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Opinion:

¶ “Climate Change Must Be Our Number 1 Priority” • We are out of time for waiting, debating and half-measures. America needs bold climate action now. And the only way we’re going to get it is if we elect a president who will make defeating climate change the No. 1 priority of the United States. That is why I am running for president. [CNN]

Jay Inslee (Inslee campaign photo)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Uber Elevate: Will Be Same Cents Per Mile In Air As On Roads” • Uber Elevate recently quoted that eVTOL air miles would cost the same as what Uber charges on the road. And with Airbus UAM’s outlook that the market will be around $50 billion by 2030, the company surely wants to make sure it is part of the equation. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “More Electric Buses Coming To Paris And Surrounding Communities” • RATP Group, the French state-owned public transportation company that serves Paris and its surrounding communities, has plans in place to retire all 4,700 conventional buses in its fleet and replace them by 2025 with zero or ultra low emissions vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

Alstom Aptis electric bus (Credit: Alstom)

¶ “China’s EV Sales Grow 118% Year On Year And Fossil Sales Fall 13% – Q1 Charts!” • The China passenger car association’s first quarter figures are in, and electric vehicle sales continue their rapid rise, up 118% year on year, to over 254,000. Meanwhile, fossil vehicle sales have fallen 13% year on year, to 4,823,000 for the quarter. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “South Africa Risks $124 Billion In Face Of Low-Carbon Transition” • If South Africa does not begin to shift away from its reliance on coal for its power and export value, the country risks as much as 2 trillion Rand ($124 billion) as the rest of the world begins to shift away and reduces their need for South Africa’s coal, a report says. [CleanTechnica]

Open pit mine

¶ “Pacifico Sun Rising In Japan” • Japanese developer Pacifico Energy has started construction of a 102.144-MW solar farm in Ako, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The Ako project is being built on the site of a former golf course. Kansai Electric Power will buy all of the power generated by the plant, about 125,000 MWh/year, for 20 years. [reNEWS]

¶ “Renewables Will Dominate World’s Energy Needs, Says Global Body” • Renewable energy could become the dominant source of energy across the world, provide up to 86% of global power demand under a deeper electrification scenario, according to a report published by the International Renewable Energy Agency. [RenewEconomy]

Solar panels (Source: renewables.seenews.com)

¶ “ReNew Power Commissions 300-MW Solar Plant In Karnataka” • ReNew Power announced that it commissioned a 300-MW solar plant at Pavagada Solar Park in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is ReNew Power’s largest solar plant, in terms of capacity. It will help mitigate 600,000 tonnes of CO₂ emission per year, the company said. [ETEnergyworld.com]

¶ “Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: Abandoned Town Allows First Residents Home” • A Japanese town whose population fled the 2011 Fukushima Disaster has partially reopened eight years later, after radiation levels in parts of Okuma have been deemed safe. Only 367 people, about 3.5% of the former population, have registered to return. [BBC News]

Tsunami of 2011 washing over a sea wall (Reuters)

US:

¶ “Trump-Appointed Energy Official: Climate Change Is Real And We Must Lower Carbon Emissions” • A top federal energy regulator appointed by President Donald Trump is calling for urgent action to address climate change.  Neil Chatterjee, a Republican from Kentucky, is the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. [CNN]

¶ “Big Moment For Clean Power In The US” • Chicago has become the biggest American city to commit to transitioning to 100% renewable energy, joining 118 other cities nationwide in making the move. The Sierra Club reported that Chicago City Council had backed a resolution to take forward the goal for the entire city by 2035. [Innovators Magazine]

Chicago (Photo: Lance Anderson | Unsplash)

¶ “US Windpower Grew By 8% In 2018” • US windpower capacity grew by 8% in 2018, according to the American Wind Energy Association. It reached 96.5 GW, and supporting an industry which now boasts a record 114,000 jobs, over 500 domestic factories, and more than $1 billion a year in revenue for states and communities. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Iron Mountain To Power Texas, Illinois Facilities With Renewables” •  US enterprise information management expert Iron Mountain has announced that it will power its facilities in Texas and Illinois with 100% renewable power. RPD Energy had structured deals for over 25,000 MWh of electricity annually over a three-year period.  [Renewables Now]

Texas wind park (Rockin’Rita, CC-BY-SA 2.0 generic)

¶ “Navajo Nation Embraces Renewable Energy As Era Of Coal Power Comes To An End” • Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer have announced a new Navajo tribal energy policy. In a proclamation known as Navajo Sunrise, the Nation has commited itself to promoting renewable energy. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Green Lawmakers Seek To Elbow Their Way Into Pennsylvania’s Nuclear Debate” • A group of Pennsylvania lawmakers declared that the “Green Dogs” intend to be players in the big energy policy poker game taking place at the state Capitol this spring. They want more renewable power, as nuclear plant operators seek subsidies. [PennLive.com]

Have a surprisingly agreeable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Trump Mocks Climate Change. That’s A Key To Defeating Him.” • While one of Africa’s the worst weather disasters ever was unfolding, President Trump was urging Republicans not to kill the Democrats’ Green New Deal proposal. This was not because Trump wants to work with it, but because he wants to run against it in 2020. [New York Times]

Wyoming wind farm (Damon Winter | The New York Times)

World:

¶ “There’s Trouble In OPEC And Oil Prices Are Up 50%” • Venezuela is in chaos. Iran is dealing with US sanctions. And there is increased violence in Libya. Trouble in these OPEC nations helped send US oil prices back above $64 a barrel. Gasoline prices are creeping higher just as the US economy grapples with a slowdown. [CNN]

¶ “BYD Continues To Innovate, Launches The World’s Longest Electric Bus” • New energy company BYD has introduced the world’s longest electric bus. The new BYD K12A is a 27 meter (89 foot) long beast of an electric bus. It features two independent articulating points that connect its 3 separate segments. It has room for 250 riders. [CleanTechnica]

BYD K12A (BYD Image)

¶ “Netherlands Will Soon To Be Home To Europe’s Largest Floating Solar PV Project” • Dutch solar developer GroenLeven has announced that it is building a 48-MW floating solar PV project on an old sand extraction site in the Netherlands. It will be one of the largest floating PV sites in the world, and the largest in Europe. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Global Solar PV Market To See 25% Growth, Reach 129 GW Of New Capacity In 2019” • The global solar PV market is expected to bounce back from slower growth in 2018 with a return to form in 2019, according to analysts IHS Markit.  It will see growth in the range of 25% and total solar installations nearing 130 GW, the report said. [CleanTechnica]

Disney solar farm in Florida

¶ “Atlassian Billionaires Pledge For 100% Renewable Energy By 2025” • The co-founders of Atlassian, a software development company, have made a pledge for their company to be powered with 100% renewable energy by 2025. The announcement makes them the first major Australian tech company to make such a commitment. [10 daily]

¶ “Engie JV Plans 898-MW Mexico Clean Power Push” • Engie and Tokyo Gas have formed a joint venture to develop Mexican wind and solar energy projects with a combined capacity of 898.7 MW. Their joint venture, Heolios EnTG, will develop, finance, construct, own, operate, and maintain a total of six renewable energy projects. [reNEWS]

Turbine installation (Engie image)

US:

¶ “New York Offers $30 Million For Flexible Power Grid” • New York announced funding of up to $30 million (£23 million) for projects that can improve the resiliency and flexibility of the electricity grid. Governor Andrew M Cuomo aims to generate 70% of renewable electricity by 2030 and have a carbon-free power grid by 2040. [Energy Live News]

¶ “Trump To Sign Executive Orders Meant To Free Up Oil And Gas Pipeline Development” • The Trump administration is set to announce two executive orders aimed at freeing up more pipelines to supply the US with oil and gas. The orders could give the federal government more power over states in approving energy projects. [CNN]

Pump jack (Juan Barreto | AFP | Getty Images)

¶ “A Utility’s Push for Solar Fees Could Shut Down The Entrepreneurs Who Built Iowa’s Solar Economy” • A proposal before the Iowa legislature would impose monthly fees on the customers that own solar power systems. A leading supporter of the bill is MidAmerican Energy, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. [InsideClimate News]

¶ “Groups Push For Votes on NV Renewable-Energy, Public-Lands Bills” • As the deadline approaches for bills to make it out of Nevada’s legislative committees, conservation groups are pushing for those they see as important. Senate Bill 358 would require power companies to get 50% of their energy from renewable sources by 2030. [Public News Service]

Nevada State Capitol (OK-59 | Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Walz Touts Clean Energy Jobs Amid Doubts About Nuclear Power’s Role In Future” • Minnesota Gov Tim Walz and Commerce Commissioner Steve Kelley said economics suggest nuclear power will not be part of Minnesota’s energy mix if the state adopts the governor’s goal of getting 100% of its energy from carbon-free sources by 2050. [TwinCities.com]

¶ “Maryland Legislature Passes Clean Energy Bill With Offshore Provisions” • Maryland lawmakers have passed the Clean Energy Jobs Act, which would raise the state’s renewable portfolio standard to 50% by 2030. The act incentivizes the development of 1.2 GW of additional offshore wind energy off the coast of Maryland. [North American Windpower]

Maryland

¶ “City Council Unanimously Backs Missoula Plan For 100% Clean Energy By 2030” • In Missoula, Montana, city council members unanimously voted to adopt a resolution to move the city’s electricity to 100% renewable sources by 2030. The vote makes Missoula the first city in the state to move away from fossil fuels. [KPAX-TV]

¶ “DOE Calls For Big Puerto Rico Gas Plant As Island Targets 100% Renewables” • DOE Assistant Secretary Bruce Walker told a US House committee that building a natural gas plant in Puerto Rico would enhance the island’s resilience. But the Puerto Rican legislature just passed a bill that would take it to 100% renewable energy. [Utility Dive]

Have an outstandingly superb day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Ohio’s FirstEnergy Nuclear Bailout Bill Could Undermine Funding For Renewables And Efficiency” • Ohio’s Republican-controlled legislature has drafted “clean air fund” legislation that would reduce renewable energy and efficiency subsidies while increasing electricity bills about $300 million a year, just to keep its nuclear fleet running. [Greentech Media]

Davis-Besse nuclear power plant

Science and Technology:

¶ “Particulate Pollution In The Air We Breathe Kills Hundreds Of Thousands A Year, Study Finds” • Air pollution is deadly: A study links exposure to it to more than 107,000 premature deaths in the United States in 2011. Energy consumption causes 57% of the pollution-related deaths. It isn’t just killing us; it cost the country $866 billion. [CNN]

¶ “Children Who Live Near Major Roads Are More Likely To Have Developmental Delays, Study Says” • Young children who live near a major roadway are twice as likely to score lower on tests of communications skills than those who live farther away, research indicates. The study examined the effects of particulates and ozone. [CNN]

Highway traffic (Getty Images)

¶ “Renewables Are A Better Investment Than Carbon Capture For Tackling Climate Change” • Solar panels and wind turbines coupled with energy storage offer a better hope for tackling climate change than trying to capture carbon from fossil fuel power stations, according to new research published in the journal Nature Energy. [Science Daily]

¶ “Scientists Propose Alternatives To Rare Earth Elements Critical For Wind Turbines” • Wind turbine magnets usually large amounts of expensive neodymium. Researchers from the Critical Materials Institute at Ames Laboratory are working on creating magnets for wind turbines from more common and readily available elements. [CleanTechnica]

Wind turbine

World:

¶ “Wind Farm Ushers In Era Of Renewable Energy In Tasmania” • The Granville Harbour wind farm will feature 31 wind turbines that measure 200 meters from their base to the tip of the blades. The project will cost $280 million to build and provide enough electricity to run 46,000 homes when completed. Its site is very windy. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Storage To Hit 158 GWh By 2024” • The global energy storage market is forecast to expand 13-fold to 158 GWh by 2024, according to latest research by Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables. The US and China are projected to dominate the market, making up 54% of GWh deployed capacity by 2024, the report said. [reNEWS]

Batteries at a wind farm (Steve Pope | Vattenfall)

¶ “Renewables, Electrification Can Reduce 75% Of Emissions” • Scaling up renewable energy and electrification could deliver more than 75% of the energy-related emission reductions needed to meet global climate goals, an International Renewable Energy Agency report said. And the payoff would be three times the cost or more. [Anadolu Agency]

¶ “Amazon Goes Greener With 229 MW Wind Power Buy” • US e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc intends to buy the output of three wind parks totaling over 229 MW in Ireland, Sweden, and the US in support its sustainability targets. The three projects are expected to generate more than 670,000 MWh of electricity annually. [Renewables Now]

Irish wind turbines (Harry Pears, CC-BY-SA 2.0 generic)

¶ “Mass Uptake Of Electric Cars Could Reduce Energy Prices And Stabilise Grid” • Electricity costs could go down and the power grid might become more stable if there is a mass uptake of electric cars under a policy put forward by the federal opposition, a report from the industry lobby group Evenergi has said. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ “From Ruined Bridges To Dirty Air, EPA Scientists Price Out The Cost Of Climate Change” • By the end of the century, the manifold consequences of unchecked climate change will cost the US hundreds of billions of dollars every year, according to a study by EPA scientists. They said no part of the country will be untouched. [Virgin Islands Daily News]

Capistrano Beach (Photo: Los Angeles Times)

¶ “Climate Change Poses Security Risks, According To Decades Of Intelligence Reports” • A series of authoritative governmental and nongovernmental analyses over more than three decades lays a strong foundation for concern over the national security implications of climate change. They come from the CIA, NSA, FBI, and others. [Yale Climate Connections]

¶ “Idaho Gets Vast Majority Of Electricity From Renewables, Almost Half From Hydropower” • More than 80% of Idaho’s in-state utility-scale electricity generation came from renewable resources in 2018, behind only Vermont, according to recently released data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Electric Power Monthly. [HydroWorld]

Hells Canyon Dam (Wikipedia)

¶ “California Sues EPA, NHTSA Over Auto Emissions Data Freeze Out” • In an effort to find out just what data the EPA is relying on to justify the emissions rollback, the state of California requested that information in a Freedom of Information request. It says the federal government has ignored the request, and it is suing. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Duke Energy Wants Consumers To Pay For Coal Ash Clean Up” • The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality ordered Duke Energy to dig up all remaining coal ash ponds in the state and transfer the contents to lined landfills, WRAL News reported. Now Duke Energy wants its customers to pay for the cleanup. [CleanTechnica]

Have an astoundingly restful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Air Pollution: How Does London’s New Emissions Zone Compare?” • There are several different ways of describing cities or towns that have restrictions on vehicles, with the goal of tackling air pollution. A CAZ is a clean air zone, a LEZ is a low-emissions zone. Now London has the world’s first ULEZ, or ultra-low emissions zone. [BBC]

Clean air, Gothenburg, Sweden (Getty Images)

¶ “There’s Just One Reason Republican Politicians Are Fully Attacking The Green New Deal” • The US public would love to support more clean energy, more zero-emission electric cars, cleaner air, and protection of our shared natural resources. But fossil fuel industries are not on the same page, and they support Republican candidates with money. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Global Coal Industry Enjoying Good Times While They Last” • This year began with some good news for global coal industry stakeholders as demand ticked up a notch. Nevertheless, signs of a deep, painful skid are growing. But exemplifying change, South Africa’s powerful Nedbank officially gave the bum’s rush to new coal power plant investments. [CleanTechnica]

Solar power for a Nedbank branch (via Solar Turtle)

World:

¶ “Tesla And Fiat Dance An Interesting Tango” • Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has needed to reduce emissions from its cars, or it will be fined by the EU. One alternative is to pay a company whose cars have low emissions to have its cars counted in the fleet. So Fiat agreed to pay Tesla hundreds of millions of euros to avoid billions in fines. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “In Medellín, Metrocable Connects People In More Ways Than One” • In 2004, Metro de Medellín opened the world’s first aerial tram system, Metrocable, connecting slums in the Columbian city’s hillsides to its downtown center and the rest of its transit network. The mobility they provide encourages investment in poor neighborhoods. [CleanTechnica]

Metrocable in operation (Photo: Kyle Laferriere)

¶ “Enel Green Power Switches On 86-MW Solar Plant In Colombia” • Italian energy major Enel SpA inaugurated an 86.2-MW solar PV farm in Colombia. The company’s local renewables subsidiary, Enel Green Power Colombia, has invested nearly $70 million (€62.3 million) in the El Paso PV farm, the local energy ministry announced. [Renewables Now]

¶ “Brazil Registers 51.2 GW Of Renewables For June 28 Tender” • Brazil’s state-owned energy research firm EPE unveiled on Friday that 51,204 MW of renewable energy projects have been registered for the next auction that will be held on June 28, 2019. The auction will contract hydro, wind, solar and biomass power projects. [Renewables Now]

Wind farm in Brazil (Otávio Nogueira, CC-BY-2.0 Generic)

¶ “Saudi Set To ‘Boost Wind By Over 6 GW'” • Saudi Arabia will become a regional heavyweight in the Middle East’s wind power market adding over 6 GW in the next 10 years, according to new research by Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables. The report said developers will build up to 6.2 GW of wind capacity in the country. [reNEWS]

¶ “India To Add 10,000 MW Wind Energy Capacity In 2021 ” • Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, the second biggest wind turbine manufacturer in the world, expects India to add between 7,000 and 10,000 MW of wind energy capacity in 2021, its global chief executive said, despite a slump in Indian projects over the last two years. [Economic Times]

Offshore windpower (AP image)

Australia:

¶ “Construction Underway At Tasmania’s Granville Harbour Wind Farm” • A 112-MW Tasmanian wind farm that will deliver a one-third increase to the state’s wind power capacity is under construction, with the final parts of the project’s turbine towers arriving in Burnie earlier this month, and the last of the turbine blades due to arrive in May. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “‘The Perfect Storm’: Hydrogen Gains Ground On LNG As Alternative Fuel” • In March, the Queensland University of Technology made history when it achieved the first export of a small quantity of clean, green hydrogen produced in Australia from renewable energy, to Japanese energy giant JXTG, proving that it was in fact possible. [The Guardian]

Hydrogen-powered bus (Paul Kane | Getty Images)

¶ “Share Economy To Assist Transition To Clean Energy” • A recent study from RMIT University and Monash University researchers has found energy sharing platforms may effectively assist the transition to new energy technologies, cleaner energy, and better consumer outcomes, enabling Australians to reduce their electricity bills. [Energy Magazine]

US:

¶ “Hawaiian Electric To Expand Renewable Energy By 2022” • Hawaiian Electric Cos are setting a 2022 target to develop more renewable energy, Kallanish Energy reports. The company wants to develop 73 MW of solar and 1,200 MWh of storage on the Island of Oahu. It also wants smaller amounts of solar and storage on the islands Maui and Hawaii. [Kallanish Energy]

Solar power in Hawaii (Reegan Moen, US DOE)

¶ “Lansing Budget Would Power All City Buildings With 100% Renewable Energy By July” • The mayor of Lansing, Michigan, proposed to use 100% renewable energy for all city government buildings. Lansing would be the first city in the state to do so. It would buy renewable energy credits from the Lansing Board of Water and Light. [Spartan Newsroom]

¶ “Entergy Lays Out New Carbon Reduction Goals” • Having met its current carbon reduction goal ahead of schedule, Entergy now says it plans to further reduce emissions to well below 2000 levels. Entergy pledges to reduce its CO₂ emission rate to 50% below 2000 levels by 2030, mostly by relying on natural gas nuclear power. [RTO Insider]

Have an outrageously comfortable day.

