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Science and Technology:

¶ “Ultra Thin Printed Solar Cells From MIT” • Researchers at MIT developed ultra thin, flexible solar cells that can be printed using semiconductor inks and scalable fabrication techniques. They are much thinner than a human hair, weigh 1% as much as a conventional solar panels, and generate 18 times more power per kilogram, an MIT blog post says. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “How Seagrass In Seychelles Is Helping The Fight Against Climate Change” • It might not look like much in photos, but the seagrass that lives in our oceans is actually a very effective natural climate change deterrent. These ocean plants used to be plentiful in places like Seychelles, but now they’re struggling to survive in seas that are rising with climate change. [BGR]

Seychelles (Datingscout, Unsplash)

¶ “US Officials Set to Announce Fusion Energy Breakthrough” • The pursuit of fusion reactors has gone on for decades. US scientists reportedly have carried out the first nuclear fusion experiment to achieve a net energy gain. The US Department of Energy is expected to announce the breakthrough on December 13, according to news reports. [POWER Magazine]

World:

¶ “Zimbabwe Power Outages Hit Businesses And Families” • In the last decade, Zimbabwe has sunk about $2 billion into power generation. But Zimbabwe still struggles with power outages. The country’s coal-burning plants break down often, and drought has limited hydro power. The result is that people can’t work, and poverty makes it all worse. [BBC]

Harare, with power on (Tatenda Mapigoti, Unsplash)

¶ “Swiss Re And Carbonfuture Sign Multi-Year Deal For More Than 17,000 Tonnes Of Carbon Removals” • Leading reinsurer Swiss Re signed a multi-year deal with carbon removal platform Carbonfuture. At more than 17,000 tonnes, it is one of the largest CDR deals of its kind to date. This move is seen as a real vote of confidence in carbon removal. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Humanity Is A Weapon Of Mass Extinction, Says António Guterres At COP 15” • UN chief António Guterres opened COP 15, the 15th UN Conference On Biodiversity, by saying humanity is a weapon of mass extinction and that governments must end the “orgy of destruction” associated with the extraction and burning of fossil fuels. [CleanTechnica]

Antonio Guterres (Image via YouTube)

¶ “Tesla Megapacks Help Power Battery Supplier To Generate Renewable Energy Manufacturing” • Tesla Megapacks are being used by Panasonic on the test side near Kyoto, Japan, to store power generated by renewable energy for manufacturing. The battery supplier used solar panels, Tesla Megapack batteries, and hydrogen fuel cells for power. [TechStory]

¶ “Lightsource bp, bp, and Shell Receive The Green Light For Trinidad And Tobago’s First Large-Scale Solar Project” • The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago agreed with bp Alternative Energy Trinidad and Tobago, Shell Renewables Caribbean, and Lightsource bp to a develop a 112- MW (AC) solar project. It is the country’s first large solar project. [Lightsource bp]

Trinidad and Tobago (Renaldo Matamoro, Unsplash)

¶ “Asia’s Richest Man Wants India To Lead A Green Energy Revolution” • India’s Gautam Adani, the richest man in Asia, made his fortune betting on coal. Now he is aiming to be the world’s top player in renewables by 2030 and to make India a clean energy superpower. Adani owns six coal-fired power plants and is India’s largest private player in power. [RFI]

¶ “Australia Already At ‘Worst Case’ Climate Scenarios For 2030” • Australia already appears to be experiencing the worst-case climate scenarios that were projected to occur eight years from now. The finding was revealed by world-renowned climatologist David Karoly’s analysis of how closely projections published in 2015 align to current conditions. [Cosmos Magazine]

Australia (Joeyy Lee, Unsplash)

¶ “Saudi Plans Ten New Renewable Energy Projects” • OPEC member Saudi Arabia is planning to execute ten new renewable energy projects as part of a strategy to boost reliance on solar and wind power and reduce oil use for generating electricity, reports say. The world’s largest oil exporter approved the ten projects in its 2023 budget. [ZAWYA]

US:

¶ “Lectron To Provide Tesla/NACS Connector And EVSE For Aptera” • We have known for a while that Aptera planned to use a Tesla charging connector for its vehicle. Here we have additional information about that. Tesla has announced that its plug is a standard for the automotive industry, making it available to Aptera and others. [CleanTechnica]

Aptera (Aptera image)

¶ “Tesla Semi’s 500-Mile Drive On One Charge” • Just days before Tesla delivered the first-production Semi trucks to PepsiCo, five years after the semi truck was first shown, the automaker tested the Tesla Semi for a 500-mile run on a single charge. It is the range that Tesla originally claimed at the Semi’s unveiling back in 2017. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Erthos Redefines The Meaning Of Ground Mount Solar” • Erthos has a better idea for how to install solar panels. It is to lay them flat on the ground. The installation method has drawbacks and advantages for installers to weigh. Encore Renewable Energy, a Vermont firm, signed an MOU with Erthos for a noteworthy project in their portfolio. [CleanTechnica]

Have an optimally functioning day.

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¶ “How Pepsi’s Tesla Semis Will Change Hauling” • The Tesla Semi represents major changes to come in the hauling industry. It could help prove to consumers and commercial customers that batteries can support heavy-cargo vehicles over long distances. And that is an important shift to help reduce global supply chain emissions. [CleanTechnica]

Interior of a Tesla Semi (Photo courtesy of Tesla)

¶ “CleanTechnica Tested: The Generac G2000 Portable Power Station” • Generac dominates its sector of the home generator market, and it made a move into the residential energy storage space in 2019. This year, Generac is pushing the envelope further with a new line of portable power stations. CleanTechnica had an opportunity to review them. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Great Barrier Reef ‘Coral Nurseries’ Show Early Signs Of Success” • A UN report recommended that the reef be added to the World Heritage “in danger” list. Now, pieces of broken coral are being rescued and rehabilitated so they can be transplanted back onto the Great Barrier Reef. But marine scientists say it’s no substitute for action on climate change. [ABC]

Rescued pieces of coral (Reef Restoration Foundation)

World:

¶ “Ski Resorts Are Melting. Here’s What That Means For Winter Vacations” • Winter sports fans are drawn to the mountains for the pristine wild environments, energizing views, pure air, and hearty fun in the snow. But the energy mountain resorts need has a price, threatening the very premise of a pastime wedded to the natural world and winter bounty. [CNN]

¶ “SolarBotanic Trees – Charging Stations Of The Future?” • SolarBotanic Trees is moving closer towards full production. It agreed with the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre to develop a field prototype. And Raw Charging Group ordered 200 co-branded solar trees for a network of commercial EV charging sites. [CleanTechnica]

SolarBotanic Trees (SolarBotanic Trees image)

¶ “French Firm Starts Developing Renewable Energy Plant In Zambia” • Total Eren, a French company, secured a long-term strategic partnership with mining firm First Quantum Minerals, for a 400-MW project that will combine wind and solar energy. It will power not only the mining firm, but also its community in northwestern Zambia. [News Ghana]

¶ “NSW Declares First Renewable Energy Zone With Offshore Wind In Plan To Replace Coal” • New South Wales has declared its fourth renewable energy zone as it races to install new wind, solar, and storage infrastructure to replace the country’s biggest fleet of coal generators. It is the first zone that includes access to offshore windpower. [Renew Economy]

Wind turbine (Corio Generation image)

¶ “India Achieved 166 GW Of Renewable Energy Capacity In October” • India’s goal is to have 175 GW of installed Renewable Energy capacity in 2022. As of October, a total of 165.94 GW had been installed in the country, according to a written statement by Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh. India’s goal for 2030 is 500 GW. [PSU Connect]

¶ “Solar Farm Will Allow Brewery To Produce Products With Renewable Energy” • Akuo, Cervecería Nacional Dominicana, and Altio confirmed that a solar park in María Trinidad Sánchez province, Dominican Republic, is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2023, generating 550 direct jobs and more than 2,000 indirect jobs. [Dominican Today]

Street in Dominican Republic (AminTorres, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Uranium Price Hits 4-Month Low As Corrosion Problem In French Nuclear Plants Undermine Confidence” • After rallies on pledges by western nations to increase nuclear plant spending, uranium spot prices have fallen to $48.50 per pound. It seems confidence in the nuclear power sector has been hit by corrosion problems at EDF reactors. [The Deep Dive]

US:

¶ “GM Dealer Community Charging Program: Nearly 1,000 GM Dealers Enrolled To Date” • Since the official launch of its Dealer Community Charging Program in late 2021, GM has enrolled almost a quarter of all North American dealers in the program. The first community charging stations were installed in Michigan and Wisconsin. [CleanTechnica]

GM charging station (GM image)

¶ “Do Electric Vehicles Actually Cut Utility Costs?” • A common misperception is that widespread EV charging will strain the grid and require expensive upgrades that raise electricity prices. But a Synapse Energy Economics analysis of the three utility service territories that have the most EVs in the US found that exactly the opposite is true. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hourly Electric Grid Monitor For USA” • Large-scale events that affect normal routines, ranging from major holidays to the COVID-19 pandemic, planned or not, can change the pattern of electricity usage in the country. The DOE’s Hourly Electric Grid Monitor provides up-to-the-hour information on electricity demand across the US. [CleanTechnica]

Have a superbly restful day.

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¶ “What is a mass extinction and are we causing one?” • No credible scientist disputes that we are in a crisis regarding the speed at which nature is being destroyed. Some are saying we could be entering a sixth mass extinction. Opening the COP15 conference in Montréal, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said a million species now “teeter on the brink.” [BBC]

Rhinoceros (Rachel Hannah Photo, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “How the IOT is Helping Drive Renewable Energy Innovation” • Environmentalists have always prioritized renewable energy, but it is only recently that technology could help us with cleaner, more sustainable power sources. The internet of things has a major role in this shift, offering new ways to connect devices and collect data. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Flameproofing Lithium-Ion Batteries With Salt” • Rachel Z Huang and others at Stanford University and the DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory developed a non-flammable electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries. Their work showed that batteries containing this electrolyte continue to function at high temperatures without igniting. [CleanTechnica]

Rachel Huang at work (Jian-Cheng Lai, Stanford University)

World:

¶ “A New Platinum Mine In Zimbabwe Gets 30 MW Of Solar PV From The Get-Go!” • Construction of a new platinum mine in Zimbabwe started at a Karo Platinum site. It includes a 30-MW solar PV array. The project’s 24-month design and construction schedule started on 1 July 2022, and the first ore in the mill is planned for July 2024. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ampersand Aims To Have 600,000 Electric Motorcycles Across East Africa By 2030” • Ampersand, one of the pioneers in the African electric motorcycle sector, is ramping up operations. The company has prototypes and test production runs on the road, and now it is introducing its first full production run of its commercial motorcycle. [CleanTechnica]

Ampersand electric motorcycles (Ampersand image)

¶ “Volkswagen Reveals Plans For Wolfsburg Factory” • VW says it will invest €460 million in its main factory in Wolfsburg by the beginning of 2025. That investment will be used primarily to make the necessary preparations to produce an updated ID.3 EV. Limited production will start in 2023, with full production slated to start in 2024. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “NIMBYs Warm To Renewables In Europe’s Most Polluting Economy” • The Bavarian town of Niederaichbach long opposed a high-voltage line crucial for transport of Germany’s renewable energy. It took a war and nationwide blackout warnings to soften the residents’ resistance. They recently dropped legal action that held the power line up for years. [Yahoo Finance]

