy lifting. [CleanTechnica]

Hydrogen infrastructure for electric aircraft (ZeroAvia image)

¶ “Floating Solar Energy Pilot Passes Trials Offshore Norway” • Fred Olsen 1848 has deployed 124 kW floating solar pilot off Risør, Norway. The project is a testing ground for improving the components of the BRIZO floating PV technology, which is designed to follow the motion of the ocean while withstanding local offshore conditions. [Offshore Magazine]

¶ “Vortex Energy’s $123 Million Investment Spurs Construction Of 110 MW Renewable Energy Portfolio, Paving The Way For Green Power Expansion In Poland” • Vortex Energy, a prominent renewable energy company in Poland, has started construction on a portfolio of projects comprising 53 MW of onshore wind and 57 MW of PV solar. [SolarQuarter]

Vitol Vortex solar array (Vitol image)

¶ “Climate Change: Fungal Disease Endangers Production Of Wheat” • An international team of researchers surrounding Prof Senthold Asseng from the Technical University of Munich has now shown that further spread of the fungal disease wheat blast could reduce global wheat production by 13% by 2050, to be a threat to global food security. [Lab Manager]

US:

¶ “The Solar Electric Car That Looks Like An Airplane Is Almost Ready For Takeoff” • The Aptera has been a long time coming. It was launched in 2006, only to hit a wall in 2011. A relaunch in 2020 got the gears in motion again, and now the long-awaited, futuristic, solar-powered three-wheeled electric car is almost ready to hit the road. [CleanTechnica]

Aptera (Aptera image)

¶ “Tracking Electricity Consumption From US Cryptocurrency Mining Operations” • Electricity demand associated with US cryptocurrency mining operations has grown very rapidly over the last several years. Our preliminary estimates suggest that annual electricity use for cryptocurrency mining may be 0.6% to 2.3% of US electricity production. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “$230 Million Wind Farm Near Glenrock Could Bring 200 Jobs And Power 44,000 Homes” • AES Corp, a Virginia-based energy behemoth shedding coal-fired plants as part of a yearslong restructuring effort to focus on renewables, unveiled plans to build a $230 million wind farm south of Glenrock, Wyoming. Its capacity will be 150 MW. [Cowboy State Daily]

Wyoming wind farm (Courtesy AES Corp)

¶ “The US Added 1.2 Million EVs To The Grid Last Year, And Electricity Use Went Down” • 2023 set another record for EV sales in the US. About 1.2 million vehicles, or 7.6% of all sales, were electric according to Kelley Blue Book. Nevertheless, the data on electricity use through November 2023 shows that it was down by 1.1%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Amazon Warns Climate Change Could Disrupt Its Business In Annual Filing” • Amazon is warning its investors that climate change could affect it negatively. In the risk factors section of its 2023 financial filing, Amazon added language that says climate change could cause its sales and operating results to fluctuate, possibly resulting in decreased revenue. [CNBC]

Have a politely presented day.

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Opinion:

¶ “There’s Still Time For California Regulators To Stop Killing The California Solar And Storage Industry” • New state policies reduced California’s incentives to install solar power and storage, discouraging families and businesses from deploying systems. The Solar Energy Industries Association calls on policymakers to address the problems. [CleanTechnica]

Rooftop solar (Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Can Ocean Energy Power Carbon Removal?” • A mass of sargassum, a seaweed, sometimes has huge bits break off and wash ashore in Florida or the Caribbean. If that seaweed could be sunk instead of covering beaches, it would carry a huge amount of carbon to the ocean floor, sequestering massive amounts of carbon that was recently in the air. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Should More British Homes Be Built Using Straw?” • This year, straw from Lithuania will envelop a building in a quiet town in West Yorkshire. The panels will be supplied by a Slovakian firm, EcoCocon. Each timber-framed panel is around 400 mm thick and contains a mass of chopped straw. They help meet a rising demand for insulation and sustainability. [BBC]

Straw panel installation (EcoCocon image)

¶ “Westbridge Progresses Italian Solar Projects” • Westbridge Renewable Energy is developing two new solar projects in Italy. The 32-MW Gierre solar project is in Lazio and the 30-MW NM solar project is in Umbria. Both projects have secured land and grid access, completed feasibility studies, and now planning applications are in progress. [reNews]

¶ “Mobilizing Electric Vehicles In Rural India” • This week, NRDC, with partners Self Employed Women’s Association and the Small Industries Development Bank of India, unveiled a first-of-its-kind initiative to pilot EVs in rural areas of India. Access to clean mobility can transform livelihood opportunity growth in rural areas. [CleanTechnica]

New owners of two-wheeler EVs (Image by NRDC India)

¶ “Northern Territory Launches Plan To Power 72 Remote Indigenous Communities With 70% Renewables” • The NT government has launched community consultations on its Remote Power System Strategy, in a bid to power 72 remote Australian indigenous communities with an average of 70% renewables, by 2030. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “Ford Transit Connect PHEV Coming To Europe This Year” • Ford announced that it will introduce its third generation Transit Connect to the European and UK markets, with sales starting in the second half of 2024. One version of the new Transit Connect will offer a plug-in hybrid powertrain with 68 miles of battery-only range. [CleanTechnica]

Ford Transit Connect (Ford image)

¶ “India Unveils 13.9 GW Coal Plants In Highest Annual Surge In Six Years” • India is set to bring online 13.9 GW of new coal-fired power plants this year, marking the highest annual increase in at least six years, the country’s power ministry said. There are surging power demands, low per-capita emissions, and concerns about energy security. [BW Businessworld]

¶ “Kenya’s Complete Transition To Clean Energy Gets World Bank Support” • The Climate Investment Funds endorsed a $70 million plan, with an allocation of $46.39 million, to advance the integration and use of renewable energy in the Kenyan grid. The move will enable the country’s transition to 100% clean energy by 2030. [Construction and Civil Engineering News]

Kenya (Damian Patkowski, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Electric Vehicles And Hybrids Surpass 16% Of Total 2023 US Light-Duty Vehicle Sales” • Combined sales of hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid EVs, and battery EVs in the US rose to 16.3% of total new light-duty vehicle sales in 2023, according to data from Wards Intelligence. In 2022, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery EV sales were 12.9% of total sales. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Carbon Dioxide, Radio Isotopes, The Keeling Curve, And The Greatest Cover Up In History” • Seventy years ago, Los Angeles had an air pollution problem that led to the word ‘smog’ being coined. Petroleum and automotive companies came to realize that pollution is a problem, and they created a massive cover-up to protect their profits. [CleanTechnica]

Smog in Los Angeles (Lan56, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “Vesper Energy Secures $590 Million Financing For Hornet Solar Project” • Vesper Energy, a developer, owner, and operator of renewable energy assets, finalized financing for its Hornet Solar project. Set to provide renewable energy to communities throughout Texas, the project aims to enhance grid stability and address price volatility. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Xcel Energy To Build 3.6 GW Of Renewable Capacity And 600 MW Of Storage In Minnesota” • Utility Xcel Energy announced plans to decarbonise its operations in the Midwest. The plans involve the construction of 3.6 GW of new renewable power generating capacity and 600 MW of new battery energy storage system facilities. [PV Tech]

Xcel Energy solar system (Xcel Energy image)

¶ “Vibrations In Cooling System Mean New Georgia Nuclear Reactor Will Again Be Delayed” • Georgia Power Co said that vibrations in a cooling system of its second new nuclear reactor will delay when the unit starts operating. Plant Vogtle’s Unit 4 now will not begin operating until sometime between April 1 and June 30. [The Public’s Radio]

¶ “State Says Holtec Must Report On Chemicals In Vaporized Wastewater” • While Holtec International awaits decisions by regulators on discharging water from the Pilgrim nuclear plant, it has got rid of 200,000 gallons of the water by using heaters in the reactor cavity to evaporate it. The state wants a report on contaminants. [The Provincetown Independent]

Have a spactacularly quiet day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Hawaii’s Clean Energy Push: A Model For The Mainland?” • A massive clean energy experiment is taking place in Hawaii. It’s not that they are doing anything radically different in terms of renewable energy deployment, they’re just doing far more of it per capita than any other US state. And Hawaii is meeting its aggressive renewable energy plans. [Oil Price]

Pakini Nui Wind Farm (Yoshi Canopus, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

World:

¶ “China Has Nudged Japan Aside As Number 1 Auto Exporter, Japanese Data Show” • The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association reported Japan exported 4.42 million vehicles in 2023. Earlier data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows China exported 4.91 million vehicles last year, largely EVs and hybrids. [ABC News]

¶ “Mexico’s Supreme Court Rules Against An Electricity Law Favoring A State-Owned Utility Over Private Firms” • A panel of Supreme Court justices in Mexico ruled against President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s rules that favored the state-owned electric power company over cleaner private power companies, which are mostly foreign-owned. [ABC News]

Wind farm in Mexico (Daniel Cravioto, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “25% of New Car Sales in China Were 100% Electric in 2023!” • Plugin vehicles in China once again ended the year with a record month, growing by 46% year-over-year in the last month of the year to a record 980,000 units. Range-extended vehicles have become trendy in China, with most packing 40 kWh-ish batteries and fast charging capabilities. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “30% Plugin Vehicle Share In France!” • Plugin sales continued to grow in France in December, reaching a record 54,413 units. Most of that was battery EVs. Their sales were up an amazing 50% year-over-year in December, to a record 37,355 units. Plugin hybrid EVs also joined to the party, by growing some 17% YoY to 17,056 registrations. [CleanTechnica]

Fiat 500e Cabrio (Alexander Migl, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “President Murmu Unveils India’s Renewable Energy Triumph: Soars To 188 GW With Solar Surging 26-Fold in A Decade” • Pres Droupadi Murmu declared that the government is prioritizing green energy, revealing that renewable energy capacity in India more than doubled over a decade to 188 GW. Solar capacity had a 26-fold increase. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “IEA’s Report Reveals 50% Surge In Global Renewable Capacity In 2023, Bringing Global Total To Nearly 510 GW” • A report by the International Energy Agency shows that the world added 50% more renewable energy capacity in 2023 than in 2022, bringing the global total to nearly 510 GW. Of the new capacity, 75% was solar PVs. [SolarQuarter]

Solar array (Raphael Cruz, Unsplash)

¶ “GE Vernova, Kandenko And Cosmo Eco Power To Develop Onshore Wind Farm In Fukushima” • GE Vernova’s onshore wind business announced it was selected by Abukuma South Wind Power LLC as the supplier for the 90-MW Abukuma South Wind Farm in the area of the city of Iwaki and town of Hirono, in Fukushima Prefecture. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “‘Time Is Right To Invest In Emerging Offshore Markets’” • World Bank offshore wind development program co-lead Sean Whittaker said, “There has never been a better time” for offshore wind developers to move into emerging markets. Speaking at the WFO Global Summit in Barcelona, he said his organisation has helped 26 countries speed up deployment. [reNews]

Wind turbines (SSE Renewables image)

¶ “Britain Not Planning Hinkley Point C Loan Guarantees, Says Downing Street” • The UK has no plans for loan guarantees for the Hinkley Point C nuclear project to ease the financing costs on EDF, a spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said. “Hinkley Point C’s financing is a matter for the project’s shareholders, it’s not for government.” [Reuters]

US:

¶ “Sea Otters, Once Hunted To Near Extinction, Are Preventing Coastal Erosion As Their Populations Grow, Study Finds” • A recent discovery is that sea otters are Mother Nature’s solution to the prevention of coastal erosion. The sea otters eat burrowing crabs that have no other major predators. Crab burrows make coastal lands unstable. [ABC News]

Sea otters (Kedar Gadge, Unsplash)

¶ “John Podesta Will Take Over For John Kerry As US Climate Diplomat” • John Podesta, a senior White House adviser focused on clean energy and climate, will take over as top US climate diplomat when John Kerry steps down, a source familiar with the move said. He has been working on clean energy and carrying out the Inflation Reduction Act. [CNN]

¶ “Renewed US National Movement to Convert Private Utilities to Public Utilities” • A renewed US movement is afoot to replace corporate utilities with public, citizen-owned utilities. There have been energy cooperatives in the Midwest for nearly a century and a half. The American Public Power Association gives support for public power companies. [CleanTechnica]

Utility worker (USDA, public domain)

¶ “Delaware Judge Invalidates Elon Musk’s Tesla Pay Package” • Five years ago, the board of directors of Tesla approved a special compensation package for Elon Musk that exceeded by far any executive pay plan in the history of the world. If Musk hit certain targets, he would be entitled to total compensation of $56 billion. A judge said that’s too much. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Chugach Electric Offers Its Support For Renewable Energy Benchmarks” • Just a fifth of the electricity produced on Alaska’s Railbelt comes from renewable sources. The rest is from fossil fuels, primarily natural gas. But with a natural gas shortfall on the way, clean energy advocates want to push Railbelt utilities to boost renewables. [Alaska Public Media]

Have a perfectly wonderful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Rise of Batteries in Six Charts And Not Too Many Numbers” • Battery demand is growing exponentially, driven by a domino effect that cascades from country to country and from sector to sector. This effect is set to enable the rapid phaseout of half of global fossil fuel demand and be instrumental in abating power and transport emissions. [CleanTechnica]

Battery (Jakob Owens, Unsplash, cropped)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Instant Offshore Floating Wind Turbine: Just Remove The Tower” • There is a way that floating turbines can be configured like strange, seagoing carousels, with blades that circle around a vertical axis. The vertical axis is the key that allows for radical new design strategies, and it enables a wind turbine that doesn’t have a tower at all. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Projected Zero-Carbon Electricity Growth Highly Dependent On Cost In Parts of Asia” • In its International Energy Outlook 2023, the US EIA projects low zero-carbon technology costs will drive major growth in zero-carbon electricity capacity and generation and limit growth in fossil fuel-fired generation in parts of Asia between 2030 and 2050. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Toyota’s CFAO Group Brings BYD Dealership To Rwanda, Launches Atto 3, Dolphin, And Seagull Next” • CFAO Mobility in Rwanda has just launched East Africa’s first BYD car dealership in Kigali. The Atto 3 electric SUV will be available in the Rwanda market immediately, with the Dolphin and Dolphin Mini (BYD Seagull) models soon to follow. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “India’s Renewable Energy Capacity Has Reached 188 GW: President Murmu” • India’s installed renewable energy capacity has increased to about 188 GW, up from 81 GW a decade ago, President Droupadi Murmu said in an address. She noted that solar power capacity has increased 26-fold, wind power capacity has doubled in the last ten years. [Swarajya]

Harabhangi Dam (সন্দীপ সরকার, CC0 1.0)

¶ “More Green Energy Powers Coal-Rich Shanxi” • China’s major coal-producing region of Shanxi stepped up renewable energy growth as it seeks low-carbon and greener development. Its renewable energy capacity reached 53.09 GW at the end of 2023, up 22.6% year-on-year, data from the Shanxi provincial statistics bureau shows. [China Daily]

¶ “Greece’s Renewable Energy Output Soars, Aims To Become Green Energy Exporter” • According to its power grid operator, Greece witnessed a remarkable surge in its hydroelectric, wind, and solar energy production last year, reaching a record high. This aligns with Greece’s ambitions to become a major exporter of renewable energy. [EnergyPortal.eu]

Fishing boat with solar panels (Jebulon, CC0 1.0)

¶ “H&M Group Expands Its Renewable Energy Portfolio With Three New Solar Parks in Sweden” • Global fashion retailer H&M Group is to bolster its renewable energy efforts by adding three ground-mounted solar parks in Sweden. The parks, in Blekinge, Södermanland, and Halland, will have capacities of 13 MW, 6 MW, and 4 MW, respectively. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Europe Signs PPAS For 16.2 GW Of Renewables In 2023, Including 10.5 GW Of Solar” • Swiss financial analyst Pexapark has published its latest report on the European renewable power purchase agreement sector, European PPA Market Outlook 2024. It found that European buyers struck deals for a record 16.2GW of clean power in 2023. [PV Tech]

Wind turbines (Mark König, Unsplash)

¶ “Ford Government Wants To Refurbish Pickering Nuclear Reactors But Can’t Say How Much It Will Cost” • Ontario will seek approval to refurbish four aging 1980s Candu nuclear reactors at Pickering. Energy Minister Todd Smith admitted there is no precise cost estimate for the nuclear refurbishment, at least not one he is willing to reveal. [Toronto Star]

US:

¶ “Western Monarch Butterflies Overwintering In California Dropped 30% In 2023” • The number of western monarch butterflies overwintering in California dropped by 30% last year, likely due to how wet it was, researchers said. Other causes of the decline are destruction of habitat due to housing, pesticides, herbicides, and climate change. [ABC News]

Monarch butterfly (Melissa Burovac, Unsplash)

¶ “State Energy Policy in a Land of New Federal Opportunity” • New and expanded federal programs have radically shifted the landscape of what’s economically and politically feasible for state policymakers, giving states a chance to unlock wide-ranging benefits and attract billions in federal and private funding for residents and businesses. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Historic Funding to Plug Orphaned Oil & Gas Wells” • The Department of the Interior awarded nearly $5 million through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda for Missouri to clean up legacy pollution. Missouri has nearly 5,000 orphaned oil and gas wells documented that need to be plugged, many of which have emit methane. [CleanTechnica]

Abandoned gas well (Steve Hillebrand, US FWS, public domain)

¶ “New Analysis Reveals Implications Of Plummeting Usage Of Coal In The US” • A report from research firm Rhodium Group found that the United States’ planet-overheating gas emissions dropped by 1.9% in 2023, largely thanks to the phaseout of coal burning. Coal produced 17% of US energy last year, according to the report. [The Cool Down]

¶ “Report: Palisades Getting Federal Loan To Reopen” • A report from Bloomberg says Holtec International Corporation will get a $1.5 billion loan from the US DOE to restart the Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan. The facility was shut down in May 2022 to be decommissioned, but Holtec pitched the restart idea after purchasing the plant. [WKZO]

Have a superbly guided day.

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World:

¶ “Global Warming Could Increase Risk Of Human-Elephant Conflict, Researchers Say” • The risks for conflict between elephants and humans could increase in the future due to climate change and other human-caused environmental factors, according to new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [ABC News]

Elephant (Nam Anh, Unsplash)

¶ “Suzlon Secures 642-MW Wind Power Project Order From Evren’s ABC Cleantech” • Suzlon Group, the largest renewable energy equipment provider in India, announced winning an order for wind turbines for a 642-MW wind power project from Evren Company. Evren is a joint venture in India between Axis Energy and Brookfield. [Free Press Journal]

¶ “Amazon To Source 473 MW Of Clean Power From Scottish Offshore Wind Farm” • Amazon has signed a corporate power purchase agreement with developers of the 882-MW Moray West offshore wind farm in Scotland, securing more than half of its capacity to power its UK operations. The wind farm is in the Moray Firth. [Offshore Engineer Magazine]

Offshore substation platform (Ocean Winds image)

¶ “Renewable Energy Sector Is Ramping Up” • The Indian Central Government launched the National Solar Mission in January 2010, with capacity target of 20 GW by 2022. In 2015, the target increased to 100 GW. Then it increased the target to 300 GW for 2030. Now India aims at the target of installed renewable capacity of 500 GW by 2030. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Tasmanian Government Continuing Rewards Of Renewable Energy” • A plan to streamline approvals for renewable energy projects was unveiled by the Tasmanian Government. It will ensure Tasmania continues to be the powerhouse for Australia’s renewable energy. A dedicated approvals pathway will help the rollout of major projects. [Manufacturers’ Monthly]

Tasmania (Tim Hart, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “BP Attacked By Investor Over ‘Irrational’ Switch To Clean Energy” • BP is facing new demands to scrap the “irrational” net zero commitments by former chief executive Bernard Looney. An activist investor, Bluebell Capital Partners, said the strategy is unrealistic and claimed that it has left shareholders £40 billion poorer. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “North Macedonia Posts 160% Growth In New Renewables Capacity In 2023” • Renewable electricity capacity in North Macedonia increased by 551.2 MW over the last two years. Of that, 399 MW was installed in 2023, two and a half times more than the year before. The increase was spurred by a combination of legal reforms. [Balkan Green Energy News]

Ohrid, North Macedonia (Ljupco Dzambazovski, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Move Toward Electrification Is ‘Inexorable,’ Energy Secretary Says” • EVs are proliferating across the nation, yet so many Americans still have questions about these battery-powered trucks and cars: Where do I charge them? What if I run out of range? Can I afford one? Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm answered questions for ABC News. [ABC News]

¶ “US Department of Transportation Announces $31.4 Million Loan To Upgrade Critical Rail Lines In California” • The US Department of Transportation announced provision of a $31.4 million loan to the Sierra Northern Railway and Mendocino Railway to expand and rehabilitate rail systems in the Central Valley and Mendocino County. [CleanTechnica]

Sierra Northern (Drew Jacksich, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “DOE Announces Funding Opportunity To Advance Domestic Manufacturing Of Next Generation Batteries” • The US DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office said it has released a $15.7 million funding opportunity to advance the domestic manufacturing of next generation batteries and energy storage. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Light-Duty Plugin Vehicle Sales Topped 1 Million for First Time In 2023” • Annual sales of electric vehicles more than quadrupled from 2020 to 2023, culminating in more than one million EV sales for the first time in calendar year 2023. In that year, cumulative sales of new light-duty plug-in EVs since 2010 reached 4.7 million. [CleanTechnica]

Electric car (Jp Valery, Unsplash)

¶ “EV Sales Rise to 7.2% of US Auto Sales, With Tesla At 4.3%” • In 2019, full EV sales were 1.4% of US auto sales. In 2020, they had risen to 1.7%, and in 2021, they had risen to 3%. In the past two years, things have changed much faster. In 2022, US EV sales accounted for 5.5% of the auto market, and last year (in 2023), EV sales rose to 7.2%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Shoppers Set To See Meat Prices Fall Thanks To Renewable Energy” • As it becomes more popular to produce sustainable fuel from processing soybeans, a massive amount of soymeal is produced as a co-product. Soymeal is the main ingredient in some animal feed, and its abundance makes the feed cheaper for meat purveyors, Bloomberg says. [New York Post]

Beefsteak (Sergey Kotenev, Unsplash)

¶ “Levittown Engineer Faked Nuclear Reactor Safety Paperwork For 11 Years, Feds Say” • Two men who pleaded guilty to giving false reports related to nuclear plant safety attended sentencing hearings in a federal court, the US Justice Department said. Both worked for a company that provided acoustic emissions testing for nuclear plants. [Daily Voice]

¶ “Studies To Examine Health Risks Of New England Nuclear Power Plants” • Petros Koutrakis, professor of environmental sciences at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, is leading two studies to investigate the health impacts of New England nuclear power plants on nearby residents. He spoke about his research on Vermont Public. [hsph.harvard.edu]

Have a magnificently productive day.

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Opinion:

¶ “The Answer Is Blowing In The Wind And Shining From The Sun: Not Small Modular Reactors” • There is plenty of hype about small modular reactors. But SMR technology is unproven and risky. SMRs have the same problems as their big ancestors: high cost, long-lasting nuclear waste, and mining operations that leave piles of toxic waste. [Sierra Club]

Rolls Royce SMR (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, US DOE)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Separating Critical Materials From Dissolved Batteries” • A simple way to separate metal ions from a simulated battery electrode mixture was exhibited by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers. Their process relies on basic chemical principles and requires no specialty chemicals, binding agents, membranes, or toxic solvents. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “52 Killed In Clashes In The Disputed Oil-Rich African Region Of Abyei” • Gunmen attacked villagers in the oil-rich region of Abyei claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan, leaving at least 52 people dead, including a UN peacekeeper, an official said. The attackers were armed youth who migrated to the state last year because of flooding in their areas. [ABC News]

Abyei dwelling (Sudan Envoy, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “French Towns Left Uninsured As Climate Change Increases Risks” • Some 2,000 towns and cities across France found they were uninsured at the start of the year after insurance companies raised rates or ended contracts due to costs relating to storms and flooding. Climate change is forcing a rethinking of the whole insurance industry. [Yahoo News UK]

¶ “New Electric Buses For Waterloo” • In 2020, the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, discontinued purchases of diesel-only buses, switching to hybrid and electric options. The first of Grand River Transit’s electric buses will begin service next month as part of its zero-emission bus pilot project. Ten additional electric buses are expected this year. [CleanTechnica]

Electric bus at charging station (ConceptConcentric Electric Bus)