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World:

¶ “Harbour Air Is Switching Over To 100% Electric Seaplanes” • Harbour Air, based in Vancouver, Canada, will be the first seafaring airline to convert its complete fleet of aircraft to be powered by electricity. Its 41 aircraft will be converted to reach a longer lifecycle with highly improved efficiency and lowered maintenance costs. [CleanTechnica]

Harbour Air aircraft

¶ “Friends Of The Earth Netherlands Files Climate Action Lawsuit Against Shell” • As a Dutch company, Royal Dutch Shell is subject to the laws of the Netherlands. On April 5, Friends Of The Earth Netherlands filed suit against Shell seeking to force it to address its role in the climate emergency confronting the world and all its people. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Morocco Strives To Reduce Energy Bill” • Said Mouline, director-general of the National Agency for the Development of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, said there is an urgent need to change consumer behaviour regarding energy use and to encourage people to use modern technology to reduce energy costs. [The Arab Weekly]

Ouarzazate solar plant in central Morocco (AP photo)

¶ “NTT To Move Forward With A New ‘Smart Energy’ Business” • Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp plans to establish a company to promote the energy business in the first half of fiscal 2019 with the aim of doubling the sales of the NTT group’s energy-related businesses to ¥600 billion ($5.37 billion) by fiscal 2025. [Japan Today]

¶ “Lessons From India For The Power Sector In sub-Saharan Africa” • Developments in renewable energy present the African energy sector with unprecedented opportunities to leapfrog in to a renewable energy future. However, new business models are needed to address the credit issues of some Sub-Saharan African companies. [Observer Research Foundation]

African wind turbines (Jason Blackeye | Unsplash)

¶ “Renewables Contributed To 21% Of Australia’s Energy Mix In 2018” • In 2018, renewable power contributed to a record amount of the Australia’s energy mix, at 21%. And according to the Clean Energy Council’s annual report, Australia currently has 14.5 GW of new renewable capacity under construction or with a financial commitment. [CSO Magazine]

¶ “As Many As 50,000 Protest Climate Change In Switzerland” • Tens of thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday in several Swiss cities against climate change, the Swiss news agency Keystone-ATS reported. Around 50,000 marched in all, the news agency report estimated, including 15,000 in Zurich, which had the largest crowd. [The Local Switzerland]

Protesters marching in Lausanne  (Fabrice Coffrini | AFP)

¶ “Spain To Pay €1 Million For Solar Project In The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone” • Under an agreement with Ukraine, Spain will spend money from its state budget for the construction of a solar power plant in Chernobyl’s nuclear disaster zone, RIA reported, citing the country’s ecology ministry. It will be the second such facility in the area. [RT]

US:

¶ “Diesel-Killing Alaska Solar Power Company Walks The Green New Deal Walk ” • Alaska’s oil-based economy has not been kind to the many Alaskans living in villages that rely on aircraft, boats, and snow machines for transportation. Solar beats diesel on cost, creates new local jobs, and helps to level the socio-economic playing field. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array in Alaska

¶ “Tesla Model 3 Is #1 Luxury Car In USA” • In the first quarter of 2019, the Tesla Model 3 was again the #1 top-selling car in the US luxury car market. It was far and away the winner, with 160% of the sales of the #2 car. It was actually #13 in the overall US car market, and none of the other premium-class car even made the top 20. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Union Locals Build Support for the Green New Deal’s ‘Just Transition'” • National leadership among some labor unions have shown an early reluctance toward the Green New Deal. However, leaders at the local level are working to build support for the plan among their membership in hopes of pushing their unions in its direction. [Truthout]

Rally (Aurora Samperio | Nurphoto Via Getty Images)

¶ “Fourteen Automakers And Eight Additional Car Brands See Sales Drops In USA” • In total, fourteen auto brands saw their sales decline from March 2018 to March 2019, while another eight brands saw their net sales increase but their car sales go down. This is worth noting in the context of the Tesla Model 3’s burst onto the scene. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor Dismantling Could Take Six Decades, More Than $1 Billion” • Exelon Generation, which plans to shut down Three Mile Island Unit 1 nuclear reactor in September unless Pennsylvania lawmakers come to its rescue, says decommissioning the site would take nearly 60 years and $1.2 billion. [Pocono Record]

Have a flawlessly agreeable day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “30% Fuel Savings When Flying UTC’s Hybrid-Electric Regional Planes (Soon)” • Imagine airlines saving 30% on fuel by switched to electric mobility? A hybrid-electric aircraft is one way to do that. United Technologies Corp wants us to use such airplanes based on hybrid electric turboprops for future regional, and it is already testing them. [CleanTechnica]

UTC Hybrid Electric Airplane Project 804

¶ “Report: CO₂ At Highest Level In 3 Million Years” • Scientists announced in a report that CO₂, the gas that causes most global warming, is present in our atmosphere at the highest level in 3 million years. At that time, sea levels were as much as 65 feet higher than they are now, Greenland was mostly green, and Antarctica had trees. [USA TODAY]

World:

¶ “Norway Sovereign Wealth Fund To Shift Focus To Renewable Investment” • Norway plans to tighten restrictions on coal investments for its $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund while opening it up for renewable-energy infrastructure assets. The government proposes to add absolute caps on production of thermal coal. [Energy Voice]

Sognefjord

¶ “EU Accuses German Carmakers Of Colluding To Delay Clean Air Technology” • The EU has accused German carmakers of collusion. The European Commission said Volkswagen, BMW, and Daimler broke antitrust rules by acting together to delay the introduction of two emissions cleaning systems between 2006 and 2014. [CNN]

¶ “Zambia Awards Three Joint Ventures 120-MW Solar Power Tender” • Zambia awarded three regional and international companies a total of 120 MW of solar power projects, a senior government official said. Zambia is dependent on hydropower and when a drought happened in 2016, it was forced to ration electricity to its mines. [ETEnergyworld.com]

Solar array

¶ “Stuttgart, Home Of Porsche & Mercedes, Has Banned Older Diesels” • Every diesel vehicle over 10 years old is now effectively banned from operating in any part of the entire city area of Stuttgart, which is home to Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, and 630,000 residents. The move signals the first serious diesel ban in any German city. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “TenneT Plots 2-GW Substation Revolution” • TenneT, the Dutch transmission system operator, will deploy cables and converter stations with 2-GW capacity to bring electricity ashore from offshore wind farms planned for post-2024 period. Two 2-GW DC connections will be used for the IJmuiden Ver wind energy area, TenneT said. [reNEWS]

Borwin Gamma sets sail (Credit: TenneT)

¶ “Tesla Model 3 Jumps To #1 In The Netherlands, Among All Cars” • Dutch plug-in PV market had another sales surge last month, with 4,721 plug-in registrations, up 252% year over year. There were 2,195 deliveries of the Tesla Model 3 in March. By comparison, the number 2 seller for all cars was the Volvo S/V60 PHEV, at 1,462. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Belgium To Boost Wind And Gas Power As It Phases Out Nuclear” • Belgium has decided to phase out nuclear power by 2025. This means the country needs to develop new capacity to replace its seven nuclear reactors, which generate around 50% of the country’s electricity. They will be replaced by wind and gas generators. [ETEnergyworld.com]

Wind farm

US:

¶ “Get Ready For 1.5¢ Renewable Electricity, Steven Chu Says, Which Could Unleash Hydrogen Economy” • Former Energy Sec. Steven Chu told a roomful of scientists in Chicago they should think now what they could do with renewable electricity that costs only 1.5¢/kWh. And, he suggested, those thoughts should include hydrogen. [Forbes]

¶ “Democrats Push For Storage Tax Credit” • Democratic Congressman Mike Doyle introduced a proposal to the US House of Representatives that would create an investment tax credit for energy storage projects. The Energy Storage Tax Incentive and Deployment Act aims to make energy storage an eligible technology for the ITC. [reNEWS]

US Capitol (US Congress image)

¶ “Fremont, California, Fire Station Is First In US With Solar Microgrid” • Planners in Fremont, California, appear to be the first to complete a solar microgrid system with battery backup for a fire station in the US, seeking to be more hardened against wildfire, utility blackouts, hurricanes, or other threatening events. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Climate Change Is Costing The Air Force Billions” • Tyndall Air Force Base was slammed by Hurricane Michael, just one of several military bases hit by extreme weather in the past year. The high cost of repairs foreshadows a major upcoming problem for the US military. The Air Force is seeking $5 billion for repairs to just two of the bases. [CleanTechnica]

Offutt base on March 17, 2019 (US Air Force photo)

¶ “LA Could Replace Traditional Power Plants With Home Solar, Experts Say” • A report from San Francisco-based residential solar company Sunrun amounts to a sales pitch to Los Angeles city to expand the number of solar residences to at least 75,000. Together, they could replace a gas-fired power plant, saving $60 million. [NBCNews.com]

¶ “Hanover Moves Closer To Renewable Energy Goal” • The town of Hanover, New Hampshire, is making progress toward its goal of using 100% renewable energy for electricity by 2030. It is also upgrading some police vehicles to hybrid models as part of its goal to reach 100% renewable for transportation and heating by 2050. [Valley News]

Have an abundantly bountiful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Wind Turbines Don’t Cause Cancer, But They Are Absolutely Killing Coal” • Somewhere deep within the bowels of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, a small cadre of presidential aides is working feverishly to unearth proof that wind turbines cause cancer. Meanwhile, out in the sunlight, the US wind industry is bursting into flower. [CleanTechnica]

Coal-burning power plant

¶ “Donald Trump Is Trying To Kill You” • Donald Trump’s legacy will be a hugely important factor for the 2020 election. Though there is a lot we do not know about it,  one thing seems sure: Even if he’s a one-term president, Trump will have caused, directly or indirectly, the premature deaths of a large number of Americans. [New York Times]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Swiss Startup Innolith Claims 1000 Wh/kg Battery Break-through” • Swiss startup Innolith says it developed a lithium-ion battery with an energy density of 1,000 Wh/kg. This is four times the 250 Wh/kg rating of the latest battery from Tesla. It already has one of its batteries installed to back up the grid in Hagerstown, Maryland. [CleanTechnica]

Innolith battery (Credit: Innolith via YouTube)

¶ “Siemens Gamesa Unveils New 5.8-MW Onshore Wind Turbine” • Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy unveiled what is believed to be the world’s most powerful onshore wind turbine this week, a new 5.8-MW turbine in two models that boast some of the largest onshore components available on the market to date. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Toyota Decides To Share Its Hybrid Powertrain Technology With The World” • In a complete policy reversal, Toyota decided to stop suing every manufacturer that offers a hybrid vehicle to the public in an effort to protect its patents on the technology. It says everyone may use the patents without royalty payments until 2030. [CleanTechnica]

2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid (Credit: Toyota)

¶ “Global Wind Turbine Order Capacity Increased 31% In 2018, Finds WoodMac” • According to Wood Mackenzie, Global wind turbine orders increased by 31% in 2018 thanks in part to a 20% fourth-quarter increase which saw 18 GW of new capacity added. The US bucked this trend, however, seeing a decline in capacity orders. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “GE Renewable Energy To Supply 342-MW Phoenix Wind Project In Aragón, Spain” • GE Renewable Energy announced this week that it has been selected to supply wind turbines to the 342-MW Phoenix project, which will develop 10 new wind parks in Aragón, Spain. The project will use 91 of GE Renewable Energy’s 3-MW turbines. [CleanTechnica]

GE 3-MW turbine

¶ “2018 Smashed Renewables Records Across The Board, CEC Finds” • Australian investment in large-scale renewables grew from $10 billion in 2017 to $20 billion in 2018 and the amount of renewable energy capacity financially committed increased from 5.6 GW in 2017 to 14.8 GW in 2018, Clean Energy Council data show. [pv magazine Australia]

¶ “Spain To Shut Down Nuclear Plants And Push Forward Clean Energy Plan” • Amid a Europe-wide debate over the future of nuclear power in a renewable energy future, Spain has rolled out a schedule to close its seven nuclear power plants. At the same time, the government proposes an ambitious shift away from fossil fuels by 2050. [South EU Summit]

Almaraz nuclear plant (© Gelpi | shutterstock.com)

US:

¶ “Power-Hungry Texas Oil Drillers Get A Little Help From Solar” • Developers are set to quadruple Texas’ solar capacity by 2022, but they won’t just power homes. Solar developers are responding to demand from oil and gas drillers, whose booming operations are gobbling up electricity and pushing prices spiking above $1,000/MWh ($1/kWh). [Energy Voice]

¶ “Judge Raps Ruling Cutting Electricity Price For Small Solar Power” • A district court judge overturned a Montana Public Service Commission ruling that reduced by more than half the price NorthWestern Energy must pay for electricity generated at small solar facilities. The judge said the PSC action was in “direct contradiction” to laws. [Great Falls Tribune]

Solar pilot project (Photo: NorthWestern Energy)

¶ “Donald Trump Said Wind Turbines Cause Cancer. Chuck Grassley Called That ‘Idiotic.'” • Iowa Sen Chuck Grassley (R), a champion of wind energy, said President Donald Trump’s comments that wind turbines cause cancer were “idiotic,” in a call with reporters. There is no evidence that wind turbine sounds cause cancer. [DesMoinesRegister.com]

¶ “Two Days After Trump Claims Wind Farms Cause Cancer, Iowa Leaders Push For More Wind Energy Investment In The State” • Gov Kim Reynolds and Iowa business leaders announced a renewed push to expand Iowa wind energy two days after President Trump said there is a link between the noise from turbines and cancer. [DesMoinesRegister.com]

Wind turbines in Iowa (Brian Powers | The Register)

¶ “Disbanded By Trump, Defiant Climate Committee Moves To Aid Cities, States” • An advisory committee on climate change that was dissolved under US President Donald Trump has launched anew as an independent entity, Science for Climate Action Network. It plans to work with governments nationwide to speed up climate action. [Sight Magazine]

¶ “US Test Nuclear Reactor May Run 40% Over Cost” • The versatile test reactor, which DOE Administrator Rick Perry pushed as the flagship of the Trump administration’s advanced nuclear power research program, could cost about 40% more than a government official estimated earlier this year, a DOE document shows. [Reuters]

Have a demonstrably wonderful day.

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World:

¶ “GE Renewable Energy Secures First Order For Its Largest Onshore Turbine” • GE Renewable Energy announced that it had been selected by Prowind GmbH to provide three Cypress units with a rated capacity of 4.8 MW for the Elfershausen onshore wind project in Germany, marking the first order for the Cypress platform. [CleanTechnica]

GE Renewable Energy Cypress Prototype

¶ “Renewable Energy Now Accounts For A Third Of All Global Power Capacity” • Renewable energy sources now account for around a third of all global power capacity, according to new figures published this week by the International Renewable Energy Agency, which revealed 171 GW of new renewable capacity was installed in 2018. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Kenya On Track For 600-MW Wind Boost” • Kenya is on track to add up to 600 MW of new wind capacity over the next six years, as more of its people get access to power for the first time, a senior GE executive said. He expects Kenya to add between 50 MW and 100 MW of wind every year for the next five to six years. [reNEWS]

GE Wind turbine (GE image)

¶ “Pakistan Eyes 30% Renewables Share By 2020” • Pakistan will seek to increase renewables in its generation mix to 30% by 2030 under a plan put forth by the country’s new government. Currently 4% of the generation is from wind, solar, small hydro, and biomass plants. It will increase hydro to 30% also, from the current 25%. [Renewables Now]

Australia:

¶ “Daintree Could Be Australia’s First Renewable Only Micro-Grid, With Help From Green Hydrogen” • Queensland’s world heritage-listed Daintree region could be the site of Australia’s first microgrid based on solar power and hydrogen gas, with federal government funds helping make the 100% renewable project shovel ready. [One Step Off The Grid]

Daintree region

¶ “Renewables Smashed Records In 2018, Says Report – And Truly Trumped Coal On Cost” • A new report called 2018 a “remarkable” year for renewable energy in Australia. Investment in large-scale projects doubled, and the cost of new wind and solar, with storage included, was officially declared cheaper than new coal power. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “Goldwind Team Seals Tasmanian Wind Cash” • PowerChina and Goldwind secured project financing for the 144-MW Cattle Hill wind farm in Tasmania, Australia, from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, and Westpac Banking Corporation. The wind farm is expected to be operational this year. [reNEWS]

Wind turbine (Goldwind image)

US:

¶ “Idaho Power PPA Sets US Low Price Record” • Idaho Power has locked in a 20-year deal to buy electricity from a 120-MW solar farm near Twin Falls to be built by Jackpot Holdings, an Idaho-based company, for a $21.75/MWh. That figure translates to just 2.175¢/kWh and is believed to be the lowest price yet in America. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Boise Adopts 100% Renewable Electricity Goal” • The Boise City Council voted to adopt a plan to move the city’s electricity to 100% renewable sources by 2035. The Sierra Club’s Idaho Chapter and Ready for 100 Action campaign celebrated Boise becoming the first city in Idaho and 115th nationwide to adopt this goal. [North American Windpower]

Boise, Idaho

¶ “Does Windmill Noise Cause Cancer? Donald Trump Renews Campaign Against Wind Power With New Claim” • In a rambling speech, Pres Trump attacked wind power, saying the turbines undermine property values, kill birds, and even cause cancer. Scientists call Trump’s opposition to renewable energy “malicious ignorance.” [Newsweek]

¶ “University Of Georgia Orders 20 Electric Buses From Proterra” • Apparently, the University of Georgia intends to be a national leader in clean, zero-emission, smooth, quiet electric buses. It is buying twenty of them and fourteen 125-kW chargers from nearby Proterra, which has a home base in nearby South Carolina. [CleanTechnica]

Proterra Catalyst E2 electric bus

¶ “California Community Choice Aggregators Bid For Partial PG&E Takeover” • The escalating war over the potential break-up of PG&E has rallied California’s nineteen Community Choice Aggregators, which are seeking to assume a greater role as owners and/or managers of solar and other renewable energy resources in the state. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tesla Deliveries Up 110% In Q1 2019 Vs. Q1 2018” • Tesla delivered 110% more vehicles in the 1st quarter of 2019 versus the 1st quarter of 2018. The delivery total was approximately 63,000 for Q1 2019. In North America, Model 3 was yet again the best-selling mid-sized premium sedan, selling 60% more units than the runner-up. [CleanTechnica]

In the Tesla factory

¶ “Here’s How The Green New Deal Compares To A Proposed Republican Climate Plan, The Green Real Deal” • Florida Rep Matt Gaetz has unveiled his climate plan, the Green Real Deal.  He classified his climate change resolution as a “love letter to the American innovator” and a “real, serious plan to address climate change.” [Newsweek]

¶ “Subsidies Increase For Upstate Nuclear Plants, Thanks To Low Power Prices” • The cost to subsidize Central New York nuclear plants is increasing by $57 million a year. This disproves, at least for now, state regulators’ prediction that the cost would decrease over time. The good news is, subsidies are increasing because electric prices are low. [Syracuse.com]