View of the nuclear power plant in Niederaichbach
(Bjoern Schwarz, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “European Commission To Fund 600-MW Europe-Africa Renewable Energy Bridge” • The European Commission has announced that it will disburse €307.6 million ($323 million) to finance the construction of a 600-MW undersea interconnection facility between Italy and Tunisia, creating a renewable energy bridge between Europe and Africa. [IEEFA]

¶ “Kivalliq Wildlife Board Uses Inuit Knowledge And Western Science To Study The Impact Of Climate Change On Food Security” • Across Canada’s North, climate change is having a profound impact on ecosystems and food security, including risks to Inuit culture, social relations, health, well-being, and traditional way of life. [Yahoo Finance]

Baker Lake, Nunavut (E-90, public domain)

¶ “Russian Forces Abducted Two Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Employees” • Two employees of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant have been abducted by Russian forces, the Ukrainian state power company Energoatom said. It also said Russian forces placed rocket launchers at the plant “violating all conditions for nuclear and radiation safety.” [UPI.com]

US:

¶ “Big Oil Has Engaged In A Long Climate Disinformation Campaign While Raking In Record Profits, Lawmakers Find” • Big Oil companies engaged in a “long-running greenwashing campaign” while raking in “record profits at the expense of American consumers,” the  House Oversight Committee has found after a year-long investigation. [CNN]

Refinery (Robin Sommer, Unsplash)

¶ “First Commercially Available Electric, Autonomous Smart Tractor Goes Into Production” • Monarch Tractor announced that its Founder Series MK-V tractor is coming off the production line at its manufacturing facility in Livermore, California. The Monarch MK-V is a fully electric, driver-optional, smart tractor with lots of bells and whistles. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The 2022 Standard Scenarios For US Electricity Sector Are Now Available” • The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has released the 2022 Standard Scenarios. It offers a framework to explore the rapidly evolving US electricity sector, based in part on timely and transparent projections of technology cost and performance. [CleanTechnica]

Transmission lines (Dennis Schroeder, NREL)

¶ “Equinor Secures First West Coast Offshore Wind Leases” • The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management conducted the first ever sale of leases for offshore wind along the west coast of the US. Equinor secured a 2-GW lease in the Morro Bay area near San Luis Obisbo. It has the potential to generate enough electricity to power 750,000 US homes. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Governor Hochul Announces Start Of Construction on Smart Path Connect Transmission Line” • Governor Kathy Hochul announced the start of construction on Smart Path Connect, a transmission project to rebuild and strengthen approximately one hundred miles of transmission in the North Country and the Mohawk Valley. [Governor Kathy Hochul]

Have an instructively gorgeous day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Low Cost Sodium Sulfur Battery Shows Promise” • At the University of Sydney, researchers are touting breakthroughs in the lab that they say may lead to new, low cost sodium sulfur batteries with four times the energy storage capacity of lithium-ion batteries. Their research has been published recently in the journal Advanced Materials. [CleanTechnica]

University of Sydney (Image by the University of Sydney)

¶ “Botanical Gardens Are ‘Hot Spots’ For Butterflies In Climate Change” • Many species of butterflies are in decline. Despite their relatively small footprint in urban areas, botanical gardens are important hotspots for butterfly biodiversity in the arid Southwest, a study by University of Arizona scientists shows. It was published in the journal Insects. [Phys.org]

World:

¶ “UK Condemned By Its Own Climate Advisers For Approving First New Coal Mine In Three Decades” • Environmentalists, scientists, and even the UK government climate advisers strongly criticized a decision to approve a plan to open the country’s first new coal mine in three decades, just over a year after pushing the world to abandon coal at COP26. [CNN]

Coal (Bence Balla-Schottner, Unsplash)

¶ “South Africa’s Eskom Starts Construction Of Its First Utility Scale Battery Energy Storage Project” • Eskom, the South African utility, and Hyosung Heavy Industries, a service provider for the Eskom Battery Energy Storage System, announced the start of construction of the first energy storage facility under Eskom’s flagship BESS project. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Volkswagen Pivots To MEB+ Platform” • A Volkswagen press release announced VW is prioritizing improvements to the MEB platform to give it more range and enable faster charging while increasing interior space. The new chassis is the MEB+ and it promises a range of up to 700 km WLTP (435 miles) and fast charging at up to 200 kW. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen MEB+ platform (Courtesy of Vollkswagen)

¶ “Solar Batteries Now Power 1 Million European Homes” • Solar battery-powered homes are increasingly popular, particularly in Germany. Total residential battery capacity in Europe is expected to reach 9.3 GWh by the end of 2022, powering over 1 million households, according to the most recent SolarPower Europe research. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Wind Wipeout In South Africa Auction” • Despite the South African commitment to build renewable capacity, none of the 23 wind projects recently submitted under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme was selected. Only six solar projects with a combined capacity of 1,000 MW were chosen. [reNews]

Wind farm (SAWEA image)

¶ “New Transmission System Plan To Meet 500 GW Renewable Energy Target” • India’s Union Ministry of Power launched a plan to support 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by the end of this decade. The plan calls for an investment of ₹2.44 trillion ($30 billion) in transmission projects to connect huge solar and wind parks to the grid. [Construction World]

¶ “Green Hydrogen Exports From Western Australia Seen As Possible Power Source For Europe” • Wind and solar power generated in WA’s Midwest could be helping to power Europe by the end of the decade. The plan for a huge green hydrogen facility in WA caught the attention of Europe’s largest importer of energy, the port of Rotterdam. [ABC]

Rotterdam (Stijn Hanegraaf, Unsplash)

¶ “India To Almost Double Its Renewable Power Capacity In Next 5 Years: IEA Report” • Renewable energy will comprise 90% of global electricity capacity expansion in the next five years, and much of it will be in India, according to a new study by the autonomous intergovernmental organisation, International Energy Agency. [Down To Earth]

¶ “Climate Change Is Driving Up Food Prices” • There is a strong link between climate change and the increasing food costs. A sixth of agricultural production is traded internationally, which means that what happens in highly climate-vulnerable countries will impact what Americans eat or drink. Damage from climate change is already happening. [WhoWhatWhy]

Farm (Timothy Eberly, Unsplash)

¶ “Ukraine Says Russia Put Rocket Launchers At Nuclear Power Plant” • Russian forces have installed multiple rocket launchers at Ukraine’s shut-down Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant, Ukrainian officials claimed, raising fears that Europe’s largest atomic power station could be used as a base to fire on Ukrainian territory and increasing radiation dangers. [Radio Free Europe]

US:

¶ “Solar Power And Farming: US DOE Providing $8 Million For Agrivoltaics” • The US DOE announced $8 million for six solar energy research projects that will provide opportunities for farmers, rural communities, and the solar industry. The funding is to support agrivoltaics, the co-location of agriculture and solar energy on the same land. [CleanTechnica]

Byron Kominek, Jack’s Solar Garden (Werner Slocum, NREL)

¶ “US Battery Storage Capacity To Increase Significantly By 2025” • Developers and power plant owners plan to increase utility-scale battery storage capacity in the US significantly over the next three years, reaching 30.0 GW by the end of 2025, based on a new US DOE report, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Electrifying Federal Buildings And Cutting Pollution” • The Biden–Harris Administration, through the DOE, announced a proposal to reduce emissions from federal buildings. Starting 2025, new and renovated facilities will be required to have on-site emissions from energy consumption reduced by 90% from what they might have had in 2003. [CleanTechnica]

Have an impressively rewarding day.

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¶ “Macron’s French Nuclear Farce” • French President Macron is still trying to sell the EPR, a nuclear reactor that ended up mostly on paper. I’ve been searching for the equivalent word in French for ‘chutzpah,’ but ‘insolence’ or ‘audace’ just doesn’t quite cover President Macron’s renewed pitch to sell the French nuclear technology to the US. [Counterpunch]

EPR nuclear plant design (Framatome ANP, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Analysis: IEA’s Renewables Forecast Grows 76% In Two Years After ‘Largest Ever’ Revision” • The International Energy Agency raised its global forecast for renewables growth in what it calls its “largest ever upward revision” for the sector. The agency now forecasts 76% more growth than it did just two years ago, Carbon Brief analysis shows. [Carbon Brief]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Wind Power To Cut Cargo Ship Emissions 20%” • Here is one more threat to fossil energy stakeholders who plan to continue enjoying that “high-carbon lifestyle.” Seawing, a retrofit for cargo vessels that applies old-fashioned sailing ship technology to harvest energy from wind power, aims to cut emissions 20% by reducing fuel consumption. [CleanTechnica]

Good old fashioned wind power (Courtesy of Airseas)

¶ “Heat Pumps Getting Much More Popular Globally” • Heat pumps are a hyper-efficient and climate-friendly way to cut reliance on imported fossil fuels. Worldwide sales of heat pumps are set to soar to record levels in the coming years as the global energy crisis accelerates their adoption, the International Energy Agency says in a special report. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Co-Location Of Renewables Leads To ‘Significant Cost Savings’” • Using one grid connection for multiple renewable generation or storage assets could result in significant cost savings, according to a report from Cornwall Insight and law firm Weightmans. Co-location could include a number of sources, such as solar, wind, and batteries. [reNews]

Solar and wind (Pixabay, Pexels)

World:

¶ “Tesla Model S Tops Euro NCAP Safety Tests” • Just months after the Tesla Model Y earned the highest score in history on a European safety index, another Tesla model set another record. The luxury Model S sedan broke the record for the European New Car Assessment Program’s safety score ceiling, surpassing even the Model Y’s record. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Zimbabwe Only Gets Electricity Between Midnight And 4 AM” • While there are floods Pakistan and Nigeria, other places in East and Southern Africa have citizens bearing the brunt of prolonged dry spells and feeling the effects of low water levels in reservoirs. The Zambezi River Authority is only supplying electricity from midnight to 4:00 am. [CleanTechnica]

Kariba Dam (Image from ZRA)

¶ “BrightDrop Expands Into Canada With New DHL Deal” • BrightDrop, the General Motors subsidiary that manufactures battery-electric delivery vehicles, announced that it will begin supplying vehicles to DHL Express in Canada soon. Entering the Canadian market is BrightDrop’s latest action to address the $250 billion last mile delivery industry. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Billionaire Andrew Forrest Increases Exposure To Renewable Energy With Acquisition” • Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest has significantly increased his exposure to the renewables sector through an acquisition worth more than A$4 billion. One of his companies acquired CWP Renewables, which with solar, battery, and wind farms. [Sky News Australia]

CWP Renewables wind farm (Supplied)

¶ “Joe Biden And Rishi Sunak Agree To Increase Gas Exports From US To UK” • Joe Biden has agreed a deal to ramp up gas exports from the US to the UK as part of a joint effort to cut bills and limit Russia’s impact on western energy supplies. They also plan to further collaborate on nuclear, hydrogen and carbon capture projects. [The Guardian]

¶ “Maintaining The Future Of The World’s Energy With Smart Technology” • McKinsey & Co research projects that fossil fuel demand will peak between 2023 and 2025. The International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2022 report shows the global energy crisis can be a turning point towards a cleaner and more secure future. [Energy Magazine]

Solar panels (Markus Spiske, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Power May Be Back For Thousands On Wednesday Night As Authorities Are Going Through Tips On Electric Substation Attack” • The tens of thousands of customers in North Carolina who haven’t had power since weekend attacks on two utility substations should see the lights come on by late Wednesday, a spokesperson for Duke Energy said. [CNN]

¶ “65% Of Dealers Say Yes To Ford’s No Haggle EV Sales Policy” • In September, Ford CEO Jim Farley delivered an ultimatum to its dealers: If you want to sell our battery-electric cars and trucks, you will have to commit to making certain upgrades, and you will need to agree to a “no haggle” sales process. Two-thirds of dealers agreed. [CleanTechnica]

Ford F-150 Lightning (Ford image)

¶ “Biden And Harris: Here’s $80 Million for Energy Upgrades in Public Schools” • The Biden-Harris Administration announced that applications are open for the Renew America’s Schools grant program. This initial funding round of up to $80 million is available to public schools for energy improvements in the highest-need K-12 districts. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Farm Powered Strategic Alliance Grows, Turns Food Waste To Renewable Energy” • Great Lakes Cheese has joined the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance, which aims to boost food waste recycling and renewable energy production. The program commits to diverting organic food waste to on-farm anaerobic digesters. [Environment + Energy Leader]

Have a comprehesively copacetic day.

