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Opinion:

¶ “More Green Investment Hasn’t Softened Red Resistance On Climate” • Even as billions of dollars in clean energy investments surge into Republican leaning communities around the country, state and federal GOP officials are hardening their resistance to efforts to reduce the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels, dashing the hopes of environmentalists. [CNN]

Wind turbines in Lubbock County (Pete Alexopoulos, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Why There Is Serious Money In Kitchen Fumes” • Heat exchange equipment called Lepido, developed in Sweden, by start-up Enjay addresses a gap in the market for recovering energy from kitchen fumes, and uses it to heat other areas inside restaurant buildings. It helps cut heating bills, and it reduces emissions in the process. [BBC]

¶ “Towing Electric Planes To Increase Range? I’m Not Convinced, But It’s Interesting” • Damon Vander Lind, founder and CEO of startup Magpie Aviation, came up with a solution for powering larger electric airplanes. It is to tow the aircraft to altitude and let it go on its own from there. It needs less battery weight, and it might just work. [CleanTechnica]

De Havilland Canada Dash 8 (Gerard van der Schaaf, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

World:

¶ “34% Plugin Vehicle Market Share In China – March 2023 Sales Report” • Plugin vehicles are all the rage in the Chinese market. Plugins scored over half a million sales last month, up 23% year over year, pulling the year-to-date tally to over 1.3 million units. Plugins took a 34% market share, with full battery EVs taking 24% of the country’s auto sales. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “DAF’s Electric Truck Assembly Plant In The Netherlands Is Officially Open” • We are finally starting to see some traction in the electrification of commercial vehicles. DAF’s all new Dutch assembly plant for battery-electric trucks was officially opened last week by Micky Adriaansens, the minister of Economic Affairs and Climate. [CleanTechnica]

DAF Electric Truck Assembly (Courtesy of DAF)

¶ “Tesla Leads Italy’s BEV Market Rebound In March” • Italy’s EV market is finally giving some positive signs, after months of subdued numbers. The overall car market jumped 40% year on year in the month. Full electric cars made a splash, however, achieving an excellent 81.5% gain year on year, for the second highest percentage of sales ever. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “TotalEnergies Signs 260 MW Of Renewable Power Purchase Agreements With Sasol And Air Liquide In South Africa” • TotalEnergies has signed Corporate Power Purchase Agreements with Sasol South Africa and Air Liquide Large Industries South Africa for the provision of 260 MW of renewable power over a 20-year period. [SolarQuarter]

Renewable Energy (Pixabay, Pexels)

¶ “Suzlon Secures Second Order For Their 3-MW Series Turbines From Juniper Green Energy Of 69.3 MW” • Suzlon Group announced an order for 3 MW product series to develop of a 69.3 MW wind power project for Juniper Green Energy Private Limited. The project is in Gujarat and is expected to be commissioned in 2024. [pv magazine India]

¶ “Siemens Gamesa Lands 1-GW Onshore Deal With RWE” • RWE has signed a framework agreement with Siemens Gamesa covering turbines for 1 GW of onshore wind farms in Europe to 2027. RWE will mainly use the Siemens Gamesa 5.X model with a flexible nominal output of 6.6 MW to 7 MW, including in its home market of Germany. [reNews]

Wind turbines (Thomas Reaubourg, Unsplash)

¶ “Government Committee Calls For End To Onshore Wind Ban And Claims UK Will Miss Renewable Energy Targets” • An all-party government committee claimed the UK will miss its target of decarbonising the power sector by 2035 at its current pace. The committee is calling for the end to the ban on constructing new onshore wind farms. [New Civil Engineer]

US:

¶ “Environmental Groups Sue FAA For SpaceX Launch” • Green groups are suing the Federal Aviation Administration over the SpaceX launch of a massive Starship rocket last month. The rocket exploded over the Gulf of Mexico about four minutes into flight. The suit alleges that the FAA failed to investigate properly potential harm the launch could cause. [CNN]

SpaceX Starship launch (Osunpokeh, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Mississippi River Crest Reaches Historic Proportions As Iowans Cope With Yet Another Flood” • As a slow-moving crest works its way down the Mississippi River, flood-weary Iowans did their best to cope with the rising water. In Davenport, River Drive looked like a river, but sandbagging efforts by the residents of the city may be working. [CNN]

¶ “Green Hydrogen Sails Under Anti-ESG Radar In Texas” • Public officials in Texas are revving the anti-ESG movement into high gear, to protect fossil energy stakeholders. But the seeds of failure are already written on the wind. That means literal wind, as Texas has an ample supply of wind energy for a homegrown green hydrogen industry. [CleanTechnica]

Green hydrogen pipeline (Courtesy of AES)

¶ “California Regulators Approve PG&E, Energy Vault Green Hydrogen And Battery Microgrid” • The California PUC has approved a proposal from Pacific Gas & Electric for an 8.5-MW hybrid battery energy storage and hydrogen fuel cell system to provide power to a Northern California substation that is prone to wildfire-related shutoffs. [Utility Dive]

¶ “Georgia Power Argues New Rate Hike Request This Week Ahead Of Summer Peak Electricity Demand” • The snakebitten $30 billion nuclear expansion at Vogtle is one of the reasons 2.7 million Georgia ratepayers could be saddled with paying $500 more each year on electric bills by 2025, according to clean energy advocates. [Now Habersham]

Have a copacetically frolicsome day.

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Opinion:

¶ “BYD Seagull And The Promise Of The EV Revolution” • Up until now, almost all electric cars were either luxury models or minuscule. The BYD Seagull is a 4-passenger hatchback that is slightly larger than a Fiat 500 and a little shorter than a MINI Cooper. But the most astonishing news is that its starting price in China is under $11,000. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Seagull (BYD image)

¶ “The Long And Dirty Legacy Of Nuclear Power” • How many people in the UK knew that they’re bankrolling an outfit with a boat in the Irish Sea set to blast off underwater seismic guns – to the certain detriment of dolphins and porpoises – as part of a madcap exercise to find a subterranean cemetery for large amounts of nuclear waste. [Cambrian News]

Science and Technology:

¶ “A New Solution For Off-Grid EV Charging” • Yotta Energy has a new product. It’s the Yotta REV, a deployable EV charger that is entirely powered by solar. These rapidly deployable chargers can be installed in 48 hours, use bifacial solar modules, and are grid optional. The REV is designed for year-round use and in all weather climates. [CleanTechnica]

Off-grid charging station (Courtesy of Yotta Energy)

World:

¶ “China’s Renewable Energy Capacity Soars In Q1” • China’s installed renewable energy capacity saw robust growth in the first quarter amid the country’s pursuit of green transition, according to the National Energy Administration. China saw its capacity of new renewable energy installations surge 86.5% year on year to 47.4 GW in the first quarter. [Shanghai Daily]

¶ “Europe Ramps Up Renewables, Looks For New Gas To Reduce Reliance On Russia” • European countries have moved quickly to adopt new energy sources after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reducing imports of Russian-produced energy. The EU’s demand for natural gas fell 13% last year, and renewable energy increased to record levels. [POWER Magazine]

Energy storage supporting renewables (Wärtsilä image)

¶ “Russian Troops Went Fishing In The Nuclear Reactor Cooling Channel At Chernobyl. Now They’re Suffering From Radiation Sickness” • Ukrainians living in Chernobyl have told stories about how they warned their Russian enemies of the dangers despite last year’s invasion, with soldiers even fishing in the nuclear reactor’s cooling chamber. [Daily Mail]

Australia and New Zealand:

¶ “How Climate Change Endangers Australian Wine” • While grapevines are described as “one of the most valuable weeds in the world,” capable of growing almost anywhere, the fruit itself is vulnerable to its environment. The heat effects of climate change are already messing with flavor and quality. Weather disasters make things worse. [BBC]

Australian vinyard (Brown Family Wine Group image)

¶ “Warnings Insurance Will Back Out As Climate Change Shows Its Teeth” • Those at the pointy end of climate change say that insurance retreat – when insurers refuse to take on the risk of covering homes in risky areas – is coming and may already be here. And these are not just coastal properties but many places on flood plains or slip prone areas. [Stuff.co.nz]

¶ “NSW Gets Stunning Low Price For Wind And Solar In Biggest Renewables Auction” • The government of New South Wales got low record prices for wind and solar power in its first auction for renewable energy and storage. The auction put strike prices below A$35/MWh (US 2.3¢/kWh) for solar, and A$50/MWh (US 3.3¢/kWh) for wind. [Renew Economy]

Australian solar farm (Acen Australia image)

¶ “NSW One-Third Of The Way To Its 12-GW Renewable Energy Goal With First Project Round” • AEMO Services announced the first tranche of renewable energy projects, worth investments of $2.5 billion, including two solar farms, a wind farm, and a long-duration battery that will contribute 1.4 GW of renewable energy generation in New South Wales. [Mirage News]

US:

¶ “Daimler Trucks, NextEra, And Blackrock Form Heavy-Duty Charging Company” • Daimler Truck North America, NextEra Energy Resources, and BlackRock Alternatives jointly formed Greenlane to create a high-performance, zero-emission charging and hydrogen fueling network for large battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

Greenlane charging area (Greenlane image)

¶ “Elon Musk’s Latest Statements On The Tesla Cybertruck” • The first deliveries of the Tesla Cybertruck are expected to take place later this year, and there are still a handful of unknowns about the futuristic truck. In recent weeks Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared some details about it, alongside some included in Tesla’s latest Master Plan. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “BorgWarner Helps School District Charge Multiple Buses With One Charger” • BorgWarner announced that it partnered with the School District of the City of Pontiac for proprietary sequential charging using direct current fast chargers for the district’s fleet of IC Bus electric school buses. The district has 25 electric school buses in its fleet. [CleanTechnica]

School buses (Bluebird image)

¶ “‘If trees had feet’: Tree migration brings climate resiliency to Michigan forests” • Tree species naturally migrate on their own, but it takes centuries and generations of evolution. Given the generational timeline of trees, they seem unlikely to keep up with the rate of climate change. To maintain resilient forests, it is necessary to plant trees for resilience. [MLive.com]

¶ “This Nuclear Waste Has Been Sitting In Connecticut For 50 Years. Could It Finally Be Removed?” • For over half a century, Connecticut’s Millstone Nuclear Power Plant has played host to the spent uranium fuel used to power its three reactors. Federal regulators say it will be at least another decade until that fuel has anywhere else to go. [Trumbull Times]

Have a wonderfully lovely day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Volkswagen Has A Huge Avenue For US Market Expansion – If It Takes It” • In the first quarter of 2023, Volkswagen accounted for less than 2% of the US auto market. It doesn’t have a big US presence. But it could. A significant change in a market provides an opportunity for companies with no or low market share to grow in prominence. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen ID.2all (Volkswagen image)

¶ “Energy Production Priorities In The Era Of Climate Change – Analysis” • Wind power is a major part of the current energy picture. Its generation – whether on land or at sea – is growing in scope, and necessity, around the world. It is a story that offers some hope in the battle to ease the effects of climate change in the decades ahead. [Eurasia Review]

¶ “The Constantino Effect: A Remarkable Impact Of Renewable Energy On The Global Economy” • Renewable energy is rising, and the Constantino effect is in full swing. That term refers to the positive impact of renewable energy on the global economy, especially regarding job creation, reduced carbon emissions, and increased energy security. [Transcontinental Times]

Wind turbines (Fabian Wiktor, Unsplash, cropped)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Power Plant Has Turned Solar Power Into Green Hydrogen Fuel On A Large Scale” • Swiss researchers achieved a major milestone in green hydrogen production using solar energy. This system, developed by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, efficiently converts solar energy into hydrogen fuel with oxygen and heat as byproducts. [One Green Planet]

World:

¶ “Public EV Transportation In South America” • In a transition to electric buses, some South American countries are electrifying public transportion without having to rely on large numbers of imported passenger vehicles. Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica are solving complex problems without the tools available in wealthier countries. [CleanTechnica]

BYD electric buses in Santiago, Chile (Courtesy of BYD)

¶ “BYD Unleashes The Seagull In China – And Its Cheaper Than A Petrol-Powered Honda Fit!” • BYD launched the updated Qin Plus EV. You can get a full battery EV with a heat pump, a 150 kW motor, and a 57.6-kWh Blade battery for just $20,350 in China. This makes it cheaper than a 2023 Toyota Corolla SE, which starts from about $20,900. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Kia To Increase EV Sales, Improve HVAC Efficiency” • Two recent news items from Hyundai and Kia (same company) show they’re still taking EVs seriously. The Kia EV9 has an improved thermal system with a heat pump, climate control system, and defrost and de-icing functionalities. Also the company increased its sales goals. [CleanTechnica]

Kia EV9 (Kia image)

¶ “Combat Rising Electricity Costs In Vietnam With Renewable Energy Solutions” • Electricity of Vietnam proposed to increase electricity prices to counter losses due to high fuel prices and volatile foreign exchange rates. Industry experts suggest that renewable energy solutions are critical to combat these costs while reducing carbon emissions. [SolarQuarter]

US:

¶ “Manchin Rails Against Biden’s Clean Energy Plans As He Faces Tough Political Headwinds In West Virginia” • Political observers in West Virginia were not surprised when Sen Joe Manchin mafe a stunning threat in a Fox News show: He could be persuaded to vote to repeal his own bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, if he is pushed enough by the Biden administration. [CNN]

Coal being moved in West Virginia (jpmueller99, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Climate Change Activists Plan Protest At White House Correspondents’ Dinner” • Climate change activists announced plans to protest at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner where President Joe Biden is to speak. “No one can call Joe Biden a ‘climate-friendly president’ while he’s wrecking the planet w/ new oil + gas projects,” they tweeted. [ABC11]

¶ “Small Reactor Startups Vie To Push US Into New Nuclear Era” • During a hearing before the House Appropriations Committee, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm restated the “importance of nuclear energy.” But despite the support for nuclear power, no new projects are underway for any traditional nuclear reactors, just SMRs from business startups. [Macau Business]

Have a reasonably grand day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Free Solar Panels? Don’t Get Burned” • The US DOE is aware of claims of offers for free solar panels or that solar companies must provide solar panels for free if requested. This is not true. The federal government does not offer programs for free home solar panel installations, nor does it require companies to give customers solar panels for free. [CleanTechnica]

Scam alert (Tara Winstead, Pexels)

¶ “Will The EU Sanction Russia’s Nuclear Industry?” • So far, the EU has avoided sanctioning Russian nuclear power, largely due to the significant role that Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy monopoly, Rosatom, plays in global nuclear power. Rosatom provided the US with 14% of its uranium in 2021, and the EU buys an even more from Russia. [Oil Price]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Life In The Ocean’s ‘Twilight Zone’ Could Disappear Due To The Climate Crisis” • One of Earth’s largest habitats could see its rich diversity of life reduced by the end of the century due to the climate crisis. The ocean’s mesopelagic zone, also called the “twilight zone,” is located between 656 feet and 3,280 feet (200 meters to 1,000 meters) below the surface. [CNN]

Gnathophausia zoea (Yale Peabody Museum, CC0)

¶ “NREL And Partners Build All-Data Approach For Automated Grid Recovery” • With partner technologies and community input, NREL will demonstrate an automated, affordable, all-in-one method for grid resilience, which can and will be used by vulnerable communities and the utilities that serve them. The project is called Solar-HERO. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Solar Power In The Arctic And Antarctica” • It is common knowledge that warm countries can generate the best results from solar power. By the same logic, you may assume that cold environments like the Arctic and Antarctica may not be great places to use solar. Solar power does have challenges in such areas, but it can work well. [CleanTechnica]

Arctic ice (Mike Dunn, NOAA Climate Program Office)

¶ “New Report Details Some Alarming Health Impact Of Climate Change On Children” • A report released this week by the EPA projects the devastating health impact of climate change on children. Effects include higher rates of respiratory disease, lower academic achievement, higher rates of infections and risk of housing insecurity in coastal cities. [1310 KFKA]

World:

¶ “BYD Charges Philippine Market With Its All-EV Lineup” • The Philippine distributor of BYD vehicles shifted into high gear with a complete lineup of electric cars. In April 2022, BYD announced that it had halted production of vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. The effects of that transition are now being seen in the Philippines. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Han EV (Courtesy of BYD)

¶ “Indian Cab Aggregator Secures $75 Million Loan To Acquire 6,000 EVs” • Media reports say that Power Finance Corporation Indian, which is owned by the Indian government, sanctioned a loan worth $75 million to Blusmart Mobility. Blusmart competes with Uber and Ola Cabs in cab aggregation, but it only operates electric cars. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Atlas Renewable Energy Signs 21-Year PPA With Albras” • Atlas Renewable Energy signed a 21-year power purchase agreement with Albras, the largest primary aluminum producer in Brazil. The renewably generated energy will come from the 902-MW Vista Alegre Photovoltaic Project, which is expected to be built and operating in 2025. [GreentechLead]

Solar array (Atlas Renewable Energy image)

¶ “Oil India And Himachal Govt Agree To Adopt Renewable Energy Sources” • The Himachal Pradesh government signed a memorandum of understanding with Oil India Ltd to create a framework for cooperation in utilizing and developing new and renewable energy sources in the state, including exploring the state’s solar potential. [Construction World]

¶ “NTPC Secures 500 MW Round-The-Clock Renewable Power Supply Project” • State-run power producer NTPC announced this week that its arm NTPC Renewable Energy has secured a 500 MW round-the-clock renewable power supply project. The project was awarded by REMCL, a joint venture of the Ministry of Railways and RITES Ltd. [pv magazine India]

Pylons in a lake in India (Aravindan Ganesan, CC-BY-SA-2.0)

US:

¶ “Democrats Target House Republicans Who Voted To Repeal Climate Provisions Driving Billions Of Dollars Of Investments To Their Districts” • More than two dozen House Republicans who welcomed multi-million-dollar clean energy manufacturing investments in their districts voted to repeal the tax incentives that stimulated those very same projects. [CNN]

¶ “Texas Continues Its Attack On EVs, Now With A $200 Annual Fee On Them” • “Giga Texas” is to be one of the world’s largest EV factories, and Tesla’s global headquarters are in Texas. But the state doesn’t allow Tesla to operate stores there, and to give Tesla just a little more thanks, Texas is going to slap a $200 annual fee on EV owners. [CleanTechnica]

Giga Texas (Larry D. Moore, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “California Reaches EV Sales Goal Two Years Early” • Data published by the California Energy Commission show that the state’s buyers have purchased over 1.5 million EVs since 2011, The Mercury News reports. The figure marks a key EV milestone target set in 2012, which has now been reached two years earlier than the goal’s initial target. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Port Of Virginia Goes All In On Renewable Energy Sources To Fulfill Green Supply-Chain Demand, CEO Says” • The Virginia Port Authority is pursuing a plan to be carbon-neutral by 2040. It will buy all the power used for Virginia port operations from renewable energy sources and will eliminate the use of diesel fuel from equipment. [The Virginian-Pilot]

Have a mystifyingly exquisite day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Catastrophic Drought That’s Pushed Millions Into Crisis Made 100 Times More Likely By Climate Change, Analysis Finds” • The unrelenting drought that has devastated the Horn of Africa and left more than 20 million people facing acute food insecurity would not have been possible without climate change, a new analysis has found. [CNN]

Dry stream (Matt Palmer, Unsplash)