Have an unforgettably delightful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Bold Thinking Needed To Dig Australia Out Of Self-Inflicted Energy Import-Export Dilemma” • Australia’s largest export commodity, coal, is in accelerating structural decline, and liquid fossil fuel imports are expanding, increasing Australia’s exposure to supply chain risks. And it is all carbon-intensive, swimming against a global tide. [RenewEconomy]

Coal train (Dan Himbrechts | AAP Image)

¶ “Nuclear Power Is Not A Viable Solution For Green New Deal” • After 60 years, despite massive subsidies, the nuclear industry is dying of its own accord. It is too expensive, too dangerous, too dirty, and takes too long to deploy. To address climate change successfully, the Green New Deal must leave nuclear power behind. [The Hill]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Four Innovative Green Technologies That Shows How Scandinavia Leads The Way In Renewable Energy” • From floating solar panels to electric planes, Scandinavia leads the way in many emerging renewable energy innovations. The region leads in developing the new green technology innovations. Here are four of them. [Compelo]

Bergen, Norway (Credit: Jim Trodel | Flickr)

World:

¶ “Portugal Eyes 3-GW Wind Boost” • Portugal expects to increase its wind generation capacity to 8 GW or 9 GW by 2030, its environment minister said. Hitting the goal would mean adding about 3 GW of additional capacity. Portugal has a goal of meeting 80% of its power demand with green energy by 2030 and 100% of 2050. [reNEWS]

¶ “Enel Starts Tuning Spanish Wind Quartet” • Enel Green Power has started construction of four wind farms in the Zaragoza region of Spain, with a combined capacity of 110 MW. Total investment in the projects is about €116 million ($130 million), Enel Green Power said. The four wind farms will generate about 375 GWh per year. [reNEWS]

Wind farm (Image: Enel Green Power)

¶ “Australia: 100% Renewables Could Be Cheaper, Quicker And Easier Than Thought” • Windlab CEO Roger Price unveiled modelling from a detailed study undertaken by the company, which shows that Australia could transition to 100% renewables quickly, with less investment than most expect, and deliver a considerably lower price. [Daddyhood]

¶ “Shell Quits Major US Oil Lobby Over Climate Change” • Royal Dutch Shell said that it would not renew its membership in the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers lobby next year because of “material misalignment.” The energy company says it disagrees with the group’s policies, including those on climate change. [CNN]

Climate strike

¶ “Wind To ‘Grow 300 GW In Five Years'” • Over 300 GW of new wind capacity will be added in the next five years, according to a report from the Global Wind Energy Council. The 14th “Global Wind Report” said offshore wind development will continue to accelerate with 40 GW installed over the period, accounting for 15% of new projects. [reNEWS]

¶ “Tesla Model 3 Sales Booming In China, While Gigafactory 3 Construction Going 24/7” • It is a bit harder for us to monitor Tesla activity in China than in the US and Europe. However, a Chinese American Tesla enthusiast  routinely sends us intel on Tesla deliveries, Gigafactory 3 construction in Shanghai, and other matters. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model 3 at Tiananmen Square

¶ “Germany:Renewables Covered 54% Of Net Power Production In March” • Germany set a new record in March as more than half of its power was generated from renewables, primarily solar and wind. In the first quarter, renewables accounted for 45.4% of net electricity generation, according to energy charts published by Fraunhofer ISE. [pv magazine International]

¶ “Bank Australia Commits To 100% Renewables, Calls On Business To Lead Transition” • Bank Australia, one of the largest mutual banks in the country, is calling on Australian business to shift to renewable power. It is the second Australian company to sign on with the 100% renewable power global business initiative, RE100. [One Step Off The Grid]

Wind farm

US:

¶ “Ford Claims 370 Mile Range For Electric SUV, Brings PHEV Power To Explorer And Cargo Vans” • Ford Motor Company is about to unleash an all new SUV/crossover type of vehicle that will feature more than 370 miles of range based on the WLTP protocol. It is also introducing new plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Republican Governor Appoints Florida’s First Chief Science Officer” • Republican Florida Gov Ron DeSantis appointed the state’s first chief science officer, marking a “commitment to science-based solutions.” He appointed Thomas Frazer, who has been director of the University of Florida’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. [CNN]

Marshall Islands

¶ “GE Bets On Offshore Wind As Fossil Fuels Business Stumbles” • At GE Power, which makes and services natural gas and coal-fired power plants, orders have fallen precipitously. Because of this, GE’s stock has lost two-thirds of its value since the end of 2016. So GE is turning to investing in offshore windpower and renewable energy. [CNN]

¶ “GMP Says The Company, Not Ratepayers, Assumes Risks In Proposed Multiyear Rate Plan” • Green Mountain Power wants to get away from filing traditional contested rate cases that are like court trials and can happen almost annually. It asked the Public Utility Commission for permission to implement a multiyear rate plan. [Vermont Public Radio]

Have a fundamentally perfect day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “What Does Air Pollution Do To Our Bodies?” • Scientists say the impacts of air pollution are more serious than previously thought. Over the last few decades, research has revealed how gases like NO₂ and tiny particles, known as particulate matter or PM, can reach deep into the body with the danger of causing lasting damage. [BCC]

Polluting haze

¶ “Canada Is Warming At Twice The Global Rate, Report Says” • A report says Canada’s climate has been warming at double the rate of global warming, on average, and is expected to continue to do so. The report also says since 1948, when records became available, Canada’s average land temperature increased by 1.7° C (about 3° F). [CNN]

World:

¶ “Big Oil Invested More Than $1 Billion On Misleading Climate Lobbying Since Paris” • The globe’s five largest publicly traded oil and gas majors are ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, BP, and Total. Together, they have invested over $1 billion in misleading climate-related branding and lobbying in the three years since the Paris Agreement. [CleanTechnica]

Shell oil rig

¶ “Singapore Gets Its First ‘Zero Energy’ New Building” • A building designed to consume only as much energy as it produces has opened its doors in Singapore. The National University of Singapore welcomed students to the six-story facility in January. It is the first “net zero energy building” to be built in the city-state. [CNN]

¶ “Breaking! Tesla Takes 31% Of Norway’s Total Passenger Auto Sales In March” • Tesla sold about 5,700 vehicles in Norway in March, out of a total of 18,375 new passenger car sales for the month. That means Tesla got around 31% of the market. Fully electric cars as a whole amounted to over 58% of Norway’s total new auto market. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla in the snow

¶ “Constant Energy To Install 50 MW Of Thai Solar For Siam Cement” • Renewable power producer Constant Energy will install 50 MW of solar PVs for Siam Cement Group PCL, a Thai industrial group. The announcement said ground-mounted, rooftop, and floating solar parks will be deployed for a number of factories in Thailand. [Renewables Now]

¶ “Germany Awards 505 MW At €0.065/kWh In First Large-Scale Solar PV Tender” • Germany’s Federal Network Agency announced the winners of its first special tender for large-scale solar PV that was held in early March. There were 121 contracts awarded totaling 505 MW of capacity at an average price of €0.065/kWh (7.3¢/kWh). [CleanTechnica]

Solar array in Germany

¶ “EU Carbon Market Emissions Fell 3.3% In 2018 As Renewable Power Rose” • Emissions regulated under Europe’s carbon market fell by 3.3% last year as renewable energy increased, data analysed by Refinitiv showed. Emissions covered by the Emissions Trading System totaled 1.757 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. [ZAWYA]

¶ “Plans For Grid To Operate On Zero Carbon Power By 2025” • The UK electricity system will be able to operate with 100% clean power by 2025, the company responsible for balancing the grid announced. National Grid Electricity System Operator balances the system and ensures that customers have sufficient power supplies available. [Energy Voice]

Wind turbines in the UK (Paul Thomas | Bloomberg)

¶ “China To Fall Short Of 2020 Nuclear Capacity Target” • China is the world’s third-biggest nuclear power producer by capacity, with 45.9 GW installed by end-2018 and eleven units being built. But China will fall short of its nuclear power generation capacity target for 2020, according to a forecast from the China Electricity Council. [Reuters]

US:

¶ “Climate Change In Alaska’s New Draft Science Standards” • The Alaska state board of education approved a draft of new state science standards unanimously, and climate change is included. “The standards don’t shy away from attributing climate change to human activity, due to increased carbon emissions,” KTOO reported. [National Center for Science Education]

Teller, Alaska, threatened by rising seas (Walter Holt Rose)

¶ “Tennessee Opens 200-MW Clean Power Call” • A request for proposals for 200-MW of renewable energy has been issued by the Tennessee Valley Authority. It would need to be online by the end of 2022. TVA said it expects to triple its solar portfolio by 2021 as utility-scale solar installations become an increasingly economical option. [reNEWS]

¶ “Florida Chooses World’s Largest Solar + Storage Project To Replace Gas Plants” • Florida Power & Light’s plans to build the world’s largest solar plus battery storage project are specifically intended to accelerate the retirement and replacement of two 1970s-era natural gas generating units at the company’s nearby power plant. [RenewEconomy]

Gas power plant in Florida (Daniel Oines)

¶ “SC Johnson Plans To Shift To Geothermal Power At Its Headquarters” • SC Johnson plans to use geothermal energy to heat its Racine, Wisconsin, headquarters. The company said it will reduce the its environmental footprint and position it as “a leader in the private sector in the transition to cleaner, renewable energy sources.” [Journal Times]

¶ “Former SCANA Executives Must Face Civil Fraud Charges In Federal Court, Judge Rules” • A federal judge ruled that enough evidence exists to show a jury that former SCANA executives deliberately concealed from investors the shaky status of the doomed VC Summer nuclear power plant in Fairfield County, South Carolina. [The State]

Have a beautifully comfy day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Who Should Pay For Corporate Environmental Degradation?” • Judges are holding mine owners accountable for water problems they cause. Doesn’t it also make sense that what’s known as the “tragedy of the commons” should apply to fossil fuel companies and greenhouse gasses that have contaminated our atmosphere? [CleanTechnica]

Air pollution (Pixabay image)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Ocean Heat Sets A New Sky High Record: UN” • The results of the 2018 research study about the ocean heat has pushed the UN to express its concerns about the effects of global warming and how it affects marine life. Over 90% of the world’s heat that is trapped around the Earth’s atmosphere accumulates in the oceans. [Science Times]

¶ “Restore Natural Forests To Meet Global Climate Goals” • International plans to restore forests to combat global warming are flawed, according to a study published in the journal Nature. It shows that 45% of the areas that countries pledged are to be commercial  tree plantations, which have reduced ability to take up CO₂. [The Ecologist]

Deforestation (Mathias Rittgerott | Rainforest Rescue)

¶ “Huge Global Study Just Smashed One Of The Last Major Arguments Against Renewables” • Here is news for those who believe that there are few sites suitable for pumped storage. Scientists have identified 530,000 sites worldwide suitable for pumped storage, capable of storing more than enough energy to power the entire planet. [ScienceAlert]

World:

¶ “The Star Of The Geneva Motor Show: Streetscooter’s e.Go Life, Citroëns Ami One, Or Tata’s Altroz EV?” • At the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, it was not easy to pick one electric car as the undisputed winner. Having said this, there are three definite contenders: the Ami One Concept, the Altroz EV, and the e.GO with its roots in StreetScooter. [CleanTechnica]

Citroën Ami One Concept (No, this is not an April Fools joke.)

¶ “Global Lithium-Ion Battery Planned Capacity Grows 4% In A Single Month” • In just one month, the planning pipeline for 2023 battery factory capacity jumped by 43 GWh, adding over 4% to the global total (50% annualized growth). Planned annual output by 2023 will soon cross 1,000 GWh of capacity Over two-thirds of it will be in China. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Community Funded Solar Installations Officially Opened In Bendigo” • Solar energy projects funded by Bendigo’s local community were officially opened last week in an event attended by Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio.The projects were carried out through Bendigo Sustainability Group. [Solar Quotes]

Rooftop solar power

¶ “South Africa Urged To Speed Up Transition To Money-Saving Renewable Energy ” • A study from the University of Cape Town’s Energy Research Centre states that renewable energy plus flexible generation or storage provides the least-cost pathway for the electricity sector and new coal or nuclear power plants should not be built. [Business Day]

¶ “Tesla Model 3 Starting To Reach Eastern Europe” • Central and Eastern Europe are not EV paradises. EVs had a 0.25% market share of Polish car sales in 2018. That may change soon as the Polish government provides consumer support through new incentives for potential EV buyers and as the more affordable Model 3 is available. [CleanTechnica]

Teslas at the November 2018 Warsaw Motor Show

¶ “Nordex Group Bags Order For 166 Of MW Wind Turbines In Argentina” • German wind turbine maker Nordex Group has announced an order to supply 38 wind turbines with a combined capacity of 166 MW in Argentina. The contract for the wind farm was awarded by Genneia, a renewable energy Independent Power Producer. [ETEnergyworld.com]

¶ “MHI Vestas Confirms Kindcardine Floating Gig” • MHI Vestas has confirmed that it will supply turbines to the 48-MW second phase of the Kincardine floating offshore wind farm off Scotland. The deal is for V164-9.5MW machines, which will be installed on Windfloat semi-submersible foundations in water depths of 60-80 meters. [reNEWS]

Vestas V164-9.5MW turbine (Image: MHI Vestas)

US:

¶ “Energy Dept Sees Gold In US Wind Energy ‘Dead Zones'” • Last week Pres Trump ridiculed the US wind industry during a high-profile campaign stop in Minnesota. The very next day, the DOE clapped back with another $28 million in funding for research projects aimed at accelerating US wind energy development. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Corporate Giants Target 60 GW Of US Renewable Energy” • Announced late last week (28 March), REBA has committed to creating 60 GW of renewables in the US by 2025. The Alliance will seek to accelerate the uptake of clean energy in the country from the 6.2 GW of corporate renewables deals that were issued in 2018. [edie.net]

Solar array

¶ “New York Is Expected To Become The Second State To Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags” • New York may be the second US state to ban single-use plastic bags. The ban could go into place next March. It is expected to be passed as part of the state’s 2020 budget deal, which Gov Andrew Cuomo and state legislative leaders said they have made. [CNN]

¶ “University Moves Forward With Renewable Energy Plan” • The University of Maine System board of trustees authorized the spending of up to $5.7 million to continue negotiations for a plan to shift the Orono campus from use of fossil fuels to renewable energy. The project will also help the local economy by creating about 50 jobs. [The Maine Campus]

Have a sustainably merry day.

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Or visit To Help Support George’s Work.

Opinion:

¶ “Debunking Myths: Five Things To Know About Green Infrastructure” • Most people think that building dams, water treatment plants, and similar works is the only solution for the problems of drought, flooding, lack of safe water, but that’s only because they have never considered the many benefits of green infrastructure. [CleanTechnica]

Mangrove forest (Photo via syoclo | pixabay)

¶ “Experts Examine Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Green New Deal” • The Green New Deal may have failed a recent US Senate vote, but it still remains as a political lighting rod. Stanford experts discuss the science behind the politics. Solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, and even fossils with carbon capture are considered. [Stanford University News]

¶ “Climate Change Is Here in NJ, And We Need A Green New Deal, Environmentalist Says” • The most important division in our country today is not between red and blue states. It is between green states and not-green states, as President Trump’s war on the environment places great responsibility on states to carry the climate fight. [NJ.com]

After Superstorm Sandy (Chris Knight | The Patriot-News PN)

¶ “New Book, Consumers, Prosumers, Prosumagers, Reveals Dramatic Changes Coming” • This book, by Fereidoon Sioshansi, helps readers grasp the spirit of the times, the importance of the stakes and the uncertainty of the outcomes. The 19 essays, written by experts in their respective fields, deal with disruption of utility business models. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Massive Cost And Burden To Society And The Environment Of The Internal Combustion Engine” • The internal combustion engine has transported us for more than one hundred years. But with all its convenience, has the ICE and its necessary companion fossil fuel come to burden us more than it benefits us? [CleanTechnica]

Kuwait oil field fire (Jonas Jordan, US Army Corps of Engineers)

World:

¶ “Renewables Prove Their Power” • The electricity industry is changing. In 2017, global investment in renewable energy was $310 billion, more than double global investment in fossil-fuelled and nuclear electricity combined. Numerous detailed studies suggest that 100% renewable electricity is technically and economically feasible. [Brisbane Times]

¶ “Ukraine Raises Commissioning Of Renewable Energy Facilities By 5.4 Times” • In the first quarter of 2019, the Ukraine commissioned 861.1 MW of renewable capacity, which is 5.4 times more than in the same period last year, and 16% more than in the whole 2018. The Ukraine’s renewable energy capacity has hit about 3 GW. [Kyiv Post]

Engineer descending a staircase (Photo: Yuliana Romanyshyn)

¶ “Japan To Oppose New Or Expanded Coal-Fired Power Plants In Blow To Australian Exports” • Japan’s environment minister has announced he will “in principle” oppose any new plans to build or expand coal-fired power stations, as further signs emerge of a dramatic energy pivot by Australia’s top export market for thermal coal. [The Guardian]

¶ “ASEAN Fast Becoming A Renewable Energy Hub” • Two of the four trends expected to drive Southeast Asia’s transition to renewable energy are technological innovations and favourable government policies. Two others are consumers driving the green agenda forward and the entry of new funds into the renewable energy market. [The ASEAN Post]

Geothermal power station (Bay Ismoyo | AFP Photo)

¶ “Alberta Doctors Urge Calgarians To Consider Climate Changes At The Polls” • A group of Alberta doctors want climate change action to be top of voters’ minds as they head to the polls. They are looking to target what they’re calling “ambivalence” toward the issue. They have taken a series of ads on billboards and in a newspaper. [CBC.ca]

¶ “UN Report: Extreme Weather Displaced 2 Million People In 2018” • Extreme weather events impacted close to 62 million people in 2018 and displaced over two million as of September of that year. That is just one of the alarming findings in the UN World Meteorological Organization’s Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2018. [DeSmog]

Flooding after Hurricane Florence (National Guard photo)

US:

¶ “Judge Rules Trump Executive Order Allowing Offshore Drilling In Arctic Ocean Unlawful” • A federal judge in Alaska ruled an executive order by Pres Trump allowing offshore oil drilling of millions of acres in the Arctic Ocean is “unlawful and invalid.” The ruling means a drilling ban protecting Arctic waters will go back into effect. [CNN]

¶ “Illinois’ Legislature Is Now Pro-Climate Action: Law Repeal Invites Carbon Reduction” • Illinois has repealed the Kyoto Protocol Act of 1998, which prohibited the state from creating restrictions for the “purpose of addressing the adverse effects of climate change which in whole or in part reduces emissions of greenhouse gases.” [CleanTechnica]

Global warming (Pixabay image)

¶ “Tennessee Religious Groups Plea To Ford: Support Higher Fuel Economy Standards” • A number of religious organizations, including Tennessee Interfaith Power And Light, have presented a petition to a local Ford dealer asking Ford Motor Company to support the fuel economy standards put in place by the Obama administration. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Poll Shows Pennsylvania Voters Back Climate Action” • A wide majority of Pennsylvanians registered to vote, 67%, believe climate change is already causing problems, while a similar proportion believe the state needs to do more to fix them, a Franklin & Marshall College poll showed. The findings come amid a churn of climate news. [Altoona Mirror]

Have a persistently gleeful day.

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Or visit To Help Support George’s Work.

