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Science and Technology:

¶ “Greenland’s Glaciers Could Lose More Ice Than Previously Thought, Raising Concerns For Sea Level Rise” • A study shows Greenland’s ice is melting much faster than previously thought. Its authors warn their findings show that ice loss on Greenland could exceed even the worst-case projections. It was published in the journal Nature Communications. [CNN]

Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland (Tina Rolf, Unsplash)

¶ “Half Of The World’s Aviation Emissions Are Caused By Just 1% Of The Population, Study Finds” • Frequent fliers representing just 1% of the world’s population accounted for more than half of total aviation emissions from passenger air travel in 2018, a new study says. Aviation accounts for at least 2% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. [CNN]

¶ “The Futuristic Cargo Ship Made Of Wood” • The shipping industry’s climate impact is large and growing, but a team in Costa Rica are making way for a clean shipping revolution with a cargo ship made of wood. The Ceiba is the first vessel built by Sail Cargo, a company trying to prove that zero-carbon shipping is possible, and commercially viable. [BBC]

Ceiba under construction (Image: ©Jocelyn Timperley)

¶ “Dept Of Energy Smart Energy Campaign With Berkeley Lab Saves $95 Million Per Year” • The energy and decarbonization puzzle has more pieces than solar power, wind power, energy storage, and electric vehicles. Energy management is another part. And in 2021, the value of the energy management market could reach $76 billion. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Porsche Backs Synthetic Fuels To Keep Classics On The Road” • Synthetic, low-carbon liquid fuels have been around for a few years now, and some auto companies see them as a way to keep internal combustion investments relevant. By contrast, Porsche hopes synthetic fuels will help to keep classic Porsches running, carbon neutral, into the future. [CleanTechnica]

Classic Porsche (Image: Hagerty, via Motor1)

¶ “Australia’s Climate Record Labelled ‘Simply Embarrassing’ And Among Worst Of G20 Nations” • Australia is one of two countries in the G20 that does not have or plan carbon pricing, one of four with no national policy to increase renewable energy and ranks last in cutting carbon emissions from transportation, a global report found. [The Guardian]

¶ “GE Wins 121-MW Cypress Order In Lithuania” • A 121-MW turbine order for wind projects in Lithuania was won by GE Renewable Energy. European Energy placed the order for 22 of GE’s Cypress wind turbines that will be installed across three wind farm sites. The installation of the wind turbines will take place in the second half of 2021. [reNEWS]

Cypress wind turbine (GE image)

UK:

¶ “City Of London Buys Into New Dorset Solar Farm To Help Power Square Mile” • Thousands of solar panels in the Dorset countryside will soon power Britain’s historic financial center under a new renewable energy deal struck by the City of London Corporation. The City’s government expects to save £3 million over the contract’s 15 year term. [The Guardian]

¶ “Johnson Unveils £12 Billion Plan For ‘Green Industrial Revolution’” • UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has taken the wraps off a £12 billion plan for a “green industrial revolution” that will support up to 250,000 jobs. Johnson’s ten point plan reiterates London’s policy pledge of 40 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and 60,000 sector jobs. [reNEWS]

Boris Johnson (UK Government image)

¶ “Key Areas Of Boris Johnson’s ‘Green Industrial Revolution'” • UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s £12 billion plan for a “green industrial revolution” spans renewable energy, nuclear power, and countryside restoration. However, some of the objectives are likely to be difficult to reach, and the plan has been criticized for a lack of ambition in key areas. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ “Harley-Davidson’s New E-Bicycles Put The Pedal To The Pedal – CleanTechnica Interview” • Harley-Davidson is known for bigness, loudness, and brassiness. Last month, it surprised us when it unveiled its Serial 1 pedal assisted e-bicycle concept. Now the production models are here, and it’s a whole new ballgame for the century-old company. [CleanTechnica]

CTY eBicycle “RUSH” model (Courtesy of Serial 1)

¶ “California School District Latest To Order Electric School Buses” • It used to be months between stories about electric school buses. Now it’s becoming days! The sector’s latest news is that Thermalito Union Elementary School District in California has bought six electric school buses from GreenPower, through its distributor, Creative Bus Sales. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Irvine Wants Cities To Offer Residents Renewable Power Choices” • The City of Irvine, California, wants residents to have a new way to get their power and they’re working to get as many city partners in Orange County as they can in the effort. The change would reduce greenhouse gas emissions while increasing regional energy self-sufficiency. [VoiceofOC]

Cholame Hills solar project (Image: First Solar Inc)

¶ “Cummins Reveals Road Map To Carbon-Free Hydrogen Economy” • Cummins, an Indiana company known for its diesel and natural gas engine technologies, laid out its path into the hydrogen economy with plans to decarbonize transportation and other industrial sectors it serves while encouraging growth of renewable energy. [Heavy Duty Trucking]

¶ “RWE Renewables Turns Sod On US 195-MW PV-Storage” • RWE Renewables began construction of a 195-MW solar project in Georgia. The Hickory Park project includes a 40-MW battery and is due online in late 2021. RWE will operate and manage the facility, selling the energy and renewable attributes from the facility to Georgia Power. [reNEWS]

Have a gorgeously inspiring day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Trump Blows Offshore Wind War Bigly, On Top Of Electoral College And Popular Vote Losses” • It seems like only yesterday that President Trump was fighting offshore wind turbines in Scotland while sticking up for US fossil fuels. But windpower has burgeoned in Scotland. Now, there is an undersea transmission project to export 2 GW more. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore wind farm (ScottishPower Renewables image, cropped)

¶ “Biden’s Environmental Proposals” • Biden’s elevation to the Oval Office will see one of the clearest shifts in environmental policy the US since fellow Democrat Jimmy Carter, a huge fan of renewable power, was removed from the White House in the early 1980s by Republican Ronald Regan. It is important to understand the change. [The Ecologist]

¶ “Jonathan Scott Unpacks The Fight For Residential Solar In Revealing New Documentary” • Sunshine comes to us free of charge. But when home renovation specialist and TV personality Jonathan Scott went to install a rooftop solar system on his Las Vegas home, he up against the realities of the monopolistic utility model in Nevada. [CleanTechnica]

Jonathan Scott

World:

¶ “Moscow Gets Its 500th Electric Bus” • Russia is a major oil & gas country. As the oil industry goes, so goes Russia. Even so, reports say a public transit company for the Moscow metro area has put its 500th electric bus into service. This electric bus was produced by Kamaz, a Russian truck and engine (and apparently electric bus) manufacturer. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hurricane Iota: Category Four Storm Hits Nicaragua” • Just two weeks after Hurricane Eta, Hurricane Iota made landfall in Nicaragua. Hurricane Iota became a category five storm before making landfall, with maximum sustained winds of up to 160 mph (260 km/h). It was the most powerful storm in the record-braking Atlantic storm season. [BBC]

Eye of a hurricane (NASA image)

¶ “New Pay-As-You-Go Solar TV In Kenya” • We may think of low renewable electricity costs in terms of solar power plants selling it to utilities, but low-cost solar goes far beyond that. One fun new example of that is a new PayGo solar powered TV offered in Kenya by Azuri Technologies. The TV400 is a 32″ television that comes with solar power. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Green Hydrogen Scheme Sprouts In Scotland, With Flow Battery” • Scotland is apparently not satisfied with its position in the offshore wind vanguard. The country has embarked on a new plan to pair tidal power with vanadium flow batteries to produce green hydrogen. Tidal power is very predictable, and batteries make the output constant. [CleanTechnica]

Orkney infrastructure (Orkney Sky Cam, courtesy of EMEC)

¶ “New Group Targets More Sustainable Offshore Wind” • A coalition of eighteen organisations from across Europe signed a memorandum of understanding and committed to working together to develop offshore wind, while ensuring protection of nature and healthy marine ecosystems. Ørsted, Siemens Gamesa, and TenneT are among them. [reNEWS]

¶ “Enel Turns Sod On 163-MW Chile Solar” • Enel Green Power Chile has begun construction of the 160-MW Sol de Lila PV project in the Atacama Desert, in Chile’s Antofagasta region. Sol de Lila will have 407,400 bifacial monocrystalline PV panels and will employ nearly 450 workers during construction. Start-up is scheduled for July 2021. [reNEWS]

Solar plant (Enel Green Power image)

¶ “Southern Alberta Witnessing ‘Unprecedented’ Surge In Renewable Energy Projects” • Over $2 billion worth of renewable energy projects are being built in Southern Alberta. An analyst says the boom in renewables began three years ago as the costs dropped low enough that incentive-free builds suddenly made more business sense. [Globalnews.ca]

US:

¶ “Trump Administration Begins Last-Minute Leasing Process For Arctic Drilling” • The Trump administration on Monday started a leasing process for oil and gas drilling sites off the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, something environmental groups feel is a potential last-minute giveaway to the energy industry before the Biden administration takes over. [CNN]

Alaska (Karen Bollinger, US FWS, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Jeff Bezos Announces Nearly $800 Million In Grants To 16 Groups Fighting Climate Change” • Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced that his Bezos Earth Fund will give $791 million in grants to 16 organizations working to protect the environment. The fund is part of a $10 billion pledge to support environmental activists and organizations. [CNN]

¶ “UVM Is Leading The Largest Study of Climate Change In Vermont” • Since the 1980s, folks have put a cinder block on the pond when it freezes. When the ice melts, the block sinks, and a clock is unplugged, capturing the exact time of the melt. There’s a clear pattern. The ice is melting earlier. Now, UVM is leading an ambitious scientific study. [UVM News]

UVM researchers in the field

¶ “Tesla To Join S&P 500 On December 21, 2020” • The S&P Global Dow Jones media center just announced that Tesla will be added to the S&P 500 on December 21. S&P Global Dow Jones said this is to coincide with the December quarterly rebalance and that, due to Tesla’s large size, it is seeking feedback about the addition being in two tranches. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Research Fund At Princeton University Will Preserve Biodiversity” • Princeton University established an endowed fund with a gift from Currie C and Thomas A Barron. It will increase support for research related to biodiversity and build on Princeton’s decades-long leadership in studying and protecting the rich variety of Earth’s ecosystems. [centraljersey.com]

Have an incredibly magnificent day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Tesla Reminder: Solar Power Tax Credit Drops In 2021” • Last year and for several years prior, a US taxpayer who installed a rooftop solar power system could get a 30% tax credit on its cost. In 2020, that tax credit fell to 26%, and it will fall to 22% next year. “Order solar panels before the solar tax credit drops at the end of this year.” [CleanTechnica]

House with solar rooftop (Image: Tesla via Twitter)

¶ “Trump’s Coal Rescue Was Doomed From The Beginning” • Trump promised to bring back coal mining jobs. But coal simply can’t compete, much to the dismay of the Appalachian coal communities. If anything, the collapse of coal accelerated during the Trump era, wiping out even more jobs and dashing the hopes of unemployed coal miners. [CNN]

¶ “Increased Resilience Is Necessary To Battle The Pandemic And The Climate Crisis” • Ulrich Volz urges us to be vigilant in an International Monetary Fund podcast. The covid-19 pandemic, he insists, is but a prelude to the looming climate crisis. There is no trade-off between choosing a sustainable recovery and economic progress. [CleanTechnica]

Another day, another reminder (Image retrieved from NOAA)

¶ “Blackrock and Fidelity Are Betting Big On This $130 Trillion Mega-Trend” • This isn’t just a megatrend. It’s a movement. Big money is fleeing anything that’s not sustainable. By 2022, PwC says that 77% of institutional investors will stop buying non-ESG products entirely. (ESG is Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance.) [OilPrice.com]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Wind And Solar Are Cheaper Than Everything, Lazard Reports” • The recent Lazard report on the LCOE showed that wind and solar offer the cheapest electricity in the US, even significantly undercutting natural gas combined cycle power plants now. But that’s only half of it. Solar and wind are much cheaper nearly everywhere. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it (Courtesy of Lazard)

¶ “Oil & Gas Drilling Technology Could Make District Heating Feasible” • The deeper one goes beneath the surface of the Earth, the hotter things get – as much as 370°C in some cases. That heat can be used to heat buildings, including district heating. And the technology to tap into it is very similar to the technology used to open up oil and gas wells. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “South Africa: Kangnas Wind Farm Kicks Off Operations” • Two years after construction kicked-off, Kangnas Wind Farm in South Africa is operating commercially. According to a media release, this wind farm will generate 513 GWh each year, enough clean power to satisfy the electricity needs of 154,625 average South African households. [ESI Africa]

Kangnas Wind Farm (Supplied image)

¶ “Ford’s Silverton Factory In South Africa Is Getting A Massive 13.5 MW Of Solar PV” • A Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa factory is getting a 13.5-MW solar system covering 4,200 parking bays. The PV plant will cost R135 million ($8.7 million). This means the grid-tied project will cost 64¢/W, which is pretty impressive for a carport system. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Youth Environmental Activists In Russia Face Down Obstacles To Spread Their Climate Message” • Across the world, global climate strikes brought millions to the streets in September of last year. But in Russia it was a different story. In Moscow and St Petersburg, protests had at most 200 participants. There are reasons for that. [Red, Green, and Blue]

Climate strike (Photo courtesy of Fridays For Future Russia)

Australia:

¶ “BlueScope Puts $20 Million Toward Renewable Energy Infrastructure Supply Chain In NSW” • Australian steelmaker BlueScope has announced a plan to invest $20 million to help deliver renewable energy infrastructure in New South Wales. The state recently announced 20-year strategy to transition to hydro, wind, and solar power. [ABC News]

¶ “Utility AGL Plans 250-MW / 1,000-MWh Battery Project In South Australia” • In another large-scale battery announcement, AGL said it plans to build a battery system in South Australia, with up to 1,000 MWh of capacity. The utility has said it wants 34% of its capacity to be renewable and energy storage by the 2024 financial year. [Energy Storage News]

Planned AGL battery project (Image: AGL video screenshot)

¶ “WA Renewable Hydrogen Project Progresses” • Hydrogen Renewables Australia has joined forces with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners to deliver the 5,000-MW Murchison Renewable Hydrogen Project in Western Australia. The project will be powered by combined wind and solar power generation and use desalinated water. [Energy Magazine]

US:

¶ “Gov Edwards Vetoes Tax Break For Oil And Gas Industry, Announces Renewable Energy Initative” • Louisiana Gov John Bel Edwards vetoed a tax break for the oil and gas industry that would have cost the state over $38 million over the next five years. He doubted whether it would actually produce the jobs promised by oil lobbyists. [Big Easy Magazine]

Fishing in Cancer Alley (Image courtesy of Treehugger)

¶ “Tesla’s Automotive Gross Margin Improves from 18.7% to 23.7%” • Tesla’s automotive gross margin improved from 18.7% to 23.7% in Q3. That’s an astounding improvement in automotive gross margin. Even 18.7% is great in the automotive industry. It’s a figure that still leaves Tesla a lot of room to bring down prices or fuel faster growth. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Why NASA Wants To Put A Nuclear Power Plant On The Moon” • NASA and the US DOE will seek proposals to build a nuclear power plant on the moon and Mars to support its long-term exploration plans. The proposal is for a fission surface power system, and the goal is to have a flight system, lander and reactor in place by 2026. [CNBC]

Have an ineffably exquisite day.

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Opinion:

¶ “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It – Or Not” • The recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports says it is too late to stop climate change. Some scientists disagree. But arguing about which climate model is most accurate diverts our attention from what is most important – the Earth is warming too fast, and we have to act on that. [CleanTechnica]

Wind farm (Karsten Würth, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Ocean Plastisphere Is Disrupting Native Habitats” • At least 8 million tons of plastics enter the oceans annually, and they have generated a “Plastisphere” that is disrupting native habitats. The organisms that colonize buoyant marine plastic debris can be transported across the oceans and even become invasive species at fragile ecosystems. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Perennial Diesel Shortages In Zimbabwe Paralyze Refuse Collection: It’s Time To Go Electric” • Zimbabwe’s fuel imports account for $1.2 billion annually, 30% of its total import bill! The country is literally burning a huge chunk of its foreign currency as fossil fuels. The total cost of ownership makes EVs attractive for refuse collection. [CleanTechnica]

Lion Electric electric garbage truck (Courtesy of Lion Electric)

¶ “UK To Ban Sales Of Combustion Vehicles By 2030 – Report” • An announcement of a more ambitious timeline for the ban of combustion vehicles is expected from the UK government, and sources have already told both the BBC and the Financial Times that the ban will indeed be brought forward to 2030 or 2032. We are watching the story develop. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Railways’ Solar Power Tender Attracts Only A Few Bids; Deadline Extended” • Solar power project developers have given a lukewarm response to a tender for setting up 1 GW of solar power plants on railway land, sources said. The Solar Energy Corp of India already has 14 GW either in operation or under development. [Business Standard]

Raiway station (Sridhar Rao, Wikimedia Commons)

US:

¶ “Biden Stocks Transition Teams With Climate Experts” • From the Pentagon to the General Services Administration, President-elect Joe Biden has put climate-minded officials on his sprawling transition team. Officials with significant climate or clean energy experience even pop up in departments like State, Defense, Treasury, and Justice. [Scientific American]

¶ “Coronavirus: Elon Musk likely has moderate case” • Elon Musk says he “most likely” has a “moderate case” of Covid-19 but has been “getting wildly different results from different labs.” On Friday he said he had been tested four times, with two positive and two negative results. Covid-19 has now infected nearly 10.9 million people in the US. [BBC]

Elon Musk (Reuters image)

¶ “Google Changing Outlook On Renewable Energy Prospects” • Google is in a lead on a project to ensure a 100% dependence on renewable energy. It has the innovative idea that companies ensure the use of renewable energy by matching the time they use renewable energy to the time they generate renewable energy, with PPAs allowed. [The Pinstripe Empire]

¶ “Minnesota Permits Pipeline Replacement For Line 3” • Environmental and Indigenous leaders responded with alarm after Minnesota regulators approved key permits for Enbridge Energy’s planned Line 3 Pipeline replacement, and called on Democratic Gov Tim Walz to block any construction for the Canadian company’s project. [LA Progressive]

Pipeline (Photo: Quinten de Graaf | Unsplash)

¶ “Kahului Power Plant Shutdown Plan Presented ” • Hawaiian Electric developed a plan to shut down the generating capacity of the 72-year-old oil-fired Kahului Power Plant in 2024, while keeping some of its distribution capabilities and building a new switchyard. The plan has been submitted to the state Public Utilities Commission for approval. [Maui News]

¶ “DOE Publishes Strategic Framework For Hydrogen Effort” • The DOE released its Hydrogen Program Plan. A key aspect of the strategy the agency presented is to enable hydrogen production from a diverse array of low-carbon domestic energy resources, including renewables, nuclear energy, and fossil fuels (with carbon capture). [World Nuclear News]

Have a winningly friendly day.