¶ “Solar Power And Farming: A Win–Win–Win–Win” • What about the combination of solar PV power and farming? Aren’t the crops and the solar panels going to compete for sunshine? Well, as you can see from the title, the answers indicate that solar power and agriculture are indeed a match made in heaven. Here are some of the details. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Chalk Up Another Win For Invisible Solar Windows” • The dream of a truly see-through, colorless solar window is becoming real. That is bad news for fossil energy stakeholders, but great for the global energy transition. The technology replaces ordinary window glass with specially coated look-alikes that generate zero emission electricity. [CleanTechnica]

Solar windows (Courtesy of NEXT Energy Technologies)

World:

¶ “Almost Two-Thirds Of Elephant Habitat Lost Across Asia, Study Finds” • Elephants have lost almost two-thirds of their habitat in Asia, due to hundreds of years of deforestation and increasing human use of land for agriculture and infrastructure, a study has found. The study examined the period since 1700. It appeared in the journal Scientific Reports. [CNN]

¶ “Canada Pays $85 Billion Higher Social Carbon Price Than Oil & Gas Revenues” • The Canadian government updated its social cost of carbon, the estimated cost of the damages caused by emitting a ton of CO₂ into the atmosphere. Canada officially puts it at C$261 ($191). This means the damage of burning oil and gas exceeds the value of the fuel. [CleanTechnica]

Pump jack in Alberta (Nathan Schneider, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “India Launches A 9 Gigawatt-Hour Energy Storage Tender” • A subsidiary of India’s largest power company has announced the launch of a massive energy storage tender. NTPC Renewable Energy Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC Limited, which is government-owned, is to launch a tender for 9 GWh of energy storage capacity. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Viability Of UK Renewables ‘In Danger’ Unless Government Acts” • The UK risks failure in its mission to decarbonize its power sector by 2035 unless government takes action to support the delivery of renewables, a parliamentary report warns. “The US Inflation Reduction Act and international responses to it are leading to a significant market shift.” [reNews]

Parliament (Tom Chen, Unsplash)

¶ “China’s First Desert-Based Green Power Plant On Grid” • A renewable energy power project, one of the many being set up in the Gobi Desert and other arid regions, became the first to be connected to the electricity grid and started generating power on Tuesday, according to its operator China Energy Investment Corp. [China Daily – Global Edition]

¶ “Fugro Bags Oz Star Of The South Contracts” • Geo-data specialist Fugro won a contract to perform offshore geophysical and geotechnical site investigations for Australia’s offshore wind project Star of the South, off the coast of southeastern Australia. Star of the South is in the feasibility phase and has the potential to have up to 2.2 GW of capacity. [reNews]

Fugro ship (Fugro image)

¶ “Drop In Wholesale Power Prices As Renewable Energy Generation From Wind And Solar Grows, AEMO Finds” • Surging renewable energy output has pushed fossil fuel-fired generation down to record low levels in Australia’s biggest electricity grid, triggering another big fall in wholesale prices, the Australian Energy Market Operator said. [ABC]

¶ “Putin’s Forces have Set Up ‘Fighting Positions’ On Roof Of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant” • Satellite pictures the UK Ministry of Defence obtained show Russian forces in “sandbag fighting positions” on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The move shows Putin’s troops are increasingly worried about a major Ukrainian offensive. [Daily Express]

Russian soldiers (Konstantin Alysh, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

US:

¶ “Boston Public Schools Put First 20 Blue Bird Electric Buses Into Operation” • Boston Public Schools recently received their first batch of 20 Blue Bird electric school buses through the dealership Anderson Blue Bird Bus Sales of New England. The Blue Bird Vision electric school bus can go up to 120 miles with 71 pupils on a single charge. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Livelihoods Of 255,000 American Families In Solar And Storage Industry Under Attack By House Republicans’ Proposal” • A group of lawmakers is attempting to reverse the Biden administration’s two-year pause on new solar tariffs and force companies to pay $1 billion in retroactive duties by using the Congressional Review Act. [CleanTechnica]

Solar installers (Dennis Schroeder, NREL)

¶ “Huge Solar Canopy For Electric Buses Coming To Austin, Texas” • It looks like Austin, Texas, is going to get a bit cleaner thanks to its CapMetro regional public transportation provider. In 2021, the CapMetro board decided to purchase about 200 zero-emissions buses. Now it is building a 12 acre solar canopy to power those buses. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “North Carolina Senate Passes Bill To Waste Billions On Nuclear Power Plants Over Vital Renewables” • North Carolina’s Senate approved a bill that would allow Duke Energy to spend potentially billions on more unneeded nuclear power plants, including hundreds of millions on technology that won’t exist for years, if it ever does. [EWG]

Have a genuinely charming day.

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World:

¶ “There Are 40.7 Million Vehicles In The United Kingdom, And 1.1 Million Have A Plug” • There are just over 35.1 million cars on the roads in the UK. One in every 32 cars of them now comes with a plug, with 1.1 million electric cars in use, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Ownership of all EV types has increased. [CleanTechnica]

Maxus eDeliver 9 (SAIC Maxus UK image)

¶ “Imports Of Lithium-Ion Cells And Battery Packs Rise In South Africa As Its Load-Shedding Crisis Grows” • In 2022, there were 3,773 hours of load-shedding in South Africa. The effects on the economy were brutal. The year’s record levels of load-shedding provided the perfect opportunity for a big jump in the stationary storage industry in the country. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The First Customers Receive VinFast’s VF 5, Priced At $19,500, Batteries Not Included” • VinFast turned over the first batch of VinFast VF 5 smart electric vehicles to its new owners in simple ceremonies at dealers and luxury malls all over Vietnam. The affordable, compact VF 5 was intended to meet the needs of Vietnam’s domestic market. [CleanTechnica]

One of the first VF5 customers receives her car (Vinfast photo)

¶ “South Africa Is Seeking Renewable Energy Procurement Proposals” • South Africa has issued the first request inviting proposals for renewable energy procurement for 3,740 MW, in the biggest such program in Africa. Currently, coal is the major energy source for South Africa, accounting for around 80% of the country’s energy mix. [Oil Price]

¶ “NSW Chooses Preferred Network Operator For First REZ” • The Central West Orana renewable energy zone is expected to have capacity of up to 3 GW by the mid 2020s. New South Wales has been swamped with wind, solar, and storage proposals for 27 GW. ACE Energy was chosen to be the “first ranked proponent” as network operator. [Renew Economy]

White Rock wind farm (Epuron image)

¶ “Morocco–UK Power Project Using Renewable Energy Gets Early Funding” • Xlinks First Limited is developing plans to lay the world’s longest HVDC subsea cables, which are to run between the UK and Morocco as part of the Morocco–UK Power Project. The project successfully closed an early development funding round raising $37.33 million. [Al Arabiya]

¶ “Drax Ends Half A Century Of Coal-Fired Power Generation” • Global renewable energy company Drax announced the official end of coal-fired generation at Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire. At its greatest point, the plant had a capacity of 4 GW. Its remaining units are being converted to biomass, which Drax says is sustainably harvested. [Biomass Magazine]

Drax power station (Drax Group image)

¶ “Chernobyl: Survivors Reflect On Nuclear Accident, Russian Occupation” • Looking back on two of the most difficult periods since the plant opened in 1977, the nuclear disaster and Russian occupation, Chernobyl employees shared their personal stories with UN News on April 26, the International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day. [UN News]

US:

¶ “Senate Votes To Revoke Tougher EPA Emissions Regulation For Trucks” • The Senate voted to rescind a Biden administration emissions regulation for heavy-duty trucks that Republicans call too burdensome, warning it will hurt the trucking industry and have negative effects through the economy. Senator Joe Manchin sided with Republicans on the 50-49 vote. [CNN]

Capitol Building (Jorge Alcala, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Power Plants May Soon Have To Limit Their GHG Emissions” • A pending announcement from the Biden administration will seek to limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Almost all coal- and gas-fired power plants would have to cut or capture nearly all of their CO₂ emissions, which account for 25% of US GHG emissions, by 2040. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “John Kerry Warns Relying On Carbon Capture Technology Is Dangerous” • In an interview with The Guardian, John Kerry, the US special envoy for climate, said that relying on carbon capture technology to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is “dangerous” and a cause for “alarm” because it is a distraction from what we need to do. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “‘Billions Of Dollars Sitting On The Sidelines’: NextEra Energy Executives Cite Big Plans For Renewables, Hydrogen” • NextEra Energy’s solar and wind projects are back on track following an effort to move its supply chains out of China. NextEra is now pursuing a stake in the green hydrogen and renewable natural gas sectors aggressively. [Utility Dive]

¶ “Almost Half Of Americans Are Ready To Buy An EV In The Next Five Years” • On the occasion of Earth Day, a consumer survey conducted by MINI USA revealed the US consumers’ changing viewpoints and considerations about EVs, highlighting shifting sentiments since MINI first conducted the same survey over the last four years ago. [CleanTechnica]

MINI Cooper (MINI USA image)

¶ “A New Con Edison Facility In Queens Is Ready To Bring In Renewable Energy” • A new electrical facility has opened by the East River in Astoria. It is replacing a nearby peaker plant that provided power at high demand times but did so at high cost and was highly polluting. The new plant, a 300-MW substation, will distribute renewably generated electricity. [NY1]

¶ “Company Seeks First-Time Restart Of Shuttered Michigan Nuclear Plant” • Holtec Decommissioning International bought the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station last June to dismantle it, weeks after previous owner Entergy shut it down. Now, with a $6 billion federal initiative to prolong older nuclear facilities, Holtec wants to restore it. [CBS News]

Have a simply spectacular day.

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World:

¶ “These Are The Places Most At Risk From Record-Breaking Heat Waves As The Planet Warms” • Dangerous heat waves are set to increase as the climate crisis intensifies, and they will be devastating in countries and regions that are least prepared for them, a study says. Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, and Central America are especially at risk. [CNN]

Kabul (Mohammad Husaini, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Mexico To Triple EV Production In 2023” • The Inflation Reduction Act seems to be causing significant upheaval in the Mexican auto industry, away from the combustion engine and toward EVs and batteries. Numbers are still small, but they’re growing at significant rates, and this year is poised to triple the BEV production of 2022. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Italian Farmers Saving An Ancient Fruit With Solar Power” • The citron of Calabria in southern Italy had almost died out from extreme weather and lack of economic value. But growing the crop under a canopy of solar panels has given the fruit a new lease of life. Their work in agrivoltaics has lessons for many climate-stressed crops. [BBC]

Conventinally growing citron (Takeshi Mas, Unsplash)

¶ “UK Investors Form 5-GW Green Hydrogen JV” • Clean energy investor PASH Global and ERIH Holdings formed a 50-50 joint venture to develop green hydrogen and ammonia projects with a total of 5 GW of electrolyser capacity. The power for the projects will be 10 GW of renewable energy generation capacity such as solar, wind, and geothermal by 2030. [reNews]

¶ “Volkswagen To Build Its Largest Battery Cell Factory … In Canada” • The battery division of Volkswagen Group, PowerCo SE, is to build its biggest battery gigafactory ever in St Thomas, Ontario. A potential final expansion stage could produce of up to 90 GWh of batteries annually. They referred to this last month; now they are announcing it formally. [CleanTechnica]

Visualization of Gigafactory St. Thomas (Volkswagen AG image)

¶ “Iberdrola’s Renewables Generation Rises By 5.3% In Q1 2023” • Iberdrola’s renewables generation increased to 40,344 MW in Q1 2023. The 5.3% rise from the same period in 2022 was largely due to increases in its solar and onshore wind projects. Solar capacity rose by 40%, to 4,576 MW, due to new installations in Australia, Spain, the US, and Brazil. [reNews]

¶ “Caterpillar And NMG Make Amazing Circular Deal” • Mining company Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc and Caterpillar Inc have signed definitive agreements to provide a zero-exhaust emission fleet, supporting infrastructure, and service for NMG’s Matawinie Mine. Caterpillar will supply heavy mining equipment to help NMG get to zero exhaust emissions. [CleanTechnica]

Caterpillar electric hauler (Caterpillar image)

¶ “Ameresco And Sunel To Jointly Bid For 1.5 GW Of Renewable Energy Projects” • US-based cleantech integrator Ameresco and the Sunel Group teamed up to bid for 1.5 GW of solar PV and battery energy storage system projects in the UK and Europe. Projects in Greece, Italy, Spain, Romania, and the UK are already in the bidding phase. [Power Technology]

¶ “Ukraine Condemns Russian ‘Blackmail’ On The Anniversary Of Chernobyl” • On the anniversary of the Chernobyl Disaster, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russia is using nuclear power plants to blackmail the world. “We have to do everything to prevent the terrorist state from using nuclear power stations to blackmail Ukraine and the world.” [RTE]

Zelenskyy in the Donetsk region in June 2021
(Presidential Office of Ukraine, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “MPs And Activists Push Back As Ottawa Pitches Expansion Of Nuclear Energy” • Anti-nuclear activists and a cross-partisan group of MPs urge the Canadian government to drop its support for nuclear energy projects, calling the energy source a “dirty, dangerous distraction” from climate action. Ottawa is supporting small modular reactors. [Yahoo News Canada]

US:

¶ “Biden Administration Eyes A Relatively Untapped Climate Solution To Revolutionize How Homes Are Heated And Cooled” • The DOE is announcing that eleven communities, across a wide range in sizes, received the first round of funding to help them reimagine how our homes stay comfortable using geothermal heating and cooling. [CNN]

Pond Loop Being Sunk (Mark Johnson, public domain)

¶ “GM To Pull The Plug On Chevy Bolt And Bolt EUV This Year” • GM made the end of the Chevy Bolt official in its Q1 earnings call. CEO Mary Barra announced production of the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV would end this year. But GM is expanding its EV fleet, and the Orion Township, Michigan assembly plant will be used to make battery electric trucks. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Holcim US Joins The US DOE Better Climate Challenge To Strengthen Its Commitment To A Net-Zero Future” • Holcim US is getting involved in the Better Climate Challenge, reflecting an ambitious goal to power US operations at thirteen cement plants nationwide with 100% renewable energy by 2030 and to reach net zero CO₂ emissions by 2050. [World Cement]

Cement plant (DFID, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “El Paso To Vote On ‘Climate Charter’ Pitting Fossil Fuels Against Renewable Energy” • Voters in El Paso will head to the ballot box next month to vote on a climate change charter that would set aggressive targets for renewable energy growth while cutting back on fossil fuels. The proposal pits climate activists against industry groups. [Washington Examiner]

¶ “NC Bill Is Aiming To Remove Barriers To Nuclear Energy” • In North Carolina, a bill to change language in statutes from “renewable energy” to “clean energy” passed a key committee, paving the way for nuclear and fusion development. A leader in the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign says there are too many risks with nuclear energy. [WRAL News]

Have a generously encouraging day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Commercial Rooftop Solar On Warehouses Could Power All Of Them” • Even though there are plenty of examples of solar and agriculture working well together, providing guaranteed income to struggling farmers, powerful groups backed by dirty money try with all their might to prevent solar panels from being installed on farm land. [CleanTechnica]

Solar potential map (Environment America image)

¶ “Renewables Have Pulled Ahead of Coal. What’s Next?” • There are new numbers from the United States Energy Information Administration, which collects data from power plant operators from across the country. They offer a lot of good news about clean energy progress. Here is a look at what is going on for the US renewable capacity. [UCS blog]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Recent, Rapid Ocean Warming Alarms Scientists” • A major study highlights a worrying development. Over the past 15 years, the Earth’s accumulated heat has increased by 50%, with most of the extra going into the oceans. In March, temperatures of the sea surface off the east coast of North America were up to 13.8°C (24.8°F) higher than the 1981-2011 average. [BBC]

Ocean (Bella White, Pexels)

¶ “Climate Change Continues To Shatter Records And Disrupt Human Society” • From mountain peaks to the ocean depths, climate change continued its advance in 2022, an annual report from the World Meteorological Organization says. Droughts, floods and heatwaves affected communities on every continent and cost many billions of dollars. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “SAIC’s Maxus Launches The EDeliver 7 Electric Van In The UK” • There is a lot of good news for the UK’s van market. Deliveries of battery-electric vans were up by 32.7% last month compared to March 2022. This was driven by an increasing choice of models, which makes switching to zero emission vehicles more compelling. [CleanTechnica]

Maxus eDeliver 7 electric van (Maxus image)

¶ “Where Elephants Roam, Struggle For Clean Cookstoves Continues” • The new National Geographic series “Secrets of the Elephants” is getting rave reviews. The series is recorded where human households still depend primarily on foraged kindling and other biomass as well as charcoal and kerosene to manage the daily task of cooking. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Corio And A Energi Launch Nordvegen Vind” • Corio Generation and A Energi launched a joint venture aiming to deliver Norway’s first grid-scale floating offshore wind farm. Nordvegen Vind aims to build 1.5 GW of offshore windpower in Utsira Nord, a deep water site off the south-west coast of Norway, in an initial round of development. [reNews]

Floating offshore wind turbine (BW Ideol AS image)

¶ “International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day” • April 26 is International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day. It is observed to remember the victims of one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. Nearly 8.4 million people were exposed to radiation by an explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine in 1986. [News9Live]

¶ “European Governments Agree On 120-GW Offshore Wind Pact” • Nine European governments agreed to a combined 120-GW offshore wind capacity target for this decade. The countries have also pledged to more than double it to 300 GW by 2050. The targets increase those set in 2022 by Germany, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands. [reNews]

Agreement at North Sea Summit (UK government image)

¶ “What Now For Germany’s Remaining Nuclear Waste?” • The last nuclear power stations have been shut down in Germany. But the issue isn’t going anywhere, as the country faces the question of how to proceed from here. The nuclear reactors still have to be dismantled, and the final disposal of the radioactive nuclear waste has not yet been clarified. [DW]

US:

¶ “‘Like A Dam Breaking’: Experts Hail The Decision To Let US Climate Lawsuits Advance” • Without weighing in on the merits of the cases, the Supreme Court rebuffed an appeal by major oil companies that want to face litigation in federal courts, rather than in the state courts they see as more favorable to plaintiffs. It felt “like a dam breaking,” experts said. [The Guardian]

Pollution (C.G., Unsplash)

¶ “Trump’s Latest False Climate Figure Is Off By More Than 1,000 Times” • Former President Donald Trump has for years dismissed the existence and impact of climate change. In a speech at a conservative conference last year, he said, “the oceans may rise, over the next 300 years, 1/100th of an inch.” NASA’s estimate is at least 1,000 times that. [CNN]

¶ “US Department Of Energy Expands Support For Community Solar” • The US DOE recently announced that it is making solar energy investments aimed at reducing electricity bills and local pollution while supporting President Biden’s ambitious goals of a 100% clean electricity grid by 2035 and having net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array (US BLM image)

¶ “Silicon Ranch Agrees On A Socially And Environmentally Responsible Solar Supply Deal” • Silicon Ranch, a major US-based independent power producer, has obtained 1.5 GW of cutting-edge thin film solar modules from First Solar, Inc. The modules were developed in First Solar’s R&D centers and made at its Ohio-based factory. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Google And EDPR Team Up To Develop 500 MW Of Distributed Solar Power In The US” • EDP Renewables  and Google have agreed on a framework to develop 500 MW of distributed US solar projects through EDPR North America Distributed Generation. It is expected to benefit nearly 25,000 low-to-moderate-income families. [Power Technology]

Have a prodigiously effective day.