¶ “Statkraft Aims To Build 3 GW Of Renewable Energy Projects By 2030” • Renewable energy firm Statkraft announced plans to roll out 3 GW of renewable energy projects in Ireland by 2030, which will include its 500-MW North Irish Sea Array offshore wind project. This would make a significant contribution to the State’s reaching its renewable energy target. [RTE]

Australia:

¶ “Origin Energy Invests $400 Million In Battery At Mortlake Power Station” • Origin Energy has signalled the construction of a substantial battery at the Mortlake Power Station in south-west Victoria, with an investment commitment of about $400 million. The Mortlake battery is to have capacities of 300 MW and up to 650 MWh. [Australian Manufacturing]

Mortlake Power Station (Origin Energy image)

¶ “Milestone For Hydrogen Generation In NT” • Hydrogen has been produced in the Northern Territory for the first time at Charles Darwin University, a step towards founding a hydrogen generation industry in the Territory. CDU said it will use its facility to train the skilled workers needed for a successful green hydrogen industry. [Energy Magazine]

¶ “New South Wales Council Turns To Solar To Power Water And Sewer Sites” • The MidCoast Council in the Hunter region of New South Wales has made the shift to solar to help power its water and sewer infrastructure as part of a broader commitment to powering all council operations with 100% renewable energy by 2040. [pv magazine Australia]

Water treatment plant (MidCoast Council image)

US:

¶ “States Remain In The Lead On Addressing Transportation Emissions” • Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the US, and there can be no successful climate action absent progress in reducing emissions from this sector. Unfortunately, litigation may delay federal rulemaking, but states can continue to act. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tesla Financials Deep Dive – Massive Growth” • Elon Musk and Tesla’s top executives conducted the year 2023 and Q4 2023 earnings call last week. 2023 was Tesla’s best year yet. In addition to delivering a record 1.8 million vehicles last year, Tesla’s energy storage and solar business grew to more than double last year compared to 2022. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla (Taun Stewart, Unsplash)

¶ “US Auto Industry Rose 8% In Fourth Quarter, While EV Industry Grew 29%” • The US auto industry continues to grow in its long recovery from the COVID-19 epidemic and economic shutdown of 2020–2021. In the 4th quarter of 2023, US auto sales rose 8% compared to the 4th quarter of 2022. Meanwhile, pure battery EV sales rose by 29%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Equinor And BP Rebid Empire Wind 1” • Equinor and BP have rebid their 810-MW Empire Wind 1 project into New York’s fourth offshore wind solicitation. If awarded, Empire Wind 1 is expected to provide first power in 2026. The Empire Wind 1 bid into the solicitation follows the announcement of a swap deal between Equinor and BP. [reNews]

Have an outrageously easy day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Geothermal Heat Pumps Key Opportunity In Switch To Clean Energy” • Analysis from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that, coupled with building envelope improvements, installing geothermal heat pumps in around 70% of US buildings could save as much as 593 TWh of electricity annually. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it (US DOE
Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy)

¶ “Perovskite Solar Cells: A Turning Point In Renewable Energy Or Just Hype?” • The world of solar energy is on the brink of a potential revolution, thanks to a new contender in the market: perovskite solar cells. These cells have impressive efficiency and promise to address many of the limitations of traditional silicon solar cells. [The Business Standard]

¶ “Coastal Chemistry Improves Methane Modeling” • Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are using a new modeling framework in conjunction with data collected from marshes in the Mississippi Delta to improve predictions of climate-warming methane and nitrous oxide emissions from soils in coastal ecosystems. [CleanTechnica]

Mississippi Delta marsh (Matthew Berens, ORNL, US DOE)

World:

¶ “Alberta Tar Sands Pollution 64 Times Worse Than Reported” • The Canadian tar sands, a huge site of oil extraction in Alberta, cover an area larger than England. Researchers used airplanes to measure the total emissions from the Alberta tar sands. Their research showed that those emissions are 20 to 64 times worse than previously reported. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hundreds Of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vans To Flood The Streets” • The debate over hydrogen fuel cell EVs rages on, and Renault Group just added some fuel to the fire. The auto maker’s Hyvia electric vehicle venture is kicking into high gear with an initial delivery of 50 hydrogen fuel cell vans to the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. [CleanTechnica]

Renault Master Van H2 Tech (Renault Group via YouTube)

¶ “Chinese Foreign Ministry Calls For Greater Cooperation Worldwide To Address Climate Challenges” • China has made remarkable progress in clean energy in recent years, providing practical solutions for tackling climate change globally. This will accelerate the international transition towards renewable power, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry. [MSN]

¶ “Booming Renewable Energy Generation Halves Wholesale Power Prices Across National Grid” • Rapid growth in renewable generation reduced the wholesale cost of power in Australia’s energy grid late last year, and it greatly reduced reliance on coal. Prices were down more than half in the final three months of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. [MSN]

Solar farm (Merallisolar image)

¶ “Major Power Companies Break Ground On First-Of-Its-Kind Power Plant” • Reuters reported that Uzbekistan broke ground on the region’s first plant making green hydrogen from wind power, a major milestone in the fight to reverse the effects of climate change. The plant will ultimately produce 3,000 metric tons of green hydrogen per year. [The Cool Down]

¶ “Korea’s Imports Of Japanese Seafood Post Biggest On-Year Drop Last Year Since 2012” • Korea’s imports of Japanese seafood posted the biggest on-year decrease last year since 2012, a year after the Fukushima nuclear accident, data show. In 2023, Korea imports of Japanese fish and shellfish were down 12.8% from a year earlier. [The Korea Times]

Grilled fish (CA Creative, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “First-Ever Regional Offshore Wind And Wildlife Science Plan Released” • Tapping offshore wind is critical to address climate change. A landmark research plan to guide that effort was released by the Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative for Offshore Wind, a unique entity of academics, government, industry, and nonprofits. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Icon Of The Seas: World’s Largest Cruise Ship Sets Sail From Miami” • The world’s largest cruise ship has set sail from Miami on its maiden voyage, but there are concerns about the vessel’s methane emissions, as it is powered by LNG. The 365m-long (1,197 ft) Icon of the Seas has 20 decks and can house a maximum of 7,600 passengers. [BBC]

Icon of the Seas (Courtesy of Royal Caribbean Group)

¶ “School Solar Tax Credit Advances, Renewable Energy Tax Fails” • A New Mexico bill to make it easier for schools to access solar energy passed the House Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee on a 7-4 vote. The bill provides a tax credit to those who install solar arrays on school property. A bill to tax renewable energy producers failed. [NM Political Report]

¶ “This Issue Could Cost Donald Trump The 2024 Election, New US Study Shows” • Could former US President Donald Trump’s attempt to minimize the threat of climate change have cost him the 2020 election? Research shows that opinions on climate change are important enough to settle the 2020 election in favor of President Joe Biden. [The Jerusalem Post]

Have a notably droll day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Copper Is King, But It Is Time for a Metal Meritocracy” • As the world scrambles to slow climate change by electrifying everything (and decarbonizing everything), demand for copper is soaring. The US DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office launched a new prize in 2021 to develop alternatives. Four are detailed here. [CleanTechnica]

Transmission lines (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

¶ “Plagues In Roman Italy Linked To Climate Change, Scientists Say” • The Justinian Plague, a wave of bubonic plague, is thought to have begun in the year 541, and it raged until 590. It followed the Antonine Plague of 165 to 180 CE and the Plague of Cyprian from 251 to 266. Scientists have linked all three to climate change events. [Newsweek]

¶ “AI Is Increasingly Being Used To Deal With Climate Change, But It Has Its Own Emissions Problem” • As the climate changes, farmers are facing more challenges than ever before. Floods, droughts, disease, and shifts within the growing and harvesting seasons mean the agriculture business is rapidly changing. AI can help, but it has its own problems. [CBC]

AgriRobot at work (University of Prince Edward Island)

World:

¶ “Morocco Expects An Increase In Green Energy Investments In The Coming Years” • Morocco is consolidating its position as a key player in the field of renewable energy at regional and global level. The Moroccan Minister of Energy, Leila Benali, said the Kingdom is heading towards an era of “unprecedented” growth in renewable energy investments. [Atalayar]

¶ “Porsche Takes The Wraps Off The Battery Electric Macan” • The Macan is a highly important car for Porsche. After it was first introduced in 2013, it quickly became the best selling model in the Porsche lineup. Porsche certainly doesn’t want to mess with the success of its most popular car. But now, it has introduced a full battery EV version. [CleanTechnica]