Opinion:

¶ “Concerning Humanity’s Future: An Interview With Nick Humphrey, Climatologist And Geoscientist” • In an interview, Meteorologist/geoscientist Nick Humphrey addresses issues of climate change and how to deal with it. He addresses its dangers and the limited abilities of geoengineering and nuclear power to address it. [SF Bay Area Indymedia]

Bomb cyclone (NOAA image)

World:

¶ “Kochi Metro To Double Its Solar Power Usage To 40%” • The second phase powering of Kochi Metro with solar power is beginning with the installation of panels at Muttom yard. This will double Metro’s solar power usage to 40%. By 2020, solar power will be in use at all stations as well as depots and thirteen Metro buildings. [ETEnergyworld.com]

¶ “UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions Fell 3% In 2018” • Greenhouse gas emissions across the United Kingdom fell by 3% in 2018, according to new figures published by the country’s government this week, bringing the country’s total emissions decrease since 1990 to 44%. Emissions in 2018 stood at to 449 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. [CleanTechnica]

Coal-burning power plant

¶ “Largest Tesla Battery Storage Installation In Asia For Japanese Railway” • Tesla completed its largest battery storage installation in Asia. The 4.2-MW/7-MWh facility in Osaka, Japan, uses 42 Tesla Powerpack battery storage units, which were installed in just 2 days following their arrival onsite. The customer is Kintetsu Railway. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “PDPU To Rope In Oil Companies To Harness Geothermal Energy” • After a successful pilot project in the Indian state of Gugerat, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University plans to tap a large geothermal source for commercially viable electricity production. It is looking to help from oil companies for drilling and exploration. [ETEnergyworld.com]

PDPU (Wikipedia image)

¶ “Deutsche Telekom Tees Up New Renewable Energy Targets” • Deutsche Telekom said that it plans to cover all of its electricity needs with renewable sources by 2021. The renewable energy goal also includes T-Mobile in the US. It revised a previous target by DT to reduce its emissions by 20% by 2020 compared to those of 2008. [FierceTelecom]

¶ “UK Renewables Generate Record Levels Of Electricity In 2018” • Provisional figures published by the UK Government show that renewable energy sources generated a record 33% of electricity in 2018, increasing by 11.8% over 2017 levels, led by a record year for wind energy generation which provided 17.1% of the UK’s electricity. [CleanTechnica]

Walney Extension

¶ “Verbund Pilots Green Hydrogen In Austria” • Austrian energy company Verbund is testing the potential for partial substitution of natural gas with hydrogen at its 838-MW Mellach power plant. The ‘green’ hydrogen, made with solar and wind power, will be mixed with natural gas to drive the two gas turbines at Mellach, Verbund said. [reNEWS]

US:

¶ “US Energy Utility Ameren To Trial Blockchain” • US energy utility Ameren plans to work with Opus One Solutions to build a clean energy infrastructure and trial blockchain, according to an announcement. Ameren has 2.4 million electricity customers and 900,000 natural gas customers. Ameren is working to diversify its generation portfolio. [Ledger Insights]

Solar energy

¶ “Target Announces ‘Ambitious’ And Groundbreaking New Climate Goals” • Target, the eighth largest retailer in the US, announced new climate targets to build on the company’s previous goals, which included 100% domestic emissions reduction. It laid out a new reduction target for the company’s entire supply chain. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Talk Is Still Cheap: Illinois Coal Collapse Looms” • The hits just keep on coming for the US coal industry. In the latest development, industry insiders anticipate more mines to close or consolidate in Illinois, a leading US coal-producing state. Either way, miners in Illinois are looking down the long, dark barrel of unemployment. [CleanTechnica]

Family and coal machine

¶ “Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance Includes Apple, Alphabet, GM, Walmart, Johnson & Johnson, Facebook, And Disney” • The Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance includes Apple, Alphabet, General Motors, Walmart, Johnson & Johnson, Facebook, and Disney, plus a fair number of other companies and nonprofit organizations. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Mexico’s 100% Clean Energy Law Praised For Worker Retraining, But Community Concerns Remain” • The new energy law Gov Grisham signed, which mandates 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045, also lays out a process for closing coal-fired power plants and moving workers to new jobs. But not everyone is pleased. [Greentech Media]

Coal plant (WildEarth Guardians | Flickr)

¶ “Hawaii Regulators OK Six Solar-Plus-Storage Systems For Hawaiian Electric Cos” • The Hawaiian Electric Cos won approval from state regulators for six solar-plus-battery-storage projects on three islands. HECO said it is “the largest and lowest-cost portfolio of renewable energy resources to be assembled at one time in Hawaii.” [Pacific Business News (Honolulu)]

¶ “Hampshire Power Transitioning To Renewable Energy” • Hampshire Power the only local nonprofit electricity supplier in Massachusetts, supplies 72% of its customers with green energy. They are looking to increase that to 100% by use of solar, wind, and agricultural anaerobic digesters that convert organic waste into biogas. [WWLP.com]

Have a completely glorious day.

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Or visit To Help Support George’s Work.

Opinion:

¶ “The Young Minds Solving Climate Change” • People of the younger generations understand that there are solutions to the problems of climate change. “The climate crisis has already been solved. We already have all the facts and solutions. All we have to do is to wake up and change,” said Nobel Prize nominee Greta Thunberg. [BBC]

Waterfall in the Amazon rain forest (Getty Images)

¶ “Perry’s Approval Of Secret Authorizations For Saudi Nuclear Deal Makes Experts Nervous” • Six secret authorizations have been approved by US DOE Secretary Rick Perry for companies to sell nuclear energy technology to Saudi Arabia. But Saudi Arabia has not signed any agreement not to use enriched materials to build weapons. [ThinkProgress]

World:

¶ “After Cyclone Idai, Climate Chief Warns Of More Extreme Weather” • Extreme weather events, such as Cyclone Idai, are becoming more frequent due to climate change and will intensify if countries do not take urgent action to curb global warming, the UN secretary general warned. “No country or community is immune.” [CNN]

Flooding in Mozambique after Cyclone Idai

¶ “Soaring Electric Car Sales Around The World” • Plug-in vehicles had a banner year in 2018. Global sales totaled 2.1 million units, a 64% increase from 2017. As a share of the overall light vehicle market, cars with plugs reached 2.2% for the year, and an impressive 3.8% for the month of December, according to EV-Volumes.com. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Copenhagen Way Ahead Of Official Plans – Electric Buses To Enter Operation 6 Years Early” • The media outlet TV2 Lorry reports that the citizen representation of the municipality of Copenhagen has approved phasing out all diesel buses in the city before the end of 2025, starting with the budget of 2019. This is six years ahead of schedule. [CleanTechnica]

Electric bus in Copenhagen (Leif Jørgensen, Creative Commons)

¶ “It Took Just Two Summers For Renewables To Replace Hazelwood” • For CO₂ pollution, Hazelwood was the worst coal power station in Australia, but it was very important for power supplies. The AEMO said it would take eight years to replace it with a coal plant. But it took two summers to replace it with wind and solar. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “New Wind Farm To Be New Zealand’s First Large-Scale Generation Since 2014” • New Zealand electric utility Mercury will develop the country’s first large-scale generation capacity addition since 2014 with a 119-MW wind farm to be built in the south of the North Island. It has been in the development pipeline for 15 years. [RenewEconomy]

New Zealand wind energy

¶ “City Of Sydney To Go 100% Renewable For Electricity” • In a decision endorsed by Council this week, the City of Sydney has committed to using 100% renewable energy sources to meet its electricity needs. The City has already installed solar panels on dozens of its buildings and reduced electric consumption by 26% since 2006. [Solar Quotes]

¶ “Vestas Feeds Subsidy-Free First In Denmark” • Vestas has won a turbine order totalling 17-MW from Hirtshals Havnefond for Denmark’s first utility-scale subsidy-free wind farm. The project, which will be located on the waterfront in the Port of Hirtshals in the northwestern part of the country, will feature four V136-4.2MW machines. [reNEWS]

Vestas V136-4.2MW (Vestas image)

US:

¶ “‘I Know A Lot About Wind,’ Trump Says. A Government FAQ Proves He Doesn’t” • “If it doesn’t blow, you can forget about television for that night,” Trump said, adding, “I know a lot about wind.” But the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy says that the power grid is capable of handling variations of wind energy. [USA TODAY]

¶ “Corporate Giants Form Alliance To Buy Renewable Energy” • Some of the top manufacturers in the US, consumer companies, and high technology firms are launching Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance. The trade organization is expected to create a boom in renewable energy purchases throughout corporate America. [Kallanish Energy]

Solar collectors in California (Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Energy Industry Says NH Could Soon See Offshore Wind, Modernized Grid, More EV Chargers” • Energy industry players have announced big plans for the future of New Hampshire’s electric grid, including offshore wind. This came even as some progressive energy ideas continue to stir controversy in state government. [New Hampshire Public Radio]

¶ “Tucson Electric Power To Double Its Renewable Energy Output With New Mexico Wind Project” • Tucson Electric Power is building its biggest renewable-energy project yet. It is the massive Oso Grande Wind Project in southeastern New Mexico, which will help the company more than double its generation of renewable energy by 2021. [Arizona Daily Star]

New Mexico wind turbines (AE Araiza | Arizona Daily Star)

¶ “DTE Speeds Move To Renewable Energy: What It Means For Customers” • DTE Energy CEO Gerry Anderson announced a more aggressive schedule for the Detroit-based power company to reduce its carbon output and rely more on renewable energy sources including wind and solar. DTE will close its coal-burning plants early. [Detroit Free Press]

¶ “Florida Charges Ahead With 400-MW Mega-Battery” • Florida Power & Light is building the world’s largest solar-powered battery, four times the capacity of the world’s largest operating battery in South Australia. The 409-MW facility, to be commissioned in late 2021, will be charged by an existing FPL PV plant in Manatee County. [reNEWS]

Have a marvelously superior day.

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geoharvey is not tax-deductible.
Or visit To Help Support George’s Work.

Science and Technology:

¶ “Greenland’s Most Critical Glacier Is Suddenly Gaining Ice, But That Might Not Be A Good Thing” • Greenland’s largest and most critical glacier, Jakobshavn, is gaining ice, according to NASA researchers. This might sound like good news, but the reason for the ice accumulation might spell disaster in the long run. [CNN]

Glacier (Joe Raedle, Getty Images Europe, Getty Images)

¶ “Awesome Solid State Battery Breakthrough News” • In theory, solid state batteries will cost less, last long, and be able to go through more charging cycles than traditional lithium-ion batteries. They may have higher energy density, weigh less, and be smaller. The need no cobalt, and they do not explode or catch fire. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “How Hydrogen Is Transforming These Tiny Scottish Islands” • Scotland’s Orkney islands produce more clean energy than their inhabitants can use, so they make hydrogen for fuel with the excess energy. If all goes according to plan, by 2021 the islands will have the world’s first sea-going car-and-passenger ferry fueled only by hydrogen. [BBC]

Wave energy generator (Credit: Alamy)

¶ “Global Energy Demand Increased 2.3% In 2018, Pushing Energy-Related Emissions Up By 1.7%” • Global energy demand increased by 2.3% in 2018, the fastest growth this decade, driven by a strong global economy and increased heating and cooling needs. This drove global energy-related CO₂ emissions up by 1.7% to 33 gigatonnes. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “RenewableUK Seeks Plan For Large-Scale Deployment Of Floating Wind” • RenewableUK, the trade body for the wind and marine energy industries in the UK, launched a new industry group, the Floating Wind Steering Group, with the intention of developing a strategy for the large-scale deployment of floating wind technology. [CleanTechnica]

Hywind Scotland, the world’s first floating wind farm

¶ “Vestas ‘Tops’ 2018 Turbine Orders Chart” • Global wind turbine orders grew 31% in 2018, with Danish manufacturer Vestas securing the most deals, according to a new report from Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables. The report, “Global Wind Turbine Order Analysis: Q1 2019,” said Vestas booked 14.2 GW of orders in 2018. [reNEWS]

¶ “Strong Support For South Australia’s 100% Renewables Target” • Residents of South Australia have shown overwhelming support for the 100% Renewable Energy Target by 2030, a poll indicates. Of those surveyed, 69% said they were in favor of the target regardless of their political affiliation, The Australia Institute found. [pv magazine Australia]

Hornsdale wind farm and power reserve (Image: Neoen)

¶ “IEA: One-Quarter Of Global Power Is Renewables” • Over 25% of global power output is from renewable sources, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency. The paper “Global Energy & CO₂ Status Report,” said renewables grew by 4% in 2018, representing almost one-quarter of global energy demand growth. [reNEWS]

¶ “East Java Sees Geothermal As The Most Relevant Renewable Energy” • For Java, geothermal energy is the most relevant form of renewable energy, according to East Java’s Deputy Governor, who said, “As much as 40% of the total geothermal energy in the world is in Indonesia.” East Java has thirteen potential sites for geothermal development. [ThinkGeoEnergy]

Indonesia (Sakuntala Stei | Flickr, creative commons)

¶ “Making Metals With Renewable Energy” • In what’s been described as a first-of-a-kind project, Element 25, an Australian company specializing in manganese production, will test such renewable energy solutions as wind and solar for powering the electrowinning processes in the production of electrolytic manganese metal. [pv magazine Australia]

US:

¶ “Electric Vehicles Are Driving Rates Down: How Do EVs Impact Electricity Rates?” • Some people believe that charging EVs will necessarily stress the electric grid, resulting in costly upgrades that drive up electric rates. Analysis conducted by Synapse Energy Economics found the opposite has been observed in the real world. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model 3

¶ “Trump’s Clean Car Rollbacks Would Cost Drivers More Money, Finds Surprised Bush-era Official” • A study by President George W Bush’s anti-regulatory czar found that the current fuel efficiency and emissions standards are good for the economy as a whole, mostly due to the significant savings American drivers would see at the pump. [DeSmog]

¶ “US Devotes More Coal-Killing Dollars To Cut Solar Costs” • Bad news for the US coal industry just keeps rolling in, and now natural gas stakeholders also have a reason to fret. The US Department of Energy has just announced a new $130 million round of funding aimed at driving the cost of solar power down, down, down. Ouch! [CleanTechnica]

Concentrating solar power

¶ “Mitsubishi Launches US Renewable Energy Subsidiary” • Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas has launched Oriden, a US-based renewable energy solutions provider. Located in Pittsburgh, Oriden will be fully backed by MHPS to pursue end-to-end offerings of renewable energy solutions for customers independently. [PV-Tech]

¶ “Clock Ticking On Pennsylvania Nuke Subsidy Bill Hearings” • Pennsylvania lawmakers proposed a $500 million plan to subsidize the state’s nuclear fleet, but hearings on the issue still appear to be weeks away. They do not have much time. Exelon promised to begin the four-month deactivation process for Three Mile Island on June 1. [RTO Insider]

Have an agreeably great day.

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Or visit To Help Support George’s Work.

World:

¶ “‘Doomsday Vault’ Town Warming Faster Than Any Other On Earth” • Longyearbyen is the world’s northernmost town, just 800 miles from the North Pole. It is the capital of a cluster of Norwegian islands called Svalbard and home to the “Doomsday Vault.” It is warming faster than any other town on Earth, and the warming is a problem. [CNN]

Entrance to the doomsday vault

¶ “European Countries Are The Most Ready For Global Energy Transition” • Sweden, Switzerland, and Norway lead European countries judged by the World Economic Forum as those most ready for the global energy transition. Canada, Australia, and South Korea are the only Advanced Economies performing well below the average. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Lion Electric Launches A Class 8 Truck With Up To 400-Km Range” • Lion Electric, based in Canada, is adding a new full electric class 8 truck to its lineup. It will be available with up to 400 km of range per charge and will be in production in the fall of this year. Lion Electric’s earlier vehicles include electric school buses. [CleanTechnica]

Lion8

¶ “Greens Lift 2030 Renewable Target To 100%, Would Revive Carbon Price” • Top Greens climate policies for the upcoming Australian federal election are carbon-free electricity by 2030, a halt to thermal coal exports by 2030, and an economy-wide carbon price. After the May poll, the Greens could hold the balance of power in the Senate. [The Sydney Morning Herald]

¶ “Indonesia Charts A New, Low-Carbon Development Path. Will Other Countries Follow Suit?” • Indonesia’s socio-economic performance has been impressive. In two decades, the country cut extreme poverty in half and doubled per capita income. A government report says it can expect more improvement from going green. [CleanTechnica]

Indonesian farmers (International Rice Research Institute)

¶ “Germany’s Uniper Feeds Wind Power-To-Methane Into Gas Grid” • German utility Uniper has started producing methane gas derived from wind power and feeding it into the gas pipeline networks at its Falkenhagen site as the country seeks wider uses for renewable energy. The green methane is a replacement for natural gas. [Reuters]

¶ “Battery And Offshore Wind Costs ‘Tumble’” • Prices for lithium-ion battery storage as well as offshore wind have fallen more sharply than other clean generation technologies in the past year, according to BloombergNEF. The price for energy from lithium-ion batteries has fallen 35% since the first half of 2018, to $187/MWh. [reNEWS]

Wind turbines (reNEWS image)

US:

¶ “Utilities ‘Driving’ US Solar-Storage Growth” • Electricity produced by storage-plus-renewables plants is now cheaper in some states than natural gas, with utilities driving adoption of the technology, a report from Navigant Research says. Renewables combined with storage have become competitive with combined cycle gas plants. [reNEWS]

¶ “Green New Deal Stalls In Senate After Largely Political Debate” • Senators had a spirited debate over the merits of the Green New Deal, a broad policy proposal from liberal Democrats to battle climate change and other social ills. But no one was willing to vote to advance the measure before final legislative language was written, and it stalled. [CNN]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

¶ “Updated Nissan Leaf Battery – 50% More Battery” • While the 2019 Nissan Leaf is part of the second-generation model of the best-selling electric vehicle, the battery pack inside the new Leaf Plus is actually more like a fifth-generation unit. The new battery is 62 kWh, and designing it to fit into the space of its 40-kWh predecessor was not easy. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Square Roots And Gordon Food Service Announce First Urban Farm Campus Location” • Urban farming experts Square Roots and food distribution giant Gordon Food Service announced their first urban farm campus will be in Wyoming, Michigan. Throughout the US and Canada, the demand for locally grown food is growing. [CleanTechnica]

Tending vegetables (Square Roots photo)

¶ “Wonderful Sets Goal Of 100% Use Of Renewable Energy By 2025” • Agricultural giant The Wonderful Co, which is local to southern California, plans to announce that it will power its operations with only renewable energy by 2025, joining a growing list of companies moving away from fossil fuels for its electricity. [The Bakersfield Californian]

¶ “A Senate Bill Would Reclassify An Oregon Garbage Incinerator As A Renewable Energy Plant” • A bill before the Oregon Senate would reclassify a Covanta waste-to-energy incinerator in Brooks that burns 550 tons of garbage a day as a renewable energy plant. The bill is opposed by environmental groups and citizens. [Willamette Week]

Incinerator (Antoine Taveneaux)

¶ “Idaho Power Aims To End Use Of Coal And Natural Gas” • Idaho Power has announced a bold goal to operate its grid entirely on clean energy by 2045. Only six years ago, Idaho Power used coal for more than 40% of the power it generates for its 560,000 customers across Southern Idaho and part of eastern Oregon. [Idaho Statesman]

¶ “Start Of New Era As Decommissioning Process Begins At Oyster Creek” • Retiring a nuclear plant includes powering down the reactor, removing and cooling the spent fuel, and then loading that fuel into steel-reinforced concrete for what’s known as dry storage. The job of decommissioning will take at least eight years. [NJ Spotlight]

Have a fantabulously amusing day.