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Opinion:

¶ “No, Nuclear Power Isn’t The ‘Big Bazooka’ Climate Fix You Might Think” • Germany’s exit from nuclear power doesn’t single it out as a quirky anomaly or black sheep in a world otherwise enthusiastically embracing nuclear energy. It puts Germany in the global mainstream. Ever more countries are abandoning or scaling back nuclear power programs. [CNN]

Nuclear power plant (Frédéric Paulussen, Unsplash)

¶ “Nissan Leaf For Energy Security And Independence” • When Farid Shahidinejad’s friend, a petrol industry engineer, told him that Australia only has 24 days’ supply of petrol in reserve, he did his research and bought an EV. His initial purchase was a 2015 Nissan Leaf. He bought it for security, so his family would not be caught up in an energy crisis. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Scania And Northvolt Announce New Battery For Heavy-Duty Trucks” • Scania, the heavy truck manufacturer that is part of Volkswagen Group, and Northvolt say they have teamed up to create a battery for heavy-duty electric trucks that will last as long as the vehicles themselves – about 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 miles). [CleanTechnica]

Northvolt battery (Northvolt image)

¶ “Lush Prairies Could Really Be ‘Green Deserts’” • It’s tough out there for a hungry grasshopper on the Kansas prairie. Oh, there’s plenty of grass to eat, but this century’s grass isn’t what it used to be. It’s less nutritious, and it’s deficient in minerals, including sodium, potassium, and calcium. A major culprit is increased carbon dioxide levels. [The Atlantic]

World:

¶ “Russia’s Shadowy Energy Trade Raises Fears Of A Devastating Oil Spill” • The EU has banned most seaborne oil imports from Russia in response to Moscow’s assault on Ukraine. As crude and refined petroleum products that would usually go to the EU are rerouted to Asia, cargoes are being transferred onto larger vessels to make the long trip. [CNN]

Oil tanker (Ian Simmonds, Unsplash)

¶ “EV Development In Chile” • While much of South America is having difficulty with the development of an electric vehicle market, Chile has made significant efforts to deploy EVs. While this has been primarily in the area of public transport, new legislation is expected to bring a significant rise to the level of electric passenger vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “South Korea And Chile Discuss Cooperation On Green Hydrogen, Renewable Energy” • South Korea and Chile have discussed ways to boost cooperation on clean hydrogen and renewable energy. Chile has great potential for clean hydrogen with its solid renewable power capacity, and South Korea is leading the global hydrogen market. [Yonhap News]

Wind farm in Chile (Edu3k, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Netherlands, UK To Announce Major New Power Link To Boost Energy Security” • Plans for a power line to link the UK and the Netherlands with each other and offshore wind turbines in the North Sea are being announced by the two countries. The LionLink is to increase security and boost renewable power. It is the second power link of its kind. [EURACTIV.com]

¶ “Flexible Power Technologies Will Make Africa’s Energy Leapfrogging A Reality” • In-depth studies from Wärtsilä show that with the adequate support of flexible power technologies, ambitious renewable energy objectives in Africa are not only achievable, but represent the soundest and cheapest strategy for the successful electrification. [ZAWYA]

Heliostats in South Africa (Jaro Nemčok, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “China Ramps Up Coal Power Despite Carbon Neutral Pledges” • Local governments in China approved more new coal power in the first three months of 2023 than in all of 2021, Greenpeace’s analysis of official documents shows. In the first three months of this year, at least 20.45 GW of coal power was approved, up from 8.63 GW in the same period in 2022. [The Guardian]

¶ “Britvic Taps Wind PPA For Irish Water Brand” • Britvic Ireland and Flogas Enterprise have signed a power purchase agreement ensuring that Irish water brand Ballygowan is produced using power from wind turbines. The £2.5 million PPA will allow Britvic to buy electricity directly from the Sonnagh Old Wind Farm in County Galway. [reNews]

Home in County Galway (Ann Schreck, Unsplash, cropped)

US:

¶ “South Florida Faces Fuel Crisis From Flooding – Electric Cars Are Fine” • South Florida got some crazy, record-breaking rain and flooding last week. With natural disasters, come fuel crises, and in this case, there were massive fuel shortages in the South Florida region. You know who didn’t have any such problems? Electric car drivers. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ørsted Unveils Maryland Investment” • Ørsted confirmed plans to invest in Maryland’s first offshore wind “advanced foundation component centre” at Tradepoint Atlantic, about ten miles from Baltimore. The $14 million Advanced Foundation Component Center brings Ørsted’s total investments at the site to nearly $30 million. [reNews]

Dry dock at Sparrows Point, Maryland (US DOD, public domain)

¶ “US Inflation Reduction Act ‘To Spur $3 Trillion Investment In Renewable Energy Tech” • The US Inflation Reduction Act will spur about $3 trillion of investment in renewable energy, a report from Goldman Sachs says. The IRA could produce double the amount of energy from the US shale revolution more than a decade ago, the report says. [The National]

¶ “EPA To Issue Power Plant Rules That Lean On Carbon Capture” • The US government may soon require power plants that burn natural gas to install technology to capture carbon emissions, sources said, as President Joe Biden’s administration enacts new rules to help decarbonize the power sector in twelve years. The EPA is unveiling the new standards. [AOL]

Have a satisfactorily impeccable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Single-Use Plastic Is Wreaking Havoc On The Planet. Here’s What You Can Do To Minimize Your Impact” • The life cycle of plastic begins with oil and gas are extraction. The fossil fuels are refined in facilities that use extreme temperatures and significant amount of water and energy. The plastic is used once. Then it is a waste and climate problem. [CNN]

Plastic (Antoine GIRET, Unsplash)

¶ “Germany’s Decision To Phase Out Nuclear Power Is Wise” • “With the shutdown of its last three nuclear power plants, Germany has completed its phase-out of nuclear power. As the minister responsible for nuclear safety in Germany, I believe that this was an excellent – indeed, visionary – move.” Here are five compelling reasons. [Arab News]

¶ “The North Seas Can Be The World’s Biggest Power Plant” • A statement by the prime ministers and other leaders of eight nations of western Europe says, “We need offshore wind turbines – and we need a lot of them. We need them to reach our climate goals, and to rid ourselves of Russian gas, ensuring a more secure and independent Europe.” [POLITICO]

Wind farm (US DOE, public domain)

Science and Technology:

¶ “SuperNode And CERN Collaborate On New Solutions For Renewable Energy Transmission” • SuperNode, an Irish firm developing superconducting energy transmission technology, and CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, have launched a collaboration to develop a novel type of insulation for superconducting cables. [Energy Digital Magazine]

¶ “The Sodium-Ion Battery Is Coming To Production Cars This Year” • Sodium is much less expensive than lithium, and it has a similar chemistry for batteries. Sodium is less energy-dense than lithium, but sodium batteries have big cost advantages. A number of companies are working on sodium batteries, and the first ones are set to come out this year. [CleanTechnica]

Sodium-aluminum battery (Sara Levine, PNNL)

World:

¶ “Australia Fuel Efficiency Standards Released – Thank You, Solar Citizens Et Al” • On April 3, the Solar Citizens’ Electric Ute Roadshow was making a big splash in the nation’s capital not just to promote the LDV eT60, but to push for national fuel efficiency standards. Now, progress on fuel efficiency standards has been announced! [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ford To Build Electric Vehicles In Ontario, Rethinks China Strategy” • Ford builds the Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus at its factory in Oakville, Ontario, a facility that opened in 1953. Now Ford says it will invest $1.5 billion to transform the Oakville Assembly Complex into a Canadian hub for manufacturing EVs and battery packs. [CleanTechnica]

Ford F-150 Lightning in snow (Courtesy of Ford)

¶ “Israel Launches Largest Solar Project, To Power 60,000+ Households” • Israeli renewable energy company Teralight, the Moshavim movement and the Environmental Protection Ministry have launched the country’s largest solar project in the Jezreel Valley. The Ta’anakh project will operate with 250 MW of installed capacity. [The Jerusalem Post]

¶ “Upington Solar Power Complex Lauded For Positive Social Impact” • South Africa’s Upington solar power complex was lauded for its positive social impact on the communities around it. Scatec Solar had connected the 258-MW solar PV complex to the national grid in 2020.The Upington solar power complex consists of three solar PV plants. [EWN]

Visitors at the Upington Solar Power Complex (Scatec image)

US:

¶ “California Jury Exonerates Tesla In Autopilot Crash” • In a complaint, Justine Hsu said that Tesla was on notice prior to an accident she had in her 2016 Model S that the Autopilot and airbag systems could fail on city streets. But Tesla won the suit. It had warned drivers not to use the system on city streets, and it showed Hsu had been distracted. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “NREL Has Been Tapped To Help Electrify Four Major Freight Corridors” • The National Renewable Energy Laboratory will collaborate with industry partners on four out of seven projects to electrify freight corridors. Ultimately, they will inform plans for zero-emission charging infrastructure across more than half of the US. [CleanTechnica]

Freight truck (Rhys Moult, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Berkshire Hathaway’s Utility Company Is About To Hit A Major Renewable Energy Milestone” • Based on the latest annual data from Berkshire Hathaway’s utility operations, Berkshire Energy’s electricity production from renewable sources is on track to comfortably surpass the national average and come close to half of all power generation. [CNBC]

¶ “Metro Detroiter Fighting To Ban Utility-Scale Solar Farms Through Ballot Initiative” • A Michigan resident is trying to stop utility companies from building solar panels on farmland. She said she’s concerned about environmental impact. On the other side of this issue, at least one utility company tells 7 Action News those concerns are unfounded. [WXYZ]

Have an uninhibitedly rewarding day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Tiny Creatures Are Losing Their Battle To Survive. Here’s What We Can Do To Save Them” • The Rufous hummingbird lost two-thirds of its population since 1970, according to the 2022 State of the Birds report. That is not the only species with such a decline. We can do things to help native species survive in an increasingly challenging world. [CNN]

Rufous hummingbird (Ryan Bushby, CC-BY-SA 2.5, cropped)

¶ “The World Just Failed Its Annual Health Checkup” • The WMO’s annual State of the Climate Report, published Friday ahead of Earth Day, paints a stark picture, showsing climate records being broken. “This is really a wake up call that climate change isn’t a future problem, it is a current problem. And we need to adapt as quickly as possible.” [CNN]

¶ “Condensed Matter Battery From CATL Targets Electric Airplanes” • CATL, the world’s largest EV lithium-ion battery maker, announced that it expects to start producing “condensed matter” semi-solid batteries this year. The company said the new batteries will have an energy density of 500 Wh/kg. Common EV batteries in use have 300 Wh/kg. [CleanTechnica]

CATL condensed battery (Image from CATL via CnEVPost)

World:

¶ “Ford F-150 Lightning Goes To Norway!” • Ford announced that the F-150 Lightning will be entering the most cutting-edge battery-EV market in the world, Norway. In response to massive consumer demand, a small number of Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat Launch Edition vehicles are now available for purchase by Norwegian customers. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “183 Electric Solaris Urbino Buses Are Now On The Streets Of Oslo!” • The bus fleet of Oslo has just received 183 articulated Solaris Urbino 18.75 electric buses. With completion of this order, Solaris has finished the largest electric bus order it has ever received. The contract, which was signed in January 2022, is worth €100 million. [CleanTechnica]

Solaris Urbino Bus (Solaris image)

¶ “TSMC And ARK Ink Renewable Power Purchase Contract” • Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co said it has signed a joint procurement contract with ARK Power Co to provide 1 TWh per year of solar energy for 20 years as part of TSMC’s broader efforts to reduce its carbon footprint together with companies in its supply chain. [Taipei Times]

¶ “Cornwall Makes Case For Celtic Sea Power Line” • Ahead of this year’s Celtic Sea seabed auction, industry leaders in Cornwall are calling for power lines from floating wind farms to be landed directly in the county. The Crown Estate’s auction, planned for later this summer, aims to unlock 4 GW of electricity by 2035, with potential for 24 GW. [reNews]

Coast of Cornwall (Scott Evans, Unsplash)

¶ “Octopus Energy Sets 20-GW Target For 2030” • Octopus Energy’s generation arm is targeting 20 GW of European green generation projects by 2030. The projects would be enough power for 15 million homes, boosting the continent’s energy security and reducing consumers’ bills. OE has opened seven European onshore wind farms since 2022. [reNews]

¶ “Putin ‘To Scrap Russia’s Largest Nuke-Powered Warship Peter The Great’ As He Can’t Afford Repairs” • Vladimir Putin is poised to send the flagship vessel of the Russian Navy, Peter the Great, to the scrapheap because repairs are too expensive. The guided missile cruiser is Russia’s largest nuclear-powered warship. Putin once boasted it had “virtually no equal.” [The Sun]

Peter the Great (Szilas, public domain)

US:

¶ “Biden Announces New Environmental Justice Initiatives” • US President Biden announced new environmental justice actions, including an executive order that the White House says will make environmental justice a central mission of federal agencies. It will create an Office of Environmental Justice inside the White House Council on Environmental Quality. [CNN]

¶ “The EPA Is Preparing Aggressive New Rules For Power Plant Pollution That Could Prompt Legal Challenges” • The Biden administration is planning to roll out aggressive new rules to regulate planet-warming pollution from natural gas power plants, three sources familiar with the plan and who have been briefed on the rules told CNN. [CNN]

Natural gas power plant (American Public Power Association)

¶ “The Bill That Could Connect California To Sun, Wind, And Savings Across The West” • A bill at the California Legislature could start the transition toward a fully integrated western power grid. It would boost renewable energy, deliver reliable electricity, and reduce the costs of dispatching clean electricity for the entire western region. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Biden-Harris Administration Recommends $562 Million To Make Communities Resilient To Climate Impacts” • VP Kamala Harris announced a recommendation by the Department of Commerce that $562 million in funding be made for projects so communities and the economy could be more resilient as the climate changes. [CleanTechnica]

Resilience (Karim MANJRA, Unsplash)

¶ “‘Big Melt’ Of Sierra Nevada Snow Will Begin This Weekend. Tulare Lake Flooding To Worsen” • As temperatures warm up over the coming days, weather experts predict that a record snowpack in the southern Sierra Nevada will see an accelerated pace of melting, potentially adding to flooding woes of the San Joaquin Valley of California. [AOL]

¶ “Renewable Energy Standard Bills Gain Little Traction” • One priority for Vermont climate advocates this session has been largely out of play: reforming the state’s Renewable Energy Standard. “The bottom line is, right now, Vermont’s energy policy is getting very little new renewable electricity built,” said VPIRG’s Ben Edgerly Walsh. [VTDigger]

Have an unqualifiedly dreamy day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Greenland And Antarctic Ice Sheets Are Melting Rapidly And Driving Sea Level Rise, New Satellite Data Finds” • Combining data from fifty satellite surveys of Antarctica and Greenland, spanning the years 1992 to 2020, scientists of the Ice Sheet Mass Balance Inter-comparison Exercise found a six-fold increase in ice sheet melting over the past thirty years. [CNN]

Icebergs (Muhammad Nasir, Unsplash)

¶ “Scientists Isolate Microbes That Eat Carbon Dioxide” • In the warm waters of an Italian volcano, scientists found microbes that gobble up carbon dioxide “astonishingly quickly,” they told The Guardian. Now they are hoping to put those microbes to work absorbing carbon dioxide as an efficient way of removing it from the atmosphere. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Climate Change Is Fueling Deadly Heat Waves In India And Putting The Country’s Development At Risk, Study Says” • Heat waves have already critically impacted India, leading to power outages, increased air pollution, and accelerated glacial melt in the north of India, University of Cambridge scientists said in the study published in the journal PLOS Climate. [CNN]

Weather in Maharashtra (JakilDedhia, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “The World’s Biggest Banks Are Still Pouring Money Into Fossil Fuels” • Banks provided $673 billion to finance the fossil fuel industry last year, even as oil and gas companies made $4 trillion in profits, according to the annual Banking on Climate Chaos report, authored by nonprofits that include The Rainforest Action Network and the Sierra Club. [CNN]

¶ “President Joe Biden Pledges $500 Million To Curb Amazon Deforestation” • US President Joe Biden pledged a $500 million investment to the Amazon Fund. The amount is enough to make the US one of the world’s largest donors to the international conservation program to protect the Amazon rainforest from deforestation. [CNN]

Amazon rainforest (Arnie Chou, Pexels)

¶ “Tesla Passes Mercedes And Toyota As Most Valuable Auto Brand” • While Tesla is dominating deliveries and production of EVs in recent years, it’s also becoming more valuable as a brand. New research from one firm has named Tesla the world’s most valuable automotive brand, surpassing two key household names, Mercedes and Toyota. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Siemens Gamesa Greens Tower Steel” • Siemens Gamesa has launched the GreenerTower, a wind turbine tower made of more sustainable steel. The GreenerTower has already closed its first order, as RWE and Siemens Gamesa have agreed to introduce 36 of the units at the 1-GW Thor offshore wind power project in Denmark. [reNews]

Offshore wind turbine (Siemens Gamesa image)

¶ “Does India Have Enough Insurance Coverage For A Nuclear Disaster?” • India has barely half the insurance amount it needs in the event of a nuclear disaster, raising concerns among experts about a lack of oversight. There is a critical shortfall in funds that will be needed to compensate victims and pay for cleanup in case of a nuclear disaster. [Al Jazeera]

US:

¶ “Frito-Lay Expedites 2040 Net-Zero Emissions Goal, Buys Over 700 Electric Delivery Vehicles” • By the end of 2023, Frito-Lay will have over 700 electric delivery vehicles in the US, the company announced in honor of Earth Month. The use of the EVs is anticipated to reduce emissions by 7,052 metric tons of greenhouse gases each year. [CleanTechnica]

Electric delivery vehicle (Courtesy of Frito-Lay North America)

¶ “Hyundai CRADLE And Itselectric Will Partner To Deploy Curbside EV Chargers In New York City” • To demonstrate curbside EV charging for cities, itselectric, a Brooklyn-based EV curbside charging startup, entered into a strategic partnership with Hyundai CRADLE and the New York City Economic Development Corporation. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “San Jose Chooses A Network Of Autonomous PRTs For Airport Connector Route” • The city of San Jose granted authorization to develop a network of autonomous cars that will travel on their own dedicated narrow 5.5-foot-wide paths. The system will start with 4-person electric pods transporting passengers between San Jose’s airport and two city areas. [CleanTechnica]

Glydways electric pod (Photo provided by Glydways)

¶ “Bechtel Nixes $1 Billion Power Plant After Years Of Permitting Battles” • Renovo Energy Center, an energy company owned by Bechtel Development Co, nixed a $1 billion combined-cycle generating project in central Pennsylvania. The proposed plant drew opposition over air quality issues, and the developer said it could not see a way forward. [Utility Dive]

¶ “Avangrid’s $1 Billion Power-Line Project Prevails In Maine Court” • A Maine jury granted a reprieve to Avangrid’s proposed $1 billion transmission line that would carry renewable energy from Canada to New England. Maine residents voted to halt the project in 2021, after Avangrid had received permits, spent $450 million, and begun construction. [Hartford Courant]

Transmission lines (Egg thing, Pexels)

¶ “Goal Of Using 100% Renewable Electricity Reached” • With the new Yahara Solar Project, Dane County, Oregon, reached the milestone of 100% renewable electricity use at county facilities. The 33,000 solar panels at the 90-acre solar farm site will reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those produced by more than 5,000 cars. [Oregon Observer]

¶ “Nuclear Fusion Will Not Be Regulated The Same Way As Nuclear Fission – A Big Win For The Fusion Industry” • The NRC, the top regulatory agency for nuclear materials safety in the US, voted unanimously to regulate the burgeoning fusion industry differently than the nuclear fission industry. Fusion startups are celebrating that as a major win. [CNBC]