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Opinion:

¶ “USA Readies Self For Green Hydrogen Rumble As Trump Slithers Out Door” • Trump made coal jobs a centerpiece of his 2016 campaign, but he dropped the whole idea just two years after taking office, so it seems there was no job-saving coal plan after all. Oh well, it’s all water under the bridge now. The DOE has a Hydrogen Program Plan. [CleanTechnica]

Cars loaded with coal (Decumanus, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “What Does Bill Gates’ Favorite Energy Guru, Vaclac Smil, Get Wrong?” • Taking a look at Bill Gates’ ventures into energy shows that he is information is basically faulty in several ways. He and a number of people like him are throwing away their money on the wrong investments: small nuclear, air carbon capture, and solar geoengineering. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Biden And Electric Utilities Are Split On Emissions Goals” • As President Trump rolled back environmental regulations and boosted fossil fuels, utilities forged ahead with plans to reduce emissions. But while 33 utilities pledged to eliminate emissions by 2050, Biden campaigned on a promise to have 100% clean electricity by 2035. [Scientific American]

Natural gas plant (Dual Freq, Wikimedia Commons)

Science and Technology:

¶ “UK Government Commissions Space Solar Power Stations Research” • The UK government has commissioned new research into space-based solar power systems that would use very large solar power satellites to collect solar energy, convert it into high-frequency radio waves, and safely beam it back to ground-based receivers connected to the electric grid. [GOV.UK]

World:

¶ “Storm Iota: Preparations Under Way In Honduras And Nicaragua” • Evacuations of coastal areas of Honduras are under way as a second hurricane in as many weeks is forecast to hit Central America. Forecasters say Tropical Storm Iota is expected to strengthen to a “major hurricane” when it hits Honduras and Nicaragua on Sunday. [BBC]

Eta’s damage to be followed by Iota’s (Getty Images)

¶ “The World’s Largest Wetlands Are On Fire. That’s A Disaster For All Of Us” • The largest tropical wetland on Earth, South America’s Pantanal region, has been hit by the worst wildfires in decades. The blazes have consumed 28% of the vast floodplain that stretches across parts of Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. They are still not entirely under control. [CNN]

¶ “Tesla Batteries Get Second Life In Electric Sightseeing Boat” • As Teslas get old (or get into accidents), the batteries they had in them become available for new purposes. One clever use is as batteries in electric boats. In Sweden, the sightseeing boat Sylvia is powered by used Tesla batteries that were combined for 190 kWh of energy storage capacity. [CleanTechnica]

Sylvia (Photo via EcoSightseeing)

¶ “Ørsted And BP Will Partner On Green Hydrogen Project In Germany” • No sooner did CleanTechnica do a story on making hydrogen from renewable sources than we came across Ørsted’s announcement saying it will partner with BP to develop a large scale renewable energy project at BP’s Lingen Refinery in the Northwest of Germany. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Private Properties Have Increasingly Been Eyeing Renewable Energy Over The Last Few Years” • Over the last few years, the use of solar power in Finland has increased tenfold, as it grew increasingly popular with the country’s homeowners. This push for renewable energy is having a significant role in Finland’s energy grid strategy. [TheMayorEU]

Solar panels in Finland

¶ “Public Backs Tree Planting And Renewable Energy Over New Technologies Such As Carbon Storage” • The public would prefer the government to plant millions of trees to draw down carbon rather than plow huge sums of cash into carbon capture and storage technology. It is a blow to the Prime Minister’s plans to kickstart a green industrial revolution. [iNews]

¶ “European Energy Partners On 800-MW Scots Onshore Drive” • Danish renewable energy company European Energy, with its experience and resources, is partnering with the Scottish clean power developer Locogen, which will provide local expertise, to deliver an 800-MW onshore wind portfolio in Scotland over the next five years. [reNEWS]

Wind farm (European Energy image)

US:

¶ “Race Of The Tesla Gigafactories: Giga Austin 24/7 With 3 Shifts May ‘Exceed Giga Berlin’s Speed'” • The newest Tesla gigafactory is growing rapidly, and construction is going on 24/7. Tesla’s focus on getting Giga Texas built is so intense that it may go up faster than Giga Berlin. Jeff Roberts, a drone operator, provided photos of progress. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Arizona Regulators Adopt New Clean Energy Rules Without Renewable Mandate” • The Arizona Corporation Commission passed landmark new rules requiring state-regulated utilities to get 100% of their power from carbon-free sources by 2050, but the panel rejected any specific mandate for renewable energy like solar and wind. [Arizona Daily Star]

Renewable energy resources (Tucson Electric Power Co)

¶ “New Electric School Buses In Virginia And Massachusetts” • CleanTechnica covers basically every electric school bus story that comes across our desk, because it is so important for schools, shuttling around our youngest kids, switch over to clean electric transport as soon as possible. There is news from Massachusetts and Virginia. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “City Of Grover Beach Making Shift To Clean And Renewable Energy Sources” • Residents of Grover Beach, California, are getting flyers in the mail letting them know about their choice to join the city in going green. Beginning in January, ratepayers will have the opportunity to be a part of Central Coast Community Energy. [KSBY San Luis Obispo News]

Have a wonderfully fulfilling day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Hitting Net Zero Is Not Enough – We Must Restore The Climate” • The climate crisis is here now. No matter how quickly we reach zero emissions, the terrible impacts of the climate crisis will not just go away. They will continue to cause millions to suffer for centuries to come. Just cutting emissions is not enough. We have to begin restoring the climate. [The Guardian]

Bushfire (fvanrenterghem, Wikimedia Commons)

Science and Technology:

¶ “There Is Nothing We Can Do To Stop The Oncoming Effects Of Climate Change Says A New Study” • Even if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases tomorrow, Earth would warm for centuries to come and oceans would rise by meters, according to a controversial modeling study that appeared in the Nature Research journal Scientific Reports. [Firstpost]

¶ “World Heritage Status For Scottish Peat Bogs Could Help UK Hit Net Zero Goals” • There is hope that about 1,400 sq km of the most pristine peatland in northern Scotland will soon be much closer to status as the first world heritage peatland. Ecologists say peatlands covering only 3% of the Earth’s land surface, may hold 30% of the carbon stored on land. [The Guardian]

Peat Bog (RodicaB, CC-BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)

World:

¶ “The Desert City To Run On Hydrogen” • On the edge of the Saudi Arabian desert beside the Red Sea, a futuristic city called Neom is due to be built. The $500 billion (£380 billion) city, complete with flying taxis and robotic domestic help, is planned to become home to a million people. And what will power this city and be its product? Green hydrogen. [BBC]

¶ “Micro Stores In South African Townships: Decentralization Can Promote Micromobility” • With Covid-19 stay-at-home orders and lockdowns, large shopping malls have few customers. Leading South African fashion retailer Mr Price is testing smaller format stores to get closer to its shoppers homes. The situation is perfect for micromobility. [CleanTechnica]

Electric bikes (Image courtesy of Guraride)

¶ “Rising Levels Of Carbon Dioxide Increasing Extreme Weather Events In Australia, Report Finds” • Australia’s climate has now entered a new era of extreme weather events, such as dangerous bushfires and heatwaves, courtesy of rising average temperatures, a new report by the nation’s two government climate science agencies has found. [The Guardian]

¶ “Xpeng Sets Record For Quick Rise To 10,000, And NIO Sets Monthly Sales Record” • The two hottest Chinese EV startups, NIO and Xpeng, have each set some new records recently. Xpeng built 10,000 EVs less than 160 days after its factory was built. And NIO sold 5,055 EVs in October, setting a new monthly record for Chinese premium cars. [CleanTechnica]

Xpeng workers and their 10,000th car (Photo courtesy of Xpeng)

¶ “Japan To Invite Bids For Offshore Wind Plants Off Chiba And Akita” • The government is expected to seek applications soon for operating offshore wind power plants in areas in Chiba and Akita prefectures. Its plan is to have a power generation capacity of 10 GW of offshore wind power plants, the equivalent of 10 nuclear reactors, by 2030. [The Japan Times]

¶ “Vestas Secures 50-MW Scottish Order” • Vestas has secured a 50-MW turbine order from ERG for the Sandy Knowe wind farm in Scotland. The project will feature 14 V112 3.45-MW turbines in 3.6-MW power optimised mode, in order to maximize the site’s power production while ensuring lowest cost of energy to the energy consumer. [reNEWS]

Wind turbine (Vestas image)

¶ “Rolls Royce Pledge To Create 6,000 Jobs In UK With 16 Mini-Nuclear Plants” • Rolls Royce pledged to create 6,000 jobs in the UK as part of plans to build 16 mini-nuclear plants. The company has formed a consortium, which includes the National Nuclear Laboratory and building company Laing O’Rourke, to build “small modular reactors.” [The Republic]

US:

¶ “Electrify America Pours $3 Million Into EV Education In Under-Tapped Communities” • As a result of Volkswagen Group’s diesel emissions scandal, its subsidiary, Electrify America, is to engage in a certain amount of EV education. Now, it is putting $3 million into zero-emission vehicle education in low-income communities in California. [CleanTechnica]

Electrify America message

¶ “Arizona Utility Secures 200-MW PPA” • The Arizona Public Service Company has entered into a 200-MW power purchase agreement with Leeward Renewable Energy for electricity from the latter’s two Aragonne wind farms in New Mexico. Leeward will repower the existing 90-MW Aragonne project and build the 145-MW Aragonne Mesa development. [reNEWS]

¶ “Charlotte Airport Gets Electric Buses” • Charlotte Douglas International Airport has taken a leadership role on the ground, adding 5 electric buses to its ground transportation and planning to add many more. The airport operates 70 diesel-powered buses, and it wants to replace those with 50 electric buses within the next seven to ten years. [CleanTechnica]

Proterra Electric bus (Charlotte Douglas International Airport)

¶ “EVgo Triples EV Fast Charging Network In Virginia” • EV charging infrastructure is rising, thanks largely to enterprising EV charging startups. EVgo, one of the earliest, is now one of the largest in the US. EVgo is also net 100% powered by renewable energy. The recent news is that EVgo has tripled Virginia’s EV fast charging network in the past year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Volvo Trucks To Deploy 70 Electric Trucks In Southern California” • Volvo Trucks has won an award to supply 70 Class 8 VNR electric trucks in Southern California. The award includes $21.7 million in grants for Volvo Trucks. Most of that amount, $20 million, is coming from the US EPA’s Targeted Air Shed Grant Program. [CleanTechnica]

Have an excitingly tranquil day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Is It Time For Republican Leaders To Realign With Reality?” • Ignoring reality results in horrible outcomes. So, at what point is it more worthwhile for Republican politicians to realign with reality instead of pushing one falsehood after another? When do the Constitution and American people get more consideration than a few extremists? [CleanTechnica]

Coal burning power plant (NPS, Wikimedia Commons)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Renewable Hydrogen May Be The Key To A Sustainable Future” • For some uses, such as fueling cars, hydrogen has practical obstacles to overcome. It has a lot of clearly important applications, however, from making steel to fueling cargo ships. It can be used to store energy, and it can replace natural gas for some applications. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hurricanes Are Maintaining Their Strength Farther Inland As The Planet Warms, Study Finds” • In recent years, hurricanes are rapidly intensifying more often, dumping higher rainfall totals, and even moving slower, all because they move over warmer water. Now, a study shows are maintaining their strength after landfall for much longer. [CNN]

Hurricane (NOAA image)

World:

¶ “Ford France President Talks 600 km Range For Mustang Mach-E” • In an interview with Power TV, Louis-Carl Vignon, president of Ford France, confirmed that Ford’s all-electric Mustang Mach-E will have a range of 600 km (373 miles). Ford has some major plans for Europe. They include 100% vehicle electrification by 2025. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Conversion Kit Turns Your Classic Mini Cooper Into A Timeless EV” • Fans of classic cars and restomods rejoice! There is now a fully realized and genuinely affordable kit to help you turn your classic Mini Cooper into a fast, clean, and modern EV. And, best of all, it is even truer to the original Mini philosophy than you might hope for. [CleanTechnica]

Electric Mini Cooper (Image courtesy of Swind.Life)

¶ “Global Warming Solutions Inc Introduces An Energy Solution In The Fight Against Global Warming” • A Canadian company, Global Warming Solutions Inc, is introducing to the world a product that can deliver constant 100% emission-free electricity 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. It is a hydrogen generator that can be small enough to fit in a car. [GlobeNewswire]

¶ “Haliade-X Prototype Hits New Output Record” • A new record has been set by the Haliade-X offshore wind turbine prototype in the Netherlands, producing 312 MWh of electricity in a 24-hour period, GE Renewables said. The previous record was 288 MWh in a single day. One spin of the turbine is enough to power a UK household for more than two days. [reNEWS]

Haliade-X nacelle (Ktf, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Renewable Energy Will Overtake Coal As Top Power Producer In Next Five Years, International Energy Agency Says” • As coal is passed by renewables, oil and gas companies, often seen clean energy’s opposition, are forecast to increase investment in them. The IAE expects major companies will increase renewables investments “tenfold” by 2025. [Forbes]

¶ “Local Consent Clears Way For Restart Of Onagawa 2″ • The Tohoku Electric Power Company received approval from Murai Yoshihiro, the governor of Miyagi Prefecture, to restart unit 2 of its Onagawa nuclear plant in northeastern Japan. The utility aims to restart the 796-MWe boiling water reactor in fiscal 2022 at the earliest. [World Nuclear News]

Onagawa nuclear plant (Nekosuki600, Wikimedia Commons)

Australia:

¶ “Fortescue Metals Unveils Massive Solar Ambition” • Iron ore mining giant Fortescue Metals Group has revealed ambitious plans to build one of the biggest renewable energy portfolios in the world, delivering more than 235 GW of renewable capacity, or five times the current capacity of Australia’s National Energy Market. [pv magazine Australia]

¶ “Green Group Challenges Twiggy To Dump Gas Investments After FMG’s Renewable Revolt” • A Kimberley environmental group has called on mining magnate Andrew Forrest to offload his gas assets after he announced Fortescue Metals Group would try to become one of the world’s biggest renewable energy companies. [The Sydney Morning Herald]

Wind turbines (CSIRO, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Fortescue Leads ‘Stampede’ Into Green Energy With Stunning Plans For 235 GW Of Wind And Solar” • The scale of Fortescue’s program is breathtaking. To put it into context, 235 GW of wind and solar is equivalent to nearly five times the current capacity of Australia’s main grid, and more than the energy output of such oil giants as Chevron and Total. [RenewEconomy]

US:

¶ “Tesla’s Energy Business Is Flourishing – 2021 Looks Bright” • During Tesla’s Q3 2020 earnings call, CEO Elon Musk noted that this was Tesla’s “best quarter in history.” Most of the revenue came from Tesla’s automotive business. But on a closer look, you can see the leaves of Tesla’s energy business rapidly unfolding as this side continues to grow. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla powerpacks (Tesla image)

¶ “US Voluntary Clean Power Sales Keep Surging, With More Than a Little Help From Utilities” • Voluntary clean power sales have surged in the past decade and now number in the millions. According to data published annually by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, they doubled from 2010 to 2014 and doubled again from 2014 to 2019. [Greentech Media]

¶ “Nuclear vs Solar: The Race For Renewable Dominance” • There are voices calling for nuclear power to be used to address climate change. But nuclear power is a tough sell in this country. And while the nuclear sector comeback has its work cut out for it, solar power has clearly been on the ascendancy thanks in large part to falling costs. [OilPrice.com]

Have a delightfully developing day.

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Opinion:

¶ “President-Elect Joe Biden’s First Hundred Days Of Renewable Energy: Sunshine And Butterflies All Around” • Renewable energy advocates are eagerly anticipating President-elect Joe Biden’s plans for bringing the US back into the Paris Agreement on climate change, and it looks like his first 100 days in office will be fruitful ones. [CleanTechnica]

Agriculture and PVs (Dennis Schroeder | NREL)

World:

¶ “Chinese Glaciers Melting At ‘Shocking’ Pace, Scientists Say” • Glaciers in China’s bleak Qilian mountains are disappearing at a shocking rate as global warming brings unpredictable change and raises the prospect of crippling, long-term water shortages, scientists say. Since the 1950s, average temperatures in the area have risen about 1.5°C. [CNN]

¶ “Electric Boats Are Popping – Three New Electric Boat Stories” • As battery prices have dropped, more varied types of electric vehicles have been popping onto the scene. That includes boats built for different purposes. In this article, we look at a few pieces of news about three types of electric boats, some built for heavy work, and some just for fun. [CleanTechnica]

Electric ferry boat (Photo courtesy of Corvus Energy)

¶ “Woolworths Pledges To Source 100% Renewables By 2025” • Retail giant Woolworths Group has committed to power all of its operations with 100% renewable electricity within just five years, as it joins the global RE100 initiative. Its electricity demand is over 2,000 GWh per year. Woolworths Group also unveiled its 2025 Sustainability Plan. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “Full Line Of Volvo Trucks To Go Battery Electric, Hydrogen Fuel Cell By 2025″ • Volvo Trucks announced that its full range of heavy duty trucks and haulers would be available as early as next year with battery-electric drive trains. The changeover to electric drive systems is based on Volvo’s commitment to be fully “climate-neutral” by 2040. [CleanTechnica]

Volvo electric trucks (Image courtesy of Volvo Trucks)

¶ “MHI Vestas Installs First 9.5-MW Floater” • MHI Vestas has installed the most powerful turbine on a floating offshore wind platform. The V164 9.5-MW turbine was installed on a Principle Power WindFloat platform at an installation harbor. It is the first of five that will go to the Kincardine floating offshore wind farm, off Scotland. [reNEWS]

¶ “To Meet Climate Targets, Renewable Investments Need To Be Tripled: Report” • The 2020 edition of “Global Landscape of Renewable Energy Finance” highlights that while a cumulative $1.8 trillion were invested during the five-year period of 2013 to 2018, the amount falls short to achieve the global climate goals. The amount needs to be tripled. [Saurenergy]

Building a wind turbine

¶ “LM Wind Secures Certification Blessing For Haliade-X Blade” • LM Wind Power’s record-breaking 107 meter blade for GE Renewable Energy’s Haliade-X turbine was given its component certificate by TUV Nord. The certification hinged on tests of two 107 meter blades produced at the LM factory in Cherbourg, the company said. [reNEWS]

¶ “Total Battery Subsidiary Opens China Factory” • Total-owned battery storage supplier Saft has inaugurated a new factory in Zhuhai, China. The production capacity of the new plant will be around 200 containers per year, or the equivalent of 480 MWh. Saft has energy storage production facilities in three continents now that the Chinese factory is open. [reNEWS]

Battery storage (Saft image)

¶ “Only One Power Reactor Remains In Operation In Japan” • Genkai 4, will be the only nuclear reactor in operating in Japan for the next six weeks, Asahi Shimbun reported. Electric power companies are required to construct an anti-terrorism facility at each plant to meet new safety regulations imposed after the Fukushima Disaster. [Nuclear Engineering]

US:

¶ “The Rebirth Of A Historic River” • For millennia, the Yurok people in Northern California have depended on fishing for salmon. But that source has been in decline after the Klamath River was dammed for hydroelectricity. Now, the fortunes of the Yurok could be set to change, as the largest dam removal project in US history has been given a green light. [BBC]

Klamath River (Public domain, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Louisiana Holds Its First Climate Initiatives Task Force Meeting” • The State of Louisiana held its first Climate Initiatives Task Force meeting yesterday, and Governor Edwards kicked off the meeting with an empowering speech. He made it clear that Louisiana’s intention was to be at the forefront of addressing climate change. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Sea Trials Planned For Unmanned Offshore Power Unit” • Columbia Power Technologies will begin six-month trials of an autonomous offshore power system that could support various activities in offshore wind. The sea trials will take place at at the Navy’s Wave Energy Testing Site off Marine Corps Base Hawaii on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. [reNEWS]