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geoharvey is not tax-deductible.
Or visit To Help Support George’s Work.

Science and Technology:

¶ “NASA Is Using Lasers In Space To Measure The Size Of Trees On Earth” • A laser imaging system on the International Space Station provides highly refined measurements to calculate the size and shape of individual trees from 250 miles above the Earth. It will help scientists gauge how much carbon is stored in forests. [CleanTechnica]

Engineer inspecting the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation system (Desiree Stover | NASA Goddard)

¶ “Can Soil Microbes Slow Climate Change?” • Some climate experts say that to combat its threat, it is now imperative for society to use carbon farming techniques that extract carbon dioxide from the air and store it in soils. A critical question is whether scientists can find ways to store more carbon while also increasing agricultural yields. [Scientific American]

World:

¶ “Slashing Fossil Fuel Use Could Save Millions Of Lives At Risk Due To Air Pollution, Study Says” • Air pollution causes many premature deaths, which can cause heart, lung and other diseases. Worldwide, 3.61 million people die each year due to outdoor pollution caused by fossil fuels, an international team of researchers estimates. [CNN]

Air pollution (Fred Dufour | AFP | AFP | Getty Images)

¶ “Copenhagen Net Zero By 2025 Plan May Depend More On Politics Than Technology” • Copenhagen has an ambitious plan to become the first net zero capital city by 2025. It has already reduced carbon emission by 42% compared to 2005. The biggest obstacle to reaching its goal is not technology. It is political opposition. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Finns Take Local Wind Honours” • CPC Finland secured the rights to develop the 120-MW Lakiakangas 3 wind farm in Finland’s first technology neutral renewable energy tender. The 23-turbine project will be located near Isojoki and Kristinestad in the southern Ostrobothnia region. Commissioning is planned for early 2021. [reNEWS]

Wind turbine (Pixabay image)

¶ “Global Coal Use Up As Greenhouse Gas Emissions Rise” • Greenhouse gas emissions from energy production rose strongly again last year, according to new data from the International Energy Agency. A young fleet of coal-fired power plants in Asia accounts for a large proportion of the increase, but energy demand is growing, too. [The Guardian]

¶ “EDF Greens French Cash And Carry” • EDF subsidiary Agregio is to supply cash and carry company Metro France with 100% renewable energy under a power purchase agreement. Agregio will source power from a wind farm operated by Eurowatt for the sole benefit of Metro France.The three-year agreement covers 25 GWh of electricity. [reNEWS]

Wind farm (EDF image)

¶ “China Building Floating Nuclear Power Plants To Power Ocean Colony Of Artificial Islands In ‘sinister Military Sea Grab’” • China  is developing a fleet of floating nuclear plants as part of plans to tighten its grip on the South China Sea. The £300 million shipborne stations will bring clean energy, heat, and water to remote islands and oil rigs. [The Sun]

US:

¶ “The State(s) Of Distributed Solar – 2018 Update” • As renewable energy grows, new solar PV capacity, including from small-scale distributed solar systems (such as rooftop arrays), and shared community solar gardens have played a significant role in the overall transition to clean energy. A map shows a state-by-state breakdown. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “West Virginia Rethinks Quashing Solar Net Metering” • West Virginia has called for a time-out in its four-year effort to rewrite solar net metering rules to the detriment of both solar hosts and solar installers. This comes thanks to evidence that solar power benefits all customers and a massive campaign by Solar United Neighbors. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “30 Years After Exxon Valdez, New Perspectives On Fossil Fuel Dangers” • On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez, carrying 53 million gallons of oil, hit a reef in the Gulf of Alaska, beginning an ecological nightmare. But today, the terms ‘oil extraction’ and ‘disaster’ today, evoke images of a more global and destructive force. [CleanTechnica]

Cleanup after the Exxon Valdez spill (Source: NOAA)

¶ “Shutting Down Almost Every Coal Plant And Swapping For Renewables Would Save Money, Report Finds” • Few reports make really clear how much US coal is a dead man walking. Energy Innovation analysis shows that it would cost less to tear down 74% of US coal plants and replace them with renewables than to let them keep operating. [Gizmodo]

¶ “Consumers Energy To Seek 5 GW Of Solar By 2030 Under Clean Energy Plan” • Consumers Energy filed a clean energy plan with Michigan regulators that includes a promise to add 5 GW of solar through competitive bidding by 2030, as part of its goal to cut carbon emissions by 90% and phase out all coal-fired power by 2040. [Greentech Media]

Large solar array

¶ “Puerto Rico Has Just Passed Its Own Green New Deal” • Puerto Rico has passed a bill to radically transform the island’s economy with renewable energy as the central pillar. Its legislature approved Senate Bill 1121, the Puerto Rico Energy Public Policy Act, which will set the island on a path to 100% renewable energy by 2050. [Forbes]

¶ “After Federal Inaction, States Consider Support For Nuclear” • For months, state legislatures and the energy industry waited for President Trump to make good on his campaign promises to subsidize coal and nuclear plants. With no action there, some states are taking matters into their own hands by developing subsidy plans of their own. [InsideSources]

Have a stunningly gorgeous day.

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geoharvey is not tax-deductible.
Or visit To Help Support George’s Work.

Opinion:

¶ “How Electric Cars Can End The Age Of Oil” • There was a time when economies were dominated by salt, but that ended with the creation of the refrigerator. Today, oil dominates economies, but a 2% drop in demand could lead to panic. Adoption of electric cars is leading to a growing drop in demand, and there will be no recovery from that. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Taxis in Dubai

Science and Technology:

¶ “Pairing Geothermal Plus Rooftop Solar For A Truly Renewable Home” • Heating and cooling represent 47% of the energy used in an average home. Renewable energy holds the promise of supplying power needs cleanly, safely, and reliably. Combining rooftop solar with geothermal heating can make heating entirely renewable. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Reshaping Africa’s Rural Food Systems And Cutting Food Losses” • About a third of Africa’s food is lost because of a lack of refrigeration. With no electric power, many African farmers depend on brokers to get their crops to market. But the brokers are unreliable and pay a pittance for their crops. Distributed power means that could change. [CleanTechnica]

Growing mangoes (Courtesy of Peyton Fleming)

¶ “First Utility Rebrands As Shell Energy Retail” • A year after Shell acquired First Utility it has rebranded the supplier as Shell Energy Retail and confirmed that it has switched more than 700,000 homes in Britain to 100% renewable electricity. SER said it will roll out a “range of smart home technology offers” throughout the year. [Utility Week]

¶ “Statkraft Team Targets UK Solar Storage Surge” • Norwegian energy company Statkraft and flow batter developer RedT are partnering to provide behind-the-meter solar and energy storage for commercial and industrial clients in the UK. Their goal is to have 100 MW of solar power and 60 MWh of storage within three years. [reNEWS]

RedT energy storage (RedT image)

¶ “Train Service In Tokyo Powered Fully By Renewable Energy” • Tokyu Corp began a train service on its Setagaya Line in Tokyo that uses electricity generated 100% from renewable energy resources. According to the railway operator, this is the first urban train service in Japan that relies entirely on renewable energy. [Nippon.com]

¶ “Saudi Arabia Plans 2.6-GW Solar Park Near Mecca” • The Faisaliah Solar Power Project is planned to be developed near Mecca in several stages according to the Saudi authorities. The Renewable Energy Project Development Office will tender 600 MW, and 2 GW will be built by the Public Investment Fund and its partners. [pv magazine International]

Mecca (Image: Omar Diab, flickr)

¶ “Copenhagen Wants To Show How Cities Can Fight Climate Change” • Can a city cancel out its greenhouse gas emissions? Copenhagen intends to, and fast. By 2025, this once-grimy industrial city aims to be net carbon neutral, meaning it plans to generate at least as much renewable energy as the amount it consumes. [New York Times]

¶ “Hydro Could Triple Australia’s Electricity Storage” • A study by an Australian National University researcher found a series of Pumped Storage Hydropower projects planned in five states could triple Australia’s electricity storage capacity. He says the projects could accelerate Australia’s transition to renewable energy. [Energy Magazine]

Dam (Shutterstock image)

¶ “CEA Projects Rise In Share Of Renewables In India To 36% By 2021-2022, Coal To Shrink To 26%” • With India’s plan to install 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022, the grid integration of intermittent renewable energy sources is expected to be a challenge. The Central Electricity Authority has released a report addressing the issues. [Mercom India]

¶ “Government Pledges To Generate 70% Of Electricity From Renewable Sources By 2030” • As part of a new climate action plan, the Government of Ireland has pledged to generate 70% of the country’s electricity supply from renewable sources by 2030. The figure is up from the current target for the period, which stands at 55%. [RTE.ie]

Wind farm in Ireland

¶ “Court Rejects Bid To Block South Australia Wind And ‘Biggest’ Battery Project” • A legal bid to block the development of a 180-MW South Australian wind farm that plans to host an energy storage facility more than twice the size of the Tesla big battery, has been rejected by the state’s Environment Resources and Development Court. [RenewEconomy]

US:

¶ “California Solar Sets Record, But That’s Not The Big News” • On March 16, California set a new solar energy record, when solar output peaked at 10,765 MW, breaking a record set last June and supplying 59% of grid demand for the state. That  does not include distributed solar, however, which would bring the figure to nearly 16 GW. [CleanTechnica]

California solar (Pacific Southwest Region, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “DC’s Trumpiest Congressman Says The GOP Needs To Get Real On Climate Change” • Florida’s 36-year-old congressman Matt Gaetz was deemed by GQ “the Trumpiest Congressman in Trump’s Washington. Nevertheless, asked about climate change, he said, “We can believe the climate deniers or we can believe our eyes.” [VICE]

¶ “Along The Susquehanna, Three Mile Island’s Towers Remain A Constant Reminder Of The 1979 Disaster” • On March 28, 1979, one of the nuclear plant’s reactors suffered a partial meltdown. As the anniversary of that incident arrives, people who were there at the time remember. The debate on the dangers and health effects continues. [Allentown Morning Call]

Have a thoroughly enchanting day.

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geoharvey is not tax-deductible.
Or visit To Help Support George’s Work.

Opinion:

¶ “Propaganda, Politics, And The Environment” • Democratic systems can fail when those in the position of making and maintaining laws, the politicians, put their personal ends before the society that the system was originally built to benefit. They use propaganda to achieve their ends. Democracy in America is failing because of it. [CleanTechnica]

A “Torch of freedom” that kills one in five people

¶ “Floods Show Security Threat Posed By Climate Change” • The Missouri River floodwaters surging on to the air base housing the US military’s Strategic Command overwhelmed round-the-clock sandbagging by airmen and others. It is a reminder that the kind of weather extremes escalating with climate change are not limited to the coasts. [Sumter Item]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Wow: US Government Warns There’s A Spring Flood Risk For Two-Thirds Of The Lower 48” • Historic floods have deluged vast swaths of the Midwest. But NOAA says the floods are not close to over. The agency’s 2019 Spring Outlook found that nearly two-thirds of the lower 48 states are at risk for flooding in the coming months. [Yahoo News]

Flood threat

World:

¶ “Fracking Plan ‘Will Release Same CO₂ As 300 Million New Cars’” • The UK government’s fracking proposals would release the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as almost 300 million new cars, fatally undermining the obligation of the country’s ministers to tackle the escalating climate crisis, according to new research. [The Guardian]

¶ “How Climate Change Is Affecting World Cup Ski Racing Circuit” • For those who compete in the snow, climate change is obvious. From shrinking glaciers and inadequate snow cover to tempestuous storms and too much of the white stuff, racers on the World Cup circuit have to adapt to conditions noticeably different than they were ten years go. [CNN]

Petra Vlhova (Hans Bezard | Agence Zoom | Getty Images)

¶ “SolarCity Founders Peter And Lyndon Rive Join ZOLA Electric To Advance Solar In Africa” • Brothers Lyndon and Peter Rive, the co-founders of SolarCity, have a new pet project that also happens to be powered by the sun. They have moved to the rapidly growing solar-plus-storage company ZOLA Electric to bring electricity to off-grid Africa. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Volkswagen Joins Forces With Northvolt For European Battery Union” • As manufacturers are increasingly cooperating, Volkswagen and Northvolt, a Swedish battery maker, are joining forces to create the European Battery Union. It will include research and industry partners from seven EU nations and is to begin operating in 2020. [CleanTechnica]

VW ID Buzz

¶ “Gambia: World Bank And Europe Allocate €164 Million To Renewable Energy” • The Gambian government’s renewable energy development program is getting its first financing, €164 million, from international donors. The new funding is coming from the World Bank, the European Union, and the European Investment Bank. [AFRIK 21]

¶ “UAE Plans $163 Billion Spend On Sustainable Energy” • The UAE is taking early steps to bid farewell to the last barrel of oil. The UAE will invest Dh600 billion ($163 billion) to 2050 to meet the growing energy demand and ensure the sustainable growth of economy, said the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority in a new report. [Trade Arabia]

Solar array (©Jenson | Shutterstock)

US:

¶ “Luke Air Force Base, With The Arizona Sun, On Target With Renewable Energy Goals” • A solar effort at Luke Air Force Base that is still going on began with a huge array of PVs nearly a decade ago. The Department of Defense is increasing reliance on renewable energy to 25% at all of its military branches and institutions by 2025. [AZCentral.com]

¶ “RES Starts Construction On 160-MW Southern Oak Solar Project In US” • Renewable Energy Systems, an engineering and construction company for wind, solar, transmission, and energy storage projects, has started construction on the 160-MW Southern Oak Solar Project in Georgia. RES said it is the largest US bifacial solar project. [Compelo]

Bifacial solar system (Photo: Renewable Energy Systems Ltd)

¶ “Navajo Tribe Rejects Coal, Embraces Clean Energy” • After the defeat of tribal legislation designed to save the coal-burning Navajo Generating Station, new legislation was introduced to replace the Navajo Nation’s current energy policies, which have been focused on coal, with a vision based on sustainable and renewable energy sources. [Red, Green, and Blue]

¶ “New Bills Aim To Make Maryland Reliant On Renewable Energy” • In Maryland, environmental activists, Democratic legislators, and energy companies have been pushing for a bill that would increase the state’s renewable energy standards to 50% by 2030. That standard would increase to 100% renewable energy by 2040. [Bay Net]

Wind farm

¶ “Bangor Moving Forward In Solar Discussions” • Renewable energy may soon be making its way to Bangor, Maine. Working with Maine-based ReVision Energy, the Bangor City Council concluded a feasibility report for a potential large scale solar array in the city. It is estimated that there could be roughly $4 million in savings. [NewsCenterMaine.com]

¶ “New Hampshire Officials Unhappy With Neighbors’ Nuclear Option” • The New England states have aggressive goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adopt clean energy. But some New Hampshire officials fear that Connecticut’s decision to support the Millstone nuclear plant will increase costs for Granite State residents. [The Union Leader]

Have a phenomenally nice day.

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Or visit To Help Support George’s Work.

Opinion:

¶ “How Co-ops Are Bringing Solar Power To Rural America” • In 2014, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association studied what some of its members saw as a touchy subject: local solar powered electricity. Only 20% of its 42 million members seemed interested having more solar power. But things began to change quickly. [Scientific American]

Solar array

¶ “Beneficial Electrification: Plug In For The Greener Grid!” • An NRDC report shows the US can achieve the emissions reductions it needs with bold action to increase energy efficiency, renewable energy, electrification of vehicles, buildings using clean power, and electric grid enhancements. And this is the point where beneficial electrification comes in. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “The Potential Of Ammonia As Carbon-Free Fuel – Major New Research Project At The University Of Aarhus” • A major new research project at the Department of Engineering at Aarhus University could revolutionize production of ammonia. And ammonia has the potential to revolutionize the entire energy and transport sector. [CleanTechnica]

Research center at Aarhus University (Lars Kruse | AU Foto)

¶ “Amnesty International Calls For Ethical Battery Technology” • Electric cars, buses, trucks, ships, and planes may be crucial to fighting the dangers of global warming. But some are warning that the process of producing lithium-ion batteries is having serious unintended environmental consequences that need to be addressed. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Electric Buses Avoid Three Times More Fossil Fuels Than Electric Cars, Finds BNEF” • A new report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance claims electric buses displace far more fossil fuels than electric cars. China leads the way when it comes to reducing the use of fossil fuels, most importantly diesel, in its transportation sector. [CleanTechnica]

Electric buses in Shinzen (EyeShinzen)

World:

¶ “UBS Tightens Coal Financing Standards And Strengthens Sustainable Investments” • Swiss investment banking giant UBS has decided to further tighten its standards on coal financing transactions, ruling out project-level finance to new coal-fired power plants. It will also double penetration of its sustainable investments by 2020. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “India Issues Seventh National Wind Energy Tender, Offers 1.2 GW” • India is trying at the national level to makeup for the lost time to meet its target to have 60 GW of installed wind energy capacity by March 2022. India has also announced a medium-term renewable energy target of 500 GW of installed capacity by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

Wind Turbines (Pexels image)

¶ “Banks Funneled $1.9 Trillion Into Fossil Fuels Since Paris Agreement” • A new report published this week shows that 33 global banks provided $1.9 trillion to fossil fuel companies since the adoption of the Paris Climate Agreement at the end of 2015 and that the amount of fossil fuel financing has increased in each of the past two years. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “South Pacific’s Biggest Solar Plant To Help Tonga Meet Renewable Energy Target” • Tonga Power Limited signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with Sunergise New Zealand Limited in the capital, Nuku’alofa. Sunergise will finance, build, and operate the 6-MW solar farm, the largest in the South Pacific, on Tongatapu. [Saurenergy]

Solar plant

¶ “Kuwait-Saudi Consortium Wins 500-MW Solar Project In Oman” • A consortium of Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power, Kuwait’s Gulf Investment Corporation, and Alternative Energy Projects Company has won the bid to develop 500 MW of large utility-scale solar independent power projects located at Ibri in Oman, according to Reuters. [Mercom India]

US:

¶ “Avista’s Chooses Washington Wind Farm For Latest PPA” • Avista, a power company serving Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, signed a purchase power agreement with developer Clearway Energy Group for energy from Rattlesnake Flat Wind, which has already been permitted and is to be built in Adams County, Washington. [Windpower Engineering]

Wind turbines

¶ “New Mexico Takes Bold Step Toward A Cleaner, Stronger 21st Century Economy” • New Mexico Gov Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law The Energy Transition Act (SB489), advancing the state’s national leadership in renewable energy with a goal to source 50% of New Mexico’s energy from renewable sources by 2030. [Windpower Engineering]

¶ “Navajo Nation Company Ends Bid To Buy Power Plant, Mine” • One of the largest coal-fired power plants in the West will close this year as planned, as a Navajo Nation company ended its long-shot bid to acquire it. The Navajo Transitional Energy Company had looked into buying the power plant and the coal mine to save revenue and jobs. [Associated Press]

Navajo Generating Station (Ross D Franklin | AP File Photo)