Have a relatively magnificent day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Apple Will Use 100% Recycled Cobalt In Batteries By 2025” • Apple announced significant acceleration of its efforts to expand the use of recycled materials across all of its products. It aims to use 100% recycled cobalt in all of the batteries it makes by2025. Apple-designed printed circuit boards will also have a number of other 100% recycled materials. [CleanTechnica]

Apple landscape (Apple image)

¶ “Solarge Debuts Lightweight Fully Recyclable Solar Panels” • Solarge, based in the Netherlands, has introduced what it calls the world’s first 100% recyclable solar panel. It claims a number of advantages for the panels, including light weight, a negative carbon manufacturing footprint, non-toxic materials, and a recyclable design. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Fleet Of Russian Spy Ships Has Been Gathering Intelligence In Nordic Waters, Investigation Finds” • Russia has a fleet of ships in Nordic waters. A joint investigation by the public broadcasters of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland suggests they are spying as part of a program developing an ability to sabotage submarine cables and wind farms. [CNN]

Storm over the Baltic Sea (Marek Piwnicki, Unsplash)

¶ “A Caribbean Island’s Quest To Become The World’s First Climate-Resilient Nation” • Dominica is one of the most disaster-vulnerable countries on Earth. It faces a choice of building resilience or a risk of being locked in an unsustainable cycle of destruction and rebuilding. So it is trying to become “the world’s first climate-resilient nation.” [BBC]

¶ “Toyota Unveils Two New BZ Series Models At Auto Shanghai” • Toyota recently announced that it will expand the current line-up of battery EVs by releasing ten new models by 2026, which would amount to 1.5 million vehicles of annual sales. Toyota says this new generation of BEVs will have double driving range and impressive performance. [CleanTechnica]

Toyota battery EVs (Toyota image)

¶ “UK Report Shows Promise Of 100% Clean Energy, Without Nuclear Power, By 2050” • A best-case scenario in which the UK fully transitions to renewable energy with no nuclear generation would save more than £100 billion (over $124 million) achieving net-zero by 2050 and produce 20% fewer carbon emissions, an analysis concludes. [Common Dreams]

¶ “Renewables Is Scotland’s Biggest Economic Opportunity” • In Scottish Renewables’ fourth edition of its Supply Chain Impact Statement, 89% of renewable energy supply chain businesses said they think renewable energy is the largest economic opportunity for Scotland, while 94% said they have invested in upskilling as a result of clean power opportunities. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm (SSW image)

¶ “Large Floating Platforms To Power Ireland’s Renewable Energy Transition” • Float Europe® has developed a number of large floating platforms to assist Ireland’s renewable energy transition and while meeting Europe’s 2030 sustainable goals. The company offers a pneumatically atabilized platform and a wave energy converter. [Innovation News Network]

¶ “Mega Solar Farm In Waikato Set To Power 70,000 Homes” • A mega solar farm development set for Waikato, New Zealand, has turned another leaf with an agreement between the international developer and manawhenua. The solar farm, with 300-MW of capacity, will operate on two sites covering a total of 660 hectares of land. [Stuff.co.nz]

Sheep grazing among solar panels (Supplied photograph)

¶ “Vattenfall Plans To Build 730 MW Of Swedish Hydro Power” • Vattenfall plans to upgrade four existing hydro power stations in Sweden, with a goal of providing additional capacity totaling 730 MW. The Swedish developer is looking to start development of the new capacity in 2026, with the expectation that it will be completed by 2032. [reNews]

US:

¶ “Tesla Reduces US Prices For Sixth Time This Year! What Does That Mean?” • On Tuesday, Tesla reduced the price US customers will pay for certain models again. It is the sixth time this year that the company has done so. The big winners this time around are customers who want to buy or lease the best-selling Tesla Model Y, but other prices also fell. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model Y (Tesla image)

¶ “Ford Establishes New Division For AI And Autonomy” • Ford has put together a new AI and autonomous vehicle division, Latitude AI. Anything as complex as a self-driving car doesn’t seem to happen through the traditional development practices of automakers, but Ford has already accumulated over 50 million miles of hands-free driving. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Seven Fully Electric Cars That Now Get $7,500 US EV Tax Credit” • The US federal tax credit for EVs has been updated, and that means that some electric cars, trucks, and SUVs no longer qualify for the tax credits they once had. Actually, most EVs on the market in the US no longer qualify! The good news is most of the most popular EVs still do. [CleanTechnica]

2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV (Chevrolet image)

¶ “Renewable Energy Vision Becomes Reality In Indiana” • A leader in the waste-to-value energy market, BioTown Biogas, has activated its newest digester and processing facility. It is one of the largest on-farm biodigesters in the world. Its two digesters can produce 42 million kWh of electricity and over 3 million gallons of natural gas. [Farm Progress]

¶ “Illinois Clean Energy Advocates Rally Against Nuclear Power In Springfield” • Clean energy advocates from across Illinois rallied as the state considers expanding its options for the energy grid. “Nuclear is gonna take a long time to put on the grid, and wind and solar can go tomorrow,” said Jen Walling of the Illinois Environmental Council. [MyStateline.com]

Have a thrillingly delightful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Electric Vehicles And The Utility Grid – A Match Made In Heaven” • Utility companies sell electricity. It’s what they do. It’s a business and they are very good at it. They want to sell more electricity, not less, and the EV revolution will allow them to do just that. Here are two examples of analysis that trickled in to the CleanTechnica news desk. [CleanTechnica]

EV charging (Pixy.org, CC0)

¶ “Climate Diplomacy Is Failing – But We Need It To Survive” • IPCC reports take six to seven years to compile. They already lag the latest climate science by the time member states agree to their findings. By the time governments pledge their emissions reductions, the outdated science is lags even more. And then they seldom honor the pledges. [CBC]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Biodiversity Targets May Be Slipping Out Of Reach – Study” • A study published in the Royal Society journal, Proceedings B says effects of climate change and habitat loss on animal populations have been underestimated. Scientists say preventing extinctions may take longer than expected and that unless we act now global biodiversity targets will be out of reach. [BBC]

Golden lion tamarin (su neko, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Is Now Permanent And So Huge That A Coastal Ecosystem Is Thriving On It” • Scientists are finding thriving communities of coastal creatures thousands of miles from their original home on plastic debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a 620,000 square mile swirl of trash in the northern Pacific Ocean. [CNN]

¶ “NASA Launches TEMPO To Track Air Pollution On A Whole New Level” • It is difficult to monitor emissions across a small area from space. NASA launched the TEMPO air quality project to do that. It will be the first Earth-observing satellite with an instrument locked in a geostationary orbit, hovering over a specific area of the world. [CleanTechnica]

Seeing CO₂ pollution (Matthias Heyde, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Fukushima’s Fishing Industry Survived A Nuclear Disaster. Twelve Years On, It Fears Tokyo’s Next Move May Finish It Off” • After the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the area’s fishermen found their fish were banned. After that no one would buy them. Now Japan plans to gradually release over 1 million metric tons of filtered wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. [CNN]

¶ “Cape Town Launches $66 Million Solar PV Project With Help From C40 & GIZ” • The City of Cape Town is working to reduce the impact of electricity rationing in the city in the near future, and ultimately, to eliminate it altogether. Cape Town is busy implementing several projects to achieve this. Among them is procurement of renewable energy. [CleanTechnica]

Cape Town (Pixabay, Pexels)

¶ “Europe’s Biggest Charging Network: 500,000 Elli Charging Points” • With access to over 950 providers in 28 countries, Elli offers comfortable cross-border charging. E-mobility relies on a tight-knit charging network that is dependable, with charging stations that are simple to use. Elli is providing for Volkswagen Group EV drivers now. [CleanTechnica]

US:

¶ “House Fails To Override Biden’s Veto Of Resolution To Overturn EPA Water Rule” • The House of Representatives failed to override President Joe Biden’s veto of a resolution to overturn an EPA water rule. Republicans argue that the rule puts a burden on the agriculture community by being too restrictive in defining what is a navigable waterway. [CNN]

Capitol Building (Donghun Shin, Unsplash)

¶ “A Quarter Of Americans Live With Polluted Air. People Of Color And Those In Western States Disproportionately Affected” • About 1 in 4 people in the US breathe polluted air that can hurt their health and shorten their lives, a report from the American Lung Association says. People of color are disproportionately affected, as are residents of Western cities. [CNN]

¶ “$25,000 Electric Car Coming To USA? It’s Already Here!” • We see stories about how disruptive the coming less expensive EVs will be. But they have pretty much already arrived. You can go out there and buy a $26,500 electric car today and then save oodles of money not buying gas. And with a range of roughly 250 miles, they are not shabby. [CleanTechnica]

Chevy Bolt (Chevy image)

¶ “Polestar 4 Revealed, US Production Of Polestar 3 Planned For 2024” • Polestar pulled the covers off of the Polestar 4 at the Shanghai auto show to reveal the very latest thinking on how to make an SUV that resembles something else. The car shows a new approach, including a rear window replaced by a camera. And it is coming to the US. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Avangrid Signs 1-GW Clean Power MOU With Navajo Utility” • Avangrid and the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore opportunities to develop up to 1 GW of clean energy. The green energy projects will be built within the Navajo Nation in the states of New Mexico and Arizona. [reNews]

Wind farm (Avangrid image)

¶ “The US Has Seen 5 Years’ Worth Of Clean Energy Investments In Just 9 Months – Here Are The Highlights” • The American Clean Power Association’s new Clean Energy Investing in America study reports the statistical breakdown of where all this capital investment is going. Here are some of the statistics the report has in it. [Electrek]

¶ “University Of Vermont Pledges To Go Carbon Neutral By 2030” • The University Of Vermont has committed to achieving carbon neutrality on campus by 2030 in a new Comprehensive Sustainability Plan. The university will prioritize decarbonization and develop a plan to “green” campus labs, reduce generation of waste, and more. [WPTZ]

Have a credibly fabulous day.

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Opinion:

¶ “What Is The Best Way To Allocate Colorado River Water Rights?” • The debate over Colorado River water rights seems to focus on the needs of agriculture, primarily livestock feed crops, over the daily needs of everyday people. Isn’t it time for the US government to put the people first and business second when it comes to water? [CleanTechnica]

Colorado River from Moab Rim (USGS, public domain)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Next-Gen EV Batteries From Wood Pulp: Yet Another Reason To Hug A Tree” • Graphite is used to make lithium battery anodes. In the past, it has been made from coal derivatives and petroleum, but now wood-based replacements are being put forward. It looks like eucalyptus trees are about to push fossil fuels out of another market. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “The Volkswagen ID.7 Is Finally Here” • Volkswagen has taken the camouflage off the ID.7 sedan. It will go on sale in Europe and China later this year and in America in 2024. The ID.7 is the company’s first global electric sedan for the upper midsize class. It has a projected range of 700 km (WLTP), or 435 miles, and it has a spacious interior. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen ID.7 (Courtesy of Volkswagen)

¶ “Brookfield To Invest $1 Billion In Indian Renewable Energy Company” • Canadian investor Brookfield will reportedly invest $1 billion in Indian renewable energy project developer Avaada Ventures. The first tranche of $400 million has already been released by Brookfield, and the balance is linked to achievement of milestones. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Kosol Energie Targets 1.9 GW Of Solar Module Production In India” • Kosol Energie, part of Munich Re insurance group, has announced aggressive plans to expand its solar module facility in India, which is now 250-MW. According to media reports, Kosol Energie has placed an order for an 850-MW module production line with SC Solar. [CleanTechnica]

Solar modules (Priamo Mendez, Unsplash)

¶ “Renewable Energy Growth Must Double To Meet Australia’s Emission Goals: Clean Energy Council” • Australia’s renewable energy industry is growing at half the pace needed for the sector to meet the Albanese government’s emissions reduction goals, despite the sector having one of its best years, the Clean Energy Council said in its annual report. [The Guardian]

¶ “Goldwind Toasts 100-GW Milestone” • Goldwind has achieved a milestone of exceeding 100 GW of global installed capacity, with successful operation of several wind power projects. The company held an event to mark the 100-GW installed capacity milestone and the launch of two new wind turbine models for areas of uncertain winds. [reNews]

Wind turbines (Goldwind image)

¶ “Mainstream, Hexicon File To Build 2.5-GW Swedish Floater” • Mainstream Renewable Power and Hexicon joint venture Freja Offshore has submitted a planning application for the Mareld floating wind farm. The site could host 2.5 GW of capacity, which corresponds to more than half of electricity consumption of the Västra Götaland region of Sweden. [reNews]

¶ “Could electric vehicles reshape the grid?” • The Realising Electric Vehicle-to-Grid Services trial in Canberra was to find whether a fleet of EVs could provide grid services as big batteries and virtual power plants do. The trial is complete and the results are promising: Vehicle-to-Grid technology can provide support for the grid. [Australian Renewable Energy Agency]

Charging a V2G-capable Nissan Leaf  (Image from AREA)

¶ “Legal Attack On EU Calling Nuclear Power, Gas ‘Sustainable’” • Greenpeace and other allied environmental organizations filed a complaint at the European Court of Justice opposing possible EU financial support for nuclear ang gas eneryg. “Atomic energy and gas cannot be sustainable,” said Greenpeace Germany’s head of economic and societal issues, Nina Treu. [DW]

US:

¶ “The Oil And Gas Industry Is Emitting Way More Of This Potent, Planet-Warming Gas Than The EPA Estimated, Study Shows” • Planet-warming methane pollution from the US oil and gas industry was 70% higher than the EPA’s estimates between 2010 and 2019, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [CNN]

Gas flare (Pixabay, Pexels)

¶ “Enel X Way Plans To Install Over 2 Million EV Chargers In The US By 2030” • Enel Group, Italy’s largest utility company, is establishing itself as a major force in the market for EV chargers through its Enel X Way subsidiary, which markets the Juicebox brand. Enel X Way said it plans to add at least two million EV chargers in North America by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Since The IRA, $150 Billion Of Investment, 46 Factories, And 18,000 Jobs In Renewable Energy” • Over the last eight months, following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, over $150 billion in domestic utility-scale clean electric power investments have been announced, according to the American Clean Power Association. [pv magazine USA]

Wind turbines under a low sun (Pixy.org, CC0)

¶ “Tribal Colleges Tap Us Energy Funds To Build ‘Living Labs’” • US tribal colleges and universities will be able to tap nearly $15 million in grant funding to boost clean energy development as part of a federal government investment to create more reliable and sustainable electric generating capacity for Native American communities. [Arizona Capitol Times]

¶ “Three US States Team To Build Clean Hydrogen Hub” • A coalition based in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan took the next big step in its bid to obtain up to $1.25 billion in federal funding for a regional clean hydrogen hub intended to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. It has now submitted its full application to the US DOE. [Government Technology]

Have an agreeably fragrant day.

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Opinion and Review:

¶ “Video Review Of The Wuling Bingo – It Looks Really Good!” • The SAIC, GM, Wuling joint venture had great success with the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, introduced in 2020. The JV hopes for similar success with the Wuling Bingo. At $8,682 for a decent 5-door car with 17.3-kWh battery and a 30-kW (41 hp) motor, it should sell like hot cakes. [CleanTechnica]

Wuling Bingo (Zotyefan, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Don’t Let Big Oil Blame You For Climate Change” • We have to know and do so very much. “It might seem overwhelming – it definitely does to me – but this is all intentional. Companies that destroy the planet, like the oil and plastic companies, are really, really good at marketing, and part of the marketing is convincing you climate change is your fault.” [The Tartan]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Scientists Confirm Long Held Theory About What Inspired Monet” • Claude Monet was a founder of Impressionism. A team of scientists looked at over 100 works he and the earlier British painter Joseph Mallord William Turner painted, with the goal of finding whether their paintings capture the increasingly polluted skies of the Industrial Revolution. [CNN]

Studying a Monet painting (Liza Rusalskaya, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Indian Railways Awards 960 MW Of Round-The-Clock Renewable Power Project” • Railways Energy Management Company Limited reportedly allocated 960 MW of renewable capacity to four companies. The winners are required to supply round-the-clock renewable power to Indian Railways, REMCL’s parent company. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Coca-Cola Canada Bottling To Become First Food & Beverage Manufacturer To Use Electric Trucks In Canada” • Coca-Cola Canada Bottling Limited will buy six Class 8 Volvo VNR Electric trucks for a pilot program to support its “Red Fleet” customer delivery routes in the Greater Montreal Region, according to Volvo Trucks North America. [CleanTechnica]

Electric truck (Courtesy of Volvo Trucks)

¶ “The First All-Electric Concrete Mixer In The UK Shows A Pathway To Low Carbon Logistics” • Heavy trucks are used for several applications that are just perfect for electrification. Some of these trucks are built for specific applications, such as tippers and cranes. As pillars of the construction industry, concrete mixers offer an exciting prospect. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “G7 Targets 1 TW Of Solar To Speed Up Renewable Energy Transition” • Ministers from the G7 states and representatives of the EU, wrapped up a meeting in Japan with an agreement to ramp up the total amount of solar power generation to more than 1 TW by 2030 as part of plans to speed up the clean energy transition. [pv magazine Australia]

Meeting (IEA image)

¶ “G7 Nations Commit To Renewable Energy Targets, But Stop Short Of 2030 Deadline For Coal Phase-Out” • The G7 nations wrapped up a two-day meeting in Japan, agreeing on new targets for solar and offshore wind capacity. They pledged a quicker phase-out of fossil fuels. However, they did not endorse a 2030 deadline for phasing out coal. [menafn]

¶ “EU Introduces First Renewable Energy Financing Mechanism Tender” • The first cross-border tender to encourage EU member state cooperation in projects related to renewables has been approved by the European Commission. The action is to hasten the achievement of clean energy targets. The tender structure will be a request for bids. [Construction World]

Windpower (Bastian Pudill, Unsplash)

¶ “Germany Stands Firm On Nuclear Phase-out, Rejects Bavarian Plea To Keep Nuclear Power” • Germany’s environment ministry denied a request from Bavaria, a south-eastern state of the country, to continue using nuclear power. This decision came shortly after the last three nuclear power stations in Germany were closed on Saturday. [Republic World]

US:

¶ “‘It Buys Us Time’: Great Salt Lake Is Still At A High Risk Of Disappearing After Epic Snow, Scientists Warn” • Three months ago, nearly three dozen scientists and conservationists sounded the alarm that the Great Salt Lake in Utah faces “unprecedented danger” and required immediate “emergency measures.” Heavy winter snow bought a little time. [CNN]

Great Salt Lake (Patrick Hendry, Unsplash)

¶ “Our Cleveland Duplex Case Study: The All-Electric Side Saves Money Compared To The Gas Side” • In 2021, the authors fixed up a duplex. After serious improvements, they “unintentionally ran a multi-year case study,” in which they “experimented with two identical housing units, one powered by gas and the other electric.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Pennsylvania To Fight Climate Change Under New EPA Climate Grant Program” • The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Acting Secretary Rich Negrin joined EPA Region 3 Administrator Adam Ortiz, and others to celebrate Earth Month and highlight federal, state, and local governments working together to fight climate change. [PennWatch]

Farm in Pennsylvania (Steve Adams, Unsplash)

¶ “UF Students Face Environmental Anxiety With Threat Of Climate Change” • With increasing forest fires, hurricanes gaining strength, and other natural disasters more frequent, members of Generation Z wonder: What does our future look like? What will be lost? Students at the University of Florida are not exceptions. [The Independent Florida Alligator]