Offshore power system (CPT image)

¶ “As Fed Says Climate Change Is A Financial Hazard, Trump Fires Person In Charge Of NCA” • In denial of his recent defeat, Donald Trump has been firing people he thinks disagree with him. This week began with the firing of the executive director of the organization responsible for preparing the National Climate Assessment. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Vanderbilt And Nashville Undertake Bold New Renewable Energy Partnership To Address Climate Change” • Vanderbilt University and the city of Nashville, Tennessee, have announced a Green Invest partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority and Nashville Electric Service. The collaboration is a big step for addressing climate change. [Mirage News]

Have an impressively superior day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Time to Be Real – Part 1” • Denial of reality is dangerous. When it is institutionalized, it can become dangerous to large numbers of people. Denial of science has become a policy of the Republican Party, and people in Red states are suffering. The first proof of this is just appearing now, as huge numbers of people in Red states get Covid-19. [Green Energy Times]

Mount Rushmore (National Park Service photo)

¶ “How Will VP Harris Influence Climate Policy At The White House?” • As Vice President, will Kamala Harris influence climate policy so that substantive change can come of the activism that hoisted it into the Top 4 issues of the 2020 Presidential election? Joe Biden has a plan for climate change, and Kamala Harris is well-suited to help him achieve it. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Tesla Giga Shanghai To Produce 550,000 Cars In 2021” • Sina Technology reported that Tesla’s Giga Shanghai factory plans to produce 550,000 cars in 2021, and plans to export more than 100,000 of those made-in-China Teslas. 36 Krypton learned that 300,000 of those vehicles will be Model 3 cars and the remaining 250,000 will be Model Ys. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory paint shop (Tesla image)

¶ “Scottish City’s Largest Single Office Building To Be Fully Powered By Renewable Electricity” • The 177 Bothwell Street development is set to become Glasgow’s largest single office building next autumn. It is to be 100%-powered by renewable electricity, with zero carbon emissions. A large part of the building is already let out. [HeraldScotland]

¶ “‘Defying The Difficulties:’ Renewables Set For Record Run Despite Covid: IEA” • The world is set to add record levels of renewable power this year and next despite the Covid pandemic, the International Energy Agency said. New renewables additions this year are expected to reach almost 200 GW, or nearly 90% of all new generating capacity. [Recharge]

Wind farm, Montenegro (Milica Buha, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Pakistan Can Save $5 Billion By Scaling Up Renewable Energy: WB” • A World Bank study suggests that a major scale-up of variant renewable energy could help Pakistan save $5 billion over the next 20 years, mainly from reduced fuel use. It said Pakistan should quickly implement a major scale-up of solar and wind generating capacity. [Associated Press of Pakistan]

¶ “Green Bank Shouldn’t Fund Gas-Fired Power, Ex-Officials Tell Federal MPs” • Former leaders of Australia’s renewable energy agencies have called on MPs to reject the Morrison government’s changes to the publicly owned green bank that would explicitly allow it to fund fossil fuel projects. The Morrison is pitching a “gas-led recovery.” [The Guardian]

Oakey power station (Stickee, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “‘Immense’ Potential Of Renewable Energy Could Propel Australia To Net Zero 2050 Target” • Australia could become a carbon neutral economy by 2050 thanks to an abundance of cheap solar and wind energy, a report from policy experts at Climate Action Tracker says. But a more ambitious 2030 climate target is needed to get there. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ “Tesla Owners Share Supercharging Experiences As Tesla Announces Its 20 Thousand Supercharger Milestone” • Tesla just announced reaching a milestone: “20,000 Superchargers and counting.” The Supercharger network is a critical component of Tesla’s success that is barely talked about. Many probably would have thought this impossible. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Superchargers in Norway (Clive Flint via Twitter)

¶ “Bay Area And Central California Coast To Get More Than 6,950 New EV Chargers” • It is expected that more than 6,950 new EV chargers will be installed in the Bay Area and central coastal California, thanks to $65 million in funding from four California Community Choice Aggregators and contributions from the state of California. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Louisiana Governor: Renewable Energy Initiative for Gulf of Mexico” • Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced a renewable energy initiative for the Gulf of Mexico, with plans to harness Louisiana’s strengths in offshore energy production for the development of wind power, the nation’s No 1 source of renewable energy. [STL.News]

Offshore wind farm (Impériale, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “CPS Energy And VIA Announce Renewable Natural Gas Partnership” • CPS Energy, the municipal electric utility in San Antonio, and VIA Metropolitan Transit announce details about a new fuel supply partnership that will provide Renewable Natural Gas created by landfill biogas to VIA’s fleet of over 500 buses, beginning in 2021. [TechGenyz]

¶ “AEP To Make 40% Of Its Electricity From Renewable Energy By 2030” • Ohio utility American Electric Power, once one of the biggest generators of electricity from coal in the US, forecasts that 40% of the electricity it produces will come from renewable sources by 2030. AEP’s use of coal has dropped by about a third since 2005. [The Columbus Dispatch]

Wind turbines in Michigan (NOAA image)

¶ “World’s Largest Coal Producer Warns Of Bankruptcy Risk” • Peabody Energy, the world’s largest private sector coal producer, has said there is a risk it could go bankrupt for the second time in five years, reports the Financial Times. It has trouble competing with natural gas and renewables, and Covid-19 has made matters worse. [Carbon Brief]

¶ “Xcel Energy And Idaho National Laboratory To Use Nuclear Energy For Hydrogen Production” • Xcel Energy and Idaho National Laboratory joined forces to demonstrate the use of a nuclear plant to split water and produce hydrogen. With the help of $10 million in DOE funding, the partnership will be the first of its kind for electrolysis technology. [H2 View]

Have a downright perfect day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Green Hydrogen Nail, Meet Shale Gas Coffin (And Nuclear Could Be Next)” • If US President-Elect Joe Biden doesn’t do the fossil fuel industry any favors, he’ll only be following in the footsteps of outgoing President Donald J Trump. Intentionally or not, Trump has already overseen the demise of the domestic coal, oil, and natural gas industries. [CleanTechnica]

Scientists at the Idaho National Laboratory

Science and Technology:

¶ “Virgin Hyperloop Pod Transport Tests Its First Passenger Journey” • Virgin Hyperloop has trialed its first ever journey with passengers in a Nevada desert. The technology uses pods inside vacuum tubes to carry passengers at high speeds. Two company staff  reached 107 mph (172 km/h) on a 500 meter course. The ultimate speeds will be six times that. [BBC]

World:

¶ “Octopus Energy And Audi UK Offer Up To 5,000 Free Miles Of Charging And Free Wallbox” • If you are in the UK and considering getting an EV – particularly an electric Audi – you may want to get hooked up with Octopus Energy. It will offer 100% green, renewable energy. And it will provide up to 5,000 miles of free charging. [CleanTechnica]

Audi e-tron (Image courtesy of Audi)

¶ “Disappointing Honda e Sales Prompt Move To Jump Into Tesla EV Credit Pool” • The Honda e was supposed to be the car that allowed the company to avoid heavy fines if its corporate average emissions in Europe exceeded 95 grams of CO₂ per kilometer. But it is not selling. Honda will pay Tesla to join its zero emissions credit pool. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “NSW Orchestrates 12 GW Of Renewables And 2 GW Of Pumped Hydro By 2030” • New South Wales published its NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap, charting a path to 12 GW of new large-scale solar and wind capacity. It is to attract $32 billion in private investment, create thousands of jobs, and reduce annual electricity bills. [pv magazine Australia]

Sheep and solar panels (Image: Neoen)

¶ “NSW Power Play Sparks Divisions Across Australia’s Energy Sector” • Some of Australia’s largest clean energy investors have thrown their support behind the ambitious strategy to stimulate the construction of new wind, solar, and pumped-hydro projects in NSW, but big power companies say the plan needs further scrutiny. [The Sydney Morning Herald]

¶ “EMEC Adds Storage To Tidal For Hydrogen Boost” • The European Marine Energy Center in Orkney is to use an Invinity Energy Systems flow battery at a tidal energy test site to make green hydrogen. Tidal power and 1.8-MWh of flow batteries will demonstrate continuous hydrogen production from variable renewable generation. [reNEWS]

EMEC facility in Orkney (Image: Orkney Sky Cam | EMEC)

US:

¶ “Tropical Storm Eta Makes Landfall In Florida” • Tropical Storm Eta has hit Florida, bringing with it heavy rain and strong winds that forecasters fear may lead to storm surges and flash flooding. Schools, beaches and public transport in much of the southern part of the state were shut before the storm made landfall in the Florida Keys. [BBC]

¶ “Biden Won. What’s Next? Bill McKibben Has Given A Few Suggestions” • Joe Biden will be the 46th president of the US. He has a $2 trillion plan to move the US toward a reduced carbon future. But there are things he needs to do to execute his plan while the Republicans maintain some strength. Bill McKibben has some suggestions. [CleanTechnica]

Joe Biden (Credit: JoeBiden.com)

¶ “Government Scientists Fear For Their Jobs – Another Trump Executive Order” • The journal Nature reported that a senior scientist at the EPA, after reading an executive order signed in October, responded “it’s pretty frightening.” Written broadly, the language seems to make it easier to “get rid of people who don’t toe the right political line.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ “APS Commits $127 Million To Navajo Nation, Promises Renewable Energy And Expanded Grid Access” • Arizona utility APS announced a $127 million cash commitment to the Navajo Nation over the next 10 years to provide transitional support to communities affected by the closure and environmental effects of the coal-fired Navajo Generating Station. [Fronteras]

Have a comprehensively nifty day.

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Opinion:

¶ “A Joe Biden Presidency – A New Day In Fight For Climate Action” • You know that feeling when you awake from a long nightmare and see the sun shining outside? Yes, that’s what it feels like today. The US presidential election results have been confirmed in favor of Joe Bidenand Kamala Harris. Maybe now we can work with real science. [CleanTechnica]

Joe Biden (Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Jeffrey Young: Oil Companies Admit to Contributing to Climate Change – and Blame You” • In a climate change lawsuit, oil companies admitted that their products were a major cause of climate change, and it’s a real problem. But extraction of the fossil fuels doesn’t cause climate change, they said. It is the use of the product that generates emissions. [Noozhawk]

Science and Technology:

¶ “New Vauxhall Mokka-e vs 1903 Vauxhall Light Car” • The Vauxhall Mokka-e is one of the more interesting and compelling new electric vehicles in Europe. To drum up a bit more attention for the EV, Vauxhall has gone deep into its roots to compare it to Vauxhall Heritage’s 1903 “Light Car,” which it claims is the oldest four-seat Vauxhall. [CleanTechnica]

Vauxhall Mokka-e and 1903 Vauxhall Light Car (Vauxhall image)

¶ “Is This The Key To Cheaper Solar Power?” • At first glance, solar power and farming seem mutually exclusive. Once you take a closer look, however, they appear to be mutually beneficial in more than one way. Solar farms generally benefit the land. And when that land is farmland, the benefits of the combination only seem to become greater. [OilPrice.com]

World:

¶ “NIO Introduces 100 kWh Battery And Flexible Battery Leasing Plans” • As of November 7, a NIO customer can pre-order a car with a 100-kWh battery. But what about current NIO owners? Thanks to NIO’s battery-as-a-service philosophy, they can get upgrades. NIO has multiple payment plans to get 100-kWh batteries installed. [CleanTechnica]

NIO car battery (NIO image)

¶ “‘Forever Chemicals’ Can Have Far-Reaching Consequences, Need More Regulation In Canada, Scientists Say” • A recent Health Canada study said 98.5% of Canadians have PFAS in their blood. Some scientists say a number of these chemicals pose significant risk to human health. What sets PFAS apart is how stable they are – forever chemicals. [CBC.ca]

¶ “Norwegian Plugin Market Share Over 79% In October And PHEVs Stagnate” • Norway had another very strong month for plugin electric vehicles, which had a 79.1% market share. This was the second highest monthly result (after an end-of-quarter push in September). Old school combustion vehicles are now barely above 10% of the market. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen ID.3 (Image Courtesy of Volkswagen)

¶ “Bushfire Royal Commission Signals Need For Zali Steggall’s Climate Act” • The bushfire royal commission has confirmed that climate change influenced the Black Summer’s unprecedented extreme fire weather conditions. Zali Steggall, a winter sport Olympian, attorney, and now member of parliament, is about to introduce a bill. [The Canberra Times]

¶ “EU Eyes Huge Increase In Offshore Wind Energy To Meet Climate Goals” • The European Union is considering a plan to increase its offshore wind energy capacity five-fold this decade and 25-fold by 2050, as it seeks to become climate neutral, a draft policy shows. The EU is already home to 42% of the world’s offshore wind capacity. [EnergyInfraPost]

Offshore wind turbines (Nicholas Doherty, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “US Renewable Energy Industry Cheers Joe Biden Election Win As ‘Beautiful Day'” • The American renewable energy sector has cheered the declared election of Joe Biden as the next President of the United States, with industry bodies placing the accent on the potential for the country to rejoin global climate leadership under the new administration. [Recharge]

¶ “What Joe Biden’s Climate Plans Mean For America, And The World” • Joe Biden has a plan for what to do about the climate. He will have the US rejoin the Paris Climate Accord, for a start. He plans to put $1.7 trillion into federal investment during this decade, with money going to every thing from energy storage to small modular nuclear reactors. [The Wire Science]

Earth from Space (NASA image)

¶ “Even With Biden Win Declared, Climate And Energy Plans May Hinge On Senate Races” • Joe Biden has aggressive climate and clean energy plans that could result in sweeping changes to the energy sector. But Republicans could keep control of the US Senate, upsetting those ambitions, all but ensuring delays and blocks for major climate legislation. [S&P Global]

¶ “Companies Are Coming Together To Promote Sustainable Agriculture With Carbon Credits” • Agricultural technology company Indigo Agriculture announced that it had secured commitments from companies from JPMorgan Chase and IBM to Dogfish Head Craft Brewery for creating financial incentives for farmers through carbon credits. [Mercom India]

Have a fundamentally gleeful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “On Climate Action, Everyone Has The Right Stuff” • NASA’s Mercury program was an all hands on deck, do-or-die mission for an elite squad of seasoned military test pilots. Now the Earth itself could use a dose of the same human energy and sense of purpose. Here is an interview with Dr James Hansen, comparing and contrasting the efforts. [CleanTechnica]

NACA hangar circa 1931 (Photo via NASA)

¶ “Climate Deniers Boost Pro-Trump Efforts To Cast Doubt On US Election” • In unusual remarks made during an earnings call, Continental Resources founder and executive chairman Howard Hamm referred to counting “all legal votes.” It is a phrase used by President Donald Trump to suggest that some votes cast in the 2020 election are not legitimate. [DeSmog]

¶ “Don’t Encourage Biden To Waste Political Capital” • If we want clean energy to succeed in the Biden administration, we have to (a) be realistic, and (b) fight like hell to keep him focused on it. Political capital is scarce, and climate change is a real threat, so letting various Democratic lobbies suck all of the oxygen out of the room is not an option. [CleanTechnica]

Wind turbine (Energy.gov, Wikimedia Commons)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Ecologically Friendly Agriculture Doesn’t Compromise Crop Yields” • According to an international study comparing 42,000 examples of diversified and simplified agricultural practices, increasing diversity in crop production benefits biodiversity but does not compromise yields. The research, published in Science Advances, is based on 5,188 studies. [EurekAlert]

World:

¶ “Volkswagen And Greece Bringing Climate Neutral Mobility To A Mediterranean Island” • Volkswagen and Greece have signed an agreement recently that will bring clean energy, electric vehicles, and state of the art mobility solutions to the island of Astypalea, a 100 square kilometer slice of heaven located southeast of Athens. [CleanTechnica]

Astypalea (IMFJ, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “African Union Says Over 600 Million Africans Lack Electricity Despite Huge Renewable Energy Potential” • An African Union  Commissioner pointed out that over 600 million Africans lack access to electricity. This is despite the continent’s abundant renewable energy potential. Africa’s geothermal potential is estimated at 15 GW. [Macau Business]

¶ “Eviation Set To Deliver First 9-Passenger Electric Airplane In 2022” • The dream of commercially viable electric airplanes just keeps getting closer. Eviation, Israeli startup, began building its first electric plane, in 2017. The company says it plans to deliver the first of its bespoke airplanes to Cape Air, a regional carrier serving New England, in 2022. [CleanTechnica]

Eviation airplane (Eviation image)

¶ “UK Energy Plant To Use Liquid Air” • Work is beginning on what is thought to be the world’s first major plant to store energy in the form of liquid air. When wind farms produce surplus electricity, it is used to compress air to make it liquefy. It can be stored as a liquid at -196°C. When there is a peak in demand, the liquid air will boil to drive turbines. [BBC News]

¶ “UK Warning Highlights Energy Storage Importance To Renewables” • The UK, which has recently set a record for wind power meeting its demand, issued a security of supply alert earlier this week as wind power output was low due to calm weather. This event highlights the need of increased energy storage capacity. [OilPrice.com]

Offshore wind turbine (Phil Hollman, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Climate Crisis: More Than 100 Australian Businesses And Organisations Support Net-Zero Target” • More than a hundred businesses and organisations support a parliamentary bill asking the country’s chief scientist to produce clear opinion on whether the country should commit to cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ “Several Renewable Energy Initiatives Passed In The 2020 Election” • Though the gains were not huge, the results of this year’s elections saw only wins for renewable energy. Two were a constitutional amendment in Nevada mandating 50% renewable energy by 2030 and a ballot measure in Columbus, Ohio, so residents can buy 100% renewable energy. [The Hill]

Nevada (Murray Foubister, CC-BY-SA-2.0, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Biden Reaffirms Commitment To Rejoining Paris Agreement” • The US has officially left the Paris climate agreement, but its departure may be short lived. Former Vice President Joe Biden reaffirmed his commitment to immediately rejoining the accord if he wins the 2020 presidential election, and the vote count increasingly favors him. [EcoWatch]

¶ “NRC Fines TVA Over 2015 Watts Bar Unit 1 Restart” • The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced 3 fines against Tennessee Valley Authority for violations at the Watts Bar plant. The fines total $903,471. The NRC also issued violations against two managers and a plant operator. The incident involves the restart of Unit 1 in 2015. [WDEF News 12]

Watts Bar (TVA Web Team, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “County Poised To Reach 100% Renewable Mark” • Moving Dane County, Wisconsin toward 100% renewable energy, County Executive Joe Parisi and Alliant Energy Vice President of Business Planning JP Brummond announced a partnership to develop around 140 acres of county-owned land in Cottage Grove into a 16.5 MW solar field. [hngnews.com]

¶ “Trump Replaces Republican Head Of Energy Regulatory Panel Who Supports Carbon Markets” • President Donald Trump demoted Neil Chatterjee, the Republican head of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, after he promoted the use of carbon markets by US states to curb climate change. He replaced Chatterjee, with Republican James Danly. [Reuters]