Full battery Macan (Porsche image)

¶ “TotalEnergies And European Energy To Develop Three Nordic Offshore Wind Projects” • As part of its integrated development in electricity, TotalEnergies has signed a new agreement with European Energy to develop offshore wind projects in three Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. [Energy Industry Review]

¶ “Innergex Sees 400-MW Quebec Solicitation Success” • Two Innergex Renewable Energy onshore wind projects have been selected in Hydro-Quebec’s request for proposals. One is the 300-MW Manicouagan wind farm, set to operate in 2029. The other is the 100-MW Lotbinieree project, which is to be in commercial operations in 2028. [ERR News]

Wind turbine (Innergex image)

¶ “Ukraine to start building four new nuclear reactors this year” • In an exclusive report, Reuters revealed that Ukraine expects to construct four nuclear power reactors in the upcoming summer or autumn, according to Energy Minister German Galushchenko. The country aims to offset the loss of energy capacity resulting from the war in Ukraine. [Al Mayadeen English]

¶ “Boralex Wins 365 MW Of Canadian Wind Contracts” • Two Boralex wind power projects totalling 365 MW were selected in Hydro-Quebec’s call for tenders. The first project is the 265-MW Arthabaska development, which will use between 37 and 44 wind turbines. The second is the Monnoir project, which will use 15-20 turbines for a capacity of 100MW. [reNews]

Wind farm (Boralex image)

¶ “Still No End In Sight For Decommissioning Work On The Fukushima Nuke Plant” • Nearly thirteen years since the triple-meltdown following the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, it is still unclear when decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station’s reactors will be completed. [The Mainichi]

US:

¶ “Insect Populations Flourish in the Restored Habitats of Solar Energy Facilities” • Bumblebees buzz from flower to flower, stopping for a moment under a clear blue Minnesota sky. Birds chirp, and tall grasses blow in the breeze. This isn’t a scene from a nature preserve or national park. It sits between PV solar arrays on rehabilitated farmland. [CleanTechnica]

Argonne scientist (Lee Walston, Argonne National Laboratory)

¶ “Redwood Materials Building Huge Cathode Factory” • The US has not been the home of much of the world’s EV battery or battery component production. One thing that needs to be built up is cathode production. Redwood Materials, a battery recycling startup created by Tesla cofounder and former CTO JB Straubel, is ready to change that. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Dearborn Commits To 100% Renewable Energy At City Buildings” • In Michigan, the city of Dearborn is opting into DTE Energy’s MIGreenPower program to get municipal buildings to 100% renewable energy by 2026. Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud says it’s one of the ways the city is taking a lead in becoming more green. [WDET 101.9 FM]

Solar array at Dearborn (Courtesy of City of Dearborn)

¶ “$18 Million Going Into Renewable Energy And Fertilizer Projects Across Iowa” • The USDA is making millions of dollars available for renewable energy and fertilizer projects with Iowa getting a big share. Former Iowa governor and current Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said the money could help stem the loss of family farms and farmland. [KTIV]

¶ “Maps And Data Show How Climate Change Could Affect Some Major US Ports” • With experts predicting an average sea level rise of 2 feet by 2100, flooding is a reality that most seaports and beach communities will soon have to contend with. Now, a new climate study shows that some parts of the coast are likely to change even sooner. [Yahoo News]

Have a totally copacetic day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Over 50 Solar + Storage Companies Take Action on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, And Justice” • America’s solar and storage industry is quickly transforming our energy system, creating new opportunities in every corner of the country. This rapid growth cannot be haphazard if we want to ensure equitable growth as part of this transition. [CleanTechnica]

Solar + storage (Sungrow EMEA, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “LNG Stakeholders Have Something New To Worry About Now” • Ammonia could pull the rug out from under the LNG export market because of hydrogen, which is efficient to ship as atoms within ammonia molecules. Ammonia can easily be made from hydrogen and liquified. It is efficient to transport ammonia and take hydrogen from it as needed. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “EAV 2Cubed 4-Wheeled E-Cargo Bikes Could Replace Urban Delivery Vans” • Vehicles that deliver goods and services create quite a bit of traffic congestion and air pollution urban areas, as well as carbon emissions. EAV, a company based in the UK, has an option that could be a great addition to delivery fleets. It is the EAV 2Cubed. [CleanTechnica]

EAV 2Cubed (Screenshot from EAV website)

¶ “Glow-In-The-Dark Red Herrings And Dead Whales” • During 2023, Australia made steady progress towards its 82% renewable energy for the grid by 2030. Some would say that we are halfway there! Progress is being hindered a bit by new naysayers, some of whom are promoting nuclear power. That is a glow-in-the dark red herring! [CleanTechnica]

¶ “China Added More Solar Panels In 2023 Than US Did In Its Entire History” • China installed more solar panels in 2023 than any other nation has built in total, adding to a massive renewable energy fleet that’s already leading the world by a wide margin. China added 216.9 GW of solar capacity last year, blowing away its previous record of 87.4 GW. [Financial Post]

Dual axis trackers in China (Vinaykumar8687, CC-BU-SA 4.0)

¶ “Scotland Generates Record Amount Of Renewable Energy, Figures Show” • The latest data show that renewable technologies generated the equivalent of 113% of Scotland’s overall energy consumption in 2022. This is the highest level of renewables recorded to date, and it marks an increase of 26 percentage points compared to 2021. [The National]

¶ “North Macedonia Sees 160% Year Over Year Growth In 2023 Renewable Energy Licences” • The energy regulator for North Macedonia said that it issued licences for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources with a total installed capacity of nearly 399 MW in 2023, up by 160% compared to a year before. [SeeNews]

GE wind turbine (Borja Fasi Fernandez, GE Renewable Energy)

¶ “Energy Vault Expands Its Global Footprint For Gravity Energy Storage With License Covering South Africa” • Energy Vault, a grid-scale energy storage provider, announced that it signed a new licensing and royalty agreement in the Southern African Development Community region with Gravity Energy Storage Solutions Ltd. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

US:

¶ “North America Experienced An Unprecedented ‘Hot Drought’ In The Last Century, Research Shows” • Western North America has experienced an unprecedented “hot drought” over the last century, according to research that shows the amplification of heat in the region over recent decades. The paper was published in Science Advances. [ABC News]

Lake Mead (ricardo frantz, Unsplash)

¶ “Bid To Overhaul New Mexico Oil And Gas Regulations Clears First Hurdle Amid Litigation” • An effort to modernize oversight of the petroleum industry in New Mexico advanced past its first committee vetting at the state legislature. The bill would rewrite parts of the state’s 1930s-era Oil and Gas Act so regulators can keep pace with the industry’s growth. [ABC News]

¶ “US DOE Is Helping NOAA’s Mauna Loa Observatory Get To Net-Zero” • The US DOE awarded NOAA $5 million to support converting the Mauna Loa atmospheric baseline observatory in Hawaii to be a net-zero carbon facility. Among other things, the Mauna Loa Observatory monitors the global increase in levels of greenhouse gases. [CleanTechnica]

Mauna Loa Observatory (Christine Smith, NOAA)

¶ “Infographic Shows What Electrify America Did In 2023” • Electrify America’s chargers enabled many people to consider an EV, and road trips that had once been impractical are now totally doable. Reliability problems, however, have been a major drag. This mixed story continued in 2023, An infographic from the company lets us how it’s going. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “USPS Charging Stations Begin Arriving At Sorting And Delivery Centers” • The US Postal Service unveiled its first set of EV charging stations at an event, which it held at its Sorting and Delivery Center in South Atlanta. USPS charging stations like these will be installed at hundreds of S&DCs across the country throughout 2024. [CleanTechnica]

Canoo delivery truck (Canoo image)

¶ “Ørsted Withdraws from Maryland Offshore Wind Power Deals” • Following consultation with the State of Maryland, Ørsted has withdrawn from the Maryland Public Service Commission Orders approving the Skipjack 1 and 2 offshore wind projects. The projects are not viable due to changing economic conditions. [Offshore Engineer Magazine]

¶ “A Bill To Designate Nuclear Energy As Clean Energy Dies In Committee” • A Colorado Senate bill that would have defined nuclear energy as clean energy died in committee. SB24-039 would have included nuclear energy in the statutory definition of clean energy sources. Opponents said such a designation would have a negative environmental impact. [Colorado Politics]