¶ “California In ‘Extreme Peril’ From Fire Threat, Gov Gavin Newsom Says, Declares Statewide Fire Emergency To Prepare” • California Gov Gavin Newsom declared a statewide wildfire emergency, citing “extreme peril” to life and property. The declaration suspends environmental and bidding practices to speed forest clearing. [The Weather Channel]

¶ “US Finalizes $3.7 Billion Loan For Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant” • The US DOE finalized up to $3.7 billion in loan guarantees for construction of two reactors at the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia, tapping a program President Donald Trump’s latest budget zeroed out. Construction of the new reactors is behind schedule and over budget. [CNBC]

Have a resoundingly successful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “A New Energy Future For Puerto Rico Beyond Recovery” • The people of Puerto Rico have an opportunity to build a new type of energy system. They can build one that better protects residents from future super storms, improves the quality of life for everyone, and supports the island’s economy for decades to come. [Environmental Defense Fund]

Yauco, Puerto Rico

Science and Technology:

¶ “New Report Warns Of Dangers To Great Lakes Health And Economy From Climate Change” • A new report provides an updated and detailed picture for how climate change is affecting this crucial source of freshwater and, therefore, threatening public health, infrastructure, fish and wildlife, and the regional economy. [Phys.Org]

¶ “Wind Turbines Make Better Neighbors Than Power Plants” • People living near wind projects strongly prefer their spinning, clean power-producing neighbors over plants that generate electricity from fossil fuels, nuclear, or even solar, a study published in Nature Energy shows. And that is even true in states that produce coal. [Anthropoce]

Homes and turbines

World:

¶ “Load Shedding: City of Cape Town wants To Purchase Power From IPPs” • Cape Town’s mayor revived plans to take South Africa’s department of energy to court, after the recent spate of load shedding. The city is trying to have power distribution taken away from utility Eskom and handed over to independent power producers. [The South African]

¶ “Study: Fossil Fuel Generation Has No Business Case In Australia” • A study published by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and the Australian Energy Market Operator, found solar and wind are the cheapest forms of power even after storage and balancing costs were taken into account. [Greentech Media]

Coal-burning power plant (Loy Yang, Shutterstock)

¶ “ExxonMobil Faces EU Parliament Ban After No-Show At Climate Hearing” • ExxonMobil faces losing its lobby privileges at the European parliament after it failed to show up for the first hearing into climate change denial. Previously, only Monsanto has ever lost access to European MPs, parliamentary meetings, and digital resources. [The Guardian]

¶ “Energy Giants Spent $1 Billion On Climate Lobbying, PR Since Paris: Watchdog” • The five largest publicly listed oil and gas majors have spent $1 billion since the 2015 Paris climate deal on public relations or lobbying that is “overwhelmingly in conflict” with the landmark accord’s goals, a transparency watchdog said. [RTL Today]

Oil rig (RTL file photo | © AFP)

US:

¶ “Ford Announces Plans To Build Electric And Autonomous Cars In Michigan” • Ford announced it will invest $850 million to prepare its iconic Flat Rock assembly plant for building battery electric cars. And the company says it will spend an additional $50 million to equip that factory to manufacture autonomous vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Missouri Regulators Approve $2.3 Billion Grain Belt Express Transmission Line, But Fight Not Over” • Missouri regulators unanimously approved the controversial Grain Belt Express high voltage DC transmission line, designed to move 4 GW of wind energy from western Kansas to states to the east. Opponents say they will appeal. [Utility Dive]

Transmission lines

¶ “ISO NE Reports On Electric Reliability And The Future Of A Hybrid System” • ISO New England, the region’s grid operator, published its 2019 Regional Electricity Outlook, an annual report looking at the trends and challenges affecting its power system. The report shows changing grid demands with new renewables and efficiency. [Vermont Biz]

¶ “TVA Shapes Long-Range Power Plan To Boost Solar, Cut Coal In Next 20 Years” • The Tennessee Valley Authority and its customers will be getting a bigger share of power in the future from the sky than from under ground, under proposals included in a new long-range power plan being prepared by the federal utility. [Chattanooga Times Free Press]

Solar farm (Thomas R Machnitzki, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Donald Trump’s Solar And Wind Power Criticism Slammed By Scientists: ‘Trump Is A Dangerous, Evil Clown’” • Scientists have responded angrily to President Donald Trump’s anti-renewable energy claims. One example is that people would have to turn off their TV sets if there wasn’t enough wind to power turbines. [Newsweek]

¶ “US Solar And Wind Firms Call The ‘Green New Deal’ Too Extreme” • Representatives of America’s clean energy companies are withholding their support for the climate-fighting plan, calling it unrealistic and too politically divisive. The solar and wind industries are keen to grow their businesses in both red and blue states. [Thomson Reuters Foundation]

US solar array

¶ “Two Pennsylvania Townships Announce 100% Renewable Energy Goals” • In Pennsylvania, both Schuylkill Township and Whitemarsh Township approved resolutions to transition to 100% renewable energy. Both aim to use 100% renewable sources for electricity by 2035 and for heating and transportation by 2050, the Sierra Club said. [Solar Industry]

¶ “US Nuclear Is Dying, But It Produced More Electricity In 2018 Than Ever Before” • The Energy Information Administration says the US nuclear fleet produced 807.1 TWh of electricity, barely beating its 2010 record peak of 807 TWh. But the US nuclear industry has been in a well-documented decline. So what gives? [Ars Technica]

Have an absolutely flawless day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Who’s Behind Trump’s Claim The Green New Deal Will Cost $100 Trillion?” • President Trump’s claim that the Green New Deal would cost $100 trillion can be traced back to the Manhattan Institute, a think tank backed by fossil fuel investor Paul Singer and companies like ExxonMobil. The figure was a “guesstimate,” tweeted without cost analysis. [Truthout]

Real Fake (Cole Camplese, Wikimedia Commons)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Aviation Biofuel Research Kicks Into High Gear” • Researchers at the DOE’s Joint BioEnergy Institute have published a paper in the journal Energy & Environmental Science examining ways to produce bio-jet fuel blendstocks. The multi-disciplinary team is focused on optimizing each stage of the bio-jet fuel production process. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Mount Everest: Melting Glaciers Expose Dead Bodies” • Expedition operators are concerned as a number of climbers’ bodies are becoming exposed on Mount Everest as its glaciers melt. Nearly 300 mountaineers have died on the peak since the first ascent attempt and two-thirds of bodies are thought still to be buried in the snow and ice. [BBC]

Mount Everest (Frank Bienewald)

¶ “European Policymakers Endorse Net-Zero Strategy For 2050, Stronger 2030 Targets” • Members of the European Parliament voted last week on a non-binding resolution endorsing a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target for 2050 and increasing the European Union’s 2030 target. The vote was 369 to 116, with 40 abstentions. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hydrogen, Wind, And Solar Powered Yacht ‘Energy Observer’ Calls On Antwerp” • The yacht Energy Observer, the world’s first oceangoing zero emissions catamaran, arrived in Antwerp. It is its 34th port of call since it began its around the world cruise in June of 2017. People can visit to learn more about the ship and its round the world voyage. [CleanTechnica]

Energy Observer

¶ “Japanese Utility Ponders 700-MW Offshore Move” • Japanese utility Tohoku Electric Power Company is participating with Renova in a feasibility study into the possibility of developing a 700-MW offshore wind farm off the coast of Japan. The Oki project would be located off the coast of Yurihonjo City in Akita prefecture. [reNEWS]

US:

¶ “Judge: Government Must Consider Climate Change In Oil Drilling Leases” • Federal agencies must “take a hard look” at the impact of oil and gas drilling on climate change, a federal judge ruled in a case involving oil leases. The order  could have significant implications for the Trump administration’s efforts to expand domestic energy production. [CNN]

Oil drilling (Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty)

¶ “GAF Energy Introduces Integrated Solar Roof & Shingle System” • Standard Industries, the largest roofing company in the world, has created a new division, GAF Energy. Its products enable traditional roofing contractors to offer a solar roof option whether they are building a new home or replacing the roof on an existing home. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Arcimoto Introduces A Custom-Built Electric Vehicle For Around-Town Deliveries” • Electric vehicle company Arcimoto has reshaped its two-seat Fun Utility Vehicle into a single-seat delivery vehicle, dubbed the Deliverator. The prototype shows off the solid electric vehicle drivetrain the company has spent years perfecting. [CleanTechnica]

Arcimoto Deliverator Prototype

¶ “Majority of Livingston Residents To Receive 100% Renewable Energy” • The Township of Livingston, New Jersey, is on track to become the second municipality in the state and eighth in the country to make 100% renewable energy available to a majority of its residents after the mayor and council passed resolutions enabling the shift. [TAPinto.net]

¶ “More Good News About Solar Power & Rural Electric Cooperatives” • The rural electric cooperative movement dates back to the 1930s’ New Deal, when 9 out of 10 rural households had no electricity. Now RECs are recasting themselves as solar power leaders of the Green New Deal, before there even is a Green New Deal. [CleanTechnica]

Rural solar electric power

¶ “Smithfield Foods Adding Wind Turbines To Colorado Hog Farms” • Distributed wind developer United Wind has signed an agreement with Smithfield Foods Inc to power dozens of Smithfield hog farms in Colorado with on-site wind energy. The partnership involves more than 50 distributed wind turbines totaling 3 MW. [North American Windpower]

¶ “Nevada Senator Introduces Legislation for 50% Renewables By 2030 RPS” • Nevada lawmakers will consider legislating a higher state renewable portfolio standard, after state Senator Chris Brooks filed legislation to increase the standard to 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2050. That is an increase from the current goal of 25% by 2025. [Greentech Media]

Solar array at Lake Meade (Credit: Shutterstock.com)

¶ “Maryland Senate Passes Solar-Powered Renewable Energy Mandate” • Maryland’s Senate passed a bill to increase the portion of electricity that utilities must source from renewable energy to 50% by 2030, including 14.5% from solar by 2028. This would be an extension of the state’s current mandate of 25% by 2020. [pv magazine USA]

¶ “Trump To Finalize $3.7 Billion In Aid For Troubled Nuclear Plant” • The Trump administration will finalize $3.7 billion in loan guarantees to Southern Co and its partners who are building a troubled nuclear reactor project in Georgia, the last of its kind under construction in the US, according to two people familiar with the matter. [Bloomberg]

Have a crazy cool day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Can We Go Back To A Clean Future With Hybrid Airships?” • China is betting big on airships for freight with a partnership with French company Flying Whales. Better access to remote areas and big cost savings are the reason, but will airships open a path to cleaner air transport? There are a number of reasons to believe they can. [CleanTechnica]

Flying Whales home delivery

¶ “Storing Energy By Heating Stones To 600 Degrees Could Power Denmark For Hours” • High-temperature thermal energy storage can be cheap, non-degradable, and environmentally friendly. A new system uses storage materials combined with known charging and discharging technology to improve cost and the efficiency of energy storage. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Global Wind Installs Seen At 723 GW Over Next 10 Years” • Global wind power capacity additions in 2019-2028 are seen to reach 723 GW, with a third of them in China, a report by Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables says. The global capacity is currently close to 600 GW, so it will more than double over the next 10 years. [Renewables Now]

Blades installation (Portland General Electric)

¶ “EDPR Wins 492 MW In Colombia Auction” • Renewables operator EDP Renovaveis has won two wind farm contracts in an auction held by the Colombian government. The 20-year contracts are for the 212-MW Alpha and 280-MW Beta onshore projects that EDPR is developing, both of which are expected to enter production in 2022. [reNEWS]

¶ “India’s Mega Renewable Energy Target To Drive Growth Of Wind Energy Sector: WoodMac” • Aggressive renewable energy target in India and “explosive” growth in the offshore sector are expected to drive a 10-year CAGR of 12.2% in the wind energy sector in Asia Pacific, excluding China, said a report by Wood Mackenzie. [EnergyInfraPost]

Offshore wind farm

¶ “Germany Looks To Put Thermal Storage Into Coal Plants” • The German Aerospace Center is investigating whether the country’s coal plants could be reused as energy storage assets. A pilot project will replace the boiler of an old coal plant with a molten salt thermal storage tank that will be heated using excess renewable energy. [Greentech Media]

¶ “Coal-Based Power Tariff May See Hike To Boost Renewables” • To make thermal power stations more flexible to accommodate renewable energy, Indian tariffs of coal-based electricity may be raised by as much as ₹0.45/unit (0.65¢/kWh), or about 13%, depending on the amount of green energy being generated by solar and wind plants. [EnergyInfraPost]

Coal-fired power plant

¶ “Romania’s Nuclearelectrica, US NuScale Power Sign MOU For Small Modular Reactors’ Use” • Nuclearelectrica, the operator of Romania’s sole nuclear facility, the Cernavodă nuclear power plant, has signed a memorandum of understanding with US-based NuScale Power to explore potential uses of small modular reactors in Romania. [SeeNews]

US:

¶ “Climate Change Comes To American Heartland” • Parts of the several states in the Midwest have been devastated by a wicked combination of frozen ground, accelerated snow melt, and 1 to 2 inches of rain. All of these can be attributed to some degree to changes in climatic conditions associated with a warming planet and climate change. [CleanTechnica]

Flooding in Nebraska (Credit: Nebraska National Guard)

¶ “Entergy Arkansas Plans 100-MW Solar-Plus-Storage Project” • The Arkansas subsidiary of Entergy Corp plans a new 100-MW solar power plant with a 30-MWh battery storage component. A subsidiary of NextEra Energy will build the solar park near the city of Searcy, Arkansas. The project is expected to be completed by 2021. [Renewables Now]

¶ “US Clean Energy Jobs Increased 3.6% In 2018 To Nearly 3.3 Million” • There are nearly 3.3 million Americans now working in the clean energy industry, according to a new analysis published by the national nonpartisan business group E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs). The figure shows an increase of 3.6% from the previous year. [CleanTechnica]

Solar installers (SunPower image)

¶ “North Carolina Solar Power Output Increased By 36% In 2018, According To EIA Report” • According to an Energy Information Administration “Electric Power Monthly” report, North Carolina produced 7.2 million MWh of solar generation in 2018, a 36% increase. It was third in the nation for connecting new solar projects in 2018. [Daily Energy Insider]

¶ “S2A Modular Offers Affordable Net Zero Homes With Tesla Renewable Energy Components” • S2A Modular is building a factory in California to build homes using net-zero energy. The best news is that with its modular approach, S2A Modular can provide a superior building for about 20% less money than a traditional structure. [CleanTechnica]

One of several designs of S2A Modular homes

¶ “Monopolies In Michigan Fear Solar, Deliver Some Of Nation’s Most Expensive Electricity” • Analysis by researchers at Michigan Technological University shows how Michigan utilities use political influence to push back against distributed solar systems, leading to the Upper Peninsula having some of the nation’s highest electricity rates. [pv magazine USA]

¶ “US Government Knew Climate Risks In 1970s, National Petroleum Council Documents Show” • A series of newly discovered documents clarify the extent to which the US government, its advisory committees and the fossil fuel industry have understood for decades the impact CO₂ emissions would have on the planet. [DeSmog]

Have a magnificently comfortable day.

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World:

¶ “Germany Renewables Share Jumped To 72.4% Last Week” • It seems to be something of a trend. In the tenth week of the year, Germany got 65% of its electricity from renewable resources. In the eleventh week, the figure rose to 67.6%. In the twelfth week, Germany the figure hit 72.4%, not including 10.9% from nuclear power. [RenewEconomy]

Wind farm (Photo: Karsten Würth, Unsplash)

¶ “Wind Farms Of Enefit Green Produced A Record Amount Of Electricity In February” • The wind farms of Enefit Green, a renewable energy company in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, produced a total of 124 GWh of electricity in February. This is ten times more than a year ago and 30% more than the previous month. [Compelo]

¶ “In Germany, Consumers Embrace A Shift To Home Batteries” • In growing numbers, homeowners in Germany are installing batteries to store solar power. As prices for energy storage systems drop, they are adopting a green vision: a solar panel on every roof, an EV in every garage, and a battery in every basement. [Yale Environment 360]

PV system on a German home (Enerix image)

¶ “Private Companies Appeal To Political Parties To Put Renewable Energy In Poll Manifestos” • On behalf of Clean Energy Access Network, a total of 160 private companies and NGOs have made an appeal to all Indian political parties to include decentralized renewable energy solutions in their manifestos for the general elections. [Prateek kapoor]

¶ “Wind Generated 35% Of British Electricity Last Week” • Wind energy accounted for 35.6% of Great Britain’s electricity generation for the week running March 8 to March 14, beating out all other generation sources. Further, offshore wind provided 21.4% of Great Britain’s electricity, beating out nuclear energy, which provided 21.3% [CleanTechnica]

Turbine of the Walney Extension

¶ “Norwegian Outfit Moots Subsidy-Free Mega-Farm” • Norsk Vind Energi has submitted plans to the Norwegian authorities for a 1500-MW onshore wind farm that would be built without subsidies. The company would start construction of the Hordavind project in 2023, if the plans are approved by the Norwegian authorities. [reNEWS]

¶ “First Australian Solar Farm In Antarctica Opens At Casey Research Station” • The first Australian solar farm in Antarctica is being switched on at Casey research station. Australian Antarctic Division’s director said the 105 solar panels of the system will provide 30 kW of energy, about 10% of the station’s total demand over a year. [Australian Antarctic Division]

Solar array in Antarctica (Photo: Doreen McCurdy)

¶ “Toyota’s Altona Site To Become Hydrogen Production And Refuelling Center” • Toyota and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency will kick in A$7.4 million ($52.5 million) to transform part of the carmaker’s decommissioned car manufacturing site in Altona, Victoria, into a hydrogen production and refuelling site. [The Guardian]

¶ “Sri Lanka To Develop 28 Small Solar Power Projects” • Sri Lanka will develop 28 small solar power projects in its north-central and eastern regions. The tariff for power generated from these projects has been set at Rs12.84 to Rs15.93/kWh (7.2¢ to 8.9¢/kWh). Sri Lanka wants to install 200 MW of solar projects by 2020 and 1,000 MW by 2025. [Mercom India]

Small solar project

US:

¶ “Maine Renews Net Metering As Lawmakers Prep New Clean Energy, Utility Reform Bills” • Maine lawmakers passed a bill to eliminate gross metering in the state and reestablish net metering for solar customers. Gov Janet Mills is thought to be likely to sign it. Other legislating to boost the state’s renewable energy is coming. [Utility Dive]

¶ “New Community Solar Project In Hartland, Vermont Converts Brownfield To Brightfield” • Long View Forest Inc and Encore Renewable Energy announced that they commissioned a 745-kW community solar array in Hartland, Vermont. The project is on a 28-acre “brownfield” property formerly used as a saw mill and lumber treatment facility. [EIN News]

Project in Hartland, Vermont

¶ “California Sets A New Solar Output Record – And It Isn’t Even Spring Yet” • California continues to break new ground in terms of integrating higher levels of solar, even when no one expects it. Data from the California Independent System Operator shows that on March 16 solar output peaked at 10,765 MW around 2:45 PM local time. [pv magazine USA]

¶ “Plans Announced For $150 Million Solar Farm In Michigan” • Calhoun County, Michigan will soon be home to a $150 million solar farm with a maximum capacity of 149 MW. The River Fork Solar Project will be handled by New York-based energy company Ranger Power. It will encompass between 750 and 1,000 acres of land. [Energy Manager Today]

Solar system

¶ “Puerto Rico Is On Its Way To 100% Renewable Electricity” • A bill to mandate that the Puerto Rico’s electric system move to 100% renewable energy by 2050 has been passed in the Puerto Rico Senate. It is now being sent to the House for reconciliation, the last stop before it is expected to be signed by Governor Rosselló. [pv magazine USA]

¶ “Nebraska Floods Inundate Military Bases, Cut Off Nuclear Plant” • Flooding in Nebraska and Iowa has cut roads to the Cooper nuclear power plant. The floodwater forced the operators of the Cooper nuclear plant to fly in staff and supplies by helicopter. Much of Offutt Air Force Base is flooded, as are many communities. [Thomson Reuters Foundation]

Have an invigoratingly groovy day.