¶ “Mars CEO Sees ‘Moral’ Duty In Tackling Climate Change” • The new CEO of Mars, maker of M&M’s sweets, chewing gum, and pet food, says companies have a “moral” duty to reduce their environmental footprint as the world battles climate change. Poul Weihrauch acknowledges that the food industry has a big impact on the environment. [Philippine Star]

Have an adequately perfect day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Ignoring Science, Environmental Protection And International Law – G7 Endorses Japan’s Fukushima Water Discharge Plans” • The G7 nations chose politics over science and the protection of the marine environment with a decision to support the Japanese government’s plans to discharge Fukushima radioactive waste water into the Pacific Ocean. [Greenpeace]

Fukushima water tanks (IAEA Imagebank, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Catastrophic Flash Droughts Brought By Climate Change Are Catching Farmers Off Guard” • A study published in the journal Science says climate change is speeding up and intensifying droughts, particularly a fast-developing type driven by heat that catches farmers off guard. The crop-killing events are called “flash droughts” by experts. [Nature World News]

World:

¶ “Kia Starts Building Facility For Electric Purpose-Built Vehicle Production” • Kia recently hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its special factory for the manufacture of vehicles designed specifically to be purpose-built battery EVs. Over 200 people attended the ceremony at Kia’s Hwaseong plant in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. [CleanTechnica]

Niro Plus Taxi (Damian B Oh, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Hyundai Motor Group Aims To Be A Top-3 EV Maker By 2030” • At the groundbreaking for Kia’s plant for purpose-built EV production, Hyundai Motor Group declared its intention to rank among the top three EV makers in the world by 2030. It said it plans to invest ₩24 trillion ($18.4 billion) in the domestic EV market by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “G7 Ministers Falsely Claim They Have Ended Fossil Fuel Finance, Leave Door Open To Gas Investments” • G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers issued a communique ahead of next month’s G7 Leaders Summit that leaves the door open for investments in new capacity and technologies despite IEA climate analysis. [Oil Change International]

Gas valves (Long Pyles, Pixy.org, CC0)

¶ “Brazil’s Acelen To Invest $2.44 Billion In Renewable Diesel Business” • Acelen, backed by Mubadala Capital, will invest 12 billion reais ($2.44 billion) over 10 years to make “green” diesel and jet fuel in Brazil, starting in 2026, in a move that will place the company among global leaders in this segment, executives told Reuters. [Reuters]

¶ “Iberdrola Increases Renewable Energy Production By 11% In The First Quarter” • Iberdrola’s renewables investing increased its energy production and installed capacity in the first quarter. The data sent today to the CNMV shows an increase of 11% in the group’s global renewable energy production, reaching 24,137 GWh in the first quarter of the year. [EV Wind]

Wind turbine (Bernetta Tinkham, Pixy.org, CC0)

¶ “G7 Seeks Nuclear Fuel Pact To Isolate Putin’s Russia” • An alliance between the UK, US, Canada, Japan, and France, aimed at displacing Putin from the international nuclear energy market, was announced in Japan. The group will leverage resources and abilities of each country’s civil nuclear power sectors to weaken Russia’s grip on supply chains. [Mirage News]

US:

¶ “Wind And Solar Power Now The Clear Champions On Cost” • There is some question about whether the ambitious goals of the Biden administration to promote EV adoption will succeed, but there is no question that renewable energy – wind and solar – is taking over from thermal generation when it comes to making electricity. [CleanTechnica]

LCOE, April 2023 (Courtesy of Lazard)
Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “GM Leads $50 Million Funding Round In EnergyX To Unlock US-Based Lithium” • General Motors and Energy Exploration Technologies disclosed a strategic partnership to advance lithium extraction and refinery technologies in the US. They revealed that GM Ventures is leading a $50 million Series B investment round in EnergyX. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Harrisville Files Complaint Against Eversource Over Community Power” • Harrisville, New Hampshire, is starting a community power program. The town has filed a complaint at the Public Utilities Commission against Eversource, saying the utility company has violated disclosure requirements in the state’s community power law. [NHPR]

Pond and mill at Harrisville (Magicpiano, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Pueblo Economy ‘Growing’ With Expansion Of World’s Largest Wind Tower Manufacturing Site” • CS Wind, a wind tower manufacturing company based in South Korea, said it is expanding the world’s largest wind tower manufacturing plant in Pueblo, Colorado, with plans to create 850 jobs for the city over the next several years. [Colorado Springs Gazette]

¶ “New Hampshire Sits Out On $3.6 Billion Northeast Clean Hydrogen Hub Proposal” • Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and over 100 partners are competing for a share of $8 billion in federal funding for six to ten clean US hydrogen hubs. New Hampshire is not interested. [The Keene Sentinel]

Have a delightfully wonderful day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “The Wool That Could Capture Carbon” • Sheep Inc claims to be the world’s first “carbon negative” fashion brand. The brand, which is based in London, factors farming (including methane, sheep farming’s main source of emissions), manufacturing, packaging, and transport into its analysis, according to a report from Carbon Footprint. [BBC]

Grazing sheep (Hasan Almasi, Unsplash)

¶ “How ESA Made Solar Panels That Work In Deep Space” • At Jupiter there is only 3% as much solar energy per square meter as on Earth. The temperature in that part of the solar system is just 30ºC above absolute zero. To make a solar-powered probe work, ESA had to invent solar panels that could operate effectively in a cold, dark environment. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “‘A New Era’: Germany Quits Nuclear Power, Closing Its Final Three Plants” • Germany’s last three nuclear power plants are closing as of April 15, marking the end of the country’s 60 year nuclear era. German opposition to nuclear power was already strong in 2000, when the government promised a phase-out. Then came the Fukushima Disaster. [CNN]

Isar nuclear plant (Elmschrat, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “The Clean Energy Milestone The World Is Set To Pass In 2023” • Greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector, the largest source of the world’s emissions, are expected to fall for the first time, according to London-based think tank Ember. The world’s demand for electricity is still growing, but new renewable energy is growing faster. [BBC]

¶ “Thousands Of EV Charge Points Are To Be Installed Across London” • To aid in London’s transition to a net-zero carbon metropolis by the year 2030, London mayor Sadiq Khan and the London Councils have announced the installation of thousands more electric vehicle charge points in all 32 boroughs and the city of London. [CleanTechnica]

London (Dominika Gregušová, Pexels)

¶ “Volkswagen Unveils All New Drive Unit For ID. Cars, CEO Promises Profitability For ID.2” • Volkswagen says its APP 550 electric powertrain will improve the power of its rear-wheel drive electric cars while adding range. Volkswagen says it plans to deliver the first vehicles with the new 210 kW (280 hp) electric drive system this year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The 82-kWh BYD Seal Joins The Dolphin In Europe” • BYD recently announced that its new 60 kWh Dolphin hatchback is coming to Europe. Now BYD has announced that its Seal sedan is also coming to Europe later this year. The European version of the Seal will have an 82 kWh battery pack with a range of 520 to 570 km (320 to 350 miles). [CleanTechnica]

BYD Seal (BYD image)

¶ “Undersubscribed Renewables Auctions Call For Government Action” • Europe has seen undersubscribed renewable energy auctions over the past few years, GlobalData, Energy Monitor’s parent company, reports in a study. They are at odds with its goal to accelerate the roll-out of solar and wind power to reach net zero and bolster energy security. [Energy Monitor]

¶ “G7 Ministers Agree On A ‘Drastic’ Increase In Renewable Energy” • The Group of Seven rich nations have agreed to call for “drastically” increasing electricity from renewable sources and are considering targets for solar and wind power, a person familiar with the talks said. The G7 met in Japan for climate and energy talks. [International Business Times]

G7 leaders in 2022 (内閣官房内閣広報室, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “IAEA Issues Grim Warning On Ukraine Plant” • UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi warned, “We are living on borrowed time,” after two landmine explosions near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly expressed fears over the safety of the plant, Europe’s largest atomic power station. [The Manila Times]

US:

¶ “Racial Disparities Are Working Against Disaster Recovery For People Of Color. Climate Change Could Make It Worse” • People of color face greater risks of harm from US climate disasters. A report from the EPA looked at four social groups: people living on low-income, racial minorities, those who did not graduate high school, and seniors over 65. [CNN]

Storm (Lachlan Ross, Pexels)

¶ “US EV Tax Credit Tool Tracks Electric Car Savings” • Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have developed an online resource to help consumers understand EV tax credits available through the Inflation Reduction Act. The tool can be found on a DOE website, fueleconomy.gov. It shows eligible models and their federal tax credits. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Dominion’s Renewable Projects Are Approved By Regulators Despite Cost Concerns” • Dominion’s regulators approved a suite of renewable energy projects the utility had proposed. Virginia’s State Corporation Commission wanted to deny two projects out of cost concerns. The projects are expected to add 38¢ to an average electricity bill. [Virginia Mercury]

Wind turbines (Kervin Edward Lara, Pexels)

¶ “Virginia Lawmakers Kill Youngkin Amendment To Define Nuclear Energy As Renewable” • The Democratic-controlled Virginia Senate rejected an amendment to an energy bill that would have allowed nuclear and hydrogen power to qualify as renewables. It also rejected legislation that would qualify certain biomass facilities as renewable. [The Hill]

¶ “Nuclear Power: An Uncertain Contribution To Climate Change Solution” • A bill to lift a moratorium on construction of nuclear power plants in Illinois is moving through the state legislature. But an environmental expert said that doesn’t mean there will be a rush to put up new reactors for the first time in decades. “They are exorbitantly expensive.” [WGLT]

Have an appreciably ideal day.

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Opinion:

¶ “US Needs Power Highways From The Plains To Spread Wind, Solar Benefits” • As the Biden administration takes measures to accelerate renewable energy deployment, the US DOE released a national draft transmission study that highlights the importance of new transmission capacity to achieve emissions goals and reduce costs. [Reuters Events]

Transmission lines (PhotoMIX Company, Pexels)

World:

¶ “Cyclone Ilsa Sets A New Wind Record As It Smashes Into Australia’s Western Coast” • Cyclone Ilsa smashed into a remote stretch of coast in Western Australia around midnight Thursday local time with wind speeds that broke previous records set more than ten years ago in the same place. Ilsa seems to have missed large population areas. [CNN]

¶ “Record Rise In China’s Sea Levels Threatens Coastal Cities Like Shanghai” • Sea levels on China’s coastline have hit their highest on record for the second year in a row. In 2022, China’s coastal sea levels were 94 mm (3.7 inch) higher than the average over the 1993-2011 period. The rising sea poses a serious threat to coastal cities such as Shanghai. [CNN]

Shanghai (Yufeng Fei, Unsplash)

¶ “KfW Approves $110 Million Loan For Indian Renewable Energy Transmission Project” • Reportedly, the government of Kerala got a nod from German development bank KfW for a loan worth ₹9.16 billion ($110 million). This will enable building a transmission project worth ₹14.5 billion, bringing solar and wind projects online in the Indian state. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Delhi Metro Aims For 50% Share Of Solar Power” • Delhi Metro announced that it will increase share of solar power in its power procurement to 50% by 2031. At present, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation sources 34% of its power from solar power projects, the bulk of which comes from Rewa Solar Power Park, 500 km away in Madhya Pradesh. [CleanTechnica]

Delhi Metro station (Naman Mehra, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “PM Announces Fast-Track Consenting For Waikato Solar Power Projects” • New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced plans to fast-track consenting for two Waikato solar farm projects. Hipkins said the projects could reduce over 200 million kg of carbon pollution each year and create as many as 280 jobs in New Zealand. [Stuff.co.nz]

¶ “Nova Scotia Power Fined $10 Million For Missing Renewable-Electricity Targets” • The provincial government has fined Nova Scotia Power $10 million for missing its targets for renewable electricity. The Natural Resources and Renewables Minister said he did not think the company had done enough to mitigate the shortfall in renewable energy. [CBC]

Lighthouse in Nova Scotia (Barbar Facemire, Pixy.org, CC0)

¶ “Global Wind Energy Set To Hit 1 TW In 2023 And Double In Eight Years” • After more than 40 years of wind energy buildout, Wood Mackenzie projects that global capacity will hit 1 TW this year and double to 2 TW in the next eight years. One official says this highlights the need for rapid expansion of transmission and grid interconnection. [Utility Dive]

¶ “Green Faction Leader: Nuclear Power Is A Waste Of Taxpayers’ Money” • Shortly before the planned end of the use of nuclear power in Germany, Green Party faction leader Katharina Dröge criticized calls to extend nuclear power. “You would not get a continuation of nuclear power plants for free,” Dröge said on ARD’s “Morgenmagazin.” [Market Screener]

Wind turbines and nuclear plant (Pixy.org, CC0)

¶ “German Government Rejects New Call To Delay Nuclear Shutdown” • The German government dismissed calls for a last-minute delay in shutting down the country’s last three nuclear power plants. Some politicians have demanded a reprieve for the remaining reactors, which were already operating without the requisite safety checks. [Power Engineering]

US:

¶ “Texas Dairy Farm Explosion Kills 18,000 Cows” • A blast at a Texas dairy farm earlier this week killed approximately 18,000 cows, according to local authorities. The explosion, at South Fork Dairy near the town of Dimmitt, also left one person in critical condition. Authorities believe that machinery in the facility may have ignited methane gas. [BBC]

Smoke from the dairy farm (Castro County Sheriff’s Office)

¶ “New Battery Center Launches In USA” • The US DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have announced the launch of a new joint battery center. It will bring together the resources and expertise of the national lab, the university, and Silicon Valley to accelerate the deployment of energy storage. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Saietta Orders 3,000 EDrives From AYRO” • US low-speed EV manufacturer AYRO placed an order with Saietta Group, a UK electric drive  specialist, for 3,000 electric drive units. The AYRO Vanish, a low-speed electric utility vehicle unlike any other that supports campus mobility and last-mile deliveries, will go into production later this year. [CleanTechnica]

AYRO Vanish (Saietta image)

¶ “Duke Energy Florida Adds 150 MW Of Renewable Energy To The Grid” • Duke Energy announced the completion of two solar projects in Florida. They are the latest projects added to the company’s community solar program portfolio, Clean Energy Connection. The sites have a total 150 MW of capacity to benefit Florida customers. [Valdosta Daily Times]

¶ “Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri Partner For Application To Create Clean Hydrogen Hub” • In partnership with the states of Iowa and Missouri, Governor Pillen announced that Nebraska has submitted a grant application with the US DOE for funding to establish the Mid-Continent Clean Hydrogen Hub in the tri-state region. [Governor Jim Pillen]

Have an undeniably superb day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “New Supercomputer For Climate Science” • The Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has a new supercomputer dedicated to climate science research. The new system is the fifth supercomputer to be installed and run by the National Climate-Computing Research Center at ORNL. [CleanTechnica]

An older supercomputer (Pixy.org, CC0)

World:

¶ “Trade And Carbon Credits, Not Ukraine, Lead The Agenda At Lula – Xi Talks” • As Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visits China, the trip’s focus will not be on Ukraine, but almost entirely on trade, how investments by China can help Brazil’s economy get back on track, and the potentially lucrative universe of carbon credits. [CNN]

¶ “‘Beginning Of The End’ For Fossil Fuels: Global Wind And Solar Reached Record Levels In 2022, Study Finds” • The use of coal, oil, and gas to produce electricity is expected to fall in 2023, a report by energy think tank Ember says. This would mark the first year to see a decline in the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity in a normal economy. [CNN]

Wind farm (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

¶ “India To Speed Up Renewable Auctions, Tender 50 GW Every Year” • India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has laid out plans to issue tenders for 50 GW of new renewable energy capacity every year between the financial years 2024 and 2028. At least 10 GW of the tenders issued every year will be for wind power projects. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Bean That Could Change The Taste Of Coffee” • Findings from his latest study suggest that if global temperatures rise 2°C, countries supplying a quarter of the world’s arabica will suffer major declines in yield. A rise of 2.5°C will have this impact on 75% of supply. The industry is now pinning hopes on a different coffee species. [BBC]

Coffee beans (Tina Guina, Unsplash)

¶ “BYD Dolphin Coming To Europe – €30,000 Price Estimate” • BYD has just announced that a 60-kWh Dolphin is coming to Europe where it will have four trim levels. It will be available in LHD and RHD markets. (Hello, UK.) The BYD Dolphin will be available from around June or July. Some reports say the starting price will be around €30,000. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine Boosted Clean Energy To Power More Than 90% Of New Demand Last Year, Report Says” • The share of global electricity generated by renewables is growing so fast there may be no going back, according to a new report released by research firm Ember, an independent environmental non-profit and think tank. [Fortune]

Solar array (Pixy.org, CC0)

¶ “Danish Company Opts For Sustainable Steel For Its Floating Renewable Energy Platforms” • Danish company Floating Power Plant (FPP) has signed a letter of intent with a specialist in sustainable recycling of maritime materials Renable for the supply of recycled steel for its floating renewable energy platforms. [Offshore Energy]

¶ “Wind And Solar Now Generate 12% Of Global Electricity” • An Ember report found that wind and solar energy hit a record high 12% of global electricity generation in 2022. Meanwhile the EU countries are lagging behind with wind power expansion. Put together, all renewable energy sources and nuclear power made up 39% of global electricity last year. [DW]

Cabin with solar panels (John Pupkin, Pixy.org, CC0, cropped)

US:

¶ “EPA Proposes New Tailpipe Rules That Could Push EVs To Make Up Two-Thirds Of New Car Sales In Us By 2032” • The EPA proposed ambitious new car pollution rules that could require electric vehicles to account for up to two-thirds of new cars sold in the US by 2032, for what would be one of the country’s most aggressive climate-change policies yet. [CNN]

¶ “DOE Seeks Public Feedback And Input On New Domestic Manufacturing Conversion Grants For Electrified Vehicles Program” • An office of the US DOE released a Request for Information to seek public input that will help shape the Domestic Manufacturing Conversion Grants for Electrified Vehicles program. [CleanTechnica]

First electric school bus in NYC (Courtesy of UES)

¶ “Tesla Wins Best Overall Luxury Brand From KBB!” • Tesla earned the title of Best Overall Luxury Brand from Kelley Blue Book in its most recent “Brand Image” analysis, landing the company the top spot in this category for the fourth year in a row. The EV maker also landed itself four other top spots in the Brand Image Awards. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Coal Supplying Less US Power Than Gas, Renewables, And Nuclear” • Coal use in the US power market is set to decline for a second year in succession as utilities increasingly shift to cheaper and cleaner natural gas and renewables. About 11 GW of coal plants, which is 5% of the fuel’s US capacity, closed in the past year, according to the DOE. [Mining Weekly]

Coal-burning power plant (Pixy.org, CC0)

¶ “India’s Rayzon Plans 500-MW Solar Module Fab In The US” • A solar module manufacturer based in India announced plans to set up a US module production line. Rayzon Solar announced plans to set up 500 MW of solar module manufacturing capacity in the US. The company did not specify any timeline or location for setting up the facility. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “PG&E Sued To Force Closure Of California’s Last Nuclear Plant” • Friends of the Earth filed a complaint in San Francisco Superior Court asking for an order that would stop PG&E from violating a 2016 agreement with the group in which the company promised to shut the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant once its licenses run out by 2025. [Yahoo Finance]