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¶ “Tesla China Sets Sales Record In November” • Tesla sold more electric cars made at its factory in Shanghai in November than in any previous month, 100,2921 to be exact. CnEVPost says that is up 90% from the 52,859 vehicles sold in November of last year and up 40% from the 71,704 vehicles sold in October. Many of the cars were for export. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model 3 in Qinghai (Tesla and Tesla Greater China)

¶ “11% Of Global New Vehicle Sales Were 100% Electric Vehicles!” • Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 55% in October of 2022 compared to October of 2021. They reached 932,000 units, a result second only to the previous month. Plugins represented a 16% share of the overall auto market. Full electrics reached 11% share of the market! [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Global Renewables Capacity Is To Double In The Next Five Years” • Global renewable energy capacity is predicted to double in the next five years, driven by energy supply concerns due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the International Energy Agency said. Growth in renewables is also being driven by new policies in the US, China, and India. [Energy Live News]

Wind turbines (Narcisa Aciko, Pexels)

¶ “Renewables To Overtake Coal And Become World’s Biggest Source Of Electricity Generation By 2025” • Renewables are on course to overtake coal and become the planet’s biggest source of electricity generation by 2025, according to the International Energy Agency. The increased speed of transition is due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [CNBC]

¶ “North Star Secures Financing For Offshore Wind Fleet” • North Star has secured a £140 million financing package to support the next phase of its offshore wind fleet growth plan. The firm entered the offshore wind market last year after winning all four long-term charter SOV awards for the highly competitive Dogger Bank Wind Farm. [reNews]

Offshore support ship (North Star image)

¶ “South Australia’s Premier, Peter Malinauskas, Is In ‘Furious Agreement’ With PM That Nuclear Power Would Not Work For Australia” • After a statement South Australia’s premier made was interpreted to support use of nuclear generators in Australia, he has comprehensively rejected the idea, saying nuclear power is “completely uneconomic.” [ABC]

¶ “Winds Of The North To Power Cairns To Net Zero” • In a leap towards achieving its commitment to net zero, Cairns Regional Council has signed an agreement with CleanCo Queensland that will see 80 of the Council’s largest facilities acquire 100 percent of their electricity requirements from renewable sources from July 2024. [Media Statements]

Cairns (Thomas Chen, Unsplash)

¶ “Russia Says Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Is On Its ‘Territory.’ It Won’t Withdraw” • Russia says that it will never cede control of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, insisting that the occupied plant sits on “Russian territory.” Nuclear experts have safety concerns and Ukraine accused Russia of using the facility to store weapons and ammunition. [MSN]

US:

¶ “The Clean Energy Company Turning City Blocks Greener” • BlocPower, a Brooklyn-based clean energy company, is bringing all-electric heating and cooling systems to older buildings in lower income areas to reduce carbon footprints and energy bills. BlocPower saves building owners between 20% and 40% annually and increases property values. [CNN]

Brooklyn (Redd F, Unsplash)

¶ “FBI Investigates Gun Attack On Power Grid In Moore County, North Carolina” • The FBI is investigating after two power stations were damaged by gunfire in North Carolina, plunging tens of thousands into darkness. No motive or suspect has been announced since the attack on Saturday evening, but police said it was intentional. [BBC]

¶ “AAA Expanding Service, Now Offers Mobile EV Charging And Electrifying AAA Member Benefits” • AAA has been taking steps to make the transition to EVs more secure. It announced that it is expanding its services for EV owners across the US. And it is launching a pilot program to offer roadside charging for EVs in 16 metro areas. [CleanTechnica]

AAA van (AAA image)

¶ “Ford And SK Innovation Break Ground On EV Battery Factory In Kentucky, Create 5,000 New Jobs” • Ford and SK Innovation broke ground today in Glendale, Kentucky, on a battery factory that will create 5,000 new jobs. The battery factory will sit on about 1,500 acres and be able to produce more than 80 GWh of batteries per year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Rivian Makes Huge Investment Into Renewables To Power Operations” • Rivian signed a power purchase agreement with Apex Clean Energy to supply their manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois, with wind power. Rivian will invest an unstated amount in 50 MW of wind energy that will supply the company’s operations at the factory. [Teslarati]

Wind farm (Rivian image)

¶ “As Land Washes Away, Native Tribes Start To Receive Funding To Relocate Inland” • The climate crisis is altering ecosystems, coastlines, and ways of life in the Northwest. Native villages in Alaska are particularly at risk. Their situation is untenable, and the US government is stepping in with federal funding so select tribes can relocate inland. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Secretary Haaland Announces New Steps To Accelerate Solar Energy Development On Public Lands In The West” • Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced efforts to support solar energy development on public lands across the West and help meet the Biden-Harris administration’s renewable energy and conservation goals. [US Department of the Interior]

Have a deeply appreciated day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “New Ultra-Fast Charging System With Integrated Battery Storage And Large Screens” • ADS-TEC Energy added a new battery-based charging system to its existing lineup of charging solutions. ChargePost uses an integrated battery to operate on existing power connections without the need to extend the existing grid. [CleanTechnica]

ChagePost (ADS-TEC Energy image)

¶ “Recycling To Close Synthetic Fabric Window On Fossil Energy Stakeholders” • As the decarbonization trend accelerates, fossil energy stakeholders have counted on petrochemicals to maintain a foothold in the global economy. Synthetic fabrics offer one such niche. But expansion opportunities are limited as recycling picks up steam. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “’Weather Whiplash’ Could Be a Disturbing New Normal in a Weird, Warming World” • In northern New Mexico, the year began with months of unseasonal heat, dryness and extreme wind that fueled the largest wildfire of the year in the lower 48 states. Then, the annual monsoon rains dumped nearly twice as much moisture as the previous year. [CNET]

Monsoon coming (Chaz McGregor, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “EU Must Act Over Distortions From US Climate Plan” • The EU must address “distortions” created by a $430 billion US plan to incentivise climate-friendly technologies, the bloc’s chief says. Some EU members criticised the US Inflation Reduction Act, raising fears of a trade war. There are concerns that tax breaks may lure away or disadvantage EU businesses. [BBC]

¶ “Oil Prices Rise As Cap On Russian Crude Looms” • Oil prices rose on Monday after an agreement by the G7 group of nations and its allies to cap the price of Russian oil at $60 (£49) a barrel. Brent crude added around 0.7% to above $86 in Asia trading. The move, which about to come into force, raises Western pressure on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. [BBC]

Oil tanker (Fred, Unsplash)

¶ “Italy’s EV Slump Is Far From Over – Plugins Were At 8.3% In October” • October 2022 was another month of misery for Italy’s once promising EV market. In stark contrast with the rest of Europe’s main auto arenas, which keep making strides in electric mobility adoption, the Mediterranean country is still in the midst of an identity crisis. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EU Agrees To Include Shipping In Emissions Trading System” • The EU Emissions Trading System is the oldest and largest program of its type, but it has had a big weakness. It covered power stations and factories but did not cover emissions from shipping. In a landmark accord last week, negotiators agreed to correct that oversight. [CleanTechnica]

Container ship (Maersk image)

¶ “Major Businesses Urge Government To Power Wind And Solar Investment” • Tesco, Morrisons, M&S, the Co-op Group, Central Co-op, and Midcounties Co-operative, along with Community Energy England, have joined forces to call on the Government to “green the energy grid” by powering investment in renewable energy. [The Co-operative]

¶ “Airbus Looking At India For Green Hydrogen Supplies For Its Ambitious Zero-Emission Aircraft” • European aerospace major Airbus is looking to source green hydrogen from markets like India, Australia, and Latin America as part of its decarbonisation efforts, a senior company official said. Airbus will use the fuel for hydrogen-powered airplanes. [Zee News]

Airbus plane (Daniel Eledut, Unsplash)

¶ “Nuclear Off Table As States Seek Power Fix” • South Australia’s premier, Peter Malinauskas, left the door open to nuclear, as he seeks to advocate its safety. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek were quick to shoot their Labor colleague down, pointing out nuclear energy will not work out financially. [Great Lakes Advocate]

¶ “NSW Tops Renewable Energy Superpower Scorecard For First Time” • The winner of the Renewable Superpower Scorecard for this year is New South Wales. The state implemented Renewable Energy Zones and industrial precincts plans, issued First nations guidelines for energy projects, and allocated $1.2 billion to fast track transmission infrastructure. [Renew Economy]

Wind turbine blades (Acciona image)

¶ “Iran Starts Work On Second Nuclear Power Plant” • Iran has begun work on a 300-MW nuclear power project in the southern Khuzestan province. It will be the country’s second nuclear reactor project. The project is projected to take eight years and cost $2 billion to build, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported. [The National]

US:

¶ “The Great Solar Panel Tariff Debate Heats Up” • The Biden administration is putting $37 billion into incentives to help US companies manufacture the products needed to fulfill the US renewable energy goal using American workers and materials wherever possible. But the US needs foreign PVs and does not want to get them from China. [CleanTechnica]

Solar PV array (Raphael Cruz, Unsplash)

¶ “Activists Say DTE’s Plan Won’t Meet Michigan’s Renewable Energy Goals” • Michigan regulators have set long-term targets for emission-reductions by the state’s power utilities. They are to have carbon neutral power in 2050. But clean-energy advocates are concerned that one company, DTE Energy, is not on track to meet its goals. [Public News Service]

¶ “Windar Renovables Transfers First Vineyard Transition Piece” • The first of the 62 transition pieces for the 800-MW Vineyard Wind project has been transferred from Windar Renovables’ offshore facilities to the port of Aviles in Spain. Avandgrid, a subsidiary of Iberdrola, is developing the wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts. [reNews]

Have a perfectly agreeable day.