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Or visit To Help Support George’s Work.

Opinion:

¶ “The Answer To The UK’s Renewable Energy Future Is Blowing In The Wind” • The UK’s offshore wind sector is booming. Auctions for new capacity held in 2017 resulted in deals at half the price of those signed just two years prior, while we are seeing a steady drumbeat of new records relating to clean power production. [City A.M.]

Windpower (Source: Getty)

¶ “Trump And Republicans Are Isolated On Climate Change” • President Trump and congressional Republicans are increasingly outliers in an otherwise emerging consensus across America that climate change is a problem and that the government should pass new laws to address it. The shift is accelerating, and Republicans are starting to break ranks. [Axios]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Stability Of Solar Cells In Near Space Tested” • Chinese researchers have found that low-cost Perovskite solar cells can retain most of their power conversion efficiency in near space, providing perspectives on the cells’ future application in space. They sent the devices fixed with the cells into near space on a high-altitude balloon. [ETEnergyworld.com]

High altitude test (NASA | JPL-Caltech, Wikimedia Commons)

World:

¶ “A Fresh Vote Of Confidence For Renewables” • Scottish Power announced an investment of up to £2 billion with an aim to make electric vehicles possible for everyone. SP will increase battery storage capacity at its wind farms, develop ‘smart grids’ for customers to buy and sell electricity, and deliver charging points for electric cars. [The Scottish Farmer]

¶ “Energy From Waste And A Circular Economy: Innovative Ideas To Solve The Waste Crisis” • Food scraps are being sent to a waste-to-energy plant in Melbourne. The Yarra Valley Water plant can process up to 33,000 tonnes of food waste every year, enough to power about 2,000 homes. But other type of waste are also being processed. [ABC News]

Road from recycled materials (Image: Close the Loop)

¶ “$400 Million Solar Plan To Power For 33,000 Homes In This Area Of Oman” • Oman Power and Water Procurement Company announced that it will build a $400 million (about 154 million Omani rials) solar plant. Commercial operation of the project will start in 2021. It is to reduce CO₂ emissions by about 340,000 tonnes per year. [Times of Oman]

¶ “Energy Analysts Forecast ‘The End Of Coal’ In Asia As Japanese Investors Back Renewables” • Major Japanese investors, including some with ties to coal, are seeking to back large-scale renewables projects across Asia, marking a “monumental” shift that energy market analysts say is “the start of the end for thermal coal.” [The Guardian]

Offshore wind turbine (Yoshikazu Tsuno | AFP | Getty Images)

¶ “China Can’t Quite Match Appeal Of European Firms As Asia’s Windpower Infrastructure Boom Begins” • Building a new generation of windpower infrastructure across key economies in Asia could add up to a bonanza for European firms, a rare case where state-owned Chinese companies find themselves at a disadvantage. [South China Morning Post]

¶ “Vestas Team Forecasts More Precision In Australia” • Vestas and a subsidiary are to pilot a short-term wind power forecasting tool in Australia. This will forecast energy generation from wind power more accurately, reduce generators’ dispatch uncertainty, and improve system stability by better anticipating supply from renewable sources. [reNEWS]

Wind farm (Vestas image)

¶ “Court Rejects Call To Halt Nuclear Reactor In Western Japan” • A Japanese court rejected a plea by local residents to halt a nuclear reactor operated by Shikoku Electric Power Co in western Japan, one of several reactors currently running in the country. The decision is in line with past rulings by other regional courts. [Japan Today]

US:

¶ “Alaska Mine Seen As A Threat To Pacific Northwest, Salmon” • Fishermen, business owners, Alaska Native organizations, and environmental groups have protested a proposed open-pit copper and gold mine at the headwaters a pristine salmon habitat for decades. Now the federal government is inching toward approving it. [The Spokesman-Review]

Stream in threatened salmon habitat (Associated Press)

¶ “New Alternative To Trump’s Wall Would Create Jobs, Renewable Energy, And Increase Border Security” • A group of scientists and engineers has proposed to several US members of Congress that the US and Mexico build a series of guarded solar, wind, natural gas, and desalination facilities along the entirety of the border, instead of a wall. [Big Think]

¶ “Construction Of Texas’ Largest Solar Farm Gets Underway Near Midland” • Enel Green Power North America, Inc started construction of what will be the largest solar farm in Texas. The company’s 497-MW Roadrunner solar project is expected to generate around 1,200 GWh of electricity annually when it is fully operational. [El Paso Times]

Have a gloriously joyful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Tesla Model Y Will Be World’s Safest Crossover & Quickest Affordable Crossover Or SUV” • Tesla vehicles are designed and built to be the safest consumer vehicles on the planet. The Model 3 got the highest score ever from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And the Model Y is expected to be close to that. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model Y

¶ “Many In Germany Still In A Diesel-Fueled Daze, In Denial About EV Transition” • The German auto industry has been through quite a scandal surrounding dieselgate. But that’s not stopping some from clinging to diesel. The Verge reports that diesel-energy enthusiasts are showing their frustration through weekly protests. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Are These Tiny, ‘Inherently Safe’ Nuclear Reactors The Path To A Carbon-Free Future?” • Many people within the nuclear industry see its future in small modular reactors. They expect the worldwide market for such reactors to reach $100 billion by 2035. There are others, however, who question the projections, both for cost and for safety. [Philly.com]

Three Mile Island nuclear plant (Carolyn Kaster | AP)

World:

¶ “Labor Promises $100 Million For ‘Solar Schools'” • Labor leader Michael Daley pledged to spend $100 million installing solar panels on hundreds of public schools in New South Wales. He linked his “solar schools package” to recent student climate strikes and said they would help teach students about renewable energy. [The Sydney Morning Herald]

¶ “New Energy And Climate Plan Stresses Focus On Solar Power” • Malta will increase its focus on solar energy under a new draft National Energy and Climate Plan, though development policies and lack of available land could slow the shift. The plan lays out key objectives for Malta of a 19% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. [Times of Malta]

Solar farms on Malta (Photo: Jonathan Borg)

¶ “School Rooftops Will Generate Solar Energy For 16,000 Houses In The West Bank” • The European Investment Bank and the Palestine Investment Fund have signed a loan agreement for $18 million to finance the installation of rooftop PV systems on 500 public schools in the West Bank. They will have a total capacity of 35 MW. [Reliefweb]

¶ “Pakistan Boosts Renewable Energy” • Pakistan has a new renewable energy policy to help reduce carbon footprints drastically by increasing its 4% renewables share to 30% by the year 2030. Together with hydro-electric resources, the clean and green resources share for electricity generation will cross 60% of total generation. [Gulf Today]

Utility employee in Islamabad (Agence France-Presse)

¶ “ENGIE Reduces Its Coal Power Stake With The Disposal Of Glow” • ENGIE announced the sale of its 69.1% stake in Glow for €2.6 billion, after official authorization by Thailand’s Energy Regulatory Commission. Glow’s facilities have a total capacity of 3.2 GW, including 2 GW powered by coal and 1 GW provided by natural gas.  [Utilities Middle East]

¶ “Role Of Solar In Nepal’s Energy Mix Looks Set To Expand” • The energy mix of Nepal, which has been dominated by hydropower, is expected to become more diverse as private developers show interest in installing solar plants in various locations. Licenses to install 317.14 MW of solar power have been awarded this year. [The Kathmandu Post]

Solar array in Nepal (Post file photo)

US:

¶ “Wyoming Coal Producer Had $718 Million Loss In 2018” • A year-end financial report indicates that coal producer Cloud Peak Energy could be 30 days away from declaring bankruptcy following a $718 million loss and a failure to renegotiate with creditors. A media report says it cannot make interest payments on its debt. [Scottsbluff Star Herald]

¶ “SEC Charges Volkswagen And Martin Winterkorn With Massive Fraud” • The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Volkswagen and its former chief executive, Martin Winterkorn, with defrauding investors. The SEC says that Winterkorn was in on the whole diesel emissions cheating scheme as far back as 2007. [CleanTechnica]

Screenshot of a pre-scandal VW ad

¶ “Covanta Energy Criticizes New State Carbon Emissions Policy” • Long Island’s four waste-to-energy power plants may face millions of dollars in higher costs and potential shutdown if a new state policy to reduce carbon emissions is approved by regulators in the coming year, say officials at Covanta Energy, which owns three of the plants. [Newsday]

¶ “PSE To Buy Electricity From Planned Bickleton Solar-Energy Farm” • Puget Sound Energy will purchase all of the electric power generated at a planned Klickitat County solar farm, the 150-MW Lund Hill project, for its program to provide electricity from renewable sources, state officials and the solar farm’s operator said. [Yakima Herald-Republic]

Have a prodigiously nifty day.

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Or visit To Help Support George’s Work.

Opinion:

¶ “‘All Generations Must Fight Climate Change'” • The Global 100% Renewable Energy Platform has called on all generations to follow the lead of school children striking today to fight climate change and transition to a clean power future. Global100RE leaders said young people in more than 100 countries around the world are demonstrating. [reNEWS]

School climate strike (Credit: Jeff Green)

World:

¶ “Shell Rebukes Trump And Doubles Down On Electricity” • Royal Dutch Shell has made it clear this week that, at least publicly, it has no interest in doing business as usual. It called on the US Trump administration to tighten methane restrictions and announced it plans to be the largest power company in the world by the early 2030s. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “UN Resolution Pledges To Plastic Reduction By 2030” • One hundred and seventy countries have pledged to “significantly reduce” the use of plastics by 2030. The non-binding resolution was made over throwaway items like plastic bags. An initial proposal to phase out single-use plastic by 2025 was opposed by several nations including the US. [BBC]

Plastic litter on a beach (Getty images)

¶ “BNP Paribas Announces Plans To Hasten Divestment From Coal” • The investment arm of the world’s seventh-largest bank, BNP Paribas, announced plans to implement an enhanced coal-exclusion policy. It will tighten the company’s exclusion policy on companies engaged in mining thermal coal and generating electricity from coal. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Volkswagen Hints At Family Of Affordable EVs Based On MEB Chassis” • At a media event, Volkswagen offered more details about the portfolio of electric cars it intends to build on the MEB platform. There may be an “MEB entry family” with prices starting as low as €20,000 ($22,700) a range of around 200 km or roughly 125 miles. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen MEB Chassis

¶ “Chernobyl: The End Of A Three-Decade Experiment” • Since the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986, an area of more than 4,000 square kilometers has been abandoned, open mostly to scientific study. That could be about to change, as journalist Victoria Gill discovered during a week-long trip to the exclusion zone. [BBC]

US:

¶ “Renewable Power Transmission Line To Transport Energy From Iowa To Chicago” • Direct Connect Development Co seeks to construct a 2,100-MW high-voltage renewable power transmission line that would run underground from rural Iowa to the Chicago, Illinois area. The power line is to run along existing railroad tracks. [Hydrogen Fuel News]

Iowa wind turbines (Tony Webster, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Florida Power & Light Proposes New Community Solar Program That Would Largest In The United States” • Florida Power & Light Company filed a proposal with the Florida Public Service Commission for a new community solar program. It would give customers a way to participate as Florida becomes a world leader in solar energy. [Solar Builder]

¶ “How Arkansas Eliminated Third-Party Solar Barriers In A Red State” • A Republican-sponsored bill passed in Arkansas this week is seen as a major boost for solar power as it will allow third-party financing and increase project size limits in the state. The bill was passed in the Senate with a vote of 28-2 and in the House by 83-5. [Utility Dive]

Solar array

¶ “Exelon Joins Supporters Backing 100% Clean Energy In Illinois” • Exelon says it joined environmental organizations, community leaders, business groups, and lawmakers to support legislation that will move Illinois to 100% carbon-free power for customers in northern Illinois and meet US Climate Alliance commitments. [Windpower Engineering]

¶ “Northern Kentucky At The Forefront Of Switching To Clean, Renewable Energy” • Kentucky is shifting to clean, renewable energy sources, and Northern Kentucky is at the forefront of that movement, thanks to efforts by Duke Energy Kentucky and Owen Electric, the major electrical energy suppliers in the region. [The Lane Report]

Duke Energy project in Kentucky

¶ “New Mexico Passes Bill To Plug Cars Into Clean Electricity” • Aside from Tesla’s Superchargers, there are only six public fast-charging locations in New Mexico. That should change soon, however, thanks to bipartisan legislation backed by Governor Lujan Grisham, which is now headed to her desk to be signed into law. [Natural Resources Defense Council]

¶ “New York Solar Power Company Investing $150 Million For Sheridan Township Project” • A New York solar power company plans to invest $150 million to install hundreds of thousands of solar panels on more than 750 acres in Sheridan Township. Ranger Power’s River Fork Solar project is planned to have a capacity of 149 MW. [Battle Creek Enquirer]

Ranger Power solar project (Photo: Provided)

¶ “Millstone Strikes Deal To Stay Open 10 More Years” • The Millstone Nuclear Power Station will stay open for another 10 years, a prospect that had been in some doubt recently even after it was selected as a winner of the final carbon-free energy competition by the Malloy administration. The announcement came just before a deadline. [CT Post]

¶ “Cooper Nuclear Station Still Operating But Preparing For Shutdown As Missouri River Hits Record Levels” • Nebraska’s lone nuclear plant prepared to shut down in the face of record rises in the Missouri River. However, as of about 6 pm, it was still operating, said Mark Becker, spokesman for the Nebraska Public Power District. [Omaha World-Herald]

Have a fantastically good day.

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Or visit To Help Support George’s Work.

Opinion:

¶ “Fighting Climate Change And Embracing Renewables” • Fighting climate change is no longer an expensive hobby for the rich. Rather, embracing renewables will make everybody richer, says the Danish Minister for Energy, Utilities, and Climate, Lars Christian Lilleholt. Denmark has reduced its emissions a lot as its economy grew. [Open Access Government]

Emissions

Science and Technology:

¶ “New Fuel Cell Material Can Run Efficiently In Reverse, Storing Energy” • Researchers have developed a fuel cell that can be run efficiently in both directions, either using hydrogen or methane to produce electricity or using electricity to produce these fuels. Their measurements suggest that they get 75% efficiency in a cycle. [Ars Technica]

World:

¶ “Global Climate Strikes Are Happening Now. Young Environmental Activists Skip School In A Call To Action.” • Tens of thousands of students in over 100 countries and 1,500 cities worldwide are walking out of class and piling into the streets, demanding that world leaders take action on a threat to their survival – climate change. [CNN]

Climate strike in Wellington, New Zealand

¶ “An Open Letter Endorsing The Global School Strike For Climate” • More than 240 scientists have already signed a document supporting students around the world in their demand for bold action to make sure the world they grow up in is livable. This article contains the text of that open letter by climate scientists. [Scientific American]

¶ “UK’s First Offshore Wind Farm To Be Decommissioned” • E.ON Energy announced that the 4-MW Blyth Offshore Wind Farm will be decommissioned beginning in April. It was the first wind farm in UK waters and has of two turbines. Since it was installed in 2000, E.ON has built 1.5 GW of wind capacity off the UK coast. [CleanTechnica]

Blyth Offshore Wind Farm (E.ON Energy image)

¶ “GE Installs World’s Largest Onshore Wind Turbine In The Netherlands, The 5.3-MW Cypress” • GE Renewable Energy announced that it has successfully installed and begun operations of the world’s largest onshore wind turbine, the Cypress 5.3-MW prototype. The new Cypress turbines are designed to produce over 20 GWh per year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “International Energy Agency Sees No Peak Oil In Sight, US To Lead Oil Supply Growth” • The International Energy Agency sees no peak in oil demand and expects the US will drive global oil supply growth over the next five years, it said in its most recent annual oil market forecast. The IEA also forecasts growth among other countries. [CleanTechnica]

Pump jack

¶ “German Storage Sector Hits €5 Billion” • The German energy storage industry’s turnover has reached €5 billion ($5.66 billion). This is an increase of 9% over 2017, according to figures released by national trade body BVES. The association said the industry also grew by 9% in terms of people employed, which now stands at 12,100. [reNEWS]

¶ “Welsh Think Tank Unveils Plan For 100% Renewable Energy By 2035” • The Welsh think tank Institute of Welsh Affairs has published the report “A plan for Wales’ renewable energy future: essential actions to re-energize Wales by 2035.” It provides a look into ways Wales could make the transition to 100% renewable energy. [Power Technology]

Welsh wind farm (Credit: Gareth Lovering Photography)

¶ “Japan Court Rejects Bid To Shut Shikoku Electric Nuclear Reactor” • A branch of the Yamaguchi District Court rejected a lawsuit to shut down Shikoku Electric Power Co’s only operating nuclear reactor, Kyodo News reported. The 890-MW reactor was restarted on October 27 of last year and is currently running at full capacity. [ETEnergyworld.com]

US:

¶ “San Francisco Municipal Utility To Focus On 100% Renewable Energy And Job Creation” • A report by Renewable Energy World says San Francisco may buy the grid infrastructure left behind by PG&E to serve as the backbone for a new full service municipal utility. Its principal goals will be bringing 100% renewable energy to the city and creating jobs. [CleanTechnica]

San Francisco

¶ “Musk Adds New Model Y To Electric Car Line-Up” • Tesla has launched its latest car, the Model Y, its second mass-market electric vehicle. The first release is a long-range version with a price tag of $47,000 (€41,500, £35,489). CEO Elon Musk said a standard-range model priced at $39,000 would be available in 2021. [BBC]

¶ “Money Talks: US Clean Energy Jobs Outnumber Fossil Fuel Jobs 3-To-1” • The US economy still added 110,000 new jobs in the clean energy sector in 2018, including clean energy, clean vehicles, and energy efficiency. That brought US clean energy jobs to 3.26 million last year, almost three times the number of fossil fuel jobs. [CleanTechnica]

Clean energy worker

¶ “Renewable Energy Reduces The Highest Electric Rates In The Nation” • Coal is the primary fuel source for Midwest electric utilities. Michigan Technological University researchers found that increasing renewable energy and consumer access to distributed generation sources can save Michigan electric consumers money. [Phys.org]

¶ “Creation Of Panel Disputing Climate Change Causes White House Infighting” • Plans to create a White House panel to dispute established climate science are facing sharp opposition from within the building, according to Myron Ebell, who led the Trump transition team for the EPA. He acknowledged resistance to the plan. [Press of Atlantic City]

Have an enchantingly enjoyable day.

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Or visit To Help Support George’s Work.