Have an inexpressably gorgeous day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Dispelling Myths Around Renewable Energy Technologies” • Despite the falling costs of renewable energy, and their growing share in the global energy mix, fossil fuel companies and their allied politicians keep pushing myths that question renewables’ viability to replace fossil fuels and attempt to justify fossil fuel-based solutions. [Energy Monitor]

Wind turbines (Filipe Resmini, Unsplash, cropped)

World:

¶ “Sandstorm Hits Beijing And Northern China For The Fourth Time In A Month” • A severe sandstorm has cloaked Beijing and China’s northeastern regions for the fourth time in one month forcing some residents to stay indoors to protect themselves from dense air pollution. On Monday, the air quality index soared to “severely polluted” levels. [CNN]

¶ “Proposed 1,200 MW Floating Solar PV Plant In Zimbabwe Could Increase Generation By 44%” • China Energy Engineering Group has proposed to construct a 1,200 MW DC floating solar PV plant on Lake Kariba to help with Zimbabwe’s unprecedented power crisis. The floating solar plant would cover 25 km² (about 1.34%) of the reservoir’s area. [CleanTechnica]

Kariba Dam (Image from ZRA)

¶ “Nextracker Lands Order For 1.56 GW India Solar Project” • Media reports say Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy will procure trackers for a 1.56-GW solar power project in the state of Gujarat. The company is building the project for India’s largest power generation company, NTPC Limited. It is expected to be commissioned by June 2024. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Coal Power Station Closes As State Transitions To Renewable Energy” • The Liddell Power Station in New South Wales, a coal-fired power station which first came online in 1971, has been shut down. The facility proved unreliable, having to be restarted 335 times in 2022, and it consistently failed to produce its maximum amount of power. [Utility Magazine]

Liddell plant in 2006 (Webaware, public domain)

¶ “Nuclear Power Plants: China And Russia Are Dominating The World’s Nuclear Trade” • At the beginning of this year, of the 59 reactors under construction in the world, 22 were in China, and 43 are of either Russian or Chinese technology, according to data from the World Nuclear Industry Status Report. Other countries are left far behind. [Globe Echo]

US:

¶ “Los Angeles, Las Vegas And Other Major Cities Could Face Huge Water Cuts In Feds’ Proposed Plan To Save The Colorado River” • The Biden administration released a highly anticipated analysis of the Colorado River crisis. It paints a dire picture of what that river system’s collapse would portend for the West’s major cities, farmers, and Native tribes. [CNN]

Las Vegas (Ryan Hafey, Unsplash)

¶ “See The Chipotle Of The Future” • The casual Mexican fast food chain Chipotle unveiled an all-electric restaurant design that is completely powered by renewable energy. The gas grills that are a focal point for walk-in customers are being replaced by electric systems. The chain’s goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2030. [CNN]

¶ “Porsche Behind World’s Biggest Factory For Silicon Battery Materials” • Porsche has been running behind the EV pack, but it appears to be set to catch up. The company has put money into the US startup Group14 Technologies, which is building a silicon battery materials factory in Washington state billed as the largest facility of its kind in the world. [CleanTechnica]

Group14 factory in Washington State (Courtesy of Group14)

¶ “Tesla Market Cap Up To $585 Billion” • The last week has not been great, but Tesla’s stock is on a tear this year, up almost 73% for the year to date. With analysts looking ahead to the next nine months of the year, investors in Tesla stock have pushed its market capitalization up significantly in recent months, to $585 billion. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Electric School Buses Upgrades Linked To Increased Student Attendance” • Replacing all of the oldest school buses in the nation could lead to 1.3 million fewer daily absences annually, according to a University of Michigan study. The suspected cause of these preventable absences is exposure to high levels of diesel exhaust fumes in bus cabins. [CleanTechnica]

School bus (Courtesy of GreenPower Motor Company)

¶ “Biden Administration Approves Construction Of 700-Mile Transmission Line Across US West” • The US Bureau of Land Management announced that it has approved the construction of a 732-mile high-voltage transmission line across the Western US that will help transport renewable energy from Wyoming to southern Nevada. [The Hill]

¶ “Sea Level Rise: Scientists Find ‘Unprecedented’ Rates Along Some US Coasts” • A study published in Nature Communications found that since 2010, sea level rise along the nation’s Southeast and Gulf coasts has increased dramatically. Scientists at Tulane University found that sea levels in those regions have increased by about half an inch every year. [Vigour Times]

Ft Lauderdale (Daniel Halseth, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “FEMA Sued Over Lack Of Renewables In Rebuilding Puerto Rico’s Power Grid” • Advocacy groups are suing the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, saying it is incorrectly ignoring renewable energy while using billions of dollars in congressional funding to rebuild Puerto Rico’s power grid, making the island less resilient. [1450 AM 99.7 FM WHTC]

¶ “Green Oceans’ Persuasion Methods Echo Those Of National Climate Change Deniers” • A 22-page report by the Climate and Development Lab at Brown University concludes that Green Oceans, a citizens group based in Rhode Island that lobbies against offshore wind projects, bases its arguments on techniques of disinformation funded by fossil fuels. [ecoRI News]

Have an agreeably sustainable day.

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World:

¶ “How Electric Tuk-Tuks Could Become A ‘Virtual Power Plant’ For Bangladesh” • Among the chaos of three-wheeled taxis called tuk-tuks, one startup in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, has spotted an opportunity. SOLshare plans to tap into the country’s estimated 2.5 million electric tuk-tuks, and turn them into a “virtual power plant.” [CNN]

Tuk tuks (Martin Péchy, Pexels)

¶ “Northern Thailand’s Air Pollution Becoming A Tourism Issue” • Thailand’s northern city of Chiang Mai is known for its scenic mountainous views, temples, and chic cafés. But high pollution levels in Chiang Mai and surrounding provinces are keeping tourists away and alarming locals. The government is urging residents to avoid outdoor activities. [CNN]

¶ “Toyota Planning To Add Plug-In Hybrids With Over 200 Km Of Battery Range” • Toyota recently announced that it will expand its current lineup by releasing ten new battery-electric models by 2026. For plugin hybrids, Toyota announced that it is developing next generation plug-in hybrids with an all-electric driving range beyond 200 km (124 miles). [CleanTechnica]

Next generation Prius (Toyota image)

¶ “India Selects Bids For Manufacturing Capacity For 39.6 GW Of Solar Modules” • The Solar Energy Corporation of India called for bids few months back, offering subsidies to companies looking to set up module manufacturing facilities. After the bids came in, the government allocated 39.6 GW of manufacturing capacity to 11 companies. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “75 Terawatts Of World Solar PV Are Needed By 2050 – Action Is Needed Now!” • The increasing acceptance of PV technology has prompted the experts to suggest that about 75 TW (75,000 GW) or more of globally deployed PV will be needed by 2050 to meet decarbonization goals. “Time is of the essence.” A great effort is needed now. [CleanTechnica]

PVs on trackers (Pixy.org, CC0)

¶ “Brazil May Add 76.9 GW Of Solar PV And 17.8 GW Of Wind Capacity” • Brazil is expected to launch the first offshore wind auction in 2023 and the winning projects are slated to be operational in 2027. Brazil is expected to add 76.9GW of solar PV capacity and onshore wind capacity of around 17.8GW between 2023-2035. [GreentechLead]

¶ “Liddell Power Station Is Closing. What Does That Mean For Energy Supply?” • One of Australia’s old coal clunkers, Liddell Power Station, is set to close at the end of April after more than 50 years in operation. It had 2.2 GW of capacity at one time, but with age, its reliable generating capacity had dropped to between 800 MW and 1,250 MW. [Climate Council]

Liddell plant in 2006 (Webaware, public domain)

¶ “Radioactive Sludge At Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Nears Storage Limit” • The amount of sewage sludge tainted with radioactive substances from the Fukushima nuclear disaster is pushing the storage facility to its limit, local media reported. The sludge is muddy waste with radioactive material captured while treating water treatment. [CGTN]

US:

¶ “Did This Winter Solve The Colorado River Crisis? No – But It Took Some Pressure Off, For Now” • After three years of record-breaking drought and plummeting water levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell, water officials and experts across the West are now looking at more snow and water than they can handle. But one winter isn’t enough to end the drought. [CNN]

Colorado River (Gabriel Tovar, Unsplash)

¶ “Tesla Launches Its Vision Park Assist Feature” • Since Tesla’s removal of ultrasonic sensors from its vehicles around late last year, some drivers have complained about the loss of park assistance. Now, Tesla has shared its vision-based park assist feature in a new update, which works without any need for ultrasonic sensor hardware. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Solar Power In Florida” • Florida’s solar policies have lagged behind other states, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Florida has no renewable portfolio standard, and it does not allow power purchase agreements. But despite politics, Florida is third in the nation in solar power generating capacity, after California and Texas. [CleanTechnica]

Pres Obama at a solar plant (The White House, public domain)

¶ “Virginia Groups Struck A Deal On Biomass Plants. Youngkin’s Amendments Cause Controversy” • As the General Assembly gets ready to reconvene to vote on bill amendments recommended by Republican Gov Glenn Youngkin, legislation that would allow the continued use of biomass to generate electricity is firing up some last-minute debate. [Virginia Mercury]

¶ “An Alaskan Village’s Journey Back to the Future” • The largest oil field in the US was discovered northern Alaska in the 1960’s. That brought fuel, gasoline-powered vehicles, and oil heating to Igiugig. But fuel costs have risen so much that residents struggle to afford heat for their homes and schools shuttered. Remote villages are turning to renewable energy. [NREL]

Igiugig village (Photo from Igiugig Village Council)

¶ “Western Interstate Hydrogen Hub Submits Application For US DOE Funding Grant” • The Western Interstate Hydrogen Hub LLC submitted an application for a $1.25 billion grant from the US DOE to advance the hydrogen economy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. The proposal identifies eight projects in the four states. [Colorado.gov]

¶ “Texas Senate Passes $10 Billion Plan To Develop 10,000 MW Of Gas-Fired ‘Insurance’ Capacity” • The Texas Senate approved a package of energy reforms including a $10 billion “energy insurance program” that aims to shore up grid reliability through development of a fleet of new gas-fired power plants with 10,000 MW of capacity. [Utility Dive] (Nonsense! – ghh)

Have a really fantastic day.

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Opinion:

¶ “It’s Time For Virginia To Plan Its Next Offshore Wind Farm” • Virginia’s first commercial offshore wind farm is on track to start construction next year and to be fully operational in 2026. It will be the largest offshore wind farm in the US. It took ten years to come to this point. We need to move faster, and that means planning new facilities now. [Virginia Mercury]

Offshore wind turbines (Bob Brewer, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “The Cork That Doesn’t Go Into Wine Bottles” • Cork has uses ranging from place mats to flooring and has been harvested sustainably since ancient Roman times. Because cork bark can be harvested every 20 years from long-lived cork oak trees, Europe has cork forests that support wildlife species found nowhere else. Cork is a great insulator. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Is Your Petrol Car Killing Your Pets?” • Many studies have been done to demonstrate the health consequences of breathing in the fumes from internal combustion engines, and yet some people still resist the call to move across to a battery electric vehicle. But what if your car was killing your fur baby? Or, at least, damaging its health? [CleanTechnica]

Fur baby (Tran Mau Tri Tam, Unsplash)

¶ “Green Steel In The News Again” • The UK-based think tank Rethink Energy produced its Green Steel Revisit: Myth or Reality report declaring that a time will come when the steel sector will be able to produce sustainable green steel at a cheaper price than by using traditional coal-based methods. The steel sector will no longer be hard to abate. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “The 2023 BYD Qin Plus EV Shows How Far BEVs Have Come Over The Last Decade” • In some cases, battery EVs are priced lower than comparable ICE cars. Let’s look at the world’s largest auto market, focusing on one of the traditional leaders in the sedan market, the Toyota Corolla, and compare it with a similar BEV sedan, the BYD Qin Plus EV. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Qin Plus EV

¶ “High Oil Prices Fueling Middle East’s Renewable Energy Boom” • Oil prices have soared to multi-year highs, largely aided by strong post-Covid-19 demand, surprise OPEC+ cuts and the disruption caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine. The windfall allows some Gulf Arab states to diversify their oil-reliant economies in very big ways. [The Tide News Online]

¶ “Tesla To Build New Megapack Battery Factory In China” • Tesla is planning to expand its business in China with a new battery factory to be built in Shanghai. The new facility is to produce 10,000 Megapacks annually, with a total capacity equivalent to 40 GWh. The batteries produced in Shanghai will be sold globally. [Oil Price]

Shanghai (Edward He, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Dominican Republic Is Installing 17 Renewable Energy Plants” • The Dominican Republic has 17 large renewable energy plants under construction. Six will enter operation before the beginning of next semester, and eight by the end of this year. The country will meet the goal of covering 25% of the national demand with renewables by 2025. [Dominican Today]

¶ “Globally, 40% Installed Power Comes From Renewable Sources: Report” • The International Renewable Energy Agency, in its World Energy Transitions Outlook 2023, said that in the global space, 40% of power is generated from renewable resources. Last year, of the new power capacity across the world, 83% was based on renewable resources. [BW Businessworld]

Hydropower (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

¶ “Habeck Before The End Of The Nuclear Power Plant: ‘We Will Have 80% Renewable Energies By 2030.’” • Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) said the forthcoming nuclear phase-out in Germany cannot be reversed. He said that new construction of nuclear power plants has always presented itself as an economic fiasco. [California18]

US:

¶ “EPA Preparing To Release Strict Vehicle Emissions Rules” • The US EPA is preparing to release strict new proposed federal emissions standards for light-duty vehicles that would move the US car market decisively toward EVs over the next decade. The rules would ensure that 64% to 67% of all new-car sales in the US would be EVs by 2032. [CNN]

Charging Tesla (alex, Unsplash)

¶ “US Forest Service Grant Gives City Of Prineville’s Planned Biomass Power Project $1 Million Boost” • The city of Prineville, Oregon, got a $1 million boost from the US Forest Service for its plans with Crook County to build a 25-MW renewable energy biomass plant. Officials say will speed forest restoration projects while reducing wildfire risk. [KTVZ]

¶ “Seneca Solar Seeks Equitable Solutions For The Climate Crisis” • Seneca Solar, a climate consultancy and solar developer wholly owned by the Seneca Nation, is expanding its strategic partnership with Alternative Energy Development Group to advance renewable energy developed and controlled by Native communities. [Triple Pundit]

Have a gracefully blissful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Will Washington Halt The Global Renaissance Of Nuclear Power?” • New rules mandated by US Congress were supposed to provide a streamlined licensing process for small reactors, which are in advanced stages of development. Instead, the NRC staff simply cut and pasted the existing rules for conventional reactors into a 1,200-page regulation. [Foreign Policy]

Nuclear power plant (Pixy.org, CC0)

¶ “’You Could Feel The Stress And Terror’: Inside Fukushima’s Abandoned Hospitals” • Urban explorer Bob Thissen and crew explored two abandoned hospitals near the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant that had meltdowns in 2011. His documentation is a stunning time capsule inside one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. [Business Insider]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Why MLB Players Could Be Hitting Hundreds Of More Home Runs Each Season By The End Of The Century” • Whether it’s a change in the baseballs, better analytics, or more robust training, many have wondered about what could be behind the increase in Major League Baseball home runs in recent years. But research raised another possibility: climate change. [CNN]

Home run (Hudson Graves, Unsplash)

¶ “The Rise Of Human Composting” • Human composting is the process of turning human remains into nutrient-rich soil. It’s an option that avoids the environmental pitfalls of mainstream practices: cremation releases CO₂ and air pollutants, and casket burial typically involves hazardous embalming chemicals and nonbiodegradable materials. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Ways To Protect Food Crops From Climate Change And Other Disruptions” • As climate and security crises destabilise our food sources, researchers are taking a critical look not just at how we produce food, but at the entire systems behind our food supplies. In this case, the systems behind the seeds that produce our food crops. [Partner Science Norway]

Rye (Kai Pilger, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Renewable Energy To Power Delta Public Hospitals” • In Nigeria, the Delta State Government said it has approved the installation of renewable energy (solar) in government hospitals across the state. The Delta Information Commissioner said the approval addressed an energy deficit in medical facilities such as general hospitals. [The Nation Newspaper]

¶ “GRIDSERVE Opens Two New Electric Super Hubs In UK’s North East” • GRIDSERVE and Moto opened two Electric Super Hubs on the A1(M), allowing for quick charging on one of the busiest roads in the UK. Since 2021, the partnership has installed over 320 EV charging stations, including 142 high-power stations in eighteen locations. [CleanTechnica]

Braintree Electric Forecourts® (Courtesy of Gridserve)

¶ “SMEs Turn To Solar Power” • Many companies, especially small and medium enterprises, are adopting solar energy, saving up to thousands of ringgit (1 ringgit = 23¢) each month on power bills. This comes in the wake of the hike in electricity tariffs to 20 sen per kWh (4.5¢/kWh) for medium-voltage and high-voltage users from Jan 1 to June 30. [The Star]

¶ “Masdar To Construct Three Solar Projects In Uzbekistan” • Masdar announced that it has closed on three solar PV projects in Uzbekistan. The plants will have a combined capacity of about 900 MW and represent the largest solar development program in Central Asia. Construction is to begin on all three projects in first half of this year. [Energy Digital Magazine]

Uzbek landscape (WantTo Create, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Tesla Broke Two Important Quarterly Records In Q1” • The first three months of the year were eventful for Tesla, to say the least, with sweeping price drops and the announcement of a new gigafactory in Mexico. Through all of it, Tesla has continued to increase its sales and production, clinching significant quarterly records for both in Q1. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Gas Generators Get Caught With Their Plants Down” • Gas power plant owners are facing performance penalties levied by the grid operator PJM, which they are attacking for enforcing the rules. An added irony is that the penalties, over $1 billion, are meant to pay incentives to the plants that over-performed their obligations, including wind farms. [CleanTechnica]

Winter Storm Elliot (NOAA image)

¶ “Walmart To Build Dedicated Fast Charging Network” • 90% of Americans have a Walmart store within ten miles, the company says. If the country needs conveniently located fast chargers for its growing fleet of EVs, driving to the nearest Walmart or Sam’s Club would be super convenient, especially for people who need something in the store. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “A Two-Year Degree Lands A Green Energy Job That Pays ‘A Pretty Penny’” • Leah Benne has no worries about finding a job. She’s in her first year of a two-year program at Cloud County Community College, and when she graduates with a degree in wind technology she expects several job offers, most of which pay at least $40,000 a year to start. [USA Today]

Have a resplendently magical day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Beyond Going Green, Here’s Why You Should Buy An EV” • Business Insider’s Tim Levin shared his thoughts on going electric after driving 24 different EVs. The story compiles his’s thoughts on why buyers should go electric, including experiences driving EVs from brands such as Tesla, Volkswagen, Rivian, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes, and more. [CleanTechnica]

SKODA EV (SKODA image)

¶ “EV Home Charging Safety: What’s The NEC 80% Rule For EV Charging And Why Does It Matter?” • The National Electric Code defines safety standards for homes. It had to modify its safety load standards since EV charging can run continuously, defined as greater than 3 hours. The code limits the time at which circuits run at over 80% of rating. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “How Beavers Could Help The Colorado River Survive Future Droughts” • Beavers are natural engineers, instinctively building dams and canals. A growing movement of nonprofits, experts, and government agencies see a potential to take learn beavers’ natural engineering prowess to capture more water for the places that desperately need it. [ABC News]