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World:

¶ “Endangered Seals Found Dead On Russia’s Caspian Shore” • Around 700 endangered seals have been found dead on Russia’s Caspian coast in the North Caucasus. Caspian seals are the only mammals found in the Caspian Sea. The cause of death is not known, but they are under pressure from over-hunting, habitat degradation and climate change. [CNN]

Caspian Seal (Aboutaleb Nadri, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Cutting Energy Prices Will Take Years, Power Boss Says” • It “will take years” to get energy prices back to pre-Ukraine war levels, the boss of one of the world’s biggest energy firms has told the BBC. Francesco Starace, CEO of Enel, said bringing prices down depends on new sources of energy such as renewables and heat pumps. [BBC]

¶ “New Mercedes eSprinter Goes 475 Kilometers In Real-World Driving” • The Mercedes eSprinter has been for sale in Europe for some time, but its range of just under 100 miles is too short for most customers. Now, Mercedes is about to start production of the next-generation eSprinter, which was able to go over 475 km (295 miles) on a single charge. [CleanTechnica]

Mercedes eSprinter (Courtesy of Mercedes)

¶ “Lightyear 0 Solar-Powered Car Begins Production” • Lightyear now has a production successor to Lightyear 1, a prototype that introduced the possibility of an electric car powered by sunlight. The company announced this week that it has begun production of its first vehicle, the Lightyear 0, at the Valmet Automotive facility in Finland. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Italian Minister ‘Opens Doors Wide’ For Tesla, Musk” • Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini said that the country would “open [its] doors wide for” Tesla and CEO Elon Musk. Salvini noted Italy’s diminishing car industry during a webinar held by the Italian outlet Il Messaggero and detailed in a report from Teslarati. [CleanTechnica]

Tuscany (Amit Janco, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Norway BEVs Hit Record Volume In November – Tesla Model Y Leads” • Plugin electric vehicles took 89.3% share of Norwegian auto sales in November, down from 91.2% year on year. However, full battery EVs grew from 73.8% to 81.6%, YOY. Plugin hybrids continued to tail off, down to 7.7% from 17.4% YoY. Overall auto sales were up almost 28%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Parking Lots Are Becoming As Important As Cars In Climate Change Efforts” • A new law in France requires that parking lots with 80 or more spaces be covered by solar panels within five years. The biggest parking lots, those with over 400 spaces, have been given three years for at least half of the parking lot’s surface area covered by solar. [CNBC]

Solar parking lot, Disneyland, Paris (Jay Black, Unsplash)

¶ “It’s Possible To Power 10 Million Nigerian Homes With Renewable Energy By 2030 – Greenforce CEO” • The Chief Executive Officer of Greenforce Group, Chidera Ejiofor, believes it is possible to power 10 million Nigerian homes with renewable energy by 2030. He also said there are still not enough renewable energy companies in Nigeria. [Nairametrics]

¶ “Coalition MP’s ‘Grassroots’ Nuclear Power Survey Linked To Consulting Firm” • In Australia, a Coalition frontbencher doing a “grassroots” survey about nuclear power is using a website registered by a business that helps an American small modular reactor company, records reveal. Website owner Helixos lists NuScale Power as a client. [The Guardian]

NuScale plant design (NuScale image)

¶ “IAEA Says Deal Over Ukrainian Nuke Plant ‘Almost There’” • A deal aimed at safeguarding Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is close at hand, the head of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency said. The power plant, which was seized by Russia shortly after its invasion of Ukraine, has since come under repeated shelling. [KDAL 610]

US:

¶ “Restoring Observatory Access Key To Climate Science” • So far the Mauna Loa lava flow has been a spectacle and not a disaster, except for the Mauna Loa Observatory, which is the worldwide headquarters for collection of climate-change data. Lava from the volcano’s eruptions has cut off access and power for the foreseeable future. [KHON2]

Sensor domes on Mauna Loa (UCAR, public domain)

¶ “Northeast Iowa Coal-Fired Power Plant Nears End Of Long Run” • Alliant Energy’s coal-fired Lansing Generating Station has operated for nearly 75 years on the bank of the Mississippi River in Northeast Iowa. After this year, it will not produce electricity. A spokesman said closing the plant will “help to control long-term costs for customers.” [KTTC]

¶ “Oil And Gas Led New Mexico Land Use In 2022, As State Looked To Diversify” • The New Mexico State Land Office saw increases in revenue from both fossil fuels and renewables this year. New Mexico is the second-largest producer of crude oil in US, largely from the Permian Basin. Oil and gas provide about a third of its budget. [Carlsbad Current-Argus]

Have a sufficiently impeccable day.

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¶ “How Green Schools Can Help Save Our Planet” • Local schools are our most powerful mechanism for shaping the future. They teach critical skills and knowledge. Many promote equity and, through free breakfast and lunch programs, ensure that no child goes hungry. Think what they might accomplish if we tapped them to combat climate change. [CleanTechnica]

School (Image courtesy of Zūm)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Field Testing Printed Solar Panels” • What is the best way to field test printed solar panels? After 20 years in development in the lab at the University of Newcastle, it was decided to invite Stuart McBain to drive 18,000 km around the coast of Australia for 3 months as a test. This made the point that there is no range anxiety when you plan well. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “PV Windows Cut Energy Use By 40% In Glazed Buildings, Says NREL” • The US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has shown that perovskite-based thin-film PV, transparent PV, and dynamic PV glazing technologies can reduce the energy use of glazed buildings by around 40% across eight regions in the United States. [PV Magazine]

How PV windows work in a building (NREL, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Impacts Of Wind Power On Air Quality, Premature Mortality, And Exposure Disparities In The US” • Wind power relating to renewable portfolio standards in 2014 resulted in $2.0 billion in health benefits from improved air quality. Health benefits could have been $8.4 billion if displacement of fossil fuel generators prioritized the most polluting. [Science]

World:

¶ “Ukraine War: G7 And Allies Approve Cap On Price Of Russian Oil” • The G7 group and its allies have officially approved a cap on the price of Russian oil. The price cap will come into force on 5 December or “very soon thereafter.” The plan, which stops countries paying more than $60 (€57, £48) a barrel, needed the agreement of all EU states. [BBC]

Oil pump (Zbynek Burival, Unsplash)

¶ “Europe Electric Car Sales Report: 13.6% Of New Cars Fully Electric” • The European automotive market is back in the black, with a 14% growth rate in October, its third growth month in a row. Plugin hybrids, which had been in the red, grew 10% in October. Full battery EVs grew 17% year over year in October to 124,000 registrations. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Electric Vehicle Leasing Firm Equator Mobility Ramping Up In Kenya” • Equator Mobility is ramping up leasing operations in Kenya to catalyze the transition to electric mobility. It launched its operations last year by introducing a program with the option of direct sales for commercial electric vehicles. The leases range from 6 months up. [CleanTechnica]

EVs in Kenya (Courtesy of Equator Mobility)

¶ “Industry Leaders Sound Alarm Over Need To Broaden Supply Chain Of Renewables” • The global energy crisis sparked by war in Ukraine shows how parts of the renewables supply chain might face similar struggles if not quickly diversified, energy executives told the Reuters NEXT conference. For one example, China dominates the PV market. [The National]

¶ “The UK Still Has Some Way To Go To Meet Its Renewable Electricity Target” • Some 39% of the UK’s electricity came from renewable sources in Q2 of 2022, the latest available data shows. The UK has steadily increased the amount of power generated from renewables. In 2015 just 25% of the UK’s electricity came from renewable sources. [New Statesman]

Wind farm in Wales (Alan Hughes, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Macron Shamed As France Caught In ‘Scandalous’ Buying Of Russian Nuclear Fuel” • Russia is still selling uranium to Europe, filling Russian President Vladimir Putin’s pockets with cash despite his brutal invasion of Ukraine. Campaigners called out French President Emmanuel Macron after Russian nuclear fuel arrived at a French port. [Daily Express]

¶ “IAEA Gives Update On Demilitarising Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant As War Attacks Continue” • The International Atomic Energy Agency carried out a nuclear safety and security mission to the plant this week. The agency announced that it hopes for a deal on the demilitarized zone around Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant by the end of 2022. [Republic World]

IAEA inspectors (IAEA Imagebank, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

US:

¶ “Feds Find Four Chinese Solar Panel Companies Have Been Evading US Tariffs” • After a months-long investigation, US officials have preliminarily determined that four Chinese solar panel companies have been avoiding US tariff laws by routing their operations through Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. [CNN]

¶ “Tesla Semi Reveal – Huge Power, Huge Charging Ability” • Tesla held its long awaited ceremony to introduce its electric Class 8 tractor, known simply as the Tesla Semi, on December 1. You can watch a video of the event here. In it, you will see Elon Musk drive a white Semi on stage followed by two others decked out in Pepsi and Frito-Lay livery. [CleanTechnica]

Hardcore testing (Tesla image)

¶ “Earthshot Prize: Prince William Announces Five Winners” • Prince William announced the five winners of the Prince of Wales’s prestigious Earthshot Prize at an awards ceremony in Boston. The annual awards were created by Prince William to fund projects that aim to save the planet. Each £1 million ($1.2 million) prize is to develop innovation. [BBC]

¶ “Honda To Build Fuel Cell Car Based On CR-V In 2024” • Honda announced this week that it will begin manufacturing a fuel cell vehicle based on the popular CR-V at its Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio in 2024. The car will be North America’s first production vehicle to combine a plug-in feature with fuel cell EV technology. [CleanTechnica]

Have a nicely ordered day.

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¶ “Agrivoltaics: Solar Panels And Tomatoes May Be Perfect For Each Other” • Agrivoltaics can increase yields for farmers. A research paper published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory surveyed agrivoltaic research all across America. It noted that, on average, yields of tomatoes doubled compared to non-agrivoltaic sites. [CleanTechnica]

Tomatoes growing under solar PVs (Asurnipal, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

World:

¶ “Philippines Will Explore For Oil In South China Sea Even Without A Deal With Beijing: Marcos” • The Philippines must find a way to explore for oil and gas in the South China Sea even without a deal with China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said. He emphasized his country’s right to exploit energy reserves in the contested waterway. [CNN]

¶ “Airbus Reveals Plans For Hydrogen Fuel Cell Aircraft” • Airbus announced it is developing a hydrogen-powered fuel cell engine, and it plans to test it on the largest commercial airplane ever to fly. It will mount the engine between the wings and the tail of a modified A380 superjumbo. Test flights are expected in 2026, and a zero-emission aircraft by 2035. [CNN]

Rendering of Airbus test aircraft (Airbus SAS 2022)

¶ “Modi Urges Unity On Climate Change, Terrorism, Pandemics As India Assumes G20 Presidency” • The world must cooperate to tackle the greatest challenges of climate change, terrorism, and pandemics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, as India began its year-long presidency of the Group of 20. He said this is not a time for war, but for unity. [CNN]

¶ “5 Million More Londoners To Breathe Cleaner Air Thanks To ULEZ” • London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone will be expanded on 29 August 2023. It will operate London-wide across all London boroughs, up to the current Low Emission Zone boundary. To be clear, this means five million more Londoners will soon breathe cleaner air. [CleanTechnica]

BYD electric bus in the UK (Spsmiler, public domain)

¶ “Indian Coal Magnate Gautam Adani Goes Green” • Asia’s richest man, Gautam Adani, made his vast fortune betting on coal as an energy hungry India grew swiftly after liberalizing its economy in the 1990s. He’s now set his sights on becoming the world’s biggest renewable energy player by 2030, aligning his investments with India’s priorities. [MSN]

¶ “AEMO Rolls Out Its Roadmap To 100% Renewables” • The Australian Energy Market Operator has published its latest assessment of what will be required to ensure that the National Electricity Market can operate securely and reliably at 100% instantaneous renewable penetration for the first time by as early as 2025. [pv magazine Australia]

Wind farm in Western Australia (Michaeldolphin, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Cold Spell Could Lead To French Power Cuts Next Week” • As a cold spell arrives in north-western Europe this weekend, the situation could become critical. France could face power cuts because of cold weather and delays to the restart of nuclear power after repair work, which will lead to demand outstripping supply, analysts said. [The National]

US:

¶ “Insured Losses From Disasters Will Exceed $100 Billion For Second Year In A Row, Led By Hurricane Ian, New Data Shows” • Preliminary analysis by Swiss Re found that 2022 was the second year in a row in which insured losses are expected to exceed $100 billion. Swiss Re said losses trended up each year at a rate of 5 to 7% over the past decade. [CNN]

After Hurrican Ian (David Dellinger, NWS, public domain)