Have an auspiciously unfolding day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Women As Solar Adopters Is An Unexplored Market Segment” • As the cost of hardware for solar systems declines, soft costs, including customer acquisition, are becoming more important.  Women drive the majority of consumer spending, but their potential as solar adopters is an such area of largely unexplored potential in the industry. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array (Image retrieved from NASA)

¶ “Ecocide: Should Killing Nature Be A Crime?” • Small island states like Vanuatu have long tried to persuade large powerful nations to voluntarily reduce their emissions, but change has been slow – so ambassador John Licht suggested that it might be time to change the law itself, with amendment to a treaty known as the Rome Statute. [BBC]

Science and Technology:

¶ “The Foul-Smelling Fuel That Could Power Big Ships” • An enormous engine, three floors high, growls loudly at a test center in Copenhagen. Usually such an engine would be propelling a large ship across the sea, but this one is being prepared to take part in a ground-breaking project. Engineers want to see if they can make it run on liquid ammonia. [BBC]

Viking Energy (Eidesvik AS image)

¶ “SAE Publishes New Wireless Charging Standard” • Standards are important. Imagine if every manufacturer needed a specially shaped nozzle on the gas pump to fill the tank. That wouldn’t work well. And yet it is the norm for plugs for electric cars. Now, the Society of Automotive Engineers has published a standard for wireless charging. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Bentley Reveals Plan To Go Fully Electric By 2030” • Luxury carmaker Bentley unveiled plans to go fully electric by 2030. The brand will switch its model range to offer only plug-in hybrid or battery electric cars by 2026. Bentley also aims to be 100% carbon neutral across its manufacturing within a decade. EVs sales have tripled in the UK this year. [BBC]

Bentley (Alexander Migl, CC-BY-4.0, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Canada Backs Nova Scotia Tidal Array” • The government of Canada is helping to finance the country’s first tidal energy array being developed by Sustainable Marine in Nova Scotia. A C$28.5 million (€18.4 million, $21,8 million) investment to help deliver the Plat-I floating tidal energy platform was unveiled by Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources. [reNEWS]

¶ “Vestas To Deliver 27 MW In Poland” • Vestas is to supply 27 MW of turbines to Polenergia for the Kostomloty wind farm in Poland. The project will have nine V136-3.45MW turbines in 3.0-MW power optimised mode on 122-metre towers, with a 30-year management service agreement. Commissioning is expected in the first quarter of 2022. [reNEWS]

Installing a turbine blade (Vestas image)

¶ “GWEC: Wind Power Market Set For Record Growth Despite Covid-19” • According to the latest market outlook published by GWEC Market Intelligence, 71.3 GW of wind power capacity is expected to be installed in 2020 despite the impacts of Covid-19. This is only a 6% reduction from pre-Covid forecasts. Originally, reductions of up to 20% were expected. [ESI Africa]

¶ “The Water Firm That’s Turning Land Into A Source Of Renewable Energy” • In flood-prone pastureland in Cumbria, 30,000 willow cuttings are rapidly transforming a soggy field into a source of renewable energy. United Utilities, a regional water firm, is growing the willow to sell the harvest to the renewable energy market. [Cumbria Crack]

Caroline Holden with the planted willow

US:

¶ “Paris Agreement Or Not, The USA Says Hi To Offshore Wind” • The American withdrawal from the Paris Accord may leave fossil fuel fans heaving a sigh of relief, but not for long. The US offshore wind industry has just begun to flex its muscles, and that’s just a taste of the massive shift in store for the domestic energy industry. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Construction Begins At Pflugerville Solar” • Recurrent Energy has begun construction of its 186-MW Pflugerville solar project near Austin, Texas. The Pflugerville project will have DuraTrack HZ V3 single-axis solar trackers from Array Technologies, which will installed by RP Construction Services. It is to be completed in the summer of 2021. [reNEWS]

Project under construction (RP Construction Services image)

¶ “Spotlight On Award Winner: NextEra Energy Resources – Iron Mountain Solar” • Information services company Iron Mountain joined with renewables developer Black Bear Energy and NextEra Energy Resources on a 5.4-MW (AC) solar project. Iron Mountain’s goal is to have 100% renewable electricity, 24/7, from local resources. [Environment + Energy Leader]

¶ “PNM Cutting Ties With Navajo-Region Coal-Fired Plant In 2024” • Public Service Co of New Mexico will exit from its ownership stake in the coal-burning Four Corners Power Plant  seven years earlier than first planned. The plant is set to retire by 2022. PNM is exiting its minority ownership of the plant early to reduce its costs. [Power Engineering Magazine]

Four Corners plant (NPS image, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Estée Lauder Reports Renewable Energy Goal Reached” • American multinational skincare, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products giant Estée Lauder Companies says it has achieved its 100% renewable electricity target for its direct operations globally. ELC committed to 100% renewables and joined the RE100 initiative in 2017. [Solar Quotes]

¶ “Governor Wants To Stop Spent Nuclear Fuel From Heading To West Texas” • Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that he opposes a plan to store spent nuclear waste in Andrews County, Texas. Abbott said he asked the NRC to deny a federal license for the proposed facility that would handle spent fuel from nuclear reactors. [KTSM 9 News]

Have a superly duper day.

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Opinion:

¶ “The US Is Officially Out Of The Paris Climate Agreement. Here’s What Could Happen Next” • The US is the only country to officially exit the Paris climate accord. If Biden wins the election, the US could rejoin the agreement. If Trump wins, and does not reenter the agreement, experts expect to see the US sidelined from the international community. [CNN]

Pump jacks (Acroterion, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “GOP Congressional Wins Dash Hopes For Ambitious Climate Action Next Year” • Republican victories in Tuesday night’s election and a still-tight race between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden cast doubt over the chances of the US enacting significant measures to curb planet-heating emissions in the near-term. [HuffPost]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Brown Carbon ‘Tarballs’ That Hasten Glacial Melt Found In Himalayan Atmosphere” • Nearly 28% of particles collected from the air samples from a research station in the Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau were tarballs, a study found. Tarballs are small light-absorbing, particles formed by burning fuels that deposit on snow and ice. [Down To Earth Magazine]

Himalayas (Wikimedia Commons)

World:

¶ “European Green Hydrogen Acceleration Center Launched” • EIT InnoEnergy launched an unprecedented effort to support the development of an annual €100 billion green hydrogen economy by 2025. The European Green Hydrogen Acceleration Center could help create half a million direct and indirect jobs across the green hydrogen value chain. [reNEWS]

¶ “Neoen Wins Bid To Build 300-MW Oz Battery” • Neoen has been awarded a 250-MW grid services contract with the Australian Energy Market Operator enabling it to proceed with the next phase of a planned 300-MW battery in Victoria. The Victorian Big Battery will help to “modernise and stabilise” the grid in Victoria. [reNEWS]

Building the Hornsdale Power Reserve (Neoen image)

¶ “Renewables Can Help Kosovo Break From Coal-Powered Past: IEEFA” • Strong performance by the first large-scale wind and solar farms in Kosovo shows the coal-dominated country can exploit falling renewables costs and green lending appetite to align better with a low-carbon European transition and reduce losses from stranded fossil fuel assets. [Saurenergy]

¶ “Renewables Cut Australia’s Emissions More Than Covid-19, Energy Analysis Finds” • An analysis shows wind and solar power pushing out fossil fuels cut Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions more than Covid-19 did. Renewable energy generated a record 26.5% of the electricity in the five states of the national energy market over a 12 month period. [The Guardian]

Solar power station (Richard Gifford, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Japan Faces Another Fukushima Disaster Crisis” • Ian Fairlie, an independent consultant on radioactivity in the environment, has made a detailed assessment of the Japanese government plan to dump contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant. He says in addition to tritium, caesium-137 and strontium-90, are also in the water. [PreventionWeb]

US:

¶ “Proterra Unveils High-Powered Charging Stations” • Proterra is well known as a pioneer in the electric bus market in the US. After years of being focused on that tech solution, the company has just expanded out into high-power charging stations aimed at serving the needs of large-scale vehicle fleets, such as mass transit operators. [CleanTechnica]

Proterra electric bus (Proterra image)

¶ “Michigan And Ohio EV Charging Programs Set For Approval” • Electric utilities in the Midwest are increasingly helping their customers drive on reliably cheaper and cleaner electricity. The Michigan Public Service Commission and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio are both working on proposals to help electrify vehicles in their states. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Kandi’s Small And Super Cheap K27 Cleared For California Roads” • Kandi America announced that it was certified by the California Air Resources Board. This is a cheap EV. With special promotional pricing, state incentive of $2,000, federal tax credit of $7,500, “eligible buyers in California can drive off with the K27 for just $7,999.” [CleanTechnica]

Kandi K27 (Kandi image)

¶ “Central Maine Power Energy Corridor Project Nearly Ready To Begin” • A renewable energy project that will be built by Avangrid, Inc  and Central Maine Power Company to bring hydropower from Quebec to Maine and other parts of New England has received one of the last permits it needs before construction can begin. [pressherald.com]

¶ “Nevada Voters Seal Renewable Energy Goals In Their State Constitution” • As was widely expected, Nevada voters approved Question 6 on the ballot, which amends the state constitution to mandate that the Nevada’s electricity providers shift to at least 50% renewable energy by 2030, according to the New York Times and the Associated Press. [Vox]

Wind turbines in Nevada (Famartin, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “East Brunswick Residents Vote In Favor Of Clean Energy Program” • A strong majority of East Brunswick residents voted in favor of a ballot question to create a township-wide renewable energy aggregation program. The vote count, as of 8 p.m. on November 3, shows the ballot question was supported by more than 70% of voters. [centraljersey.com]

¶ “NJ Transit Chooses Renewable Energy Over Previously Planned Fossil Fuel Plant” • NJ Transit has put the axe to a long-planned natural gas-fired plant, choosing instead to pursue a renewable energy microgrid that uses clean electricity sources and battery storage. The cancelled natural gas power plant was to cost $546 million. [Hydrogen Fuel News]

Have a superbly fun day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Fate Of Climate Crisis Hangs On Election As US Exits Paris Agreement” • On November 4, the US became the only country in the world refusing to participate in global climate efforts, with the fate of the crisis hanging on the still uncalled presidential election. Trump’s challenger, Joe Biden, would immediately rejoin the agreement. [The Guardian]

Shell refinery in Texas (Gregory Bull | AP)

¶ “Shell’s Climate Poll On Twitter Backfires Spectacularly” • A climate poll on Twitter posted by Shell asked: “What are you willing to change to help reduce emissions?” It got 199 votes. When US Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posted a tweet saying “I’m willing to hold you accountable for lying about climate change…,” it was liked 350,000 times. [The Guardian]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Spanish, Dutch Collaboration Designs ‘Smart SOV'” •  Spanish outfit Marcelo Penna Engineering and Dutch offshore specialist Safeway joined forces to design an intelligent service operation vessel. It will have “zero impact bumpering,” a “hover mode,” and roll compensation capability, so it can remain at a wind farm, even in the roughest sea conditions. [reNEWS]

New service operation vessel (Safeway image)

World:

¶ “The Young Norwegians Taking Their Own Country To Court Over Oil” • Despite Norway’s green credentials, its state wealth is due to its huge oil exports. Norwegian youths are challenging what they describe as a double standard in court. The battle will come to a head on November 4 at the final hearing for the issue in Norway’s Supreme Court. [BBC]

¶ “Assam Fire: India’s Longest Burning Gas Blaze Is Destroying Lives” • A blaze that started on 9 June after a gas blowout has raged for about 150 days, the longest time such fire has burned in India. Three people have died trying to contain it. The fire has forced 3,000 people in neighboring villages to leave their homes and take shelter in makeshift camps. [BBC]

Gas fire in Assam (Getty Images)

¶ “Volvo Cars Commits To Developing Its Own EV Motors” • A few years ago, Volvo announced that all new Volvos introduced after 2019 would be electrified, a promise it has made good on so far. Now, Volvo has announced significant investments in the in‑house design and development of electric motors for its next generation cars and SUVs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Powerhouse Telemark By Snøhetta Produces More Energy Than It Consumes” • Snøhetta, an architecture and design firm based in Oslo, collaborating with Skanska & Asplan Viak, created an innovative 11 story office building in southern Norway. The news is that the 8,500 square meter office building Powerhouse Telemark is energy positive. [CleanTechnica]

Powerhouse Telemark (Credit: Snøhetta)

¶ “India’s Telangana Approves Ground-Breaking EV Policy” • As part of building back better from the economic downturn of Covid-19, the state of Telangana approved a new EV policy. It aims to drive investment in the EV market, create jobs, ramp-up shared mobility, decrease air pollution, and help achieve India’s climate goals. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Total Inks 83-MW French Solar Deal” • Total has signed an agreement with Belgian minerals producer Lhoist to co-develop solar PV power plants totaling 83 MW at 11 of Lhoist’s sites in France. The power plants will collectively feature more than 194,000 PV panels. Total Quadran will build and operate the power plants. [reNEWS]

Solar plant (Total image)

¶ “Mainstream Partners On 500-MW Vietnamese Offshore” • Mainstream Renewable Power has signed an agreement with Advance Information Technologies Corporation, a Vietnamese company, to co-develop a 500-MW wind farm off the coast of Vietnam. The project received a site survey license earlier this year, and has conducted a feasibility study. [reNEWS]

¶ “Wind, Solar Costs Fall By 10% In 2019” • Wind and solar costs declined by more than 10% in 2019, according to Capgemini’s latest World Energy Markets Observatory report, which observed “consistently lower costs being recorded month after month.” Also, the costs of lithium ion batteries used for EVs and energy storage decreased by 19% in 2019. [reNEWS]

Wind farm (Johanna Montoy | Unsplash)

¶ “Defying Europe Once Again, Belarus Plugs Astravets Nuclear Power Plant Into National Grid” • The Russian-built Astravets nuclear plant is said to have safety issues. It is less than 50 km from the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, and after it was connected to Belarus’ national grid, Lithuania stopped importing electricity from Belarus. [Emerging Europe]

US:

¶ “Ford Will Build Electric Cars That Real People Can Actually Afford” • In an obvious swipe at General Motors, whose first battery electric vehicle to feature its Ultium batteries will be a $112,000 Hummer, Ford CEO Jim Farley told analysts on a conference call the electric vehicles coming from Ford will be cars ordinary people can buy. [CleanTechnica]

Ford Mustang Mach E SUV (Ford image)

¶ “US Officially Exits Paris Climate Accord” • The US has left the Paris climate accord, officially. The withdrawal, set in motion with a letter from President Trump exactly one year ago, caps a long-promised move from the president and leaves the US as the only country in the world to withdraw from the landmark Paris climate agreement. [The Hill]

¶ “UC San Diego Gets $39 Million Grant For Renewable Energy Testbed” • The University of California, San Diego, was awarded a $39 million National Science Foundation grant for a testbed to help universities, utilities, and industry leaders gain a better understanding of how to integrate renewable energy into the power grid. [American School & University]

Have charmingly uplifting day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Louisiana Politricks Almost Silenced NOLA Voters” • New Orleans is without power since Hurricane Zeta hit, and eleven polling places have no backup power. Our secretary of state hurls insults and makes senseless claims about political points while voters worry about whether they will be able to cast ballots. I find this incredibly alarming. [CleanTechnica]

New Orleans (Kyle Field | CleanTechnica)

¶ “The Economist Endorses Joseph R Biden” • “Socialism” is a word that scares some people, especially people who came from socialist or communist countries decades ago. Sadly, it appears that such people are conflating topics and miss the fact that Donald Trump is pushing us much more in the direction of the authoritarian government. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “President Trump Has Majorly Damaged ExxonMobil” • Given the US president’s pro fossil fuel behavior, the question is simple: How come he has done major damage to ExxonMobil and Big Oil? I can’t answer that directly, but I can show how severe the damage has been. ExxonMobil has performed terribly through the 45th presidency. [CleanTechnica]

Exxon (azrainman, CC-BY-2.0, Wikimedia Commons)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Geoengineering – Can We Science Our Way Out Of The Mess We Have Made?” • Geoengineering may be needed, despite the risks. Michael Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at the Columbia Law School, told The New York Times, “I liken geoengineering to chemotherapy for the planet: If all else is failing, you try it.” [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “UK Onshore Could Double By 2030 And Hit 30 GW” • The UK’s total capacity of onshore wind could grow to 30 GW by 2030, more than double the UK’s current operational capacity of 13,600 MW, according to new research from RenewableUK. If everything in the current pipeline gets built, wind capacity will reach 30,361 MW by the end of 2029. [reNEWS]

Wind farm (Keith Arkins | Renewable Energy Systems)

¶ “Kenya’s ‘First’ Tesla Model X Creates Buzz” • Kenya is one of the best places to drive EVs. Kenya’s grid is very green thanks to awesome geothermal, wind, utility-scale solar, and hydropower plants. All of these make up 93% of Kenya’s generation capacity. EVs have been starting to take off in Kenya. And now, the first Tesla Model X has arrived. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Siemens Gamesa Wins Norwegian Prize” • Siemens Gamesa is supply 34 turbines to Akershus Energi and KLP’s Odal wind farm in Norway. The kr1 billion (€90 million) deal covers delivery of 5.0-145 turbines that have been specially adapted for the project, the developers said. The project is planned to be completed in 2021 at a cost of kr2 billion to build. [reNEWS]

Siemens Gamesa wind turbine (Siemens Gamesa image)

¶ “Plan To Run Power Cable Between Australia And Indonesia Scrapped As Giant Pilbara Power Project Takes Shape” • Running a power line from Australia to Indonesia seems like a good idea, but those behind it looked at the numbers and found the most economical way of exporting Northern Australia’s green energy is by boat. [The Sydney Morning Herald]

¶ “SPR Delivers ‘Black Start’ From Onshore Wind” • In what is believed to be  global first, ScottishPower Renewables used energy from an onshore windfarm to re-energise part of the power grid. With the successful ‘black start,’ the 69-MW Dersalloch windfarm proved that wind power can restore a ‘blacked-out’ section of the grid. [reNEWS]

Wind farm (SPR image)

¶ “GE Renewable Energy To Support The Development Of Pumped Hydro Storage Solutions In India” • GE Renewable Energy announced that it was selected by Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited to supply and commission four 125-MW fixed speed pumped storage turbines for the new Kundah hydropower plant in India. [pv magazine India]

¶ “Typhoon Goni: The Year’s Strongest Storm Slams Into The Philippines” • While the US Gulf Coast sets records for storms, the Pacific Ocean is dealing with its own superlative weather worries. Typhoon Goni slammed into the Philippines on Sunday with peak winds of nearly 200 mph, killing at least 20 people and displacing more than 350,000. [Grist]

Typhoon Goni (Credit: NRL | NASA | NOAA)

¶ “North Sea Wind And Hydrogen Offer UK Jobs Bonanza” • By 2050, the UK North Sea could deliver £20 billion a year in gross value added from offshore wind and hydrogen leading to a net increase of 40,000 jobs, a report by the Policy Exchange think-tank says. It said jobs would increase despite the decline in the North Sea oil and gas industry. [reNEWS]

US:

¶ “How Texas Can Lead The Global EV Transformation” • The Lone Star State made headlines last weekend after a noisy, fossil-fueled convoy of Trump supporters stalled traffic on I-35 and attacked a Biden campaign bus. But the latest move by the state’s grid operator suggests that the quiet hum of EVs will dominate Texas roads in the future. [CleanTechnica]

EV charging (NREL image)

¶ “Trump’s Attacks On Climate Science Are Coming To Fruition” • “If you vote for Biden, he’ll listen to the scientists,” Donald Trump told a crowd of thousands at a campaign rally in Carson City, Nevada. Trump takes pride in dismissing the advice of federal scientists, whether on the handling of the pandemic or the risks of climate change. [Type Investigations]

¶ “Berkshire Hathaway Energy Buys Dominion Energy Gas And Storage” • Berkshire Hathaway Energy has purchased Dominion Energy’s natural gas transmission and storage business, exclusive of Questar Pipeline Group. Officially the price was $8 billion, including about $2.7 billion in cash and assumption of about $5.3 billion in debt. [Energy Digital]

Have a fantastically functioning day.