Beaver pond (Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “A Study Says Climate Change May Push More Hurricanes Toward US Coasts” • Changes in air patterns as the world warms will likely push more and nastier hurricanes up against the east and Gulf coasts of the US, especially in Florida, according to a study. Published in the journal Science Advances, it focuses on the crucial aspect of where hurricanes go. [WUSF News]

World:

¶ “Polluting Planes And Ships Get Green Investment Label From EU” • Planes and ships that run on fossil fuels could be given ‘green’ investment status as the EU Commission published its updated list of sustainable investments. Investments in more ‘efficient’ planes and ships would qualify as green, regardless of their use of fossil fuels. [CleanTechnica]

Airplane (Emanuel, Unsplash)

¶ “Largest Battery Energy Storage Facility Up In Northern Philippines” • The Philippines is now set to become one of the world’s leaders in the Battery Energy Storage System with a facility that has 1000 MW of capacity, according to officials of SMGP. The BESS is in the historic province of Bataan, 127 km (78 miles) from the capital city Manila. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “World BEV Sales Now 10% Of World Auto Sales” • Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 49% in February 2023 compared to February 2022. There were 812,000 registrations, representing 14% share (9.7% battery EV share) of the overall auto market. This means that the global automotive market is in the Electric Disruption Zone. [CleanTechnica]

EV Charging (Michael Fousert, Unsplash)

¶ “Cambodia Approves Five Renewable Energy Projects” • The Royal Government of Cambodia has approved five renewable energy projects with a total capacity of 520 MW. The projects will increase the power supply to the national grid and contribute to reducing the emissions of carbon dioxide and protecting the environment. [Khmer Times]

¶ “China’s Top Oil Companies Are To Invest $14.5 Billion In Renewable Energy” • Three companies, China Petroleum and Chemical Corp (Sinopec), China National Offshore Oil Corp, and PetroChina, joined to achieve net-zero CO₂ emissions by 2060. The companies have set aside a joint investment of $14.5 billion to diversify their energy portfolios. [Oil Price]

Chuanshan wind farm (Siyuwj, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Vibrant Energy Secures $268 Million To Build Wind-Solar Projects In India” • Vibrant Energy, an Indian renewable energy developer, has obtained ₹22 billion ($268.8 million) in funding from Power Finance Corporation. The financing will support construction of two wind-solar hybrid projects with a total capacity of 300 MW. [Power Technology]

US:

¶ “Tesla Cuts US Prices For Fifth Time Since January” • Tesla cut prices in the US between 2% and nearly 6%, its website showed on Thursday, as the company extends a discount drive on its EVs that analysts caution could hurt profitability. The company has cut the price of its base Model 3 by a cumulative 11% since the start of the year. [CNN]

Tesla Model 3 (Vlad Tchompalov, Unsplash)

¶ “North Carolina Solar Installers Settlement With Duke Energy Approved By NC Utilities Commission” • A rate modification for solar customers in North Carolina was recently approved by the North Carolina Utilities Commission. This impacts people living in North Carolina who want to use the grid that Duke Energy manages for net metering. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ford To Radically Reduce Complexity, Announces EV Tax Credit Eligibiliy” • The head of product development for Ford said the company plans “dramatic reductions” in the complexity of its product lineup starting in the 2024 model year. Also, Ford said all three of its currently available popular EVs are eligible for IRA tax credits in 2023. [CleanTechnica]

Ford F-150 Lightning (Image courtesy of Ford)

¶ “Invoke Eminent Domain, Marshall Plan For Renewable Energy, Said JP Morgan Ceo” • In a letter to shareholders, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon recognized that the window for action to avert the costliest effects of global climate change is closing. He voiced support for nonpartisan permit reform for renewables development. [pv magazine USA]

¶ “Leaks From Minnesota Nuclear Power Plant Raise Safety Fears Across US” • After finding that 400,000 gallons of radioactive water had leaked, Xcel did not announce it publicly for months. While some experts are not worried about health effects, even people who back nuclear power say that Xcel could have been more forthright in its actions. [The Guardian]

Have an emphatically nice day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Truck CO₂: Europe’s Chance To Lead” • The European Commission proposes to increase sales of zero-emissions heavy vehicles through CO₂ reduction targets of a -45% in 2030, a -65% in 2035 and a -90% in 2040. At first glance, a CO₂ target of -90% might seem close enough to full decarbonization, but it falls far short in four key aspects. [CleanTechnica]

Electric truck (Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz)

¶ “Nuclear Power Isn’t As Clean As The Industry Makes It Seem” • Does nuclear energy cause pollution? Yes. The nuclear industry wants us only to see the low carbon emissions that result from splitting atoms, but fuel production causes carbon emissions, and there is local thermal pollution, potential pollution from waste and by-products, and more. [Green Matters]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Underground Water Could Be A Great Source Of Renewable Energy” • A study published in the journal Applied Energy shows that use of underground water to store thermal energy could reduce natural gas and electricity consumption by 40% in the US heating and cooling sector. Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage is being studied around the world. [Earth.com]

Studying underground water (Maxime Bouffard, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “‘Shocked’ By The Loss: Scientists Sound The Alarm On New Zealand’s Melting Glaciers” • Every year New Zealand scientists fly over some of the country’s most iconic glaciers – ancient “rivers” of ice that descend from the Southern Alps, a spine of mountains that extend along the South Island. And almost every year, they find them shrinking. [CNN]

¶ “MINI’s Top Seller Goes Electric: Production Of The MINI Countryman Starts In Leipzig In November” • BMW released the specs of the upcoming all-electric MINI Countryman. BMW says the new MINI Countryman combines “electrified go-kart feeling with a reduced ecological footprint and continues the success story of the largest MINI model.” [CleanTechnica]

BMW Mini Cooper SE (BMW image)

¶ “Tesla Model Y Wins UK Bestseller Spot In March, Record BEV Volumes” • The UK saw plugin EVs take 22.4% of the auto market in March, down from 22.7% year on year. Battery EVs saw a small growth in market share YOY, and a new volume record, whilst plugin hybrids saw a slight decline. The Tesla Model Y was the UK’s best selling auto in March. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Battery-Electric Van Sales Continue To Grow In The UK, Up 32.7% For March Compared With Last Year” • The overall UK new light commercial vehicle market grew for the third consecutive month in March, rising by 17.3% to 47,634 units, according to the latest figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. [CleanTechnica]

Mercedes eSprinter (Courtesy of Mercedes)

¶ “Apple Expands Renewable Energy With Global Suppliers” • Apple announced that its manufacturing partners now support over 13 GW of renewable electricity around the world, a nearly 30% increase in the last year. Over 250 suppliers operating in 28 countries and regions are committed to using renewable energy for all Apple production by 2030. [AzerNews]

¶ “Africa Accounted For Only 1% Of Additional Renewable Energy Investments In 2022” • In its March 2023 World Energy Transitions Outlook preview, IRENA pointed out that Africa accounted for only 1% of new renewable energy investments in 2022. It said more investments are needed to make the energy transition more inclusive. [Nairametrics]

Wind farm in South Africa (NJR ZA, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Authorities Sound Alarm After UFO Spotted Near Russian Nuclear Plant” • According to local and state media cited by Newsweek, officials sounded an alarm after spotting a UFO near the Leningrad nuclear power plant. A statement released later suggested that there is “nothing unusual here,” as “this is a regular situation.” [Euro Weekly News]

US:

¶ “Visit A Solar Decathlon Zero Energy Home Near You, April 4–18” • Eleven collegiate teams across the globe have spent nearly two years designing and building full-size, high-performance, low-carbon houses for the Solar Decathlon competition. They demonstrate creative solutions to real-world climate issues, and they are on display this month. [CleanTechnica]

Construction (Courtesy of the University of British Columbia)

¶ “DOE SolSmart Program Expands To Include Community Solar” • SolSmart is a national program for recognition and technical assistance for local governments. Its mission is to expand solar deployment. The program was expanded in March of 2022 to include storage, and it was expanded again in March of 2023 for community solar. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ram 1500 REV Electric Pickup Truck Will Feature A 229 KWh Battery And 500 Mile Range” • Dodge Ram REV electric pickup truck is to come in 2025. Its specs are truly astounding. It will be available with two batteries. One is rated at 168 kWh with a range estimated to be 350 miles. The other is rated at 229 kWh with an estimated range of 500 miles. [CleanTechnica]

Dodge Ram 1500 REV (Image by Ram)

¶ “Vice President Harris Promotes Renewable Energy Deal In Georgia Visit” • Continuing its efforts on renewable energy, the Biden administration announced what it says will be the largest community solar effort in US history, enough to power 140,000 homes and businesses in three states. The 1.2 GW of capacity will be built in Illinois, Maine, and Maryland. [PBS]

¶ “Colorado Utilities Consider Regional Market To Buy And Sell Wholesale Power” • The Southwest Power Pool, a regional power transmission organization, said 31 utilities and organizations signed agreements to explore creating the marketplace in the West. If it is created, companies could buy or sell power a day before it’s needed. [The Fort Morgan Times]

Have a sweetly presented day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Classic Megaproject Early Mistakes Will Create A Fiscal Disaster For Netherlands Nuclear” • Recently, the new coalition government of the Netherlands looked across its decarbonization portfolio, realized that it had failed to meet renewables targets, and so announced that it would build two nuclear power reactors. Beyond that, there is no real plan. [CleanTechnica]

Nuclear plant (Michael Gattorna, Pexels)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Scientists Design Solar Roofs For Greenhouses” • UCLA materials scientist Yang Yang and his team have designed solar panels that can absorb energy from sunlight without blocking the light plants need. In a study published in Nature Sustainability, they explore the new, viable application of solar cells that does not require large plots of land. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tornadoes And Climate Change: How A Warming World May Affect Tornado Season” • Climate change seems to be shifting the concentration and range of tornadoes, pushing them into more vulnerable areas. In addition, evidence suggests there will be a more favorable environment for severe weather – and probably tornadoes – in a warmer future. [CBS News]

Tornado (Randy Milanovic, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “A Sunken Oil Tanker Is Threatening Biodiversity In The Philippines” • It has been more than a month since the MT Princess Empress, carrying 800,000 liters (211,340 gallons) of industrial fuel, capsized near the Philippine province of Oriental Mindoro. As much as 36,000 hectares (88,958 acres) of marine area could be affected. The ship is still leaking. [CNN]

¶ “Nottingham City Council’s Greener HousiNG Scheme Installed Retrofit Measures On 1,036 Homes” • Sustainable energy measures often include such retrofits for old homes as insulation, solar panels, and heat pumps. The Nottingham City Council has been rolling out such retrofits as part of its Greener HousiNG scheme. [CleanTechnica]

Rooftop solar (Courtesy of the Nottingham City Council)

¶ “The City Of Cape Town Is Proposing To Raise Feed-In Tariffs By 10.15%” • The problem of load-shedding is crippling the South African economy, costing up to $50 million per day. The City of Cape Town presented its Town 2023/2024 budget. Part of the initiatives announced for the budget include more plans to help the City end load-shedding. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ørsted And Highview Power Sign Storage Pact” • Ørsted and Highview Power will carry out detailed analysis during 2023 to investigate combining Ørsted’s wind technology with Highview Power’s liquid air energy storage to promote the investment case for new offshore wind projects. The UK lost 1.35 TWh of energy this winter due to lack of storage. [reNews]

Wind turbines (Ørsted image)

¶ “UK Ministers Meet Climate Change Deniers ‘All The Time’, Government Says” • UK government ministers hold meetings with climate deniers “all the time,” a government spokesperson has said. The admission comes after it emerged that business secretary Kemi Badenoch dined with a controversial US think-tank’s lobbyists. [The Independent]

¶ “UK’s Biggest ‘Renewable’ Power Station Could Lose Its Funding Over Alleged ‘Greenwashing’” • Drax produced 11% of the UK’s electricity in 2019. Now it is under scrutiny by Ofgem, the energy regulator, following allegations that it was burning wood from ancient forests to generate electricity. It could lose up to £800 million per year in funding. [iNews]

Drax power station (StaraBlazkova, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “UN Nuclear Chief Discusses Ukraine Nuclear Plant In Russia” • Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN’s atomic energy watchdog met with Russian officials in Kaliningrad for negotiations on the safety of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The plant, currently held by Russian forces, is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. [Albuquerque Journal]

US:

¶ “Biden Administration Proposes Tougher Rules To Reduce Harmful Mercury Pollution From Coal Power Plants” • The EPA proposes to reduce mercury pollution and harmful particulate matter from coal-fired power plant emissions by up to 70%. If finalized, it would be the strongest update to the mercury standards since 2012. [CNN]

Coal-fired power plant (Pixy.org, CC0)

¶ “DOE Announces $450 Million For Clean Energy On Mine Lands” • Deploying clean energy projects in current and former mine lands across the nation is a key to strengthening rural economies, creating new, good-paying jobs, and reducing the harmful greenhouse gas emissions that jeopardize public health and pollute local ecosystems. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Several Good News Items From GM” • GM has recently announced several good things for its EV efforts. Bolt EV and EUV sales are doing well, Brightdrop (its electric cargo van division) scored some important partnerships, among which is a really good deal it struck with Ryder. Here we take a good look at each of them. [CleanTechnica]

Electric van (Courtesy of GM/Brightdrop and Ryder)

¶ “Tesla Plans To Manufacture 4 Million Less Expensive Electric Cars Each Year” • Sources say Tesla is gearing up to build a less expensive, smaller electric car that will sell for around $25,000, according to CNEvPost. And they claim Tesla plans to make 4 million of them each year by 2030, including 2 million at a new factory in Mexico. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Appalachian Power Says More Companies Are Demanding Renewable Energy” • Appalachian Power is asking for approval for work on renewable energy projects. The state’s power source is currently about 5% renewable energy, but companies coming to the state are demanding to run on at least 20% renewables to keep a certain carbon footprint. [WCHS]

Have a meticulously organized day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Melt Water In Antarctica Could Stall Major Ocean Currents” • Those who live along the east coast of the US and in Europe are familiar with the Gulf Stream. Without it, much of Europe would not be uninhabitable, but it would be a lot colder than it is. As the Antarctic ice melts, the Gulf Stream and other ocean currents are slowing down – a lot. [CleanTechnica]

The Ocean Conveyor (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

¶ “Battery News – Water In Texas, Hydrogen In Kentucky” • The lithium-ion battery is a marvelous thing, but it has disadvantages. The search for better, cheaper batteries is ongoing in laboratories around the world. At Texas A&M, researchers are exploring the use of water-based electrodes, and EnerVenue has a long-lived nickel-hydrogen battery. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Research Confirms Benefits Of Agrivoltaics” • Combining agriculture and solar panels, agrivoltaic systems can benefit both agriculture and energy. It is a win for farmers, energy producers, and the environment. It provides farmers with a steady revenue stream and actually increases the yield of many crops. It can also increase the output of PVs. [CleanTechnica]

Agrivoltaic pilot, Fraunhofer Inst (Tobi Kellner, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “New Hydropower Dam Designs Leave Fish Unharmed” • Many fish, including eels, migrate between fresh water and the ocean in their life cycles. Their migrations can be blocked by hydroelectric dams. Hydropower developer Natel has designed an innovative turbine that is designed to allow fish safe passage through the turbine itself. [Public News Service]

World:

¶ “BEV Sales In South Africa Look Set To Double Again In 2023” • Last year, 502 battery EVs were sold in South Africa, up from 218 in 2021. There has been a slow but steady increase in BEV sales in the country, aside from a sharp decline in 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. BEV sales look set to double again, at the very least, in 2023. [CleanTechnica]

BMW iX (Image courtesy of BMW South Africa)

¶ “Brookfield Kicks Off Australian Renewables Splurge With 400-MW Wind Farm And Battery” • The renewable energy arm of Canadian investment giant Brookfield, the proposed new owner of Origin Energy, has plans to co-develop, own and operate a 400-MW wind farm and big battery in Queensland. Construction is to begin in 2025. [Renew Economy]

¶ “ARENA Announces $120 Million To Roll Out Community Batteries Across Australia” • Australia is a world leader when it comes to adoption of rooftop solar. Nearly one in three of its homes has solar panels! They combine for approximately 20 GW of power capacity. The best way to store their energy may be community batteries. [CleanTechnica]

CellCube battery system (CellCube image)

¶ “President Of Philippines Assures Support For Renewable Energy Sector” • Philippine President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr assured investors in the energy sector that his administration remains committed to extending all the support mechanisms needed to ensure a genuine partnership in a mutually beneficial relationship. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Final Panels Installed At Queensland Solar Farm Called The Nation’s Largest” • Construction on a massive solar farm on Queensland’s Western Downs has been completed. It will have the capacity to power the equivalent of 235,000 homes. Called Australia’s largest solar farm, the 400-MW project has more than a million solar panels. [ABC]

Solar array (Supplied photo)

¶ “Foundation In Fukushima Nuclear Plant Reactor Likely Badly Damaged” • Videos taken in a survey of the Fukushima Daiichi No 1 unit’s containment vessel by operator TEPCO showed major damage to the inside wall of a cylindrical foundation supporting the reactor pressure vessel, raising concerns about its ability to withstand future earthquakes. [Xinhua]

US:

¶ “Home Electrification Incentives In The Inflation Reduction Act” • Home electrification upgrades like solar panels, electric stoves, heat pumps, and EV chargers are a means to a cleaner, cheaper, and more resilient home energy ecosystem. Sadly, most of us don’t have the money it takes for those upgrades. A look at the IRA might help. [CleanTechnica]

Rooftop solar system (Krišjānis Kazaks, Unsplash)

¶ “US House Republicans Push Through An Energy Bill That’s A ‘License To Pollute’” • House Republicans passed an energy bill aimed at expanding mining and fossil fuel production that would repeal sections of the landmark climate change legislation signed into law last summer. White House advisors called it “a thinly veiled license to pollute.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EDF To Deliver 425-MW Indiana Solar” • EDF Renewables North America has signed solar agreements with Indiana Michigan Power by which I&M will add 425-MW of solar energy to its clean energy mix. EDF will also purchase 100% of the equity interests in the 245-MW Lake Trout Solar, following completion of construction activities. [reNews]

EDF solar farm in California (EDF image)

¶ “Biden Wants Coal Country To Rise Like A Phoenix” • The Biden administration is urging renewable energy companies to consider areas where coal-fired power plants and mines have closed. The latest incentive is a bonus tax credit for clean energy projects. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said coal country would rise like a phoenix. [Politico]

¶ “Bipartisan Group Of US Senators Proposes Legislation To Advance Nuclear Power” • A bipartisan group of US senators introduced legislation intended to help expand nuclear power more quickly. The director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists dismissed the legislation as a “grab bag of special interest provisions.” [Utility Dive]

Have a downright superior day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Illinois Has No Time to Waste in Building Its Carbon-Free Electricity Future” • Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act sets a bold goal for the state – no carbon pollution from electricity generation by 2045. The Union of Concerned Scientists has commissioned power flow modeling to study the effects of retiring Illinois fossil fuel plants. [UCS blog]

Wind turbines (US DOE image)

¶ “DOE’s Nuclear Growth Proposal ‘Untethered to Reality’” • The US DOE is once again promoting large-scale reactors after it had spent a decade advancing smaller models. It boldly declared in a report last month that the domestic nuclear industry has the potential to scale up to about 300 GW by 2050. This is beyond absurd – it’s irresponsible. [Energy Intelligence]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Oil And Gas Production In Gulf Of Mexico Has Twice The Climate Impact Of Official Estimates” • Oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico has significantly higher levels of potent, planet-heating gas than previously thought, research shows. The research found the climate effects of the operations are twice those of official estimates. [CNN]