Have a concepturally dreamy day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “NYU Tandon Researchers Unlock Energy-Efficient Solution to Global Water Crisis” • Researchers at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering have achieved a major breakthrough in Redox Flow Desalination, an emerging electrochemical technique that can turn seawater into potable drinking water and store affordable renewable energy. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Impacts And Benefits of Hosting Large Solar – Stakeholder Perceptions” • Despite national polls showing broad support for large-scale solar among rural Americans, opposition from local residents and elected officials around proposed LSS projects is on the rise. But a lack of data on community perceptions remains, and with it a lack of analysis. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Amazon’s Record Drought Driven By Climate Change” • One of our planet’s most vital defences against global warming is itself being ravaged by climate change. Often described as the “lungs of the planet”, the Amazon plays a key role in removing warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But rapid deforestation has left it more vulnerable to weather extremes. [BBC]

Drought in an Amazon tributary (Copernicus Sentinel)

¶ “Global Warming Was Primary Cause Of Unprecedented Amazon Drought, Study Find” • Global warming caused by humans, and not El Niño, was the primary driver of last year’s severe drought in the Amazon that sent rivers to record lows, required deliveries of food and drinking water to hundreds of river communitie, researchers said. [ABC News]

¶ “Electric Cargo Bikes Are Twice As Efficient And Ten Times Cheaper Than A Delivery Van, Study Finds” • A recent study found that an electric cargo bike, specifically a Bullitt cargo bike, is twice as efficient and over ten times cheaper to operate than a van in urban areas. Ten times cheaper is not chump change by any means. [CleanTechnica]

eBullitt cargo bike (Courtesy of Larry vs Harry)

¶ “EU Sees Significant Drop in Carbon Emissions Amidst Growth Of Renewable Energy” • The EU saw a remarkable 8% decrease in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels last year. It was the second-largest annual drop recorded thus far. This decline was primarily due to the rapid growth of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. [EnergyPortal.eu]

¶ “Resolv Secures Grid Connection For 600-MW Romanian Wind Farm” • Rezolv Energy has signed a grid connection agreement for the Dunarea East & West wind farms, a 600-MW project in Constanța county, Romania. Work will commence in line with the Dunarea project timeline, with a view to the power coming onstream from 2026. [reNews]

Wind farm (Wolfgang Hasselmann, Unsplash)

¶ “Greece Breaks Records In Renewables, Energy Efficiency In 2023” • The share of renewable electricity production including large hydropower plants reached a record high of 57% in Greece in 2023. The sector covered more than half of demand for the first time. Gas consumption declined 10.1%. Wind power capacity topped 5 GW. [Balkan Green Energy News]

¶ “Reports: France To Push UK Government For Additional Support For Faltering Nuclear Projects” • The fallout from EDF’s confirmation its flagship Hinkley Point nuclear project is facing further delays continues, with reports that French Ministers are getting set to call on their UK counterparts to help shoulder some of the ballooning costs. [Business Green]

Nuclear plant construction (EDF image)

US:

¶ “Historic California Rain Could Foreshadow More Extreme Rainfall In Coming Weeks” • More than a month’s worth of rain fell in a span of three hours in San Diego on Monday, according to the National Weather Service. The city saw its wettest January day on record and wettest overall day in nearly 100 years with 2.73 inches of rain. [ABC News]

¶ “US Offshore Wind Industry Comes Roaring Back To The Tune Of 3.7 GW” • The US offshore wind industry suffered one blow after another last year, and two projects totalling 2.2 GW, planned for the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New Jersey, were cancelled. But the state’s Board of Public Utilities just approved two projects with 3.7 GW of capacity. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore wind turbine (Courtesy of energyRE)

¶ “Biden Set To Withhold Approval Of LNG Terminals In Gulf Of Mexico” • The White House is directing the DOE to expand its evaluation of new LNG terminals in the Gulf of Mexico to consider its impact on climate change, as well as on the economy and national security, people in the Biden administration told the New York Times. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “A Sustainable Skyscraper Grows In Brooklyn Thanks To Alloy” • Alloy is an architectural and design firm that focus on property in New York City, especially Brooklyn. Its most recent project is a 44 story residential building in downtown Brooklyn. Everything in the building, from ovens to elevators, operates on electricity from renewable sources. [CleanTechnica]

Skyscraper in Brooklyn (Courtesy of Alloy)

¶ “Biden-Harris Administration Achieves Major Milestones In Advancing Solar Energy Development In The Western US” • The Interior Department released its latest roadmap for solar energy development, and the Bureau of Land Management announced progress on 1,7 GW of solar projects and 1.3 GW of batteries in Arizona, California, and Nevada. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Renewable Power Facility Coming To Ouachita Parish” • The Louisiana Public Service Commission approved an Entergy Louisiana solar facility in Ouachita Parish. Entergy LA said that Black & Veatch will provide full engineering, procurement and construction services to the Sterlington project. It and another facility will add 225 MW in the parish. [KNOE]

Have a famously gratifying day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Brighter, Whiter Snow Could Help Offset Global Warming. PNNL Scientists Study Why” • While research has shown that global warming is leading to a decline in snowpacks, a study by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory suggests the news may not be as grim as originally thought. Expectations for cleaner snow is one reason. [CleanTechnica]

Ford F-150 Lightning in snow (Ford image)

¶ “Electric Aircraft Offer Major Climate Benefits” • Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, did the world’s first life cycle assessment of an existing, two-seat, all-electric aircraft, comparing it to an equivalent plane powered by fossil fuel. After just one quarter of the expected lifespan of the electric aircraft, its climate impact is lower. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “New Coffee Genetic Map Promises Better Brews” • The most complete genetic map yet of Arabica coffee was pieced together by researchers in Italy. Arabica coffee is the world’s most popular drink. The new insights into the plant’s genetic code will help in breeding new coffee crops. And they may lead to coffee plants that can cope better in a warming world. [BBC]

Coffee beans (Michael Burrows, Pexels)

¶ “Extreme Waves That Hit Marshall Islands Highlight Dangers Of Climate Change” • A series of extreme waves that wreaked havoc on a US military base in the Marshall Islands could be indicative of more dangerous coastal behavior in the future, according to experts. The Marshall Islands are considered at the very front lines of climate change. [BBC]

¶ “Even More Bad News For Fossil Fuels: Solid State Battery Gigafactories Are Here” • Solid state batteries were not supposed to happen until the end of the decade, but it looks like they are here already. Solid state offers more range, fast charging, long lifecycle, improved safety, less supply chain risk, and enhanced recycling opportunities. [CleanTechnica]

Solid state battery manufacturing (Courtesy of Prologium)

¶ “Fewer Markets Are Importing Russia’s Coal” • Russia’s reliance on four countries to import its coal has increased since some countries implemented sanctions against Russia after it invaded Ukraine, according to Global Trade Tracker data. This trade shift corresponds with increased coal exports from the US to Europe and EU sanctions. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “European Energy Signs 1.3-GW Oz Solar PPA” • European Energy has taken a significant step towards realizing Australia’s largest solar farm by signing a PPA with global mining and materials company Rio Tinto. This agreement ensures that all energy generated from the 1-300-MW Upper Calliope Solar Farm will be supplied to Rio Tinto. [reNews]

Solar farm (European Energy image)

¶ “Nuclear Power Output Expected To Break Global Records In 2025” • Nuclear power generation is likely to break records in 2025 as more countries invest in reactors to fuel the shift to a low-carbon economy, according to an International Energy Agency report. Also, renewable energy is likely to overtake coal as a power source early next year. [The Guardian]

¶ “UK Government Approves Planning Application For BECCS At Drax Power Station” • Claire Coutinho, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, approved the Development Consent Order for Drax Power Limited’s plans to convert two of its biomass units at Drax Power Station to bioenergy with carbon capture and storage. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Drax power station (Courtesy of Drax)

¶ “DTEK Toasts First Power At Romanian Renewables Projects” • DTEK Group achieved first power at its debut projects outside Ukraine. The two Romanian projects, one wind and one solar, are the first in a portfolio spanning Italy, Poland, Romania and Croatia. These are being developed by a DTEK subsidiary, DTEK Renewables International. [reNews]