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Opinion:

¶ “The US Election Is A Vote On Climate Change For The Whole World” • The climate crisis has become a key issue not just for American voters in this US election, but people everywhere. The next president’s actions during his term in office will have a profound impact on the whether the world is able to avert the worst effects of climate change. [CNN]

Silverado Fire (Patrick T Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images)

¶ “Who Will Create The Most Jobs For Pennsylvania, Biden Or Trump?” • The current temporary occupant of the Oval Office likes to snarl about making America great again, but instead he is dragging America backward to a hundred years ago when John D. Rockefeller was creating the foundations for the US oil and gas industries. Those jobs are obsolete. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Could Scotland Ever Be ‘The Saudi Arabia Of Renewables’?” • In a year, Glasgow will host COP26, so BBC Scotland is looking at how renewable energy has grown. As first minister, Alex Salmond said Scotland could be the “Saudi Arabia of renewables.” In 2009, 27.2% of Scotland’s electricity was generated by renewable energy sources. In 2019, it was 90.1%. [BBC News]

Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm (SSE Renewables)

¶ “An $11 Trillion Global Hydrogen Energy Boom Is Coming. Here’s What Could Trigger It” • Engineers are working on a giant cavity in a geological formation known as a salt dome, a huge underground mass of salt, 130 miles south of Salt Lake City. Filled with hydrogen, the cavity could become one of the largest renewable energy reservoirs in the world. [CNBC]

¶ “Ignoring Science Doesn’t Solve The Problem, Says Climate Scientist” • As the Gulf Coast rebuilds from record hurricanes and wildfires rage in the West, climate change is already causing pain. But does it get the attention it deserves? Prof Drew Shindell of Duke University and Hari Sreenivasan discuss links between science and policy. [PBS NewsHour]

Lightning (Sean McAuliffe, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Tesla Model 3 With New LFP Battery Now Supercharges Even Faster?” • Initial supercharging results suggest that a Tesla Model 3 powered by a lithium iron phosphate (LFP, or LiFePO₄) battery can supercharge faster than the version with the nickel battery. This looks promising and is not unexpected. Charging times fell from 62 minutes to 42. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Commission On The Future Of Mobility Announced” • A group of business leaders and public policy experts is launching the Commission On The Future Of Mobility to grapple with the thorny questions that surround the future of transportation, including self driving and electric vehicles, according to a report by Reuters. [CleanTechnica]

May Mobility shuttle (Credit: May Mobility)

¶ “Siemens Gamesa Powered By 100% Renewable Electricity Worldwide” • Siemens Gamesa is now powered worldwide by electricity from 100% renewable sources. Its annual electricity consumption is over 180,000 MWh, so the company is saving more than 80,000 tons of CO₂ emissions annually, doubling the savings achieved the previous year. [SteelGuru]

¶ “Considering Climate In Energy Investment” • Investors are pressuring companies to embrace clean energy. Financial houses and banks are ending their support for fossil fuels, directing their money toward renewable energy and technologies that can help with climate change. Even some oil and gas majors are moving to invest in renewables. [POWER magazine]

Siemens Gamesa’s 14-MW turbine (Siemens Gamesa image)

¶ “South Australia’s Government Contracts For Energy To Advance Cultana Solar Farm And Playford Utility Battery” • The South Australian Government secured construction of the 280-MW Cultana Solar Farm near Whyalla, and the 100 MW Playford Utility Battery near Port Augusta, by signing a 10-year supply contract with ZEN Energy. [pv magazine Australia]

¶ “Renewables Overtake Coal And Gas For First Time In Western Australia” • The combined output of wind and solar and other renewable energy sources have overtaken the principal fossil fuel sources of coal and gas generation in Western Australia for the first time in October. Three large renewable projects have been built in the state recently. [RenewEconomy]

Warradarge wind farm (Bright Energy Investments image)

¶ “Old Nuclear Plants Keep Westinghouse Busy” • It’s not the sexy parts of Westinghouse Electric Co that make a profit for Canadian private equity firm Brookfield Business Partners, which acquired Westinghouse out of bankruptcy in 2018. It’s the valve tightening and cement crack inspections at hundreds of old nuclear power plants. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

US:

¶ “Electrify America Goes Commercial” • Electrify America has partnered with corporations like Walmart and Love’s to install ultrafast charging stations for their customers. Now it is installing charging stations for the “utilities, fleet owners and operators, government entities, and businesses seeking to manage their own network of chargers.” [CleanTechnica]

Solar powered charging station (Electrify America image)

¶ “Joseph Biden Aims To Improve US EV Tax Credit, Restore It For Tesla And GM” • If elected president of the US, Joseph R Biden would do a few things for the electric vehicle industry. He has talked about helping to get a massive number of EV charging stations around the country, but he also has some tax proposals on the wish list. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Utah Cities Pursue 100% Net-Renewable Electricity” • Twenty-three Utah cities and counties have resolved to adopt 100% net-renewable electricity (from solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, and demand management) in their communities by 2030 through the Community Renewable Energy Act of 2019. This represents about 37% of Utah’s electricity load. [Utah Policy]

Have magnificently jovial day.

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Opinion:

¶ “You’ve Got Cheap Data, How About Cheap Power Too?” • The original iPhone was only introduced in 2007, and since then it has become ubiquitous. Virtually everyone, everywhere has a smartphone and uses it for hours every day. The smartphone’s success was down to a unique convergence of technologies. And green energy will grow similarly. [BBC]

Smartphone (Getty Images)

¶ “Trump’s Failure To Save Coal Accompanied By Failure To Help Coal Workers Find New Careers” • I think it’s pretty clear that Donald Trump has not saved the US coal industry. And that’s also evident from the fact that he has hardly gone close to the topic in 2020. But also, he did not do anything to get new jobs for the coal mining workforce. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “It Is Time For WA To Stop Dragging Back Our Nation On Climate Change” • As Western Australia’s largest trading partners commit to carbon neutrality, so do its mining companies. Solar and wind are becoming the cheapest forms of energy in history. Renewable energy has benefits flowing, with an incredible wave of investment, innovation and jobs. [WAtoday]

Wind turbines in Western Australia

¶ “Using Less Energy Is the Most Renewable Energy There Is” • Pittsburgh, once a steel town, is very public about breaking free from its reputation. The city is wants to let go of its coal-powered industrial past and today’s fracked gas. In the absence of action to mitigate climate change, the city’s best hope may lie in grassroots organizing in neighborhoods. [Sierra Magazine]

¶ “The Pandemic And The Economy Top Voter Concerns, But There’s A Bigger Issue” • “We have done an incredible job environmentally,” President Trump said in the last presidential debate. That’s like Genghis Khan saying, “We’ve done really good work in Eurasia.” UCLA Professor Stephanie Pincetl has a more sober view of climate change. [Los Angeles Times]

Stephanie Pincetl (Francine Orr | Los Angeles Times)

World:

¶ “French Government Puts US Gas Imports on Ice” • A move by one of Europe’s largest energy companies shows both markets and governments are beginning factor methane emissions into business decisions. France’s Engie ended a commitment to a long-term $7 billion liquefied natural gas import contract with NextDecade Corp. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Renewable Energy Start-Up Working On Sustainable Solution Of Stubble Burning” • A renewable energy start-up, Verve, works on ways to convert stubble into a substantial source of income and energy for farmers in parts of India. In a video, co-founder and CEO Suvrat Khanna talked about a solution to a cause of severe pollution. [Yahoo India News]

Burning rice stubble (Greg Willis, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “North Korea’s Yongbyon Complex: Activity Picks Up” • Images of the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center taken by a commercial satellite on October 27 indicate increased activity on construction and repair from flood damage. Also, what appears to be smoke is observed coming from one of the buildings near the uranium enrichment plant. [38 North]

¶ “India’s NTPC Signs $482 Million Loan Agreement With Japan For Renewable Expansion” • India’s largest energy conglomerate NTPC Ltd has entered into a foreign currency loan agreement with the Japanese Government’s Japan Bank for International Co-operation. JBIC issued the ¥50 billion ($482 million) funding under the bank’s GREEN initiative. [Mercom India]

Coal-burning power plant

US:

¶ “Swing State Arizona Grapples With Deadly Heat” • Even with the pandemic and the economic catastrophe it triggered, polls find that Americans increasingly cite the climate emergency as a major concern. That’s especially true in regions like the Phoenix area, where the crisis is already having deadly effects. Climate change has become a voter issue. [The Guardian]

¶ “You Can Now Buy An Electric Motorcoach” • Lightning eMotors, which was previously called Lightning Systems, has been electrifying all manner of medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles for years, and now it’s doing so with motorcoaches. It is working with ABC Companies and ABC Companies will be the one selling the electric motorcoach. [CleanTechnica]

Electric motorcoach (Lightning eMotors)

¶ “This Energy Company Is Leading The Way To A Green Future” • NextEra Energy has more development projects in its renewable energy pipeline than the entire existing production capacity of any company in the world. Now, its management has its sights on the next frontier: The potentially massive green hydrogen market. [Motley Fool]

¶ “Biden Campaign Appeals To Sportsmen And Women With New Ad; Highlights Decline In Ruffed Grouse, Attacks Trump On Forest Service Budget Cuts” • One of Joe Biden’s new campaign ads clearly aims to appeal to a group of people who are largely Republicans. And it can point to multiple members of the GOP who endorse Biden. [The Dominion Post]

Ruffed grouse (West Virginia Department of Commerce)

¶ “REV2020 – Power To Renew” • The REV Conference has long been the leading renewable energy event in northern New England. On Nov 18 through Dec 9, Renewable Energy  Vermont will bring experts from across the renewable energy sector online for in-depth discussion of the policies and technology driving the energy transition. [Utility Dive]

¶ “Proposed Geothermal Plant Draws Fire In Nevada Desert Town” • Renewable energy power plants have their place, but not in Gerlach, Nevada, many residents say. Gerlach is about 100 miles north of Reno. The Gerlach Geothermal Development Project would add two new 24-mW power plants in an area about a mile out of town. [US News & World Report]

Have a gloriously fine day.

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Opinion:

¶ “How Joe Biden May Have Outmaneuvered Donald Trump On Energy, Climate, And The Economic Recovery” • President Trump thought he had hit the jackpot during the debate when his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, declared that he would “transition away from the oil industry.” His reaction points to a basic misunderstanding of the issue. [TIME]

Oil refinery (Patrick Hendry, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “New Satellites Can Pinpoint Methane Leaks To Help Us Beat Climate Change” • Dial down methane, and you’ll see results by the time Greta Thunberg can get a PhD. “Dramatically reducing or even zeroing industry CH₄ emissions should be a no-brainer,” says Gabrielle Pétron, a NOAA affiliate research scientist. New satellites can help with that. [Popular Science]

¶ “How Apple Tech Is Used In The Renewable Energy Industry” • During Apple’s Q4 earnings call, management mentioned iOS device deployment at Vestas. iPad and iPhone apps being used in manufacture and warehousing. Apple iPhone apps are being used by maintenance technicians in the field. They are even used by crane operators. [Computerworld]

Wind turbines (Anna Jiménez Calaf, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Minesto Advances Faroe Islands Tidal Kite” • Swedish marine energy developer Minesto is working to commission its DG100 tidal power project in the Faroe Islands, having verified the system’s most important operational functions. Minesto said it has also verified procedures for safely installing and recovering the power plant from the sea. [reNEWS]

¶ “Eco Wave Power Enters MOU Regarding Wave Energy Array In Vietnam” • Eco Wave Power announced that it had signed an agreement with MSMART Future Technology on development of a 50-MW wave energy array in Vietnam. After an in-depth feasibility study, the companies will work on a joint venture in Vietnam. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Wave energy array (Courtesy of Eco Wave Power)

¶ “Scots And UK governments Urged To Back BiFab” • Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown called on the Scottish and UK governments to work together to agree financial guarantees for fabricator BiFab to cover the supply of foundations to the 450-MW Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm. Brown said a failure to do so would be a “dereliction of duty.” [reNEWS]

¶ “Enel Commissions 140 MW Of South African Wind” • Enel Green Power has commissioned the 140-MW Nxuba wind farm in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa. Nxuba is one of five projects awarded to Enel Green Power South Africa in the fourth round of the country’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme. [reNEWS]

Wind turbines (Enel Green Power image)

US:

¶ “Chevrolet Electric Connect And Cruise Package To Debut At SEMA 360” • Do you have a great old car with a bad old engine? The performance people at Chevrolet see the value of engine swaps and created a whole new business unit called Connect and Cruise with its mission to make converting a gas-burner to EV as close to plug and play as possible. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Energy At Largest Air Force Base in US “Suddenly” Drops 35%” • The Commander-in-Chief has written off climate change, but the US Armed Services sure haven’t. In the latest development, the US Air Force is tooting its own horn for ripping the title of #1 energy consumer off the nameplate of the sprawling Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. [CleanTechnica]

Tinker Air Force Base (credit: Paul Shirk | US Air Force)

¶ “LS Power Announces Investment In Renewable Gas Projects” • LS Power announced a major investment in renewable natural gas projects as part of its new renewable fuels platform. It is partnering with The Landfill Group, LLC to develop and operate a portfolio of landfill gas-to-renewable natural gas projects across the US. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Shakeup For 720-MW Nuclear SMR Project As More Cities Withdraw Participation” • Eight cities have dropped shares in the Carbon Free Power Project, a 720-MWe NuScale Power small modular reactor project proposed by Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems. Four cities dropped the project despite a DOE promise of $1.4 billion in support. [POWER magazine]

Have a uniquely restorative day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Kids Get Parents To Buy Electric Cars” • Kids are quite often the reason their parents buy a Tesla. They are so enthusiastic about the cars that they strongly encourage their parents to go into a Tesla store, test drive a car, and then buy a car of course. What I didn’t realize is that kids are getting their parents to buy other electric cars as well. [CleanTechnica]

Peugeot sales kid (Image courtesy of Peugeot)

World:

¶ “Europeans Bought More Electrified Vehicles Than Diesels In September For The First Time In History” • In Europe, people bought more EVs, including hybrids, than diesel vehicles in September, according to JATO Dynamics. JATO noted that new car sales dropped by 29% during the first 9 months of 2020 in Europe, and diesels were hit hard. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Bushfire Inquiry Says Australia Must Prepare For ‘Alarming Outlook'” • Australia must prepare for an “alarming” future of simultaneous and worsening natural disasters, says a long-awaited report into the country’s bushfires. A royal commission inquiry examined Australia’s Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20, along wiith other disasters. [BBC]

Observing a bushfire (Lucy Baranowski)

¶ “Renewables Dominate As Demand Shows Strong Recovery Across Europe” • In Europe, with demand increasing, renewable power was the largest source of electricity generation for the sixth quarter in a row. Renewables provided 40.3% of the total electricity generated in Q3 while fossil fuels produced 35.2% and nuclear 24.4%. [Power Engineering International]

¶ “Fully Electrifying Delivery Vehicles: Insights from Shenzhen” • To help find air pollution solutions, Rocky Mountain Institute is working in the City of Shenzhen, a world leader in the adoption of EVs. It has evaluated the policies and market dynamics that have led to the adoption of more than 70,000 electric logistics vehicles in the city. [CleanTechnica]

BYD electric buses in Shenzhen (Kyle Field | CleanTechnica)

¶ “World’s Biggest Power Producer Buys $750 Million Wind Project In NSW” • Engie, the world’s biggest independent power producer, is reviving its push into the Australia renewable energy market with the purchase of development rights to the Hills of Gold wind project in northern New South Wales. The wind farm will have a capacity of 420 MW. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “Vattenfall To Start Klaverspoor Build” • Next month, Swedish developer Vattenfall will start building its 34-MW Klaverspoor wind farm in the Netherlands. The €45m project is one of five to be built along the country’s A16 motorway. The project was given the green light to proceed in July after a legal challenge against the development was overturned. [reNEWS]

Nordex wind turbine (Nordex image)

US:

¶ “Zeta Leaves Over 2.1 Million Customers Without Power” • At least six people have died and more than 2.1 million customers are without power after former Hurricane Zeta hit the Gulf Coast and rushed inland. Zeta made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2 storm before weakening to a post-tropical cyclone. It is the 27th storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. [CNN]

¶ “Trump Fires NOAA’s Chief Scientist In Fear Of 5th National Climate Assessment” • Craig McLean, NOAA’s chief scientist, has been forced out from the position by Erik Noble, a former White House policy adviser who had just been appointed NOAA’s chief of staff. At issue was NOAA policy banning manipulating research or presenting ideologically driven findings. [CleanTechnica]

Wildfire at Glacier National Park (NOAA image, public domain)

¶ “Tesla Expanding Into Solar Microgrids And Virtual Power Plants” • Elon Musk says he expects Tesla’s energy business will one day be equal to or exceed its automotive business. That day may be some time in the future but the company is certainly expanding its solar and battery operations rapidly, both for grid scale and residential applications. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Developer Greenlights 250-MW Texas Solar” • North American developer Skyline Renewables, backed by investment house Ardian, is to finance and manage the construction of a 250-MW solar project in Central West Texas. The Galloway solar project, acquired from 8minute Solar Energy, is scheduled for operation by end of 2021. [reNEWS]

Solar panels (Image: APPA | Unsplash)

¶ “Three US States Form Offshore Alliance” • The governors of Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia are making their states a hub for the offshore wind industry. They formed the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Regional Transformative Partnership for Offshore Wind Energy Resources (Smart-Power), to advance offshore wind projects in the region. [reNEWS]

¶ “America Wind Toasts Record Breaking Third Quarter” • The US wind industry installed nearly 2 GW of capacity in the third quarter of 2020, setting a record for third-quarter additions and bringing total capacity to nearly 112 GW, the American Wind Energy Association reported. Installations in 2020 so far are up 72% on the first nine months of 2019. [reNEWS]

Wind turbines (AWEA image)

¶ “Arizona Power Must Come From 100% Carbon-Free Sources By 2050, Regulators Decide” • Arizona utility regulators, in a split vote, approved a plan for utilities to get all of their energy from carbon-free sources like solar and nuclear energy by 2050. The state’s electric utilities are to get half their power from renewable energyin 2035. [AZCentral.com]