¶ “US Rail Strike: Senate Passes Bill To Avert Labour Stoppage” • The US Senate has overwhelmingly approved a measure to block a strike by railway workers that could have a devastating impact on the US economy. In an 80 to 15 vote, the Senate passed a bill that imposes a contract deal on a dozen unions representing railway workers. [BBC]

¶ “Canoo Delivers Modular Light Tactical Vehicle To US Army” • In July, the US Army signed a contract with Canoo in which it agreed to evaluate the company’s Light Tactical Vehicle for its uses. This week, Canoo announced that it has delivered the first LTV to the Army so it can be put through its paces in a real world combat environment. [CleanTechnica]

Canoo Light Tactical Vehicle (Courtesy of Canoo)

¶ “Corvette Plans To Follow Porsche Into The Electric Passenger Car And SUV Market” • The Corvette brand is set to expand to include a 4-door car and an SUV, a move that mirrors the pivot Porsche made to cars and SUVs many years ago. GM president Mark Reuss told investors the car would arrive in 2025 with “incredible performance.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ford To Bump Mustang Mach-E Production To 270,000 A Year” • Ford is the second bestselling electric car brand in the US. Now, it is accelerating Mustang Mach-E production and targeting global annual production rate of 270,000 as part of its plan to scale to a rate of 600,000 electric vehicles annually by the end of 2023 and 2 million by 2026. [CleanTechnica]

Ford Mustang Mach-E (Courtesy of Ford Motor Company)

¶ “Vermont Officials Seek To Engage Public In Renewable Energy Policy Review” • Vermont is reevaluating its renewable energy policies and want to engage the public in the process, especially disadvantaged people who may have been left out of the process in the past. The three-phased process will being with engaging Vermonters on the issue. [WCAX]

¶ “Entergy Texas Issues An RFP For 2,000 MW Of Renewable Resources” • Entergy Texas issued a request for proposals for 2,000 MW of solar and wind generating capacity. The solicitation for emissions-free renewables can provide cost-effective energy supply, capacity, fuel diversity and other benefits to customers for years to come. [Entergy Newsroom]

Have a significantly beautiful day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Underground Water Battery To Bust Energy Storage Dam Wide Open” • The Texas firm Quidnet Energy has won a $10 million grant from the US Department of Energy to put the finishing touches on a new type of pumped storage. Their “water battery” uses underground rock formations instead of having to rely on elevated reservoirs. [CleanTechnica]

Water battery (Courtesy of Quidnet Energy)

World:

¶ “Canadian Ambassador Tells EU That Deforestation Rules Are ‘Burdensome’” • Canada’s ambassador to the EU voiced concern with proposed EU rules to curb deforestation. The regulation is intended to limit the trade of products linked to deforestation worldwide. Climate campaigners have called Canada’s resistance to the rules “shocking.” [BBC]

¶ “Some 200 Irish Businesses Get To Try Out Electric Vehicles For Free” • As part of a goal to have roughly 1 million EVs on Irish roads by 2030, the Irish government is aiming to boost the electrification of commercial fleets. A new project will allow 200 Irish businesses to test out EVs for free as part of initiatives aimed at reducing pollution. [CleanTechnica]

Cobh, Ireland (Kristel Hayes, Unsplash)

¶ “The Semiconductor Shortage Could Soon Become A Glut Of Chips” • The shortage of chips needed for advanced technologies may soon turn into a surplus, ending the semiconductor shortage that has afflicted the automotive industry for almost two years. VNC Automobile, an in-vehicle networking specialist, believes recession could cause the change. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Volkswagen In Talks With Foxconn And Magna To Build Scout Vehicles” • Volkswagen seems to be moving ahead with a plan to build an electric SUV and pickup truck under the Scout brand it got when it bought the successor to International Harvester. According to media sources, Foxconn and Magna Steyer are both in talks with VW. [CleanTechnica]

Scout (Scout image)

¶ “AMEA Power Completes $1.1 Billion Deal To Deploy 1 GW Of Wind And Solar Energy In Egypt” • AMEA Power announced that it has achieved the financial close to deliver 1 GW of renewable energy projects in Egypt. The landmark 500-MW wind and 500-MW solar projects represent $1.1 billion of investment into the Egyptian economy. [Yahoo News NZ]

¶ “Brookfield Signs 600-MW Deal With Amazon” • Brookfield Renewable, a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management, will provide over 600 MW of clean wind and solar capacity to power Amazon’s operations in Europe, North America, and India. In total, these projects are expected to generate 1,370 GWh, a year’s power for 120,000 US homes. [reNews]

Wind turbine (Brookfield image)

¶ “Europe Embarks On Solar Power ‘Revolution’ To Solve Its Energy Crisis And Fight Climate Change” • Spurred by Russia’s war in Ukraine and its own pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, the EU is aggressively ramping up its use of solar power, installing panels on everything from city rooftops to farmland. [Yahoo News]

¶ “Austria Loses EU Court Case Against Hungarian Nuclear Power Plant” • The General Court of the EU has dismissed an action brought by Austria in an attempt to annul the European Commission’s decision to approve the expansion of the Paks nuclear power plant in Hungary, the Luxembourg-based court announced. [Hungary Today]

Paks nuclear plant (Paksi Atomerőmű Zrt via Facebook)

US:

¶ “Biden Commits To Protect Nevada Sacred Tribal Lands” • President Joe Biden committed to protecting Spirit Mountain and the surrounding area in Nevada, a sacred site for Native American tribal nations. The anouncement is part of a process to make the site a national monument, to be klnown as the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. [CNN]

¶ “More Than 70 Water Agencies In California Could Face Water Shortages In The Coming Months” • The California Department of Water Resources issued a report on its water supply. Nearly 20% of the urban water agencies said they could see significant water shortages in the coming months in the state’s potential fourth consecutive year of drought. [CNN]

California Aquaduct (Triddle, public domain)

¶ “North Carolina’s Governor Highlights Cleantech Progress In The State” • Governor Roy Cooper recently spoke at the North Carolina Medium- and Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicle State Policy Bootcamp to highlight how crucial it is for North Carolina to electrify the vehicles. He showcased the policies the state has put in place to make this happen. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “After A Long, Hard Road, Lordstown Endurance Truck Gets Regulatory Approvals, Shipping Out” • Lordstown announced that its Endurance pickup finally has regulatory approval. It said in a press release that 500 of the battery-electric pickup trucks have been homologated and are now leaving Foxconn EV’s Ohio plant for customer delivery. [CleanTechnica]

Lordstown Endurance (Courtesy of Lordstown)

¶ “Governor Hochul Announces The Start Of Construction On The 339-Mile Champlain Hudson Power Express Transmission Line” • New York Governor Kathy Hochul celebrated the start of construction of the 339-mile Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line to deliver reliable clean energy from Hydro-Québec to New York City. [NYSERDA]

¶ “Bringing Nuclear Power To Montana More Expensive Than Originally Forecast” • The cost of power from a small nuclear reactor, which has been eyed by Montana legislators and utility commissioners as a potential lifeline for the Colstrip Power Plant, has nearly doubled according to reports from early adopters in Utah and Idaho. [The Billings Gazette]

Have a fabulously advantageous day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Vehicle-To-Grid Solutions Could Open Fast Lane To Net-Zero Future” • MIT Research published in Energy Advances shows that as the number of EVs rises, the collective fleet’s batteries might function as a cost-effective, large-scale energy source. This could have significant effects on the energy transition, both for EVs and for the grid. [CleanTechnica]

V2G charging site (Nuuve image)

¶ “No Kidding: The Tesla Semi Launch Is About To Change Everything” • The Tesla Semi, with its 500 mile range, is the proof-of-concept that a business needs to have. It will prove that it’s time to start to the transition to fully electric deliveries, since it will prove that anything in the fleet can be electrified. More importantly, it will save money. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “The Alpine Villages Producing Their Own Power” • There are about 1,000 hydropower plants in South Tyrol, and the vast majority of them are small or medium-sized, ranging from tiny ones powering a single farm, to clusters of more sizeable ones covering an entire valley’s supply. With Europe in an energy crisis, they are getting a lot of attention. [BBC]

South Tyrol, Italy (Lukas Leitner, Unsplash)

¶ “Airbus Designed A Cold Heart For Its New Zero-Emission Plane In Record Time” • One challenge for fueling aircraft with liquid hydrogen to power aircraft is that it has to be kept at -253°C (-423.4°F). But Airbus is serious about doing that. It took an empty warehouse in Nantes, and in a little over a year built its first cryogenic hydrogen tank. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “London Mayor Unveils New Charging Strategy Towards Net Zero 2030 At Plug It In Summit” • At the Evening Standard’s Plug It In Summit at the Design Museum, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, outlined his plans to keep London in front of the EV revolution and his commitment to making London a cleaner, greener, and healthier city. [CleanTechnica]

London (Nomadic Julien, Unsplash)

¶ “More Utility Scale Battery Projects For The UK To Help With Wind Curtailment Issues” • When a grid can’t manage excess electricity from wind farms, they are curtailed. Technological advancements and price reductions for battery storage are now making batteries more useful to avoid curtailment. The result of this is some exciting news. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “ACWA Power To Develop 2060-MW Solar Project” • Saudi renewables developer ACWA Power is to build a 2060-MW solar plant in Saudi Arabia. In partnership with Water and Electricity Holding Company, the project is expected to be the largest facility of its kind in the Middle East to date. It is expected to be in commercial operation by Q4 2025. [reNews]

Solar panels (ACWA Power image)

¶ “Rio Invests Further In Renewable Energy” • Diversified major Rio Tinto will invest a further A$600 million ($404 million) in renewable energy assets in the Pilbara as it works to decarbonise its Western Australian iron-ore operations. Rio Tinto will fund construction of two 100-MW solar power facilities and 200 MWh of on-grid battery storage by 2026. [Mining Weekly]

¶ “Community Battery A First Step For Renewable Energy In Docklands” • The government of Victoria has announced a new community battery for Docklands. It will give locals and small businesses owners without roof access the chance to benefit from renewable energy. The battery will be charged by rooftop solar and windpower. [Docklands News]

Docklands area of Melbourne (Liamdavies, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Urgent Need For Mandates Around Home Based Renewable Energy” • A New Zealand solar energy installer is warning that electrifying New Zealand – EVs, trains, and digital technologies – while building thousands of homes that can’t generate their own renewable energy is foolhardy, given Transpower’s warnings of strain on the national power grid. [Scoop NZ]

¶ “UK’s Nuclear Dreams Face Obstacle As Hinkley Point C Plant At Risk Of 11-Year Delay” • According to a new contract between the UK Government and EDF, Hinkley will still be funded even if it does not start operating a decade after its original deadline of 2025. This contract sparked fears that the delay could become a reality. [Daily Express]

Rendering of Hinkley C (gov.uk, public domain)

US:

¶ “US Rail Strike 2022: What Would Be Affected If It Happens?” • President Biden asked Congress to prevent a looming rail strike. If the workers walk out, that would knock roughly 7,000 freight trains per day out of service, wreaking havoc on supply chains across the country, driving up prices, and causing a political mess just before Christmas. [BBC]

¶ “Tesla Model 3 Highland Project Aims To Reduce Complexity And Boost Profitability” • Tesla insiders claim the company has been working behind the scenes to improve the Model 3 by simplifying the production process, Reuters reports. The changes will reduce the cost of manufacturing, which could lead to lower prices or higher profits. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model S interior design (Courtesy of Tesla)