Offshore oil rig (Kayden, Pexels, cropped)

¶ “Vehicle Exhaust Filters Do Not Remove ‘Ultrafine’ Pollution” • Airborne particles from vehicle emissions are a major factor in air pollution. Exhaust filters designed to mitigate this pollution are legally required in new vehicles, but a study, published in Environment International, shows they are not very effective at removing smal liquid particles. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Researchers In Australia Find A New Reason To Recycle Solar Panels” • Dr Mokhlesur Rahman, a lead researcher at the Deakin Institute of Frontier Materials, and his team of co-workers say they have developed a sustainable way to reclaim silicon from old solar panels, purify it, and reconfigure it to to use in better batteries. It is highly lucrative. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array (Raphael Cruz, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Philippines Sets June Auction For New 11,600 MW Renewables Capacity” • In June, the Philippines will auction rights to build up to 11,600 MW of new power capacity from renewable sources in the next three years, the Department of Energy said. The country is to reduce its reliance on coal, replacing it with onshore wind, solar, biomass, and waste-to-energy. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “Climate Change: Catalonia In Grip Of Worst Drought In Decades” • In the Sau reservoir of Spain, teams in small boats are hard at work hauling out fish with nets. The idea is to remove them before they die and rot in the water, making it unusable for human consumption. The water level has dropped to below 10% of the reservoir’s capacity. [BBC]

Drought in the Sau Reservoir (espencat, public domain)

¶ “Next-Generation Volkswagen Golf Will Be Battery Electric” • Reuters reports that Thomas Schäfer, the head of the Volkswagen brand, told Germany’s Automobilwoche that the company does not plan to develop a new combustion engine generation of the Golf after the current version reaches the end of its normal life. The next generation will be all-electric. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “UN Asks International Court Of Justice For Advisory Opinion On Climate Change” • The UN General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the obligations of States in respect to climate change, with most speakers hailing the move as a milestone for climate justice. [CleanTechnica]

International Court of Justice (ICJ image)

¶ “Powering Up Britain: Multi-Billion Pound Investment In Energy Revolution Unveiled” • The UK government says that it is delivering a radical shift in the energy system towards cleaner, more affordable energy sources to power more of Britain from Britain. The plan is to scale up affordable, clean, homegrown power and foster green industries. [CleanTechnica]

US:

¶ “From Nearly No Snow To A Potentially Record-Breaking Pile-Up In California” • After a remarkable series of winter storms, California water officials reported in their April snow survey the Sierra snowpack is among the largest on record, dating back to the 1950s. Last year, the snow depth in early April 2 was just 2.5 inches. This year it’s 126.5 inches. [CNN]

Snow (Daniela Cuevas, Unsplash)

¶ “Federal Judge Rules Willow Project Construction Can Move Forward As Environmental Groups’ Lawsuits Proceed” • A federal judge in Alaska declined to block progress on the controversial Willow oil drilling project while lawsuits against the project go on. Environmental law group Earthjustice and law firm Trustees for Alaska filed the complaints. [CNN]

¶ “EPA Grants California Electric Heavy Trucks Waiver” • For decades, California has had stricter standards on emissions, but only for passenger cars and light trucks. Cement mixers, tractor trailers, and garbage trucks, and other heavy trucks sold in the state only had to meet federal guidelines. Now the California Air Resources Board may regulate them also. [CleanTechnica]

Electric truck (Volvo Trucks image)

¶ “California Grid Needs $9.3 Billion Upgrade In Renewables Shift” • California’s power grid operator says $9.3 billion in new projects is needed over the next decade to support the state’s shift to renewable energy and plug-in cars. The California Independent System Operator identified 46 projects that will be needed for grid reliability. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “Ørsted Signs US PPA With Google” • Google signed a 150-MW PPA with Ørsted to purchase renewable energy generated by the 268-MW Helena Wind Farm for the next 15 years. The project was commissioned in mid-2022 and provides electricity to the South ERCOT service territory, enough to provide annual power an estimated 90,000 homes. [reNews]

Have a decidedly enchanting day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Wright’s Law Spells Doom For Legacy Auto Around The World” •  This article explains how Wright’s Law is impacting legacy auto sales in the US, Europe, and China, looking at the factors most affecting each market. It discusses how a reduction in costs of 15% every doubling in volume for the auto industry affects the markets. [CleanTechnica]

Model T Ford (Philip Schroeder, Unsplash)

¶ “Gas Cars Are Embarrassingly Uncompetitive In Lifecycle Cost Analysis” • We can consider the 5-year total cost of ownership of battery EVs and internal combustion engine vehicles. Clearly, battery EVs benefit their owners with lower fuel costs, lower maintenance costs, and potentially longer life. A full life-cycle cost analysis captures this. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Oil Prices Surge After Surprise Move To Cut Output” • Oil prices have surged after several major oil exporters announced surprise production cuts. The price of Brent Crude oil jumped by over 7%, to above $85 as trading began. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and several Gulf states said they were cutting output by more than one million barrels per day. [BBC]

Refinery (Timothy Newman, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Paris Votes To Ban Rental e-Scooters” • Parisians have voted to ban rental electric scooters in their city, dealing a blow to scooter operators and a triumph for road safety campaigners. Almost 90% of votes cast favoured a ban on the battery-powered devices, official results showed. But we should note that under 8% of those eligible turned out to vote. [BBC]

¶ “BYD Launches The Tang SUV, Han Flagship Sedan, And Yuan Plus In Mexico” • BYD sold just under 190,000 EVs in 2020. And then, in two years, it managed to multiply sales to over 1,863,494 vehicles last year. Times ten in two years, how cool is that? Now, BYD has launched the Tang SUV, Han flagship sedan, and the Yuan Plus in Mexico. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Tang (BYD image)

¶ “Renewable Energy Construction Investment Tipped To Reach $11.8 Billion Peak” • In Australia, investment in new renewable capacity is forecast to jump almost 50% this year and continue to climb to a peak in 2026 with historically high levels of activity to follow, as the country transitions away from fossil fuel-fired power generation. [pv magazine Australia]

¶ “Government To Issue Tenders For 250 GW Of New Renewable Capacity By March 2028” • The government of India will issue tenders for 250 GW of renewable energy by March 2028, the renewable energy ministry said in a memo seen by Reuters. It will issue tenders to install 70 GW of renewable capacity in the fiscal year ending March 2024. [NDTV.com]

Wind turbines (Pixabay, Pexels)

¶ “Scotland Generates Record-Breaking Renewable Energy” • According to official data, Scotland broke previous records by generating 35.3 TWh of renewable electricity in 2022, marking a 28.1% increase from 2021 and 9.8% from 2020. This amount of electricity could power all households in Scotland for over three years. [Energy Digital Magazine]

¶ “SSE Renewables Pairs With Equis Development For Oz Offshore Bid” • SSE Renewables and Asia-Pacific independent power producer Equis Development Pte have formed a 50/50 owned joint venture to bid for a feasibility licence in Gippsland, Australia’s first Federal Government declared offshore wind zone, near the State of Victoria. [reNews]

Offshore wind turbines (SSE Renewables image)

¶ “Russia Turned Ukraine’s Nuclear Power Plant To A Military Base, Poses ‘Severe Threat’ To Region” • Oleh Korikov, the acting chairman of the Chief State Inspector for Nuclear and Radiation Safety of Ukraine, said more evidence shows that Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant now serves as a military base for Moscow’s troops. [International Business Times]

¶ “India Eyes Major Expansion Of Nuclear Power” • In India, officials have made some ambitious pronouncements, calling for as many as twenty new nuclear power facilities to be brought online over the next decade. If that is done, it would more than double the number of operating nuclear power plants operating in the country. [POWER Magazine]

Narora nuclear plant (Courtesy of the Government of India)

US:

¶ “California’s Salmon Fishers Warn Of ‘Hard Times Coming’ As They Face Canceled Season” • Department of Fish and Wildlife officials in California and Oregon may recommend a ban on salmon fishing this year to protect the falling Chinook salmon populations. Scientists say dam construction and drought fueled by climate change have reduced fish numbers. [CNN]

¶ “Climate Change, Lack Of Maintenance Threaten Providence Infrastructure” • The Providence Preservation Society listed all of Providence’s infrastructure on its 2023 Most Endangered Properties List released January, a decision made due to the city’s vulnerability to climate change, PPS Advocacy Manager Adriana Hazelton said. [The Brown Daily Herald]

Providence, Rhode Island (Rafael Rodrigues, Unsplash)

¶ “$1 Billion Opening To Oklahoma Farmers, Ranchers, And Rural Businesses” • USDA’s Rural Development Oklahoma State Director announced that USDA will accept applications starting on April 1 for $1 billion in grants to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses invest in renewable energy systems and improve energy efficiency. [Duncan Banner]

¶ “Retirees Protest Against Banking Industry In Name Of Climate Change” • On the first day of spring, a large group of retirees gathered at a former farm field in Belfast, now the site of a Bank of America office. They greeted the new season with a demand that the bank stop funding fossil fuel projects, which endanger life on earth. [The Maine Monitor]

Have a spectacularly tranquil day.

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World:

¶ “The Oceans Just Reached Their Hottest Temperature On Record As El Niño Looms” • Ocean temperatures have steadily risen over the past several years – despite a lengthy cooling La Niña. The oceans have been record-warm for the past four years, scientists reported in January, temperatures are still rising, and an El Niño will warm things even more. [CNN]

High waves in an El Niño year (PDPhoto.org, public domain)

¶ “BYD Launches The ATTO 3, Han, And Tang SUV In Spain” • BYD has been on a roll announcing its entry into new markets on a seemingly weekly basis. BYD has launched new battery EVs in markets all across the world. Now, BYD is launching in Spain with 3 BEVs from its lineup. These three are the ATTO 3, the Han, and the Tang SUV. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “BYD Debuts The Dolphin And Seal In Costa Rica” • BYD has been the number one company selling “New Energy Vehicles” in Costa Rica for three years in a row. BYDs NEVs consist of plugin hybrids and full battery electric vehicles. BYD has already sold over 2,000 NEVs cumulatively in Costa Rica since it launched sales there a few years ago. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Dolphin (Courtesy of BYD)

¶ “The BMW IX1 Now On Sale In South Africa” • The all-electric BMW iX1 is now on sale in South Africa. It starts from R1,140,000 ($62,928). It joins the growing list of battery EVs now available from BMW for South African consumers, joining the BMW i4 eDrive 35 M Sport, the MINI Cooper SE, the iX3, the i4 M50, the iX, and the flagship i7 sedan. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hampshire renewable energy company sells major project” • A global renewable energy company based near Romsey sold its first battery energy storage system. French utility Engie acquired the Broxburn 50-MW project in Scotland from East Wellow’s Hive Energy and its partners Ethical Ethical Power, Sirius Group, and EcoDev Group. [Hampshire Chronicle]

Hive Energy bamboo farm in Portugal (Hive Energy image)

¶ “Coal-Fired Projects Back On, Mega Lithium Battery Storage Push In New Power Policy Blueprint” • A new blueprint for India’s power sector planners marks a discernible reversal in the policy thrust from its last edition, where the focus was almost entirely on renewable energy. The fresh draft cites the need for fresh coal-based capacity. [The Indian Express]

¶ “Marlish Waters Switches Northumberland Farm Factory To All Renewable Power” • Soft drinks firm Marlish Waters promised its range of drinks flavoured with natural fruit extracts will be made with 100% solar, wind and biomass energy. The Marlish Waters facility has undergone investment in technologies to build solar capacity and efficiency. [Business Live]

Marlish Waters drinks (Marlish Waters image)

¶ “CSIRO’s Renewable Energy Storage Roadmap: CSP Lowest Cost” • The CSIRO Renewable Energy Storage Roadmap outlines the significant role that concentrating solar thermal power (CSP or CST) will play in supplying industrial heat and long-duration storage. The Australian Solar Thermal Energy Association is in support of the findings. [SolarPACES]

¶ “VAT Rate On Solar Panels Cut To Zero Saving Households €1,000 On Installation” • Irish households installing solar panels are to save an extra €1,000 as the VAT on initial costs is to be completely abolished. Eamon Ryan, leader of the Green Party, is reducing VAT to 0% on the supply and installation of solar panels on homes and public buildings. [Irish Examiner]

Rooftop solar systems (Jaggery, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “US Company Signs Deals In Europe For Small Nuclear Reactors” • Last Energy, based in Washington, DC, announced that it had signed agreements in the UK and Poland for 34 small modular reactors. These are among the tiniest small modular reactor designs we have seen to date, producing a mere 20 MW of electricity each. [OilPrice]

US:

¶ “US Treasury Releases New EV Tax Credit Rules” • The US Treasury has published its new EV tax credit rules. The window of opportunity to claim the full tax credit is to close on April 18. If you are in a position to make new EV purchase before then, you may want to hurry out to your nearest dealer and get the paperwork done post haste. [CleanTechnica]

Charging an EV (myenergi, Unsplash)

¶ “Here’s Where Renewable Power Is Increasing (And Where It’s Not)” • Despite supply-chain problems amid the pandemic, 2022 saw major increases in solar and wind power in the US, though that growth varied by state, according to a report released last month by a nonprofit focused on climate change. Here is an assessment of how states did. [Kansas Reflector]

¶ “Washington’s Cherry Blooms Draw Crowds – And Climate Questions” • In the nation’s capital, nothing captures springtime more than swaths of soft pink cherry blossoms slowly emerging. This year, it was anticipated between March 22 and March 25. While directly in line with last year’s peak, that’s a full two weeks earlier than the area’s historic average. [WIRED]

Cherry blossoms (Mark Tegethoff, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Jane Goodall Brings Message To Miami-Dade: ‘We Have A Window Of Time To Try And Slow Down Climate Change’” • World-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall spoke at Florida International University. The 88-year-old conservationist and climate activist met with Local 10 News Environmental Advocate Louis Aguirre before the event. [WPLG]

¶ “Georgia Power Says New Nuclear Reactor At Plant Vogtle Is Now Online” • Georgia Power says a new nuclear reactor at its Plant Vogtle is now generating electricity. And another reactor should be online later this year. In 2012, the estimated cost was $12 billion. Georgia Power says the actual cost at least $34 billion. Now come higher customer rates. [13WMAZ]

Have a significantly uplifting day.

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Opinion:

¶ “2027 – The Year It Is Over For ICE Vehicles” • “This morning, I was struck by this headline: ‘BMW M also forecasts that BEVs and PHEVs will overtake sales of ICEs as early as 2027.’ I’ve got news for BMW – by 2027, PHEVs won’t sell, and BEVs will be 90% of the market. If BMW isn’t making enough BEVs, it will lose market share.” [CleanTechnica]

BMW i3 (Vitali Adutskevich, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “20% Of New Cars In Europe Have A Plug!” • In February, 182,000 plugin vehicles were registered in Europe, up 14% year over year . Unfortunately, the overall market grew almost as fast, so the plugin market share was close the where it was 12 months ago. Last month’s plugin vehicle share of the overall European auto market was 20%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Mercedes-Benz Expands Lithium Production In Germany” • Rock Tech Lithium Inc, a German-Canadian startup, broke ground for a lithium plant in Guben, Brandenburg. Rock Tech is partnering with Mercedes-Benz to provide a high-grade lithium hydroxide, which will aid in scaling up production of fully electric vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

Groundbreaking (Mercedes-Benz image)

¶ “PM Invites UAE Firm To Invest In Renewable Energy Sector” • The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, invited Hayat Bio-Tech, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, to invest in Pakistan’s renewable energy sector. He gave assurance that the government would extend all possible facilitation in this regard. [The News International]

¶ “SAIC, GM, And Wuling JV Launched The Wuling Bingo In China, And It’s Priced At Just $8,682!” • The Wuling Bingo, a 5-door hatchback, was launched in China. It will have two options, one with a 30 kW (41hp) motor, and another at 50 kW (68 hp). They will come with batteries of 17.3 kWh and a 31.9 kWh and ranges of 203 km and 333 km. [CleanTechnica]

Wuling Bingo (Zotyefan, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Shell Splits Up Global Renewable Power Unit In Shakeup” • Shell will split up its global renewable power business as part of a shakeup by new CEO Wael Sawan, Bloomberg reported. The change embeds renewables operations such as wind and solar within regional divisions of Shell Energy, the company’s power business. [Offshore Technology]

¶ “Germany Will Complete Nuclear Phase-Out As Planned But Technology’s Risks Remain” • In Germany, the era of nuclear power will end on 15 April as planned, the country’s environment minister said. Minister Steffi Lemke stressed that the phase-out would not endanger the power supply security in Germany or other countries. [Clean Energy Wire]

Neckarwestheim nuclear plant (Courtesy of EnBW)

US:

¶ “End Of Utah Coal Power In Sight As Rocky Mountain Power Moves To Renewables And Nuclear” • Rocky Mountain Power announced it will shut down its coal-fired power plants in Emery County by 2032 and replace them with smaller nuclear-powered plants in the same locations. In the mean time, it will reduce the plants’ pollution. [The Salt Lake Tribune]

¶ “Turning America Into A Solar Manufacturing Powerhouse” • In 2021, the Solar Energy Industries Association’s goal to create 50 GW of US production capacity by 2030 seemed farfetched, but now, that goal is within reach. The country is on its way to becoming the most competitive and collaborative solar and storage industry in the world. [CleanTechnica]

Solar manufacture (Image courtesy of Boviet Solar)

¶ “US Data Centers Buy 40 GW Of Renewable Power – Two-Thirds Of The Corporate Market” • The amount of renewable power booked by data center operators increased by 50% in a year, and the sector now consumes two-thirds of the renewable power available to corporates in the US, according to a report from S&P Global. [DatacenterDynamics]

¶ “Grid Transmission Progress In The US” • As the US continues to see the highest levels of renewable energy investment in its history, the investment required to expand and improve the energy transmission grid will need to keep pace. Through a combination of private investment and support by the Biden administration, it is happening. [CleanTechnica]

Sticks & strings (National Energy Technology Laboratory image)

¶ “More Renewable Energy, Advanced Nuclear Energy Planned For The West” • A long-term resource plan put out by PacifiCorp anticipates a nearly fourfold increase in new wind and solar energy by 2032 and a system-wide 70% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The 2023 Integrated Resource Plan also includes 7,400 MW of energy storage. [Deseret News]

¶ “Ford Inks $4.5 Billion Battery Materials Deal, May Reprise The Capri Name For New EV” • Ford announced that it concluded an agreement with PT Vale Indonesia and China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt to collaborate to advance more sustainable production of nickel in Indonesia and to help make electric vehicle batteries more affordable. [CleanTechnica]

Ford EV (Ford image)

¶ “Pilgrim Nuclear Owner Agrees To Wastewater Study, But Says It Won’t Pay For It” • The company decommissioning the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station agreed to cooperate with an independent environmental study, but refused to pay for it. The study would evaluate risks involved with discharging over a million gallons of radioactive wastewater into Cape Cod Bay. [WBUR]

¶ “Senate Votes To Lift Nuclear Construction Ban” • The Illinois Senate approved a measure that would lift a moratorium on nuclear power plant construction. The vote was 39 to 13. The state’s ban went into effect in 1987 and was intended to remain in effect until the federal government identifies a national nuclear waste disposal strategy. [WGLT]

Have a fantastically amusing day.

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