¶ “Hinkley Point C Nuclear Plant Costs Could Rise To £46 Billion, Delayed To End Of Decade” • In 2022, the cost of the plant in Somerset was estimated at £26 billion in 2015 prices. Now EDF, which is developing the plant, has raised its estimate to £31-35 billion in 2015 prices, which could be as much as £46 billion in today’s prices. [Construction Briefing]

Lifting a 245-tonne roof into place (EDF image)

¶ “Sizewell Opponents Apply To Supreme Court As Government Commits £1 Billion” • The government announced an additional £1.3 billion to support Sizewell C nuclear plant. Opponents of the power plant are applying to the UK Supreme Court for the right to appeal against the dismissal of their legal challenge, which is based on the plant’s water supply. [BBC]

US:

¶ “More Internet Access From Elon Musk’s Starlink Can Enhance Sustainable Agritech” • The rise of precision agriculture could boost yields and profit margins while reducing reliance on fertilizer and other inputs, among other benefits. A hitch is that 30% of farm acreage in the US does not possess reliable WiFi access. Starlink can handle that. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tesla Cybertruck Towing Range Updates – Range Issues? Misleading Concerns?” • Tesla Cybertrucks are rolling out quite quickly at the moment, per reports from the Tesla gigafactory in Texas and even based on local delivery info here in Southwest Florida. As it starts to get out to market, we’re getting a better sense of how the truck operates. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “High-Speed Rail Project Will Create Thousands Of Jobs And Provide An Efficient Way To Travel Between Los Angeles And Las Vegas” • A new high-speed train that can whisk travelers between Los Angeles and Las Vegas will get $3 billion in federal funding, the Biden administration announced. It is expected to take half as much time as a trip by car. [CleanTechnica]

Have a excitingly lovely day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “More Bad News For Fossil Fuels: Green Hydrogen Is Making Green Steel Happen” • Steelmaking was thought to be difficult if not impossible to decarbonize, with a key step in the process fully dependent on coal or natural gas. Well, that was then. The world’s first full-scale green steel plant is taking shape in Sweden, with help from green hydrogen. [CleanTechnica]

Aurora and green hydrogen (courtesy of H2 Green Steel)

¶ “Cobalt-Free Batteries Could Power Cars Of The Future” • Many EVs are powered by batteries that contain cobalt, a metal with high financial, environmental, and social costs. Researchers at MIT have now designed a battery material that could offer a more sustainable way to power electric cars, with a cathode based free of cobalt or nickel. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Euro 2024 E-Mobility Partner Is … BYD!” • Europe has a huge legacy auto industry, and many of these new electric cars come from those German, French, and other European auto brands. But the automotive company sponsoring UEFA’s Euro 2024, set to be its official e-mobility partner, is Chinese. BYD is the largest EV maker in the world. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Seal

¶ “The $1.6 Trillion Future Of The Auto Tech Opportunity” • The automotive industry is undergoing a significant transformation, with autonomous driving, EVs, connected and software-defined vehicles, and in-cabin monitoring at the forefront. Such changes are expected to create a market opportunity some estimate to be worth $1.6 trillion by 2034. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “BEV Sales Shoot Past All Expectations in Brazil In December, Rise 700%!” • Not long ago, Brazil’s battery EV sales were just symbolic: a fraction of a fraction. But the second half of 2023 has broken record after record, breaking all expectations and closing in on 3% battery EV share of the overall automobile in December, 700% growth YOY. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen ID. Buzz in Brazil (Courtesy of Volkswagen AG)

¶ “Romania’s Ministry Of Energy Is Putting €17.6 Billion Of EU Funds To Work” • Scheduled to be launched on March 1, two public calls in Romania will enable companies to get a total of €815 million in grants for renewable electricity projects. Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja said that the subsidies would cover 2 GW of capacity. [Balkan Green Energy News]

¶ “Libra’s Greenwood To Build Massive Solar Power Facility In Canada” • Greenwood Sustainable Infrastructure LLC, one of the renewable energy subsidiaries of Libra Group, announced the construction of a 100-MW (AC) solar facility in Saskatchewan. The Iyuhána Solar will be the largest built with a PPA from a Canadian utility since 2015. [GreekReporter.com]

Solar facility (Greek Reporter file photo, public domain)

¶ “EnergyAustralia Announces New 50-MW BESS” • Plans to develop a new Battery Energy Storage System next to the Hallett Power Station in Canowie, 210 km north of Adelaide, have been announced by EnergyAustralia. The Hallett BESS would have an initial power capacity of 50 MW with a total discharge capacity of up to 200 MWh. [Energy Magazine]

¶ “NI Saves £243 Million From Wind Power In 2023” • Wind Energy Ireland, with the help of energy specialists Baringa, reported that Northern Irish wind farms saved £243 million in 2023. The Irish renewable energy organisation confirmed in its annual report that 35% of the whole island’s electricity was provided by wind farms. [Current News]

Wind turbines (RTG, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “UK Government To Plow An Extra £1.3 Billion Into A Nuclear Plant” • The UK government says it will make £1.3 billion ($1.9 billion) of additional funding available to build the Sizewell C nuclear reactor project with EDF. Opponents of the project criticised the additional government funding, saying it lacked transparency. [Yahoo Finance]

US:

¶ “Lowering Energy Costs And Emissions In Rural America” • Updates are needed with climate change. So the NRDC endorsed the REAP Modernization Act, introduced by Senators Tina Smith and Ben Ray Luján and Representatives Abigail Spanberger and David Valadao, and the Rural Energy Equity Act, introduced by Senator Peter Welch. [CleanTechnica]

Sheep and solar panels (Courtesy of Lightsource bp)

¶ “Amazon Solidifies Global Leadership In Renewable Energy With Over 500 Solar And Wind Projects” • Amazon has been the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy for four year in a row. With a portfolio of more than 500 solar and wind projects globally, Amazon’s renewable energy could power yearly needs of 7.2 million US homes. [Energetica India]

¶ “The Largest Electric Vehicle Fleet In The US Will Belong To…The US Postal Service” • EV advocates have been pressuring the US Postal Service to come up with a meaty decarbonization plan, and things are finally starting to cook. The latest news is about Ford Motor Company’s E-Transit electric delivery van, which can deliver the zero emission goods. [CleanTechnica]

Ford E-Transit EV for the USPS (Ford Motor Company)

¶ “Kansas Renewable Energy Projects Announced” • The USDA’s Rural Development Kansas Director Christy Davis announced that Rural Development is investing $2.8 million in renewable energy projects in the state. The funds are intended to reduce energy bills, boost energy production, and create jobs. A dozen Kansas projects are to receive grants. [Fort Scott Biz]

¶ “Bloomberg Signs A 15-Year Renewable Energy Deal With Ørsted” • Bloomberg has committed to get 100% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2025, as a part of its commitment as a member of global corporate initiative RE100. It has just signed a 15-year agreement with Ørsted for electricity from the 471-MW Mockingbird project in Texas. [ESG Today]

Have a brilliantly successful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “The Energy Transition Has Reached A Critical Inflection Point” • The transition to net zero is a complex process that requires significant changes in the way we produce, distribute, and consume energy. Many countries and companies have set net zero targets for greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or earlier. But the transition has its challenges. [CleanTechnica]

Energy (Arteum.ro, Unsplash)

¶ “Military Interests Are Pushing New Nuclear Power, And The UK Government Has Finally Admitted It” • Even before wind and solar power costs plummeted, nuclear power was recognized as “unattractive.” Documents poblished to show official UK energy policy fail to justify nuclear power, but on the military side, the picture is clear. [Phys.org]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Space Solar Is Coming And Perovskites Are Hitching A Ride” • Space solar, beaming energy down to Earth, seemed like a nutty idea back in the early 2000’s, but researchers at the California Institute of Technology just wrapped up a months-long, in-orbit test of three key space solar technologies, including a batch of 32 different kinds of solar cells. [CleanTechnica]

Launch (SpaceX, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “New Nonprofit To Utilize AI To Alleviate The Global Water Crisis” • A new nonprofit has become the latest organization to use artificial intelligence to help solve the world’s environmental issues. Earth05, a Barcelona-based nonprofit launched at the World Economic Forum, will use AI to discover solutions to the worsening global water crisis. [ABC News]