¶ “Green Jobs Are Flourishing And Winning Over The Hearts Of Conservative Workers” • At least $25.7 billion in new US clean energy factories are in the works, thanks in part to the subsidies in Biden-Harris administration’s landmark climate law. Most of these projects – and the jobs they create – are in traditionally conservative states. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Company Decommissioning Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station May Dump Water Without Permit” • Activists on the South Shore are angry over the latest message from Holtec, the company decommissioning the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. Holtec wants to dump radioactive wastewater into Cape Cod Bay, which it insists is safe and legal. [CBS News]

Have a pleasantly fantastic day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Want Your Mercedes EV To Accelerate Faster? Get Your Credit Card!” • Automakers can get a little sneaky. Instead of leaving bells and whistles out of the car unless you buy them as original equipment, they decided to put them in the car and charge a monthly fee to use them. We can see examples of the practice by BMW and Mercedes. [CleanTechnica]

Mercedes-Benz EQS (Courtesy of Mercedes)

¶ “Small Modular Reactors Will Not Save The Day” • Wind and solar are much cheaper than new nuclear plants even when storage is added. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimated the cost of unsubsidized utility-scale solar plus battery storage in 2021 was $77/MWh, about half the cost Lazard has estimated for new nuclear. [Utility Dive]

World:

¶ “Great Barrier Reef Should Be Placed On The ‘In Danger’ List, UN-Backed Report Shows” • The Great Barrier Reef should be added to the list of world heritage sites that are “in danger,” a team of scientists concluded after conducting a mission to the world’s largest coral reef system. The scientists said action to save it is needed “with upmost urgency.” [CNN]

Clown Anemonefish (David Clode, Unsplash)

¶ “Canada Ups Pollution Pricing” • The Canadian government is increasing the costs of polluting under a policy that guarantees it no longer costs nothing to pollute the country’s air. Under the new rules, eight out of ten Canadian families who get Climate Action Incentive payments will actually see some extra money deposited into their accounts. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “South Africa Turns To Solar To Help Stop Power Cuts” • To try to help solve the problem of frequent power cuts and boost its environmental credentials, the South African government is undertaking efforts to boost its solar power generation capacity. To do this it is encouraging firms in the solar sector to tender for contracts. [BBC]

Solar array in South Africa (Art Solar image)

¶ “Renewable Boom Saves India From String Of Mass Blackouts” • India’s power grid has been more resilient over the past weeks than it was at the same time last year, when a coal shortage led to widespread blackouts. Part of the reason for the enhanced resilience was the surging renewable capacity which has reduced the stress on coal-fired generators. [Oil Price]

¶ “Europe’s First All-Season EV Tire” • The Vredestein Quatrac Pro EV, Europe’s first all-season EV tire developed specifically for battery EVs and hybrids, was unveiled by Apollo Tyres, Apollo Vredestein BV’s Indian parent company. It was touted as setting new norms for grip, efficiency, noise, and environmental impact in its hot new market. [CleanTechnica]

Apollo Tyres tire (Apollo Tyres)

UK:

¶ “Nottingham To Receive 78 New Electric Buses” • The city of Nottingham will get 78 zero-emission electric buses to electrify its fleet as part of a Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas fund. The Nottingham City Council and Nottingham City Transport were able to secure £15.2 million of funding to help achieve the city’s goal of carbon-neutrality by 2028. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Boom Power Secures Planning For 50 MW Of Solar” • Boom Power secured planning permission for a 50-MW solar project in Yorkshire. The developer plans to construct Kenley Solar Farm on approximately 94 hectares of land, near Hull, East Yorkshire. The wind project will generate electricity for distribution to the national grid. [reNews]

Solar array (Andres Siimon, Unsplash)

¶ “Octopus Identifies 2.3 GW Of UK Wind Potential” • Octopus Energy Generation has identified 2.3 GW of potential new British onshore wind energy. Developing all this onshore wind energy would be the equivalent of building a large nuclear power plant. It wouldprovide enough home-grown, cheap, green energy for 1.85 million homes. [reNews]

¶ “Maple, Mainstream Partner For Celtic Sea Floater Tender” • Maple Power and Mainstream Renewable Power have teamed up to explore the Crown Estate’s tender for floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea, which will be launched in 2023. The tender for floating wind is expected to deliver a total of 4 GW of renewable energy by 2035. [reNews]

Floating offshore turbines (Principle Power image)

US:

¶ “Hyundai Plans Three Battery Factories With Annual Capacity Of 90 GWh” • Motivated by the Inflation Reduction Act, Hyundai broke ground on a $5 billion electric car factory near Savannah, Georgia. Also, with partners SK On and LG Energy Solution, it is building three battery factories there, with a total capacity of 90 GWh annually. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Caterpillar Makes One Gigantic Electric Truck To Rule Them All” • The latest electric truck from Caterpillar is a zero-emission version of the company’s massive diesel-powered 793 mining truck. It will help push EVs for heavy duty use, as it demonstrates a battery-powered electric drive that can tackle some of the toughest jobs on Earth. [CleanTechnica]

Caterpillar 793 truck (Courtesy of Caterpillar)

¶ “Environmental Groups Propose A Cleaner Power Generation Plan In Iowa” • MidAmerican’s Wind PRIME project would add 2,042 MW of wind power and 50 MW of solar, but the company plans to keep operating five large coal plants in Iowa. The plan would make MidAmerican the state’s largest carbon polluter. A plan for cleaner power is cheaper. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Study Projects Health Benefits Of Rapid Renewables And EV Adoption” • The journal Nature Communications has published a study showing that a rapid transition to EVs and heat pumps for buildings would dramatically reduce hazardous air pollutants in the US. One reviewer pointed out that the benefits to our health would be tremendous. [Environment America]

Have a splendidly comfortable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Vermont’s Climate Plan Is Built On A Foundation Made Of Paper” • Vermont has a plan to combat climate change. But the plan rests on a foundation of paper because Vermont’s most consequential energy policy papers over our region’s fossil use and does not move the needle when it comes to making our region’s power supply more renewable. [VTDigger]

Vermont State House (Decumanus, CC-BU-SA 3.0)

World:

¶ “Russian Attacks On Energy Grid Amount To Genocide, Says Ukraine” • Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure amount to genocide, the Ukrainian prosecutor-general told the BBC. Millions of Ukrainian people face power cuts in freezing weather, following sustained Russian attacks. Strikes on key facilities targeted “the full Ukrainian nation.” [BBC]

¶ “Rolls-Royce Tests A Jet Engine Running On Hydrogen” • Rolls-Royce is putting a small aircraft jet engine through tests that could one day lead to huge changes within the aviation industry. The engine itself is almost completely conventional. But this is the first time a modern aircraft engine has ever been run on hydrogen. [BBC]

Engine test (Rolls-Royce image)

¶ “UK Government Supports Energy Storage With Over £32 Million Funding” • Five projects based across the UK will benefit from a share of over £32 million in phase two of the Longer Duration Energy Storage competition, to develop technologies to store energy as heat, electricity, or a low-carbon energy carrier like hydrogen. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “$90 Million To Set Up Net-Zero Energy Solutions Platform For South Africa” • African Infrastructure Investment Managers will provide the initial equity of up to $90 million to establish a new renewable energy platform for net-zero energy solutions for Africa. The platform will provide energy for the commercial and industrial sectors. [ESI Africa]

Johannesburg (NJR ZA, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Ireland Mulling Mandatory Renewables Quota For Heat Sector By 2024” • The Irish government wants to introduce an unspecified renewable energy quota for the heating sector by 2024. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland recently predicted that heat pumps could cover 20% of the country’s heating demand in 2030. [PV Magazine]

¶ “Ukraine’s Nuclear Chief Says He Sees Signs Russia May Be Leaving Occupied Nuclear Plant” • The head of Ukraine’s state-run nuclear energy firm said on Sunday there were signs that Russian forces might be preparing to leave the vast Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant which they seized in March soon after their invasion. [Reuters]

Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant (Ralf1969, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

Australia and New Zealand:

¶ “Electric Trucks Take The Load On The Road In New Zealand” • Reliance Transport, a last-mile cartage specialist based in South Auckland, New Zealand, commissioned two battery-powered Scania electric trucks, with the help of the Low Emission Transport Fund managed by Australia’s Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Queensland Windfarm To Provide Enough Power For 1.4 Million Homes With New $2 BIllion Investment” • With an investment of A$2 billion ($1.34 billion), one of Australia’s biggest windfarms will double its capacity to 2,000 MW, providing power for 1.4 million homes and accelerating Queensland’s exit from fossil fuels. [The Guardian]

Wind farm in Queensland (Carole Mackinney, Copyleft)

¶ “Councils Commit To Solar-Driven Renewable Energy Power Plan” • Seven New South Wales local councils united to buy electricity from the 115 MW Metz Solar Farm under a long-term power purchase agreement. They will buy enough renewable energy to allow their facilities and assets to transition eventually to 100% renewables. [pv magazine Australia]

¶ “Demonstrating The Micro Power Of Hydrogen” • Denham, a small coastal town in Western Australia, 820 km north of Perth, has the attention of the country as it trials a renewable hydrogen microgrid. The microgrid, believed to be one of the first of its kind worldwide, this month began producing hydrogen in the community. [Cosmos Magazine]

Denham, Western Australia (W Bulach, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

US:

¶ “Prince William And Kate To Visit US For Climate Change Prize” • In their first trip abroad since becoming Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine will visit the US this week for an environmental prize. They will show their support for finding ways to tackle climate change, at the second annual Earthshot Prize awards in Boston. [BBC]

¶ “Renewables Providing Nearly A Quarter Of US Electricity In 2022” • US renewable energy sources provided almost 23% of the nation’s electrical generation during the first three-quarters of 2022, according to a report by the SUN DAY Campaign, which reviewed data released the day before Thanksgiving by the US Energy Information Administration. [reNews]

Wind turbine (Trygve Finkelsen, Pexels)

¶ “Ford Keeps Top Human Rights Ranking” • Ford has been named the top automotive brand in the World Benchmarking Alliance’s 2022 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark for the second consecutive year. Ford came in at number one on a list of 29 automotive companies. The benchmark examines corporate policies, processes, and practices. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “State Of Colorado Launches First EV Education Campaign” • The Colorado Energy Office and the Colorado Department of Transportation started an EV education campaign. They did this to raise awareness of state and federal EV tax credits and state EV infrastructure investments. They also did it to help first-time EV buyers prepare for EV ownership. [CleanTechnica]

Have a fundamentally superior day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Could Centuries-Old Wheat Help Feed The Planet?” • Could the key to feeding the world with a changing climate be hiding in a 300-year-old museum collection? That’s a hope of scientists combing through 12,000 specimens of wheat and its relatives archived at the Natural History Museum, as Climate change, pests, and diseases pressure wheat crops. [BBC]

Wheat (Pixabay, Pexels, cropped)

¶ “MIT Researchers Solve Dendrites Mystery To Creating Smaller And Lighter Batteries” • A breakthrough on dendrites by MIT researchers may lead to building a new type of rechargeable lithium battery that is safer, lighter, and more compact than existing models. It’s a concept that has been pursued by labs all over the world for years. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Solving The Hydrogen Transportation Conundrum” • The dream of a global economy powered by renewable hydrogen is coming into sharper focus, except for one key sticking point: Transporting it adds costs. An inexpensive, efficient, and sustainable transportation medium would help, and apparently green ammonia is first in line. [CleanTechnica]

Green ammonia project (Courtesy of GeoPura)
Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Wave Energy: The Potential Of Wave Power Plants To Power Our Future” • Though solar and wind energy has been receiving the most attention in recent years, wave energy has the potential to be a bigger and more reliable form of renewable energy. Here, we will explore the potential of wave power plants and how they could help power our future. [Greener Ideal]