¶ “Nearly 30 US States See Renewables Generate More Power Than Either Coal Or Nuclear” • Renewables generated 20.8% of US electricity during the first eight months of 2020, ahead of 19.4% from nuclear and 18.4% from coal. Nearly 30 US states have seen renewable energy resources generate more electricity than either coal or nuclear in that time. [Energy Live News]

Have an enchantingly beautiful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Memo To Trump, Biden And Political Pundits: Texas Is Not All About Oil And Gas Anymore” • When people think of Texas, they often picture “Big Oil.” But from demographics and politics to economics and culture, Texas is changing. If you think it’s still all about oil, you don’t know Texas. Increasingly, renewable energy has an important presence in the state. [USA TODAY]

Wind farm in Texas (Leaflet, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Tremendously Cheap Solar, Wind, And Batteries Are To Transform Society, RethinkX Forecasts” • The ongoing theme in the energy industry is a sharp drop in solar power, wind power, and battery prices. But we ain’t seen nothin’ yet, according to RethinkX. And cheap clean energy doesn’t just mean somewhat lower costs. It means disruption. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Investing In Nuclear Energy Over Renewable Source May Be Wrong: Here’s Why” • To the casual observer, nuclear power and renewables might appear to be equally desirable for cutting CO₂ emissions. But in fact, there are major differences. A recent paper in Nature Energy suggests that nuclear power is less effective than renewable energy. [Business Standard]

Hope Creek nuclear plant (Peretzp, Wikimedia Commons)

World:

¶ “South Australia Got 100% Of Its Electricity From Solar For One Hour” • People used to think solar PVs could not provide more than 5% of our electricity. Now, South Australia gets more than 20% of its electricity from rooftop systems, and nearly 70% from all types of wind and solar. For one hour this month, 100% of its electricity came from solar PVs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “China’s Forest Carbon Uptake Underestimated” • China’s aggressive policy of planting trees is likely playing a significant role in tempering its climate impacts. An international team identified two areas where the scale of CO₂ absorption by new forests was underestimated. They account for a little over 35% of China’s entire land carbon “sink”, the team says. [BBC]

Logs in China (SPL image)

¶ “The UK Is Spending 32 Times More On Fossil Fuels Than On Renewables: New Report” • The UK government is squandering an opportunity to move towards a zero carbon future by putting billions of stimulus cash into fossil fuels and all but neglecting renewable energy, according to a major report from the Finnish power firm Wärtsilä Energy. [Forbes]

¶ “Global Financial Institutions Plan For Major Oil And Gas Lending Exits” • Financial institutions have begun restricting oil and gas funding. A report by the Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis says over 100 globally significant financial institutions have announced their divestment from coal, and 50 are limiting funding for oil and gas. [CleanTechnica]

Oil sands (NOAA image)

¶ “Bunnings Targets 100% Renewable Energy By 2025” • The Australian hardware and DIY product supplier, Bunnings, has pledged to power its stores with 100% renewable energy by 2025, as the Wesfarmers-owned retailer ramps up energy efficiencies. Nonprofits such as Greenpeace Australia have welcomed the news and praised the company. [ChannelNews]

¶ “Danish Solar Giant Gets Greenlight” • European Energy is to start construction of a 300-MW solar farm in Denmark. It will be the biggest facility of its kind in Northern Europe. Construction is expected to proceed in early 2021 and grid connection should take place before the end of that year. The facility will be located close to planned future data centers. [reNEWS]

Renewable energy (European Energy image)

US:

¶ “Cleantech Creates Higher Paying Jobs – Millions Of Them” • One of the really great side benefits of climate action is that it creates a lot of well paying jobs. But how many jobs? And how well do they pay? E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), the American Council on Renewable Energy, and the Clean Energy Leadership Institute have some answers. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Third Hurricane Hitting Louisiana, Fifth Major Storm, Seventh Evacuation – As Election Day Nears” • In Louisiana, it’s another day, another hurricane. Now, it’s Zeta, bringing mostly rain to my neighborhood but much more damage to the New Orleans area. Tuesday is Election Day and hurricanes tend to knock out power for weeks. [CleanTechnica]

Hurricane Zeta (Reshaud, via Twitter)

¶ “USA Rare Earth Commits To A 100% Renewable Energy Plan For Round Top Mountain Project” • USA Rare Earth LLC will use the excellent solar resources of  West Texas in its committed plan to power its operations at its Round Top Heavy Rare Earth & Critical Mineral Project in Hudspeth County, Texas with 100% renewable energy. [Energy and Mines]

¶ “Iowa’s Largest Solar Power Plant Nearly Finished” • Iowa is getting its largest solar power park to date. Renewable energy company Clēnera and RES (Renewable Energy Systems) teamed up on the 127.5-MW Wapello Solar project. It will make enough electricity for about 45,000 homes. The electricity will be sold to the Central Iowa Power Cooperative. [CleanTechnica]

Building a PV array (Photo courtesy of Clēnera)

¶ “Ørsted Starts Construction Of 298-MW Nebraska Wind Project” • Ørsted is expanding its presence in the Southwest Power Pool by acquiring the 298-MW Haystack Wind project in Wayne County, Nebraska. Situated adjacent to Ørsted’s 230-MW Plum Creek wind farm, Haystack will connect to the existing SPP North system. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “New Report Shows ‘Explosive Growth’ of Renewable Energy Technologies Across the US” • Compared to 2010, in 2019 the US produced 30 times as much solar power and over three as much the wind energy, and it had 20 times as much utility scale battery storage, a report from the Environment New Jersey Research & Policy Center shows. [Environment + Energy Leader]

Have a tranfiguratively pleasant day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Fraunhofer To Develop Battery Inverter For Whole-Area UPS And Renewables Integration” • Fraunhofer and its industrial and academic partners are developing a battery inverter that can be grid connected under normal operation but can use renewables generators within its area to form an island grid, for whole-area uninterrupted power supply. [pv magazine Australia]

Renewable energy (Image: Kenueone | wikimedia)

¶ “Trapping Light Inside Solar Cells Can Boost Solar Panel Output By 125%” • Researchers at the University of York, working with the NOVA University of Lisbon, say they found a way to boost solar cell output by up to 125%. The research permits use of much thinner slices of PV silicon to produce the same amount of electricity as the thicker PVs used today. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Tel Aviv-Yafo Will Charge Electric Buses Invisibly From The Road” • Wireless electric vehicle keeps improving, and all of the concerns about efficiency and may drift away. The city of Tel Aviv-Yafo partnered with ElectReon and Dan Bus Company to implement an “electric road” pilot project. It will charge buses along 600 meters of a 2 km road. [CleanTechnica]

Wireless construction (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality image, cropped)

¶ “Tesla Megapack Batteries Coming To New South Wales” • New South Wales has begun embracing renewable energy in a big way, having recently introduced two renewable energy zones, one north of Sydney and another to the west of it. The first of the state’s big batteries is scheduled to be installed at the Wallgrove substation in western Sydney. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “London’s Mayor Takes On Heavy Vehicle Scrappage To Fight Air Pollution” • The mayor of London is launching a heavy vehicle scrappage scheme to help reduce air pollution. It will give out grants of £15,000 to scrap a heavy vehicles and replace them with a compliant vehicles or to retrofit diesel vehicles up to the class’s Euro VI standards. [CleanTechnica]

Volta Zero delivery truck (Courtesy of Volta Zero)

¶ “Greenpeace Welcomes Philippine Moratorium On New Coal Plants, Urges Transition To Renewable Energy” • Greenpeace welcomed a Philippine moratorium on new coal plants but said it will only go well if the country transitions to renewable energy. A Greenpeace report shows the country can easily get 50% of its power from the sun and wind by 2030. [Manila Bulletin]

¶ “Global Offshore Wind Pipeline Has Grown 47% Since January” • The total pipeline of global offshore wind projects has grown by 47% since January despite the Covid-19 pandemic, according the latest RenewableUK report. Just over half of the pipeline is in Europe (99.6 GW). The UK retains its top spot with a pipeline of 41.3 GW, up 12% since January. [reNEWS]

Wind power on the ocean (Mark König, Unsplash)

¶ “South Korea Vows To Go Carbon Neutral By 2050 To Fight Climate Emergency” • South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, has declared that the country will achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, bringing it into line with other major economies. He vowed to end its dependence on coal and replace it with renewables as part of its Green New Deal. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ “Three Tidal Turbines
 Pop Into New York City’s East River” • Marine energy company Verdant Power has plopped three tidal power turbines into New York City’s East River on one array. The Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project is the first US-licensed tidal power project. The project is a demonstration, and more turbines are on the way. [CleanTechnica]

Turbine installation (Verdant Power image)

¶ “How To Go Solar At Your School – Solar Schools Report Published” • Generation180 published a new edition of its report on solar in US schools. It includes “new data and trends on solar uptake at schools nationwide, how schools are saving millions in energy bills (with little-to-no upfront investment), and a national ranking of all states for solar on schools.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Army Gets $7.2 Million For 5 To 10 Year Plan For Better Energy Storage” • In its latest effort to tackle the energy storage problem, the Army announced that the University of Maryland has won $7.2 million in Army funding to lead a new alliance aimed at leaping over the hurdles in the way of next-generation rechargeable batteries. [CleanTechnica]

US soldiers in the field (Credit: Sgt Effie Mahugh)

¶ “Rhode Island Requests Proposals For 600 MW Of Offshore Wind Energy” • Rhode Island Gov Gina M Raimondo announced a competitive request for proposals to procure up to 600 MW of offshore wind energy. The request is in line with an executive order putting Rhode Island on a path toward 100% renewable electricity by 2030. [Windpower Engineering]

¶ “Scout Completes 130-MW Indiana Wind Project” • Scout Clean Energy has completed construction and closed tax equity funding on a 130-MW wind farm in Indiana. The Bitter Ridge wind farm uses GE 2.82-MW wind turbines. The project will bring Scout’s operational portfolio of onshore wind energy generation to 843 MW. [reNEWS]

GE wind turbines (GE image)

¶ “MBTA Switches To 100% Renewable Energy Starting Jan 1” • The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has signed a contract to switch its electricity supply to 100% renewable energy starting January 1. The move will save an estimated $3.5 million dollars annually at a time the agency faces large budget cuts from Covid-19 ridership dips. [Cambridge Day]

¶ “NuScale Faces Questions On Nuclear Reactor Safety And Financing Its First Project” • NuScale Power wants to build the first US small modular nuclear reactor complex by decade’s end and has recent federal safety approvals. But its reactor design faces significant safety questions that were not resolved by an NRC review completed in August. [Greentech Media]

Have a sensationally gratifying day.

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Opinion:

¶ “We Must Protect Coral Reefs With Conservation Innovation And Technology” • The coral reefs are dying, and they’re the world’s first ecosystems to become extinct because of human action. Conservation innovation and technology alone cannot save reefs, but over half a billion people depend on them for food, income, and protection. [CleanTechnica]

Coral (Image provided by Dr Brian LaPointe, FAU Harbor Branch)

¶ “Who Knows How To Get To Net Zero Emissions? Joe Biden Does.” • During an interview, Joe Biden said that global heating constitutes an existential threat to humanity. “It will bake the planet,” he said. That is diametrically opposed to the namby pamby drivel leaking from the lips of the incumbent and his weak kneed followers. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Elon Musk: Tiny Bit Of Sun’s Energy Could Power The World” • Elon Musk, a longtime solar power fan, responded to the IEA’s news that solar power is the cheapest energy source with a tweet about “that free fusion reactor in the sky,” and its ample energy. He said, “We just need to catch an extremely tiny amount of it to power all of civilization.” [CleanTechnica]

Tesla powered by Tesla PVs (Image by Tesla)

World:

¶ “Toyota Brings The Hydrogen Fuel Cell To The Marine Industry” • Toyota is continuing its lonely crusade to make the oft-promised hydrogen future happen, this time expanding from trucks, cars, and Popemobiles into more … “liquid” arenas. And by that, I mean that Toyota is developing a hydrogen fuel cell for marine applications. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Thailand Gets Fleet Of Electric Ferries To Help Clean Up Bangkok” • With an electric powertrain developed by the electric marine experts at Danfoss Editron, 27 zero-emission passenger ferries will soon replace a hodgepodge of old diesels in Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River. It is part of an exploratory bid to improve air quality and clean up the water supply. [CleanTechnica]

Danfoss catamaran ferry (Danfoss image)

¶ “Rockefeller Launches ‘Catalytic’ $1 Billion Clean-Energy-Powered Covid Recovery Fund” • The Rockefeller Foundation committed $1 billion to a three-year plan to drive investment in a global grid-scale renewable energy build-out. It is to accelerate access to electricity in developing nations as the world emerges from the coronavirus pandemic. [Recharge]

¶ “‘Dangerous And Dirty’ Used Cars Sold To Africa” • Millions of polluting used cars from rich countries are being “dumped” on developing nations, a UN report says. Four out of five went to poorer countries, with more than half going to Africa. And up to 80% failed to meet the minimum safety and environmental standards in exporting countries. [BBC]

Traffic jam in Lagos (Getty Images)

¶ “Germany To Remain Key IAEA Member After Nuclear Power Exit” • Germany is demonstrating continued strong support for the International Atomic Energy Agency’s mission to foster global peace and development even as the country is shutting down its nuclear power plants, according to IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. [Mirage News]

US:

¶ “Silverado Wildfire Rages In California” • A wildfire has forced evacuation orders for 100,000 people in southern California. The Silverado Fire broke out just before sunrise on Monday in Orange County, south of Los Angeles. By late afternoon, the blaze had burned about 7,200 acres (2,915 hectares), California’s fire agency reported. [BBC]

Fire fighters (Reuters image)

¶ “Trump Administration Buries Dozens Of Clean Energy Studies” • The DOE has blocked reports for over 40 clean energy studies. It replaced them with mere presentations, buried them in scientific journals that the public cannot access, or left them paralyzed within the agency, according to emails and documents obtained by InvestigateWest. [InvestigateWest]

¶ “Nordex Scoops 240-MW Texas Turbine Deal” • Nordex has won a turbine order for a 240-MW wind farm in Texas, its first US agreement for the Delta4000 series. The manufacturer will supply 50 N155/4.X turbines, operating with a rated power of 4.8 MW. The machines will be installed in 2021 at the undisclosed wind project for an unnamed client. [reNEWS]

Nordex turbine (Nordex image)

¶ “Big Oil May Make US Taxpayers Take Care Of Its Orphaned Oil And Gas Wells” • A report by Carbon Tracker says the US has 2.6 million unplugged onshore oil and gas wells, with possibly 1.2 million more undocumented. Oil and gas companies have a legal obligation to plug the wells, but they haven’t set aside resources to do so, and many are going broke. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “GM And Ford Knew About Climate Change 50 Years Ago” • Scientists at General Motors and Ford Motor Co knew as early as the 1960s that car emissions caused climate change, research by E&E News found. The car company’s discoveries were followed by decades of political lobbying by GM and Ford to undermine attempts to reduce emissions. [E&E News]

1969 Corvette Stingray (SG2012, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Key Player In War On Climate Change? The Pentagon” • The Department of Defense has both a critical role to play and a strong interest in the war on climate change. Higher storm surges, heat waves, and fires are already affecting operations. The military will have more frequent disaster relief missions along with more conflict and wars. [CNN]

¶ “US DOE And DOT Work On Improving Public Transportation Projects Using Data And Technology” • Recently, the US DOE announced project selections for $130 million in advanced vehicle technologies research. Included in the announcement were three transit-centric projects co-funded with  the US Department of Transportation. [CleanTechnica]

Have an intensely easy day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Tesla Bears Prove Easy Q3 Math Is Hard” • Congrats to Elon and the workers at Tesla for a record setting Q3, by almost every measure. I’ll cover some of the financial highlights, but first, a royal roasting of Tesla bears is in order. Many of them say that regulatory credits are the sole reason for Tesla’s profit. But they ignore the facts. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model Y die casting at Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai

¶ “Solar Power Is The Cheapest Electricity In History” • The International Energy Agency has a long history in fossil fuels. It is not the first, second, or third organization that would come to mind when thinking of renewable energy bulls or fans. However, its latest report indicates that solar power is now the “cheapest electricity in history.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tesla’s One Core Advantage” • “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That’s a maxim that I imagine could get you fired from Tesla. Tesla is constantly focused on “fixing” what is working fine but not working as well as it could be. Tesla constantly takes working products and systems apart, whittle them down to their core, and build them up again better.  [CleanTechnica]

Tesla dashboard (CleanTechnica image)

¶ “As Trump Dismisses Renewables, Energy Sector Doubles Down” • In the debate, President Trump argued that renewable energy is too expensive, wouldn’t power up America’s factories, and is bad for birds. This view is not just seriously outdated, it flies in the face of capital flows in the energy sector. Renewables are rising; fossil fuels and nuclear are in decline. [Forbes]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Batteries Made With … Vanilla?” • There’s a new type of battery storage technology that has an interesting spice added into the mix – vanillin, which is the primary component of the extract of the vanilla bean. Researchers at TU Graz have found a way to convert vanillin into a redox-active electrolyte material for liquid batteries. [CleanTechnica]

TU Graz researcher Stefan Spirk (© Lunghammer | TU Graz)

World:

¶ “UK Developing New Renewable Energy Plans” • A new startup, Power Potential, is a UK government-launched parastatal that is a brainchild of the United Kingdom Power Networks teaming up with the National Grid Electricity System Operator. They created it to regulate renewable energy and facilitate distribution across the user base. [Cheshire Media]

¶ “Air Pollution A Major Driver of Ill Health Worldwide” • Air pollution is now the world’s fourth-leading risk factor for early death according the latest “State of Global Air Report.” The report comes annually from the Health Effects Institute and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation to sum up current scientific understanding. [CleanTechnica]

Canyon Creek fire, 2015 (Oregon Department of Forestry)

¶ “Japan To Set 2050 Net Zero Target” • Japan is to set a new 2050 net zero target, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said in his first policy speech to the Japanese Diet. The goal is an increase on a previous target of 80% emissions reductions by 2050. He said, “Responding to climate change is no longer a constraint on economic growth.” [reNEWS]

Australia:

¶ “Energy Experts Back SA Renewable Target” • After the South Australian government published ‘Building on our Strengths – South Australia’s Energy and Mining Strategy,’ recommitting to a 100% net renewable target by 2030, energy experts backed the State Government’s target. But they are divided on whether such a goal can be achieved nationally. [InDaily]

Wind farm in SA (Tim phillips photos, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “CEP.Energy’s $1 Billion C&I Rooftop Rollout” • Within five years, CEP.Energy plans to have 1.5 GW of solar and 1 GW of battery energy storage, providing constant low-cost energy for tenants of ten property-portfolio partners via microgrids and virtual power plants distributed across commercial and industrial rooftops in Australia. [pv magazine Australia]

¶ “Neoen Completes 460-MW Solar Financing” • Neoen has completed financial close on the 460-MW Western Downs Green Power Hub in Southwest Queensland. Total project costs will amount to approximately A$600 million ($427 million). Western Downs will be the largest solar farm in Australia and entirely owned by Neoen, the company said. [reNEWS]

Neoen solar array (Neoen image)

US:

¶ “Tropical Storm Zeta Forms, Could Reach US Gulf Coast By Midweek” • A tropical depression east of Mexico strengthened into Tropical Storm Zeta and could reach the US Gulf Coast by midweek. Zeta could be at or near hurricane strength when it approaches the northern Gulf Coast on Wednesday. It will be this year’s fifth named storm to impact Louisiana. [CNN]

¶ “Study: Climate Change Could Interrupt Yellowstone Geysers” • A team of scientists and storytellers will create murals to help Yellowstone National Park’s visitors understand what the park will look like late this century. They will show less forest, more meadow, new species, and an Old Faithful that may be dormant due to climate change. [Casper Star-Tribune Online]

Old Faithful (Jacob W Frank, NPS, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Renewables And Energy Storage Are Surging In Red States” • The two largest US coal-producing states, Wyoming and West Virginia, have emerged as leaders in renewable energy and energy storage, respectively, says Environment America’s report, “Renewables on the Rise 2020.” By one metric, seven “Red” states are among the top ten for wind and solar. [Forbes]

¶ “Oregon Wildfires: Is Climate Change The Culprit?” • This summer, many Oregonians lost their homes, neighborhoods, and lives as fires overtook the state. The question on everyone’s mind is why? Erica Fleishman, a professor at OSU’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, says climate change is partially to blame. [The Corvallis Advocate]

Have an instructively gorgeous day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Biden Argues For Move To Renewable Energy; AM Stands At The Ready” • Joe Biden has endorsed renewable energy, arguing for a move away from fossil fuels while adopting wind and solar power. Such a policy would mean renewable energy companies will ramp up production. And that would mean more work in additive manufacturing. [3DPMN]

Wind turbines (Alex Eckermann, Unsplash)

¶ “The Bright Future Of Renewable Energy In The Middle East” • Thousands of oil rigs and refineries dot the Middle East’s desert landscape, each promising prosperity. Yet poverty and violence have long plagued the region. Surprisingly, the Middle East’s oil resources and its woes are linked. Renewable energy offers a green solution. [Borgen Project]

¶ “War On NOAA? A Climate Denier’s Arrival Raises Fears The Agency’s Climate Mission Is Under Attack” • Even as the Trump administration has denied climate change, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration continued to press on with its work measuring the breadth and pace of the climate crisis. David Legates could try to change that. [InsideClimate News]

NOAA ship Fairweather (NOAA image via Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Climate Change: Technology No Silver Bullet, Experts Tell PM” • Can we trust the silver bullet of technology to fix climate change? The UK’s prime minister seems to think so. Soon, he is expected to pledge his faith in offshore wind power, solar, carbon capture, hydrogen, clean cars, and zero-emission aviation. But experts say we will need deeper action. [BBC News]

¶ “Transition One Will Convert Your Old Gasmobile To Electric Power In About 4 Hours” • If you own a conventional car but want an EV, your choices are to convert it to electric, or buy an EV. Now, if you live in France, there’s a third way. Transition One can replace your car’s internal combustion drive train with an electric system in about four hours. [CleanTechnica]

Conversion car (Transition One image)

¶ “Kenya’s Nuclear Energy Project Spills Over 2030” • Kenya’s plan to have a nuclear power plant will now wait beyond the original 2030 timeline. The Nuclear Power and Energy Agency says lengthy compliance procedures needed before setting up a nuclear power plant will only be ready in 2035, pushing the nuclear dream further away. [AllAfrica.com]

¶ “Oil-Rich UAE Turning To Coal-Fired Power” • A new wonder is rising in the southern desert of Dubai against the backdrop of Persian Gulf beaches. It is the $3.4 billion Hassyan coal-burning power plant. Dubai saw a desperate need for electricity, and China made an offer it could not refuse. Would it start building the plant today? Probably not. [Arkansas Online]

Building the Hassyan power plant 
(Kamran Jebreili | AP)

¶ “Contaminated Water From Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Could Affect Human Dna If Released: Greenpeace” • The environmental rights organization Greenpeace warned that if contaminated water stored at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan is released into the ocean, it could potentially harm human DNA. [The Hill]

US:

¶ “US Renewable Energy Lab Energizes Remote Communities” • In California, American Indian reservations risk being “islanded” from the larger electricity grid when wildfires break transmission lines. Many other sorts of communities have reasons to look to their own power supplies. The National Renewable Energy Lab can help meet that need. [Environment News Service]

Red Salmon Wildfire (InciWeb courtesy image)

¶ “Joe Biden Calls Climate Change The ‘Number One Issue Facing Humanity’” • In an interview by Dan Pfeiffer, Joe Biden declared, “Climate change is the existential threat to humanity,” the former vice president said. “Unchecked, it is going to actually bake this planet. This is not hyperbole. It’s real.” And Joe Biden has a plan to deal with it. [CNBC]

¶ “Tesla’s Piedmont Lithium Deal Stimulates More Investment” • Earlier this month, Tesla and Piedmont Lithium signed a five-year agreement. In this agreement, Tesla will buy spodumene concentrate, which is vital for making lithium-ion batteries. And with that, Piedmont set out to sell shares to raise money for mining in the US. [CleanTechnica]

Have tremendously successful day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Battery Recycling Researchers Develop New Electrochemical Process” •  To keep hazardous materials from entering the waste stream when EVs are producted and when batteries are retired, it is essential that batteries be recycled. Idaho National Laboratory aims to make recycling old lithium-ion batteries easier, more efficient, and potentially greener. [CleanTechnica]

INL laboratory (Idaho National Laboratory image)

¶ “Oil-Killing Bioeconomy Plan Catches Trump Administration Napping” • The US oil and gas industry boomed under Obama, and now, thanks partly to the Trump administration’s failure to keep the clean power revolution in check, it’s going bust. It’s not getting better: “Everything derived from oil, for example, can also be fashioned from wood.” [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Fiat New 500 Specs And Pricing Revealed” • The Fiat New 500 EV looks a lot like older models. But the latest entry features an all new EV chassis that allows it to be small on the outside with plenty of room on the inside with improved performance. Fiat says the price of the New 500 Action in the UK after incentives will be a tick under £20,000. [CleanTechnica]

Fiat New 500 (Image courtesy of Fiat)

¶ “Sunseap Leads Consortium For Singapore’s First Utility-Scale ESS” • Sunseap Group said it is leading a consortium comprising Nanyang Technological University and Wärtsilä, which provides technologies and solutions for the energy and marine markets worldwide, to participate in a test-bed for a utility-scale energy storage system. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Renewable Energy To Power 2024 Olympic Aquatic Center” • The architectural team of VenhoevenCS and Ateliers 2/3/4/ have revealed plans for a timber aquatic center in Paris. The aquatic center will use a smart energy system to provide 90% of needed energy from recovered or renewable energy sources for the 2024 Olympics. [Inhabitat]

Aquatics Centre by VenhoevenCS & Ateliers 2/3/4/

¶ “Shell Hires Ørsted’s Brostrom” • Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell has hired former Ørsted US offshore wind chief executive Thomas Brostrom as a senior vice president of global renewable solutions, a Shell spokesperson has confirmed. Brostrom will be relocating to Europe for a renewable energy leadership role with the global energy company. [reNEWS]

¶ “Global Shipping’s UN Climate Talks Fail Amid Threats Of A Walkout” • After a week of talks, delegates at the International Maritime Organization failed to agree to targets that would meet the Paris Agreement, as they had originally agreed to do in 2018, a deal the shipping industry hailed as ‘historic’ and which 100 countries had voted on. [Forbes]

Ship under construction (Getty Images)

¶ “Over 8 GW Of UK Renewable Energy Capacity Currently In Construction: BEIS” • There are 8.055 GW of renewable energy projects in construction in the UK, according to data published by the Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy on October 23. Of the 8 GW in construction, 6.117 GW related to offshore wind capacity. [S&P Global]

US:

¶ “Trump Seizes On Oil As A Cudgel Against Biden As New Coronavirus Cases Hit Daily Record” • As the US recorded the highest single day of new Covid-19 cases, Donald Trump looked to distract us by seizing on Joe Biden’s comment in Thursday night’s debate that America should shift its reliance on oil toward greater renewable energy use. [CNN]

Debate with Covid-19 data (screenshot of CNN broadcast)

¶ “ExxonMobil Claims It’s Shifting On Climate, But Still Funding Climate Science Deniers” • ExxonMobil now agrees that “the risk of climate change is real” and says it is “committed to being part of the solution,” at least according to the company’s website and statements. But the company’s grantmaking report shows it is  commited to climate denial. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Walmart Has A Grand Plan To Help Suppliers Club Together To Buy Green Energy” • Walmart has now made plans to become a “regenerative” company, it announced online at Climate Week NYC. Its environmental goals focus on decarbonization. It is now extending some buying power to its suppliers, who will be able to group together to buy renewable energy. [CNBC]

Roof of a Walmart store in California (Walmart image)

¶ “Vistra Selects First Solar For 869 MW Of Solar Panels” • Texas-based Vistra, an integrated retail electricity and power generation company, plans to build six utility-scale solar power plants across Texas. It will buy the solar modules for  these power plants from Arizona-based First Solar. The order is for a whopping 869 MW (DC) of power capacity. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Choctaw Nation Invests In Renewable Energy” • The Choctaw Nation is now powering some of its homes with solar energy. OG&E started construction of two solar farms in Southeastern Oklahoma in February of this year. This week, they were online and fully operational for 4,600 customers, and households are already saving money. [KOSU]

Choctaw Nation solar farm (Image provided)

¶ “Renewable Energy At Center Of Race For Arizona Utility Board” • The little-watched race for control of Arizona’s utility regulatory commission could have big implications for power rates and the future of renewable energy. Democrats now have a shot at wresting control of the commission, which is currently controlled 4-1 by Republicans. [Your Valley]

¶ “Progress Slips Again At Vogtle Nuclear Plant” • Georgia Power has fallen months further behind on critical steps to start the first of two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle, despite having last revised its schedule only three months ago. The Vogtle project already is years behind schedule, and it is billions of dollars over budget. [Atlanta Journal Constitution]

Have an especially lovely day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “SAE International Publishes Two New Documents Enabling Commercialization of Wireless Charging for Electric Vehicles” • SAE International announced publication of two documents to enable a safe and efficient method for transferring power from a charging station to an EV. Wireless charging is done through a magnetic field. [CleanTechnica]

Charging pad (Courtesy of SAE International)

¶ “New Technologies Can Help Lower Carbon Emissions” • We will need new technologies to preserve the Earth as a place where those who come after us can thrive. Fortunately, those new ideas and technologies abound. Here are two of them. One would use ocean water to cool cities, and the other is a novel way to capture and sequester carbon. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “UBS Predicts EV Price Parity In 2024” • UBS analyst Tim Bush recently told The Guardian, “There are not many reasons left to buy an ICE car after 2025.” The key factor will be the reduction of battery prices below $100/kWh, which Bush expects to happen in 2022. And the price premium for a car powered by a battery will disappear completely by 2024. [CleanTechnica]

Charging a Honda (Courtesy of Honda)

¶ “Mizoram Invites Bids For Short-Term Sale Of Surplus Non-Solar Renewable Power” • The Power and Electricity Department of Mizoram, a state in northeastern India, issued a notice inviting bids for the short-term sale of the state electricity department’s surplus non-solar renewable power generated between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021. [Mercom India]

¶ “GE Turns Up Haliade-X Prototype To 13 MW” • GE Renewable Energy has begun operations of its Haliade-X turbine prototype optimised with a 13 MW power output. In the coming months the prototype will undergo a series of tests to perform different types of measurements and obtain its type certificate in the coming months. [reNEWS]

Wind turbine (GE Renewable Energy image)

Australia:

¶ “Huge $50 Billion Pilbara Green Hydrogen Hub Granted Major Project Status” • A plan to build a massive renewable energy hydrogen project of up to 26 GW of wind and solar capacity in Western Australia’s Pilbara region is set to enjoy a fast-tracked approvals process, after securing ‘major project status’ from the federal government. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “Gas-Fuelled Energy Ambitions A ‘Risk To Taxpayers And Renewables’, Experts Warn” • Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s push for 1000 MW of new gas-fired capacity to Australia’s main energy grid could depress battery technology investment, inhibit clean energy, and risk financial losses for the taxpayer-supported Snowy Hydro scheme. [The Sydney Morning Herald]

Gas infrastructure (Krisztian Bocsi | Bloomberg)

¶ “NSW To Get A New Big Battery As Renewable Power Surges” • A battery worth $62 million is being installed in western Sydney as governments work with industry to help stabilise the grid as the share of renewable energy grows. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency will contribute $11.5 million to the battery, which is to be built by Tesla. [The Sydney Morning Herald]

US:

¶ “‘Pipe Dream That Kills Birds’ Or ‘Good-Paying Jobs’: Trump And Biden Clash Over Wind” • The policy chasm on renewable energy between Donald Trump and Joe Biden was clear, as the President labelled wind turbines “a pipe dream” that cause more emissions than gas, while Biden hailed the sector as America’s fastest-growing source of jobs. [Recharge]

Wind turbines in Wyoming (CGP Grey, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “UC System To Build Biomethane Plant, Solar Array For Renewable Energy” • The University of California system has partnered with two energy companies to build a solar array and a biomethane plant to help bring it closer to its carbon neutrality goal by 2025. The two are expected to reduce the UC system’s emissions by about 5%. [Daily Californian]

¶ “New Jersey: Need 100% Electric Car Sales By 2035” • New Jersey, the 11th most populated state in the country, isn’t quite ready to announce a plan to ban sales as California has done, but it also says that 100% of the state’s new car sales need to be electric by 2035, according to the state’s Global Warming Response Act 80×50 Report. [CleanTechnica]

States allowing charging stations at
multi-unit housing (PlugInSites via Twitter)

¶ “New Jersey’s Plan To Cut Global Warming Emissions 80% By 2050” • New Jersey’s Global Warming Response Act 80×50 Report starts with a focus on transportation, because that is the sector with the greatest greenhouse gas emissions. But it goes into action on the other sectors as well, presenting a set of strategies across seven emission sectors. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “NextEra Energy: Renewables Powering Q3 Growth” • NextEra Energy and its affiliate NextEra Energy Partners have announced Q3 results and delivered guidance. The common thread for both companies is they ignited robust underlying earnings growth by deploying new renewable energy generating capacity, despite pandemic-related pressures. [Forbes]

Wind farm in California (Getty Images)

¶ “NextEra Announces Record Renewables, World’s Largest Battery” • The competitive wholesale power unit of NextEra Energy Inc, the world’s largest renewable energy developer, says it is working on 15,000 MW of wind, solar, and storage projects. One  project would be the world’s biggest stand-alone battery storage system. [E&E News]

¶ “DOE Approves $1.35 Billion Cost Share Award For CFPP” • Electricity provided to Los Alamos County, New Mexico, could someday be generated with 12 small modular nuclear reactors. The probability of this happening increased recently after the DOE approved a $1.35 billion cost share award to the Carbon Free Power Project. [Los Alamos Daily Post]

Have a magically worthwhile day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Renewables Are Proven To Be A Smarter, More Efficient Investment Worldwide” • Recent analysis of the renewables landscape by BloombergNEF has determined that solar and wind power are on the verge of a tipping point: in five years, it will be more expensive to operate existing coal or natural gas plants than to build new solar or wind farms. [Triple Pundit]

Tulips and turbines (Martijn Baudoin | Unsplash)

¶ “New Approach To Li-Ion Battery Efficiency At Stanford Puts Out Fires” • Scientists at Stanford University and the US DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory reengineered the sheets of copper or aluminum foil that are used to collect currents in lithium ion batteries so they weigh 80% less. They also quench any fires that flare up immediately. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The World Needs To Ramp Up Solutions For Greener Cooling” • A study published in Nature Sustainability points out a “global blind spot” on air conditioning, which is projected to triple by 2050. The stark reality, the report warns, is that many cooling systems are carbon-intensive and contribute to global warming themselves. [Scientific American]

Air conditioners (David Wall | Getty Images)

World:

¶ “Revov South Africa Goes Big On Second-Life Batteries For Stationary Storage Applications” • As millions of EV batteries age, they will come to a point when they are not useful in cars but are still in good shape to be repurposed for stationary storage. Revov South Africa is going big on second-life batteries for such energy storage applications. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “HS1 Aims To Be First UK Railway Run Entirely On Renewable Energy” • The High Speed 1 rail line is on track to become the first railway in the UK to be 100% powered by renewable energy. The operator of the high-speed line between London and the Channel Tunnel in Kent has ambitious plans to become 100% run on wind and solar energy. [New Civil Engineer]

Eurostar ( Joshua Veitch-Michaelis, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Indonesian Govt Finalizes New Rules For Renewable Electricity” • The Indonesian government is finalizing a draft regulation to simplify pricing for electricity from renewable sources and to encourage more investment in the sector. The government’s goal is to have 23% of its energy generated by renewable sources by 2025. [The Edge Markets MY]

¶ “Rooftop Solar And Covid Shutdown Lead To Record Lows In Australian Electricity Use” • Australian rooftop solar panels and the Covid-19 shutdown in Victoria have reduced the amount of power drawn from the national grid. Several states set record lows for daily electricity consumption, and wholesale prices were down 45% to 48% from last year. [The Guardian]

Rooftop solar (David Mariuz | AAP)

¶ “Interest In Tritium Grows With Fukushima Set To Release Contaminated Water” • As the Japanese government is set to confirm its decision about releasing contaminated water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea on October 27, interest is growing over what impact radioactive materials could have on the human body. [The Korea Bizwire]

¶ “Polish Wind Quartet Wins EIB Financing” • The European Investment Bank and Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg are lending €42 million each to finance construction and operation of four wind farms in Poland with a combined capacity of 103 MW. The wind farms are all near Poznan in the Wielkopolskie region. They will be developed by WPD. [reNEWS]

Putting a turbine together. (Image: EIB)

US:

¶ “Tesla Breaks Another Record – This Time For Energy Storage Installations” • Tesla has broken the record for energy storage, with 750 MWh installed in Q3. Tesla noted in its Q3 earnings update that the production continued to ramp up at Gigafactory Nevada. Production volumes more than doubled in Q3 2020 compared to Q3 2019. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “GMC Hummer EV: Big, Bad, Pricey – But With Less Guilt” • The GMC Hummer is back – as an EV. And though the original might have been considered a consumer version of the Exxon Valdez, bringing back the Hummer as an EV is actually brilliant. It has a lot of appeal for those who want a vehicle that can be both cool and hot, but it is guilt-free. [CleanTechnica]

Hummer (Image Source: GMC)

¶ “Aggressive Push To 100% Renewable Energy Could Save Americans Billions – Study” • New analysis by Rewiring America finds that households would benefit financially from a complete switch to clean energy sources such as solar and wind. More than 40% of energy emissions are determined by appliances in and around the home, according to the report. [The Guardian]

¶ “Dust Bowl 2.0? Rising Great Plains Dust Levels Stir Concerns” • Earlier this month, a storm front swept across the Great Plains, plowing up a wall of dust that could be seen from space, from eastern Colorado into Nebraska and Kansas. It was like the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, when farmers regularly saw soil stripped from their fields and blown far away. [Science Magazine]

Dust storm (Keith Ladzinski | National Geographic)

¶ “Renewables On The Rise” • Wind and solar energy were just starting to take off 10 years ago; now, they are everyday parts of our energy landscape. Today, America generates nearly four times as much electricity from the sun and wind as it did in 2010. Wind, solar and geothermal power provide more than 10% of our nation’s electricity. [Environment Maine]

¶ “EPA Refuses To Reduce Pollutants Linked To Covid-19 Deaths” • In April, as Covid-19 cases multiplied, the head of the EPA rejected scientists’ advice to tighten air pollution standards for particulate matter. He likely to reaffirm that decision soon with a final ruling, despite emerging evidence that links particulate pollution to Covid-19 deaths. [TucsonSentinel.com]

Have a singularly satisfying day.