Science and Technology:

¶ “Italian Duo Fly With Energy Kite” • Saipem, an Italian oil and gas contractor, is to work with compatriot company KiteGen Venture to develop, construct, and commercialize technology for kites to produce electricity from high altitude wind. They aim to generate 3 MW of electricity using kites connected to a ground-based generator. [reNEWS]

Kite generating system (Image: Saipem)

World:

¶ “Building-Integrated Photovoltaics Emerging, Thanks To NZEB Goals” • Incorporating solar generation in building materials may finally become a mainstream practice, with both solar windows and solar panels used to create net-zero buildings. Regulations in places like California and Germany are driving the building-integrated PVs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Kids Around The World Plan To Skip School This Friday To Demand Action On Climate Change” • Young people around the world are not interested in excuses when it comes to dealing with climate change. Many believe that their generation will be left to deal with catastrophic consequences, if nothing is done to stop global warming. [CNN]

Climate strike  in Brussels (Eric Lalmand | AFP | Getty Images)

¶ “Namibia Targets Renewable Power Generation As Main Source” • Namibia has finalized the National Renewable Energy Policy for the country and will lean heavily towards the use of the renewable power generation options as a main electrical generation source, according to the country’s Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy. [Xinhua]

¶ “The ‘Ecological Foundations Of Society’ Are In Peril, A Massive UN Report Warns” • Human activities are degrading the global environment fast enough to endanger the “ecological foundations of society” and human health, a landmark UN report says. By dealing with that, we can have less poverty and hunger while preserving the environment. [CNN]

Air pollution (Fred Dufour | AFP |. AFP | Getty Images)

¶ “RWE Targets 3-GW Annual Renewables Drive” • RWE Renewables is planning to add up to 3 GW per year of new capacity around the world. The German power company said today it will spend around €1.5 billion every year to grow its existing 9-GW portfolio. Growth will be focused on Europe, the Asia-Pacific and Americas. [reNEWS]

¶ “EDP To Invest €12 Billion Through 2022, Mostly In Renewables” • Portuguese utility Energias de Portugal SA plans roughly €12 billion ($13.6 billion) of investments over the next four years and about 75% of that amount will be directed towards renewable energy. It plans to put €5 to €5.5 of that into onshore windpower. [Renewables Now]

Timber Road Wind Farm (EDP Renewables North America)

¶ “India’s Nuke Deal With US Gets A New Life As Washington Reiterates Intent To Build Six Reactors As Planned” • Slow-moving US plans to set up six nuclear plants in India received a boost as the two nations reiterated their commitment to strengthen security and civil nuclear cooperation during the 9th India-US Strategic Security Dialogue. [Business Insider India]

US:

¶ “US Adds 10.6 GW Of Solar In 2018” • The United States added 10.6 GW of new solar PV capacity in 2018, down slightly on that installed in 2017. Nevertheless, there is an expectation that the market will rebound in the years ahead. These are the high-level findings from the US Solar Market Insight 2018 Year-in-Review Report. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array with storage in Texas

¶ “Trump Administration Concedes Coal Is Collapsing On Its Watch As Renewables Soar” • Coal production will drop nearly 8% in 2019 and 4.5% in 2020, a new analysis from the Trump administration says. But over the same two years, total renewable power generation will rise 30%, according to Energy Information Administration projections. [ThinkProgress]

¶ “Black And Latinx Americans Suffer More From Dirty Air But The EPA Is Charging Ahead With Rollbacks” • Black and Latinx Americans suffer the impacts of air pollution generated by their white counterparts, according to a study that probes the racial gap between those who cause poor air quality and those who suffer from it. [ThinkProgress]

Los Angeles smog (Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images)

¶ “SunPower And Sierra Club To Partner On Residential Solar Incentive Program” • Grassroots environmental organization Sierra Club has partnered with one of America’s leading solar manufacturers, SunPower, on a new incentive and rebate program open to the organization’s more than 3.5 million members and supporters. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EDF Fires Up 100-MW Minnesota Wind” • EDF Renewables North America started commercial operations at the 100-MW Stoneray wind farm in Minnesota. The project features 39 Siemens Gamesa turbines. Electricity generated by Stoneray will be delivered to Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency starting in 2020. [reNEWS]

EDF EN wind-farm (Credit: Herve Hote)

¶ “Tesla And Pasadena Will Cooperate To Build Largest Fast Charging Facility In Western US” • Tesla and the city of Pasadena have agreed to a five year plan that will see them cooperate on the construction of the largest EV fast charging facility in the western US. The Pasadena city council voted 7 to 0 to move forward with the plan. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Canadian Storage Books 100-MW US Adventure” • Canadian outfit CellCube Energy Storage Systems is to develop 100 MW of energy storage projects in the US in partnership with an unnamed local energy project developer. It said the storage will be standalone plants or linked with solar to offer power for trading and ancillary services products. [reNEWS]

Have a perfectly lovely day.

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Or visit To Help Support George’s Work.

Opinion:

¶ “Wyoming’s Coal Plants Are So Unprofitable Republicans Turned To A ‘Socialist Program’ To Save Them” • Wyoming recently enacted a law that forces utilities seeking to shut down unprofitable coal plants to try to sell them first, and then to buy back the power from the new owner, even if cheaper power is available. [ThinkProgress]

Coal processing plant (Robert Nickelsberg | Getty Images)

World:

¶ “Nissan LEAF Passes 400,000 Mark, Company Targets Electrification For Asian Markets” • The Nissan LEAF is the best-selling battery electric car of all time. Though Tesla is catching up, Nissan has sold over 400,000 LEAFs since it introduced the car in 2010. Now Nissan is planning to introduce the LEAF to more countries. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Floating Solar Trampoline By Ocean Sun Tested By Statkraft” • Statkraft’s Albania unit bought a uniquely designed floating solar trampoline manufactured by Norwegian startup Ocean Sun for deployment at the Banja reservoir in Albania. The 2-MW array consists of four floating units of 0.5 MW each, at a total cost of €2.3 million ($2.6 million). [CleanTechnica]

Ocean Sun floating solar array (Ocean Sun image)

¶ “‘Change Now Or Pay Later’: RBA’s Stark Warning On Climate Change” • A deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia warned in a speech to the Centre for Policy Development that climate change is likely to cause economic shocks and threaten Australia’s financial stability unless businesses take immediate stock of the risks. [The Sydney Morning Herald]

¶ “Europe Leads The Way To 40% Below 1990 Levels By 2030” • With the US and Canada emitting more CO₂ than ever, the only good news comes from the EU which has already met its 2020 emissions target. Agora Energiewende has just released a report explaining how Europe leads the way to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

Paris (Chris Waits, Flickr, CC BY SA 2.0)

¶ “Magallanes Generates Electricity To UK Grid At EMEC” • Spanish tidal energy developer, Magallanes Renovables, has generated its first electricity into the UK national grid. Its tidal energy converter was recently connected at the European Marine Energy Centre’s tidal energy test site in Orkney, Scotland. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Volkswagen Planning 22 Million Electric Vehicles In Ten Years” • The Volkswagen Group is forging ahead with plans for almost 70 new electric models in the next ten years, instead of the 50 previously planned, thereby increasing VW’s projected number of vehicles on electric platforms to 22 million. VW plans to be CO₂-neutral by 2050. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

VW eGolf

US:

¶ “Trump Cites Debunked Greenpeace ‘Co-founder’ To Discredit ‘The Whole Climate Crisis'” • President Trump, pursuing his long-standing crusade to discredit climate science, touted a self-proclaimed environmental expert’s appearance on Fox News in support of his views. Greenpeace quickly responded, debunking Patrick Moore. [Yahoo Entertainment]

¶ “Local Initiative Underway To Fight Climate Change” • An initiative in New York State, Localizing Buffalo’s Renewable Energy Future, is led by the  University at Buffalo. It includes SUNY Buffalo State, SUNY Erie, the city of Buffalo, and Erie County. The partners goal is to increase their use of clean renewable energy by 50%. [WBFO]

Solar trackers (Photo: Chris Caya, WBFO News)

¶ “Renewable, Energy Efficiency Groups Mount United Front Vs. Trump Budget” • Energy efficiency programs, clean energy, and environmental regulations could take deep cuts if President Trump’s proposed budget gets everything what he wants. The budget bill will start, however, in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. [Power Engineering Magazine]

¶ “US Winery Harvests The Wind” • A California winemaker has realised annual energy bill savings of $50,000 thanks to an onsite wind turbine. Two years ago Scheid Family Wines pulled out roughly an eighth of a hectare of vines and replaced them with a 1.85-MW GE turbine, supplied and maintained by Foundation Windpower. [reNEWS]

Scheid Family Wines’ wind turbine (GE image)

¶ “Massachusetts And California Rank High In Energy Democracy” • Massachusetts, California, New York, and Illinois are the top four states for energy democracy, a report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance says. The states were ranked by their commitment to boosting community-level renewable energy. [Microgrid Knowledge]

¶ “North Carolina Studies Offshore Wind Potential” • North Carolina governor Roy Cooper has included funding in his 2019-2021 budget for a study looking at the potential for offshore wind off the coast of his state. Some $300,000 will be used to carry out analysis of ports to ascertain the potential for hosting offshore wind activities. [reNEWS]

Offshore windpower (reNEWS image)

¶ “Energy Bill’s Passage Portends End Of Coal Era In NM” • New Mexico’s Legislature has moved to Gov Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk a controversial bill designed to dramatically increase the amount of renewable energy used to produce electricity in New Mexico. The House passed the bill 43-22. It is supported by Gov Grisham. [New Mexico Political Report]

¶ “Duke Seeks To Recoup $125 Million For Abandoned Lee Nuke Project” • Duke Energy Carolinas is asking for permission to charge its South Carolina customers roughly one-quarter of the pre-construction costs of the abandoned $11 billion Lee Nuclear Project in Cherokee County as part of its $168 million rate hike request. [Spartanburg Herald Journal]

Have a memorably relaxing day.

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geoharvey is not tax-deductible.
Or visit To Help Support George’s Work.

Science and Technology:

¶ “Climate Change Will Make A Walk In The Woods A Much Rarer Pleasure” • Fires and drought exacerbated by climate change make new growth difficult for some species, especially in low-elevation forests, a research study says. Some forests in the western US have crossed “a critical climate threshold for post-fire tree generation.” [CNN]

Seventeen years after the Canyon Ferry Complex Fire

¶ “‘Wildly Fluctuating Forecasts’ And Flooding – A Common Theme Of Climate Change” • David Vallee, NOAA hydrologist-in-charge at the NE River Forecast Center, described NOAA’s climate data and put it into a relevant perspective. Vallee analyzed today’s “wildly fluctuating forecasts” as a symptom of climate change. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hydrogen Fuels Rockets, But What About Power For Daily Life? We’re Getting Closer” • Australia’s federal coalition government has opened public consultation on a national hydrogen strategy. Labor has also pledged to set aside funding to develop clean hydrogen. A key question to be answered is whether Australia is ready. [Phys.org]

NASA space launch (NASA image)

¶ “Air Carbon Capture’s Scale Problem: 11 Astrodomes For A Ton Of CO₂” • Air carbon capture continues to get written about as if it is an interesting technology that will play a significant role in reducing global warming. The trouble is, with 100% effective technology you would need to filter 11 Houston Astrodomes of air just to get a single ton of CO₂. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Renewables Made Up Almost 65% Of Net Power Production In Germany Last Week” • Renewable energy had a 64.8% share of electricity generation, according to solar research institute Fraunhofer ISE. The achievement was mainly due to strong production from wind facilities. Windpower supplied 48.8% of the electricity. [pv magazine International]

Renewables (Image: Naturstrom AG)

¶ “Labour Vows 50,000 Scottish Green Jobs” • Labour said it would create up to 50,000 new green jobs in Scotland as part of “Green Industrial Revolution,” at a party conference. Expanding onshore wind would produce 20,000 jobs, offshore wind would create 15,000, and a UK-wide energy efficiency program would provide 15,000. [reNEWS]

¶ “East England Leads UK Offshore Pack” • Almost 4 GW of offshore wind has been installed off the coasts of Norfolk and Suffolk in east England. That is 52% of the UK’s current 7.5 GW of installed capacity of offshore windpower, the Norfolk and Suffolk Offshore Wind Cluster said. Wind farms in the area can export power to four countries. [reNEWS]

Offshore wind turbines (NSOWC image)

¶ “South Africa: Study Shows Decentralized Renewable Energy Can Improve The Grid” • A study commissioned by the South African Wind Energy Association shows huge opportunities for corporates and municipalities to go for affordable, clean electric power, such as wind and solar systems embedded in distribution networks. [Medafrica Times]

¶ “Scott Morrison Slaps Down Barnaby Joyce On Coal In Damaging Coalition Split On Energy” • Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing a damaging Coalition split on energy and a bitter row on leadership after he pushed back at demands to help fund a new coal-fired power plant in Queensland. [The Sydney Morning Herald]

Coal train in Australia (CSIRO, Wikimedia Commons)

US:

¶ “Bills Filed To Commit Florida To Transition To Renewable Energy” • A pair of bills have been filed in the Florida legislature that would mandate the state transition to renewable energy in the next thirty years. They would have Florida 100% renewably powered by 2050. This is the first time such a requirement has come before state lawmakers. [WUSF]

¶ “Largest Community Solar + Storage Installation In Massachusetts Is Now Open For Business” • The largest community solar + storage farm in Massachusetts is in operation. The 7.1-MW Happy Hollow Community Solar + Storage Farm was built at a former gravel pit in Winchendon. It includes 3.3 MWh of battery storage. [CleanTechnica]

Happy Hollow Community Solar farm (CleanChoice Energy)

¶ “Xcel Customers To Have New Option To Power Their Homes” • Xcel Energy customers in Wisconsin now have a new option to power their homes and businesses with clean wind and solar energy. Xcel says customers who subscribe will be able to secure up to 100% of their electricity from a blend of wind and solar resources. [WEAU]

¶ “$500 Million Nuclear Power Rescue Bill Introduced In Pennsylvania” • To save the Three Mile Island nuclear plant, a Pennsylvania lawmaker introduced a $500 million subsidy plan that he said would give all of Pennsylvania’s nuclear power operators a long-missing economic reward for being leading carbon-free power sources. [PennLive.com]

Three Mile Island

¶ “Ohio Weighs a Nuclear Plant Bailout at FirstEnergy’s Urging. Will It Boost Renewables, Too?” • A plan to have Ohio taxpayers bail out two struggling nuclear power plants was a non-starter in the legislature just a few months ago. Now, it’s a high priority. Why? Maybe because FirstEnergy spent heavily in Republican legislative primaries. [InsideClimate News]

¶ “Oregon’s Small-Scale Nuclear Company Looks To Build First Plant In Idaho” • Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems wants to build a 720-MW nuclear plant at the site of the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls. It would use 12 small, modular reactors developed by NuScale to produce a little more power than the average coal plant. [OPB News]

Have a wonderfully happy day.

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Opinion:

¶ “The 100% Renewables Moonshot: We’re Closer Than You Think” • Advocates for 100% renewable energy compare the effort needed to meet that goal to putting a person on the moon. But we are closer to 100% renewable energy today than we were to the moon in 1961, when President Kennedy made his famous pledge to get us to the Moon. [The Hill]

Solar array (© Getty Images)

¶ “Mary Barra’s Impatience Could Save GM: ‘Time Is Not Our Friend'” • When General Motors CEO Mary Barra announced the company would shut down four US plants and lay off thousands of employees, it was because she could see the auto industry is changing. Her new goal for GM is, “Zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion.” [CNN]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Hybrid Silicon And Perovskite Bifacial Solar Cell Achieves 30.2% Efficiency” • Scientists at the Energy Research Center of the Netherlands have developed a bifacial solar cell that is 30.2% efficient. They achieved this by putting a perovskite layer on top of an existing bifacial cell, resulting in a device that combines two technologies. [CleanTechnica]

Bifacial cell (Credit: Energy Research Center of the Netherlands)

World:

¶ “Coal Ban Not Law But ‘Strong Policy’” • Youth for Climate Hope, a coalition of five youth groups, expressed support for a decision in the Philippine province of Negros Occidental to declare the province off limits to coal power plants. They are pressing for passing a measure that would give the declaration the force of law. [Inquirer.net]

¶ “Energy Ministers Blast Brussels Renewable Targets” • As the EU’s 28 energy ministers debated the European Commission’s 2050 climate plan, five member states derided the lack of a 100% renewable target among the proposed options. One said eight of ten options are insufficient to meet goals, and the other two are not transparent. [Energy Reporters]

Freiburg, Germany (Credit: Wikimedia)

¶ “52,000 Still Displaced As Tohoku Marks Eight Years Since March 11, 2001, Disasters And Fukushima Nuclear Crisis” • Japan marked the eighth anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan that left more than 15,000 people dead and triggered a nuclear disaster that was one of the world’s worst. [The Japan Times]

Australia:

¶ “Australia Adding One Mega-Solar Project Per Month” • Australia is adding one mega-solar project equivalent per month, with the current installed base of 10 GW projected to double by the end of 2020. The latest mega-solar project is the 333-MW Darlington Point Solar Farm set to be installed near Griffith, New South Wales. [CleanTechnica]

Australia’s solar irradiance (Credit Geoscience Australia)

¶ “IKEA Introduces Electric Truck Delivery Fleet” • Currently there are only 5,000 private electric cars among 25 million Australians. But Australian businesses are taking matters into their own hands when it comes to electric vehicles. IKEA is the latest company to announce it will use electric trucks for all home deliveries by 2025. [Energy Matters]

¶ “WA Water Corp Taps Solar To Cut Grid Power Consumption In Half” • Western Australia’s government-owned water utility is embracing renewable power sources as climate change limits water availability. It has plans to install solar power systems at nine sites including offices, pump stations, treatment plants, and borefields. [One Step Off The Grid]

WA Water Corporation

¶ “Construction Begins On Mortlake South Wind Farm, Transmission Lines To Be Buried” • Construction has begun on the 157.5MW, 35-turbine wind farm being developed south of Mortlake in Victoria by Spanish renewables group Acciona. The $275 million project will ultimately include between 5-7 MWh of battery storage. [RenewEconomy]

US:

¶ “St Regis Falls Dam A Renewable Energy Option” • Northern Power & Light, Inc, based in Saranac Lake, New York, has been approved to operate under a new state program that allows electric customers to purchase shares of the electricity from small renewable generators. The company operates a 700-kW hydroelectric plant. [Adirondack Almanack]

Azure Mountain Power in St Regis Falls (Samuel H Bailey)

¶ “Solar Field Plans Underway In Jefferson” • Plans are moving ahead for a large solar field in Jefferson, Wisconsin. Ranger Power is in the process of obtaining permits to develop a 149-MW, utility-scale photovoltaic solar facility. The solar farm, Badger State Solar, would be sited on 1,000 acres of privately owned land near an existing substation. [Daily Union]

¶ “Former Soldiers Battle Administration Over Climate Change” • Hurricane Florence left approximately $3.6 billion of damage at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. And a group of former military leaders and advisers will give testimony before congress, saying the partisan battle over climate change could harm our troops and national security. [Public News Service]

Have a positively enriching day.

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geoharvey is not tax-deductible.
Or visit To Help Support George’s Work.