World:

¶ “How Much Damage Has Russia Done To Power Supplies?” • After facing setbacks on the battlefield, Russian forces have been concentrating on attacking Ukrainian power facilities, fuel depots and water works. Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s national power company, says damage to electricity installations is so great that 50% of the demand cannot be met. [BBC]

Kyiv (Viktor Talashuk, Unsplash)

¶ “The Better Car Company” • The Good Car Company is getting better. With A$200 million ($135 million) in financial backing from Boundless Earth, which was founded and funded by Mike Cannon-Brookes, the Good Car Company is now able to increase its imports to Australia tenfold. They are rising from 200 cars per year to 2000. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Don’t Forget The 2-Wheel Electric Revolution In Southeast Asia” • The summit season has kicked off big time in Southeast Asia, and green vehicles are in the spotlight. Local police are even riding electric motorcycles to escort delegates. Southeast Asia’s cities are crowded, and smaller, more nimble vehicles make more sense. [CleanTechnica]

Electric motorcycles (Courtesy of Business Wire/Zero Motorcycles)

¶ “Rural Properties Going Off-Grid With Renewables For Energy Security And To Reduce Costs” • The Queensland Farmers’ Federation said a number of its members were considering a move to operating off-grid. Their reasons ranging from wanting to be energy independent, to saving money or reducing their farm’s operating emissions. [ABC]

¶ “Lake District’s National Trust Adds New Power Unit” • The National Trust welcomed a new power unit in Barrowdale as part of an ongoing multi-million pound project. The installation of this hydro, and a biomass boiler at Sizergh, have helped the Trust generate 50% of its own energy in an ambition to become net carbon neutral by 2030. [Westmorland Gazette]

Lake District (imagenation.jpeg, Unsplash)

¶ “Two Major UK Renewable Energy Projects Delayed Due To Red Tape” • The UK could add enough renewable energy to power a million homes by channelling water from the Scottish Highlands, yet two large projects aiming to do that will be tied up in government red tape until at least 2024. The stations could generate as much as 2 GW. [The National]

¶ “‘Goodbye to them:’ Victoria votes to end coal and make radical shift to renewables” • Labor Party faithful gathered on Saturday night to celebrate their stunning win of Victoria’s government, and the near complete evisceration of the Liberal Party’s belief that promises of a gas led recovery could somehow lead to salvation at the polls. [Renew Economy]

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

¶ “Fears For All Ukraine’s Nuclear Plants After Emergency Shutdowns” • There are growing fears that Russia’s relentless targeting of Ukraine’s electricity grid will threaten the safety of the country’s nuclear power plants, after of an unprecedented emergency shutdown on Wednesday, in which all of Ukraine’s nuclear plants were forced to go offline. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ “VinFast To Deliver First 999 EVs In USA” • VinFast just marked a major milestone in its global expansion, with a ceremony for the first batch of its EVs being exported to the US. The first batch includes 999 VF 8 SUVs. They are expected to arrive in a port in California in about 20 days after departing from MPC Port in Haiphong, Vietnam. [CleanTechnica]

VinFast VF 8 loading in Haiphong (VinFast image)

¶ “Aptera Officially Announces It Will Use The Tesla Charging Connector” • In some ways, this is hardly news at all. Since Aptera re-emerged in 2019-2020, all of the vehicle’s prototypes have had a Tesla plug behind the small license plate. The whole vehicle’s aerodynamic design would be compromised by trying to use a larger plug. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Florida Leaders to Avoid Saying ‘Climate Change’” • Following Hurricanes Ian and Nicole, Florida’s new House Speaker and Senate President have pledged to do more to strengthen the state’s coastlines. Republican lawmakers, environmental groups say, are omitting a crucial element of the puzzle. They can’t say “climate change.” [NewsBreak Original]

Have a magnificently cozy day.

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Opinion:

¶ “A Conservative Recalibration on Climate Is Inevitable” • Given the Democratic Party’s stronger-than-expected performance in the recent midterm elections, and given climate as an apparent factor in a stronger-than-expected youth vote, we may see more Republican politicians rethinking their positions on climate change. [Treehugger]

Climate protest sign (Markus Spiske, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Vanadium Flow Batteries Could Leapfrog Over Pumped Hydro For Long Duration Energy Storage” • Russia’s murderous war in Ukraine makes the importance of energy storage more clear. A German firm, CellCube, has a Strategic Manufacturing Cooperation Agreement with the Australian firm North Harbour Clean Energy for flow batteries. CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “BYD To Build 20-GWh Battery Factory In Wenzhou, China” • Yesterday, a CleanTechnica article looked into whether BYD might start making sodium-ion batteries. BYD denied it. But today, BYD announced it will build a new battery factory in Wenzhou, China, that will produce 20 GWh of batteries per year by the time it is finished in 2024. [CleanTechnica]

Wenzhou-kean University (Roderick Hou, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “East Africa Breweries PLC To Increase The Use Of Solar PV At Its Production Facilities” • East Africa Breweries PLC contributes about 1% of Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product and engages over 60,000 farmers across its supply chain. It is switching to biomass to help reduce its carbon emissions by 95%, saving 34,000 tonnes of emissions per year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Europe’s Biggest Battery Storage System Goes Online Four Months Early” • Renewable power company Harmony Energy Limited has completed work on Europe’s biggest battery four months early because energy demands are expected to rise due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The system can store up to 196 MWh of electricity. [TechSpot]

Europe’s biggest battery (Harmony Energy image)

¶ “World’s Largest Isolated System Achieves A New Record For Renewable Energy” • In Western Australia, the instantaneous renewable energy share reached a new peak of 81% on November 12, at about 12:30 PM. This is considered outstanding for the world’s largest isolated system. The previous record of 79% was set in September 2021. [Energy Matters]

Ukraine:

¶ “Ukraine War: Six Million Without Power As Winter Bites” • Ukraine’s president says six million Ukrainian households are still without power, after massive missile strikes hit the country this week. The number of affected households has reduced by half since Wednesday, but millions have been left without light, water or heat as winter sets in. [BBC]

Power line repair (Антон Дмитриев, Unsplash)

¶ “Ukraine’s Battle To Restore Power Slowed By Sub-Zero (C) Weather Conditions” • The race to restore power to homes in Ukraine is being slowed by “strong winds, rain and sub-zero temperatures,” the state energy supply company said in a statement. It is the second day since a brutal Russian assault on Ukrain’s power infrastructure. [CNN]

¶ “Ukraine Restores Power To Millions As Nuclear Plants Come Back Online Following Russian Missile Strikes” • Ukrainian authorities yesterday gradually restored power to millions of people left in the dark after the most devastating Russian air strikes so far. They reconnected four nuclear plants. Millions of people still have no power. [Independent.ie]

Rivne nuclear plant (Дьяков Владимир Леонидович, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

US:

¶ “Vantem Offers Energy Efficient Factory-Made Modular Dwellings” • Vantem manufactures energy efficient modular dwelling units. Now, thanks to a Series A investment round led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Quadrant Management, and TEM Capital, the company plans to build 15 factories in the US over the next seven years. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Sunrun Is Adding Ford F-150 Lightnings To Its Fleet” • Sunrun has entered into an exciting partnership with Ford, teaming up to make vehicle-to-home technology available to people who buy F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks. Sunrun also offers electric vehicle chargers and has a goal of having half of its fleet electric or hybrid by the end of 2025. [CleanTechnica]

Sunrun F-150 Lightnings (Sunrun image)

¶ “General Motors Vows To Avoid ‘Opportunistic’ EV Prices” • At the General Motors Investors Day event earlier this month, GM president Mark Reuss told those in attendance that the company wants to avoid “opportunistic” pricing of its upcoming electric vehicles, several of which are scheduled to appear in showrooms next year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “What Higher Natural Gas Prices Mean For CT’s Clean Energy Push” • United Illuminating and Eversource, Connecticut’s two largest power utilities, announced last week that electric bills for most customers would increase between $79 and $85 a month as a result of the global natural gas shortage precipitated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [CT Insider]

Have a totally ducky day.

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Opinion:

¶ “‘Africa’s COP’ Made Some Big Promises. Here Is How To Deliver” • COP27, called the “African COP,” put the continent center stage in the global effort to fight the causes and effects of climate change. The African Development Bank says climate change costs Africa up to $15 billion per year and will cost the continent up to $50 billion per year by 2050. [CNN]

Baobab trees at sunrise (Yasmine Arfaoui, Unsplash)

¶ “Reminder: You Can Donate Solar Panels To Ukraine” • Russia is bombing Ukrainian power stations to make people miserable as winter cold sets in. Simply put, this is terrorism. If you want to help more Ukrainians get power via solar PVs, here’s a reminder that you can donate to organizations getting Ukrainians such technology. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “How Long Does A Tesla Battery Last In Australia?” • The warranty on a Tesla battery is 160,000 km (100,000 miles). But I am fast coming to the conclusion that this figure is no longer relevant. I read recently that some battery recyclers in the US are complaining that the batteries are not degrading fast enough and they need more stock. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model 3 (Vlad Tchompalov, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “BYD May Begin Sodium-Ion Battery Production In 2023” • Rumors flying about in China claim BYD plans to be producing sodium-ion battery cells in the second quarter of 2023 and use them to power some of its own EVs. The company claims those rumors are false, but they come to us from a source generally regarded as reliable. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Ukraine Battles To Restore Power After Russian Strikes Leave ‘Vast Majority’ Of People Without Electricity” • Ukraine raced to restore power across the country, a day after Russia sent a new barrage of missiles to target critical infrastructure, resulting in the temporary shutdown of most power plants, leaving the “vast majority” of people without electricity. [CNN]

Slovakians showing support for Ukraine (Patrik Velich, Unsplash)

¶ “New Floating Offshore Wind Project Aims For 999 MW” • The world’s largest floating offshore wind array clocked in at 88 MW just last week, and now here comes another one more than ten times its size. If all goes according to plan, the proposed Nao Victoria offshore wind farm will bring 999 MW of floating wind turbines to Spain. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Germany Plans ‘Windfall Tax’ On Wind And Solar Generators” • Germany is to table a €130 per megawatt hour cap on the earnings of wind, solar and nuclear generators, according to a draft law seen by Bloomberg News. The law is scheduled to pass the upper house of the German Parliament on December 16 and go into effect on January 1. [reNews]

Wind turbine (BayWa image)

¶ “Ridge Clean Energy Seeks Permit For UK hybrid Project” • Ridge Clean Energy submitted a planning application for a 49.9 MW hybrid renewable energy project in East Cambridgeshire. Through an array of ecological enhancements, the site aims to deliver a net gain of 66% to local biodiversity. Existing hedgerows are to be built up for increased screening. [reNews]

¶ “EirGrid And RTE Sign Key Celtic Interconnector Contracts” • Ireland’s electricity grid operator, EirGrid, and Reseau de Transport d’Electricite, its French counterpart, have signed key technical and financial agreements for the Celtic Interconnector. The 700 MW power line will be 575 km (357 miles) long, running between Ireland and France. [reNews]

Cable (NKT image)

¶ “Renewable Power Capital And Eelpower Agree On 1-GW Storage Venture” • Renewable Power Capital has announced its entry into the battery storage market in Great Britain, working with Eelpower to acquire, build, and operate utility scale projects. The venture will target up to 1 GW of storage, with a near-term pipeline of 240 MW. [Energy Global]