¶ “Swiss Post Accelerates The Transition To Electric Delivery Vehicles” • Swiss Post has been working to transition to using only electric delivery vehicles since 2010. Today, its fleet consists of more than 7,000 electric vehicles, the largest fleet of zero emissions vehicles in Switzerland. Today, every Swiss Post site has EV delivery vehicles in use. [CleanTechnica]

Swiss Post (Courtesy of Swiss Post)

¶ “Equinor Powers Up UK Battery” • Equinor’s 25-MW Blandford Road battery storage asset in the UK is operating. The project was developed, and will be operated, by UK battery storage company Noriker Power, in which Equinor owns a 45% equity share. The battery system is in Dorset, connected to the Southern Electric Power Distribution network. [reNews]

¶ “Giant Green Hydrogen Energy Islands To Host 100 GW Of Offshore Wind” • The offshore wind industry is expected to pick up steam over the next 25 years with 500 GW by 2050. Where will all those gigawatts will go? A new venture has an ambitious proposal to uncork the looming bottleneck with a network of ten offshore green hydrogen plants. [CleanTechnica]

Energy island (Copenhagen Energy Islands)

¶ “Lhyfe, Source Galileo sign hydrogen MoU” • Source Galileo and Lhyfe have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop commercial-scale green hydrogen production units in the UK and Ireland. Under the agreement, Lhyfe and Source Galileo will combine their expertise to generate and supply the gas to a variety of customers. [reNews]

¶ “Bangladesh Solar Power Surge Set To Unlock Thousands Of Green Jobs” • After years of slack progress, renewable energy in Bangladesh has recently seen a strong turnaround on the back of more affordable solar power. Over 3 GW are now in operation. That momentum is expected to create 3,000 to 4,000 new green jobs in the next few years. [Eco-Business]

Off-grid system in Bangladesh (IMF, Flickr, CC BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Japan Launches Major Offshore Wind Power Auctions In Push For Renewable Energy” • The Japanese government has initiated a third robust round of auctions, with the objective of selecting developers for two new offshore wind power areas in Japan’s northern region. Together, these areas have a combined capacity of 1.05 GW. [BNN Breaking]

¶ “A Mostly Renewable Electricity Grid Is Highly Feasible” • Australia’s electricity could be over 95% renewable by 2035, according to the latest release of Australia’s electricity market operator’s Integrated System Plan. Many people are sceptical, firmly believing that 24×7 baseload generators are essential. But experiments say they’re wrong. [Cosmos Magazine]

Weather (Neda Astani, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Storm Isha Forces Sellafield Nuclear Site Closure” • As Storm Isha swept across the UK, the Sellafield nuclear site took a step to close operations as a precaution. The decision, described as a safety measure in response to severe weather warnings, involved the suspension of activities related to nuclear waste processing, storage, and decommissioning. [Energy Live News]

US:

¶ “Electric Truck Manufacturers Select Mississippi (!) For New Battery Factory” • According to a press release, Accelera will build a factory to make commercial EV battery cells in Mississippi. It is expected to create more than 2,000 manufacturing jobs. The initial factory capacity will be 21 GWh annually with production scheduled to begin in 2027. [CleanTechnica]

Daimler Ekectric Truck

¶ “ExxonMobil Sues Investors To Block Climate Petition” • Oil giant ExxonMobil has sued climate activist investors in a bid to prevent their climate proposal from going to a vote at its annual investor meeting. The complaint is against Follow This and Arjuna Capital, which have called on Exxon to step up the pace of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. [BBC]

¶ “New Climate Projections: NYC Will Keep Getting Hotter And Wetter” • What does climate change have in store for New York City? New projections from the New York City Panel on Climate Change confirm that the city will be hotter, rainier, and wetter in the coming years, with major shifts hitting the city in the 2030s, less than a decade away. [THE CITY – NYC News]

Have a grandly delightful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Renewable Energy And Environmental Protection Is Not An Either/Or” • There are roughly 2,050 GW of new projects, 94.4% of this compromised of renewables and energy storage, waiting for authorization from grid regulators to connect. The National Environmental Policy Act isn’t the problem. The problems and solutions are simpler than that. [CleanTechnica]

High voltange (Nikola Johnny Mirkovic, Unsplash)

¶ “A Nuclear Power Plant In A Hurry: For Whose Benefit?” • New media reports say Sri Lanka’s interim Government hurried to approve a Russian-backed Nuclear Power Plant. We are trying desperately to reduce our fossil fuel consumption to conserve our limited dollar reserves, and a nuclear plant completely contradicts this strategy. [The Island.lk]

¶ “Old Forests, Critically Important For Slowing Climate Change, Merit Immediate Protection From Logging” • Forests are an essential part of Earth’s operating system. In the U.S., forests take up 12% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions annually and store the carbon long term in trees and soils. They should be protected as soon as possible. [Phys.org]

Old growth forest (Jenny Walsh, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “25% Of New Vehicle Sales Plugin Sales In Germany In 2023” • The German plugin market had a rather chaotic year in 2023, due to subsidy cuts. Battery EVs scored an okay 23% share of the auto market in December, leading to a 30% plugin share for the month. The full-year 2023 numbers ended at 25%, a drop from the 2022 numbers (31% share). [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Laos Is To Grow Its EV Market, Fuelled By Renewable Energy Ambitions” • In Laos, EVs marked significant growth in 2023, as a total of 4,631 EVs were sold. Of these, 2,592 were cars and 2,039 were motorbikes. But EV adoption in Laos is not being matched well by the needed infrastructure. Currently, the country boasts only 41 charging stations. [The Star]

Laos (Colin Roe, Unsplash)

¶ “India Set To Be Renewable Energy Hub With Hundreds Of Billions Earmarked For Projects” • India is fast becoming a focal point for renewable energy deals, with a series of recently signed multibillion-dollar agreements highlighting the “favourable investment climate” that has attracted domestic and global firms in the last few years. [South China Morning Post]

¶ “Southern Western Australia Gears Up For Major Renewable Energy Projects” • In the southern region of Western Australia, the landscape of renewable energy is witnessing a transformation with two major projects nearing completion. One is the 76-MW Flat Rocks Windfarm. The other is a groundbreaking pumped hydro project in Walpole. [BNN Breaking]

Wind farm in Western Australia (Harry Cunningham, Unsplash)

¶ “India’s Power Shortage Reduced To Less Than 1%: RK Singh” • Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy, RK Singh, said India has made substantial strides in reducing its power shortage from about 4.5% in 2014 to less than 1%. India is well on its way to see 65% of its power capacity from non-fossil-fuel sources by 2030. [menafn]

¶ “Nuclear Goes Backwards, Again, As Wind And Solar Enjoy Another Year Of Record Growth” • The nuclear renaissance of the late-2000s was a bust due to the Fukushima disaster and catastrophic cost overruns with reactor projects. The latest renaissance is heading the same way, ie nowhere. Nuclear power went backwards last year. [Renew Economy]

Solar PVs and sheep (Courtesy of NextTracker)

¶ “Renewable Energy Capacity Overtakes Coal In Central China’s Henan” • By the end of 2023, the installed renewable energy power generation capacity in central China’s Henan Province had surpassed 67 million kW, overtaking coal power for the first time, according to the latest data from the State Grid Henan Electric Power Company. [Xinhua]

US:

¶ “Canoo Delivers First Of 9300 Electric Vans To Kingbee” • Canoo makes groundbreaking EVs in Oklahoma. For now, it is focusing all its energy on building vans that can be used by tradespeople and delivery services. Walmart is a prime customer. Another is Kingbee, which just placed an order 9,300 Canoo LTV 130 delivery vans. [CleanTechnica]

Canoo delivery van (Courtesy of Canoo)

¶ “Realigning Utility Incentives for Today’s Priorities” • PIMs, performance incentive mechanisms, are designed to motivate improved utility performance in specific areas that may not be adequately encouraged by traditional cost-of-service regulatory frameworks. To help people learn about them, RMI has launched a new PIMs Database. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “States With Big Climate Goals Strip Local Power To Block Green Projects” • Local restrictions in Michigan derailed more than two dozen utility-scale renewable energy projects as of last May, a study at Columbia University says. Some 228 restrictions in 35 states were imposed to stop green energy projects, and now states are retaking power. [niagara-gazette.com]

Have a fabulously cozy day.

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geoharvey is not tax-deductible.