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Opinion:

¶ “The Epitome Of Stupidity: Oil Companies Chill The Ground In Alaska So They Can Keep Drilling” • The Guardian reports that ConocoPhillips and other oil companies operating on the North Slope in Alaska are facing a new challenge. As permafrost melts, their trucks can’t cross the land and rigs can destabilize. They are considering freezing Alaskan land. [CleanTechnica]

Thermosiphons in Alaska (Credit: Arctic Foundations)

Science and Technology:

¶ “The High-Performance All-Electric Home” • In the 1950s, when nuclear energy was booming and hydroelectric dams were proliferating, the all-electric home became a thing, and it didn’t matter that electric heating was inefficient. Now, we know that nuclear is not too cheap to meter, but electric heating is to cheap to ignore.  [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Levelized Cost Of Carbon Abatement – New Tool For Investors And Policy Makers” • At Columbia University’s Center for Global Energy Policy, a team of researchers devised a new method of calculating the economic impact investors and policy makers can expect as a result of a range of actions designed to reduce CO₂ emissions. [CleanTechnica]

Lightning  in New York (Hermann Luyken, Wikimedia Commons)

World:

¶ “China Says Environment Still Grim Despite Five Years Of Progress” • China’s environment conditions are “grim,” falling short of public expectations even after five years of efforts to improve air quality, boost clean energy and curb greenhouse gas emissions, a senior official said. China is drawing up a new five-year plan for 2021-2025. [CNN]

¶ “Vietnam Faces Deadly Flooding Disaster – Red Cross” • In Vietnam, millions of people face a “deadly double disaster” as the country, already suffering from the impact of Covid-19, battles its worst floods for decades. According to the Red Cross, flooding and landslides have killed over 100 people this month, many of them soldiers, and left dozens more missing. [BBC]

Flooding in Quang Binh province (Vietnam Red Cross image)

¶ “Dacia Sprint May Be Least Expensive Electric Car In Europe” • Dacia expects its new compact SUV-style Sprint to sell for less $23,000. That means in Germany, where the current incentive is €9,000, the Dacia Sprint will cost consumers less than $13,000. It has room for four passengers, six airbags, LED headlights, and automatic emergency braking. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tesla Model 3 Leads September EV Surge In Italy As Market Triples Year On Year” • EV adoption in 2020 is growing fast in most European countries, with governments’ responses to the coronavirus pandemic focusing on a green recovery.  Italy is no exception to this trend, as the September figures for electric car registrations reach new heights. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model 3

¶ “Queensland 2030 Climate Target Would Be Scrapped If LNP Win Election As State’s Emissions Rise” • Rising greenhouse gas emissions mean Queensland could miss a 2030 climate target. And it will be scrapped entirely if the Liberal National party wins the upcoming election, experts say. The state accounts for 32% of Australia’s total GHG emissions. [The Guardian]

¶ “Swell Of Support For Welsh Renewables As Nuclear Plans Fall Through” • This month, after £2 billion ($2.5 billion) had been spent in development (taxpayers’ money and investment from Hitachi), the plug was pulled on the Wylfa B nuclear venture. This news comes on the back of a glowing Marine Energy Wales report. [Power Engineering International]

Wind turbine at the end of the rainbow!
(guto, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0)

US:

¶ “Wildfires Force Closure Of National Forests In Five Colorado Counties” • Due to “unprecedented and historic fire conditions,” National forest land in five Colorado counties will temporarily close, federal officials said. As of October 20, 442,000 acres of land were affected by wildfires in north central Colorado and southern Wyoming. [CNN]

¶ “Ørsted And Equinor Bid For New York Solicitation” • Two Equinor projects and Sunrise Wind 2, a joint venture of Ørsted and New England energy provider Eversource, have been put forward for New York state’s solicitation for up to 2500 MW of offshore wind, announced in July. The state plans on 9 GW of offshore wind by 2035. [reNEWS]

Offshore wind farm (Ørsted image)

¶ “America Has Reached A ‘Tipping Point’ For Corporate Renewables Demand: Study” • US corporates and industrials will contract 4.4 GW to 7.2 GW of new solar and wind capacity each year through to 2030, according to a report from IHS Markit. This follows a national record of almost 8 GW this year, despite Covid-19 impacts. [Recharge]

¶ “Report: US Corporate Sector Emerges As Source Of Rapid Demand Growth For Renewables” • The United States, more than any other country, has a growing portion of new renewable energy projects being built to meet demand coming directly from corporations. That’s according to a new report published by IHS Markit. [Environment + Energy Leader]

Wind turbines (Pixabay image)

¶ “All New US Electricity Generation Capacity Came From Renewables This Summer” • A SUN DAY Campaign review of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission data shows renewable energy sources dominated additions of US electrical generating capacity in the first eight months of 2020. In fact, all capacity added last summer was renewable. [Solar Power World]

¶ “US Developer Secures 55 MW Of Maine Solar” • Borrego Solar will shortly begin constructing 55 MW of PV capacity in Maine. The capacity will be divided among projects in eight different communities. The Borrego portfolio represents the largest award from Portland-based Competitive Energy Services’ Distributed Generation Consortium initiative. [reNEWS]

Have an exhilaratingly merry day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “This Company Thinks Its Plastic Alternative Can Help Solve Climate Change” • Such global brands as Amazon, McDonald’s, Ikea and General Motors plan to eliminate single-use plastics, reduce CO₂ emissions, and otherwise shrink their environmental footprint. Newlight Technologies hopes to speed up that process with a biodegradable plastic-like material. [CNN]

Biodegradable bag (Newlight Technologies image)

¶ “Sorry, Coal: 66% Conversion Efficiency Eyeballed For Next-Gen ‘Hot Carrler’ Perovskite Solar Cells” • In a team effort with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee spearheaded a new perovskite PV study that shines a light, so to speak, on a new pathway for improving perovskite solar cell efficiency. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “India Must Cut Pollution To Avoid Covid Disaster” • India’s dreaded pollution season has returned, as the air quality in Delhi and other northern cities has rapidly deteriorated in the last two weeks. This is bad news for the country’s fight against Covid-19, as several studies have linked air pollution to higher pandemic case numbers and deaths. [BBC]

Burning rice residue (CIAT, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Shanghai Tesla Model 3 With Cobalt-Free LFP Battery Is Now Shipping To Europe” • Last month, a Bloomberg News report said Tesla planned to ship Shanghai-made Tesla Model 3s to Europe. Now, customer pre-order agreements in France and Germany are showing up for “Model 3 – China.” Some may have LFP (LiFePO₄) batteries in them. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Solar To Power To Drive 50% Surge In Asia-Pacific Renewable Energy Capacity By 2025” • Analysis from Rystad Energy found the installed capacity of renewable energy in the Asia-Pacific region is set to soar from 497 GW this year to 754 GW in 2025. The driving force behind the increase will be solar, with regional PV capacity nearly doubling. [pv magazine Australia]

Large scale PV in China (Photo: Jinko Solar)

¶ “Tesla Megapack-Powered Windcharger In Alberta Goes Online” • A massive “Windcharger” in Alberta has officially started operation, according to TransAlta, the company that manages the project. The massive project, which will have energy stored in Tesla Megapacks, has a nameplate capacity of 10 MW and a total storage capacity of 20 MWh. [Teslarati]

¶ “Countries Raise The Sails On Offshore Renewables Sector” • Projections by the International Renewable Energy Agency are that global offshore wind and ocean energy installed capacity will reach 228 GW and 10 GW respectively by 2030. Ocean energy includes wave, tidal, and ocean thermal. Oceanic floating solar PVs are also considered. [Modern Diplomacy]

Offshore wind power

¶ “Poland, US Sign Civil Nuclear Power Cooperation Agreement” • According to the US Embassy in Warsaw, Poland and the US have concluded an intergovernmental cooperation agreement on the development of a civil nuclear power program and the civil nuclear power sector in Poland. The documents were signed in a virtual ceremony in the two countries. [The First News]

¶ “‘Green Jobs Key’ To UK Economic Recovery” • Green jobs in renewable energy, among other sectors, should be at the heart of the Covid-19 recovery in the UK to ensure long-term growth, according to a report, “Jobs for a strong and sustainable recovery from Covid-19,”  from the London School of Economics and Political Science. [reNEWS]

Wind farm (Seb Kennedy | reNEWS)

US:

¶ “The Oil Industry Is In Crisis. ConocoPhillips Is Doubling Down” • Despite the gloom-and-doom in the oil industry and the specter of a blue wave in Washington, ConocoPhillips is doubling down on crude with a major acquisition. The company announced a $9.7 billion all-stock takeover of Concho Resources, a Permian Basin fracking company. [CNN]

¶ “Colorado’s Record-Breaking Wildfires Show ‘Climate Change Is Here And Now'” • The Cameron Peak fire, a few miles west of Fort Collins, Colorado, has engulfed over 200,000 acres and it’s still growing. It has now become the biggest wildlife in Colorado history. And it is the second fire in 2020 to set a record as largest wildfire in Colorado history. [CBS News]

Cameron Peak Fire (Loveland Fire Rescue Authority via Reuters)

¶ “New US Fuel Cell Alliance Blows Dark Green Hydrogen Cloud Over Natural Gas” • Companies in California are moving on fuel cell EVs, but the new Western State Hydrogen Alliance is aiming to promote fuel heavy duty fuel cell mobility all across the West, covering not just one but 13 states from the Rocky Mountains all the way over to Hawaii. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The United States Consumed Record Amount Of Renewable Energy In 2019” • According to the US Energy Information Administration’s Monthly Energy Review, in 2019, consumption of renewable energy in the US grew for the fourth year in a row, reaching a record 11.5 quadrillion BTUs, or 11% of total US energy consumption. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Windham County Sheriff Purchases Tesla To Add To fleet” • Electric vehicles are showing up all over the place – in your neighbor’s driveway, in the local public works department and in bus fleets around the nation. Now, in Vermont, the Windham County Sheriff’s office has one. And it will save the taxpayers a lot of money on fuel and repairs. [Brattleboro Reformer]

¶ “Canadian Solar Closes Supply Contract With Goldman Sachs Renewable Power” • Canadian Solar Inc has closed a supply contract and long term service agreement with Goldman Sachs Renewable Power LLC to deliver and integrate a 75 MW/300 MWh lithium-ion battery storage solution into the 100 MW AC Mustang solar plant in California. [Solar Industry]

Have an extraordinarily delightful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Why The US Election Could Decide Battle Against Climate Change” • Scientists studying climate change say that the re-election of Donald Trump could make it “impossible” to keep global temperatures in check. They’re worried another four years of Trump would “lock in” the use of fossil fuels in the US for decades to come. [BBC]

Trump digs coal (Getty Images)

¶ “World Energy Outlook From IEA Is Full Of Doublespeak” • The annual World Energy Outlook from the Internatinal Energy Agency reiterates a vision in which fossil fuels continue to dominate the energy mix far into the future. This provides investors and governments with a foundation to make financial decisions favoring fossil fuels. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Let Nature Design Your Renewable Energy Strategy” • It is time to redesign our energy strategy. And the very same nature that created an impressive energy palette with sun, wind, water and more can show us how to do it. Every point on the globe has multiple natural resources with unique synergies. All we need to do is balance them. [Renewables Now]

Tapping ocean power (Source: Seabased AB)

¶ “Big Banks Could Lose Billions In Global Energy Transition” • US banks began to grow reluctant to provide loan financing to oil and gas firms before this year’s price collapse and pandemic. Well productiveness was lower than forecast and borrowers were sinking deeper into debt. Banks had to protect themselves. The trend has intensified across the world. [OilPrice.com]

¶ “Texas Has A Big Lesson For Australia: Renewables Are Where The Money Is Flowing” • Australia is a lot like Texas. They have similar sized populations and economies and are hugely invested in resources extraction. Both have thriving renewable energy industries, powered by market investment, while gas is failing. But Australia plans to subsidize gas. [RenewEconomy]

Wind turbines in Texas (Drew Kolb | Flickr)

Science and Technology:

¶ “NREL Advances Thermochromic Window Technologies” • The US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory reported a breakthrough in developing a next-generation thermochromic window. The NREL scientists say that a new solar cell not only reduces the need for air conditioning but generates electricity at the same time. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Sharks Have Killed 7 People In Australia This Year, The Most Since 1934. Climate Change Could Be A Factor” • Sharks have killed seven people in Australia this year. There were no shark attack deaths in Australia in 2019, and most years see one or two deaths. While this year’s large number could be simple bad luck, it could also result from the climate crisis. [CNN]

Bull shark (iStock photo)

World:

¶ “Western Australia OKs Renewable Power Export Project” • The government of Western Australia approved development of a 15,000-MW solar and wind project, which will export electricity to Indonesia and supply the WA iron ore sector. It is the first stage of the proposed Asian Renewable Energy Hub that is targeted to expand to 26,000 MW. [Argus Media]

¶ “Solar, Storage, And Wind – Success Stories In Australia, US, And Vietnam” • Traditional power generators have a problem. It takes years to design, build, and activate any coal or gas powered facility. Building a nuclear power plant can take a decade or more. But renewables, especially solar, can come online quickly. Here are a few examples. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array in Vietnam (Courtesy of Trungnam Group)

¶ “New Zealand To Keep Oil Drilling Ban, Renewables Push” • New Zealand’s ruling Labour party has won an outright victory in national elections, after winning 64 of 120 seats in the October 17 election. It will maintain the country’s ban on new offshore oil and gas exploration, and the victory sets the scene for a further expansion of renewable energy. [Argus Media]

¶ “Australia Key Player In Global Power System Transformation Team” • The Australian Energy Market Operator has joined five power system operators around the world, each with have more than 50% renewables in its mix, in a new partnership. Its mission is “to foment a rapid clean-energy transition at unprecedented scope and scale.” [pv magazine Australia]

Floating solar system (Image: Hanwha Q Cells)

¶ “Egypt To Establish New Wind Power Complex With 2000-MW Capacity” • Egypt’s Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy announced that work is underway to construct a new wind power complex with a capacity of 2,000 MW in the Red Sea governorate. Of that, 500 MW will be generated by the German company Siemens. [Egypt Independent]

US:

¶ “Penn State Now Purchasing Renewable Electricity From Solar Farms” • Penn State has recently begun purchasing renewable energy from three recently built solar farms in Franklin County, according to a university release. The purchase is part of a larger goal the university has to be more sustainable and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. [Onward State]

Solar farm (Courtesy of Lightsource BP)

¶ “Fisker Ocean Gets Real With Help From Magna” • This past week, Fisker announced that its upcoming Ocean electric SUV would be built by none other than automotive super-supplier Magna. It is a move that offers Fisker access to Magna’s global supply chain and gives the latest iteration of the Fisker EV brand real, instant street cred. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Offshore Wind Project Completes Final Step, Ready To Deliver Renewable Energy To Virginians” • Dominion Energy announced that final testing of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind pilot is complete. It is ready to enter commercial service, providing clean energy to Virginians. As it runs, a technical review will be under way. [WJHL-TV]

Have an entertainingly glorious day.

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Opinion:

¶ “My Personal History With Global Warming” • I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1964–1966. While I was there, I tested my skills at the highest ski resort in the world, on the impressive glacier at Mount Chacaltaya, five feet of fresh snow on top of ten feet of glacier. Returning for a visit, I found  the snow and glacier had vanished. [CleanTechnica]

Chacaltaya Refuge (Joan Simon, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “How Should the Media Talk About Climate Change?” • Activist Genevieve Guenther says the media’s refusalt to speak the words naming the cause of the disasters we suffer from is as pernicious as denial. “There is a name for the unprecedented intensity and scale and relentlessness of extreme-weather disasters,” she said. “Climate change.” [The New Yorker]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Estimating Solar Energy Potential On House Roofs Virtually – Total And Google Cloud Team Up” • Total and Google Cloud are enthusiastically sharing that they have pooled their expertise and created a tool called Solar Mapper. With this tool, they aim to accelerate PV deployment of with quick and accurate estimates of solar energy potentials. [CleanTechnica]

Rooftop solar power (SunPower image)

World:

¶ “Foxconn Unveils EV Platform; FCA To Build EVs In Canada” • In the EV era, new car companies are springing up faster than crabgrass. BYD, NIO, Xpeng, Faraday Future, Lucid, Tesla, Kandi, Fisker, Rivian – the list is long and growing. The reason is that electric drive trains can be easily supplied, and the Taiwanese company Foxconn plans to do just that. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Renewable Power To Spur Energy Transition” • BP Energy Outlook 2020 forecast that energy demand growth in China will slow dramatically, and the growth of industrial energy demand will be concentrated in the emerging world outside of China as industrial activities intensive in energy and labor are moving to lower-cost economies. [Chinadaily USA]

Wind turbine in Northwest China [Photo: Xinhua]

¶ “Nuclear Still Dominant As Renewables Gain Further Ground In Hungaryʼs Energy Mix” • In 2019, Hungary’s electricity mix had 49% nuclear, 23% gas, 15% coal, and 12% renewables. A report from the  International Atomic Energy Agency last year noted that green energy production is expected to rise “steeply” in the next few years. [Budapest Business Journal]

US:

¶ “Offshore Wind: Latest News on Turbines, State Action, And Markets from Coast to Coast” • Other news may capturing the public attention, but there are some headline-worthy happenings in the world of offshore wind, including the first turbines in US federal waters. If you could use a splash of good news, here are a few updates. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore wind farm (Zach Shahan | CleanTechnica)

¶ “NRDC Sues US Department Of Energy Over Efficiency Standards Process Changes” • NRDC sued the DOE for altering its energy efficiency standards-setting process to make it more difficult to set rigorous energy-saving levels for appliances and equipment. They believe the change will harm consumers and increase climate-harming pollution. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Every State COULD Be Powered With 100% Renewable Energy” • If each US state took full advantage of its renewable resources, how much of its electricity needs would that cover? Would in-state renewable generation be enough to charge EVs and power electric heating, too? The answer, in almost every state, is a resounding yes. [Red, Green, and Blue]

Energy self-reliant states (ILSR image)

¶ “Amid Climate Crisis, Many Americans Still Don’t Know What The Green New Deal Is” • A poll by the Center for American Progress Action Fund showed confusion about policy proposals in the Green New Deal. A whopping 53% of Americans couldn’t say whether the Green New Deal was favorable or unfavorable. They simply don’t know what it is. [Truth Out]

¶ “Trump Is Delaying A Crucial Climate Report. Experts Say That’s Dangerous” • Environmental advocates want to know why NOAA hasn’t released a crucial climate report. The Center for Biological Diversity filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the agency, which oversees government research on climate change threats. [The American Independent]

Have an amusingly carefree day.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.