¶ “Google Signs PPA For Renewable Energy From Offshore Wind Farm In Scotland” • Google has signed a major power purchase agreement that will see it offtake renewable electricity from the Moray West offshore wind farm from 2025, as it works towards zero-carbon energy globally by 2030. Google will take 100 MW of the 882-MW wind farm. [edie]

Artist’s image of offshore wind farm (Moray West image)

¶ “Russian Attacks Risked Nuclear ‘Catastrophe,’ Says Ukraine’s Nuclear Energy Chief” • Russia risked causing a “nuclear and radioactive catastrophe” by launching attacks in which all of the Ukrainian nuclear power plants were disconnected from the power grid for the first time in 40 years, Ukraine’s nuclear energy chief said on Thursday. [Euronews]

US:

¶ “Ford Invests Further In Wellbeing At Blue Oval City. Tesla Should Probably Take Note” • Ford and SK On have invested $5.6 billion to build an electric truck and batteries plant in West Tennessee. By 2025, about 6,000 jobs will be created. But Ford is not just about building vehicles. The company also invests in communities and people. [CleanTechnica]

Brownsville, Tenn (Thomas R Machnitzki, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “Ecogy Begins New York 34-MW Community Solar Plan” • A Brooklyn-based solar development company announced the start of development of a set community solar projects in New York’s Westchester County. Ecogy Energy was chosen for the project after an RFP was issued by the New York Power Authority and Westchester County. [pv magazine USA]

¶ “Hawaiian Electric Selects Seven Solar And Storage Projects For LMI Program” • Hawaiian Electric has selected seven distributed generation solar projects on the islands of Hawaii Island, Oahu and Maui that will offer clean energy procurement to low-to-moderate income households. The projects are to be operating in 2025. [pv magazine USA]

Have an undeniably fortunate day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Ignoring Climate Change Is Getting Really, Really Expensive” • The message from COP27 is loud and clear: Climate change is no longer tomorrow’s problem. It’s happening now, with serious impact to our infrastructure, and it is going to get worse before it gets better. We can’t afford to continue building things the way we always have. [The Globe and Mail]

Earth (NASA, Unsplash)

¶ “UN Climate Summit Outcomes May Cause Larger Conflicts At COP28 In UAE Next Year” • The recently-concluded COP27 will go down in history for the decision to set up a Loss and Damage Fund, something that environmental activists and vulnerable communities had been demanding for over 30 years. But it exposed worrisome rifts. [Hindustan Times]

Science and Technology:

¶ “NREL Talks Solar Hydrogen Splitting Best Practices For Efficiency” • A press release from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory explains photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting to make hydrogen. Instead of using electricity, PEC uses energy directly from the sun to produce hydrogen. It is an attractive way to generate hydrogen. [CleanTechnica]

Testing PEC water splitting (Dennis Schroeder, NREL)

World:

¶ “Etihad’s ‘Greenliner’ Shows A Glimpse Of A More Sustainable Future For Aviation” • Whereas renewable energy and electric vehicles offer clear pathways to decarbonize sectors like power and road transport, it is less straightforward for the aviation industry. That’s why sustainable aviation fuel is one of the key elements of the “Greenliner” program. [CNN]

¶ “Urban Rewilding Is Bringing Wildlife To The Heart Of Cities” • One vision of the futures of cities foresees a return to what they were once built upon, the wilderness complete with forests and wild animals that were lost long ago. That vision is beginning to be realized in major cities around the world in the shape of the urban rewilding movement. [CNN]

Tiny forest (IVN Natuureducatie image)

¶ “BYD Partners With Auto Nejma To Bring Its EVs To Morocco” • The automotive industry accounted for 27.6% of Morocco’s exports in 2019. Keeping up with key trends in the global auto industry will ensure that such a pillar of Morocco’s economy will keep growing. Now, a Moroccan company is partnering with EV giant BYD. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ib Vogt turns Sod On 150-MW Spanish Solar” • Ib Vogt has started construction of a 150-MW solar plant in the province of Zamora in Spain. Construction of the PV plant is expected to continue through 2023 with commercial operation planned by October 2023. Ib Vogt’s total investment in the project is €118 million ($123 milliion). [reNews]

Solar farm (Ib Vogt image)

¶ “German JV Targets ‘Multi-GW Solar Pipeline’” • European solar developers Galileo and Enviria have formed a joint venture to develop utility-scale ground-mounted solar plants across Germany targeting a multi-GW pipeline in the next five years. The objective of the JV is to add approximately 1 GW of solar power projects to its pipeline every year. [reNews]

¶ “Renewables Spark Closure Of Torrens Island Gas Power Plant” • Energy giant AGL disclosed it will shutter its gas-fired Torrens Island B power station in South Australia within four years, citing the impending completion of a transmission project linking power grids in three Australian states, unlocking new wind, solar PV, and storage projects. [pv magazine Australia]

Torrens Island plant (ARENA image)

¶ “Voltalia, Renault Sign 350-MW Solar PPA” • Voltalia has signed a power purchase agreement with Renault Group in France for 350 MW of solar PV capacity to be installed at the carmaker’s sites. The agreement with Voltalia will enable Renault Group to cover up to 50% of the electricity consumption of its production activities in France from 2027. [reNews]

¶ “Saint Nazaire Reaches Commercial Operation” • EDF Renewables, Enbridge, and CPP Investments have brought the 480-MW Saint Nazaire offshore wind farm, off France’s west coast, into full commercial operation. About one hundred people will continue to be employed at the site to ensure the operation and maintenance of the wind farm. [reNews]

Saint Nazaire offshore wind farm (C Beyssier, EDF image)

¶ “Russian Strikes Force Ukraine To Shut Nuclear Power Plants” • Russia rained down missiles across Ukraine, forcing shutdowns of nuclear power plants and killing civilians, as Moscow pursues a campaign to plunge Ukrainian cities into darkness and cold as winter sets in. Russia fired “around 70 cruise missiles” at targets across Ukraine. [RTE]

US:

¶ “Dandelion Energy Ready To Expand Ground Source Heat Pumps” • The Inflation Reduction Act has given the heat pump industry a lift. Reportedly, Dandelion Energy raised $70 million more to expand its business from a group of investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Lennar, one of the largest homebuilders in America. [CleanTechnica]

Drilling for heat (Dandelion Energy image)

¶ “Tesla Co-Founder Now Processing EV Battery Minerals” • EV batteries are becoming one of the most important commodities in the US. Mineral processing operations are largely happening overseas, but Redwood Materials, a US company created by a Tesla founder and previous CTO, is now delving into cathode and anode processing. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “California Contemplates Ban On Diesel Trucks” • The California Air Resources Board is proposing a plan to phase out diesel trucks. The proposed regulations would prohibit the use of new diesel trucks in and around busy railways and ports by 2024 one report says. A goal is  to remove every diesel truck and bus fleet from California roads by 2045. [CleanTechnica]

Have a memorably delightful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Thousands Of Very High Quality Tesla Employees Are Why Tesla Is A Success” • It’s the people who create the products and come up with the specific innovations. Over the years, Elon Musk has given much credit to the thousands of Tesla employees as the real source of Tesla’s success, but I think that has typically been under-acknowledged. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla factory floor (Steve Jurvetson, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

World:

¶ “Panasonic Strikes Battery Minerals Deal In Canada” • As it works to ramp up its US production of EV batteries, Panasonic Energy announced that it has an MOU with Canadian integrated graphite producer Nouveau Monde Graphite to establish a North American supply chain for graphite, an anode material used in lithium-ion batteries. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Australia Will See More Extreme Weather Events, Putting Strain On Economy, Report Shows” • Australia will continue to see increased extreme rainfall, heat, and more dangerous fires, its government agencies warned. The changes are happening more rapidly and will put further pressure on Australia to transition its economy away from fossil fuels. [CNN]

Koala up a tree (David Clode, Unsplash)

¶ “Floating Wind Power Market Size Worth $15.64 Billion, Globally, by 2029 at 56.5% CAGR” • The global floating wind power market size is expected to be $680 million in 2022. It is projected to reach $15.64 billion by 2029, exhibiting a CAGR of 56.5% during the forecast period from 2022-2029, according to Fortune Business Insights. [One News Page]

¶ “Ukraine War: How Germany Ended Reliance On Russian Gas” • After a scramble to secure alternative supplies, lights sparkle in German Christmas markets. Germany’s hastily assembled system to manage without Russian gas appears to be working for now. And engineers have finished building the country’s first liquified natural gas terminal in record time. [BBC]

Gas terminal (Uniper image)

¶ “UK Could Add 1 GW OF Hydropower Capacity” • Hydropower can realistically provide an additional 1GW of energy in the UK under the right policy framework, according to a report. The Energy Informatics Group at the University of Birmingham was commissioned by the British Hydropower Association to assess the future of UK hydropower. [reNews]

¶ “Geely Holding And ElectroMobility Poland Sign Agreement To License Pure Electric SEA Architecture” • Geely Holding Group, the largest privately held auto maker in China, agreed to provide ElectroMobility Poland, a Polish government-backed EV manufacturer, a license for its all-electric Sustainable Experience Architecture. [CleanTechnica]

Geely Zeekr 001 (Zotyefan, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “How Will Scotland’s Space Sustainability Roadmap Tackle Climate Change?” • Scotland’s Space Sustainability Roadmap was launched on the international stage to produce partnerships to fight climate change. The roadmap offers short, medium, and long term packages to help negate the space industry’s carbon footprint and advance climate change science. [DIGIT]

¶ “Energia And Microsoft Sign Irish Renewables Deal” • Energia Group will supply Microsoft with electricity from new renewable wind and solar assets for the software company’s Irish operations under a corporate power purchase agreement. Microsoft said that it will add more than 900 MW of wind and solar energy to Ireland’s electricity grid by 2025. [reNews]

Wind farm in Ireland (Energia image)

¶ “UN Steps Up Its Efforts To Create A Protection Zone Around The Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Plant” • Rafael Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog, is intensifying his consultations on setting up a protection zone around the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine following renewed shelling that struck the plant over the weekend. [Oil Price]

US:

¶ “Maryland Transit System Gets Solar+Storage Microgrid For Charging Its Electric Buses” • The Mobility House announced the completion of Brookville Smart Energy Bus Depot in Maryland. The site has a 6.5-MW microgrid for electric bus charging using on-site solar panels, battery storage, and natural gas generators to support 70 electric buses. [CleanTechnica]

Recharging at a bus depot (The Mobility House image)

¶ “New York Governor Signs First-Of-Its-Kind Law Cracking Down On Bitcoin Mining” • New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a law banning certain bitcoin mining operations that run on carbon-based power sources. Bitcoin mining companies must use 100% renewable energy, or they will not be allowed to expand or renew permits. [CNBC]

¶ “Enel Launches US Renewables Retail Arm” • Enel North America has launched a new retail energy business in the US to provide commercial and industrial customers with clean energy straight from the company’s renewable energy plants. In Texas, Enel already has over 4 GW of renewable projects operational or under construction. [reNews]

Wind farm (Enel image)

¶ “US Renewable Energy Will Surge Past Coal And Nuclear By Year’s End” • Renewables are on track to generate more power than coal in the US this year. But the question is whether they can grow fast enough to meet the country’s climate goals. Supply chain constraints and trade disputes have slowed wind and solar installations. [Scientific American]

¶ “First Comprehensive Plan To Deal With Climate Change In Greater Tampa Bay Area Released” • The Tampa Bay region’s first comprehensive plan to prepare for the effects of climate change has been released. It has 72 pages of recommendations on how the community can adapt to extreme heat, rising seas and other effects of climate change. [WUSF News]

Have a beautifully beneficial day.

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