Energy Week #383: 8/6/2020

Visitors Please Note: This blog is maintained to assist in developing a TV show, Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell. The post is put up in incomplete form, and is updated with news until it is completed, usually on Wednesday. The source is geoharvey.com.

Within a few days of the last update, the show may be seen, along with older shows, at this link on the BCTV website: Energy Week Series.

Energy Week #383: 8/6/2020

Thursday, July 30

Proterra bus (Courtesy of Proterra)

¶ “China Is Crushing The USA In Electric Bus Growth. Proterra Wants To Change That” • China already has 420,000 e-buses in operation. The US has only about 600. Proterra has developed a battery-leasing program for local governments that brings the upfront investment in an e-bus down to the same level as that of a legacy diesel. [CleanTechnica]

San Juan Generating Station (Steven Baltakatei Sandoval, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Renewables set to replace coal-fired San Juan Generating Station” • With a unanimous vote, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission ended part of the debate on the future of coal in the Four Corners region. Utility PNM will rely on 100% renewable energy and battery storage to replace coal-fired San Juan Generating Station. [New Mexico Political Report]

Wind turbines (Infigen Energy)

¶ “World’s Fastest Energy Transition: AEMO Maps Path To 94% Renewables” • The Australian Energy Market Operator says Australia is in the midst of what is likely to be the world’s fastest energy transition. And it finalized its 20-year blueprint to make sure that the shift from coal to a grid dominated by wind, solar, and storage can happen smoothly. [RenewEconomy]

Friday, July 31

Icebreaker pilot project (LEEDCo image)

¶ “US Lawmakers Urge Change To Icebreaker Shutdown Rules” • A bipartisan group of 32 US legislators, from across north-east Ohio, sent a letter to state authorities requesting reconsideration of operating restrictions placed on the Icebreaker offshore wind project. Last minute conditions imposed by the authorities had made the project unfeasible. [reNEWS]

Florida (Matt Gannon | CNN)

¶ “Flooding From Sea Level Rise Could Cost Our Planet $14.2 Trillion, Study Says” • If the world does nothing to mitigate rising sea levels, it could cost the global economy $14.2 trillion in lost or damaged assets by the end of the century, as larger areas of land, home to millions of people, are inundated, a study in the journal Science Reports says. [CNN]

Wind turbines (Nexans image)

¶ “UK Wind Output Hits Record 64 TWh In 2019” • Total wind generation in the UK rose by 13% in 2019 to a record 64 TWh, the Government’s Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics said. Wind speeds in 2019 were down on 2018, by 0.31 knots on average, but this was more than offset by additional capacity coming online, the government said. [reNEWS]

Saturday, August 1

Prairie Island nuclear plant (Royalbroil, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Xcel Energy Temporarily Stops Load Following At Prairie Island After NRC Inspection” • Xcel Energy temporarily stopped load following operations at Prairie Island in Minnesota after NRC determined that plant procedures should have required further analysis of such operations due to their long-term effects on safety. [S&P Global]

CRI installation in Germany (CRI image)

¶ “CRI Successfully Demonstrates Chemical Storage With Renewable Methanol” • Carbon Recycling International has shown that its renewable methanol can be used to store surplus renewable energy chemically. CRI developed a process to convert captured CO₂ and hydrogen directly into methanol by use of catalysts. [The Chemical Engineer]

Exxon and Chevron stock prices

¶ “Oil Giants Post Historic Losses As COVID-19 Obliterates Demand” • With a pandemic and a crude oil glut, the country’s two largest oil giants posted their steepest losses in modern history. ExxonMobil posted a $1.1 billion loss in the year’s second quarter. Chevron Corporation lost $8.3 billion, including a $5.2 billion write-down on assets. [HuffPost]

Sunday, August 2

Raspberries under solar panels (Image: BayWa re)

¶ “Rasberries Can Grow Under Solar Panels!” • What may have been a crazy idea a few years ago, it turns into a project in the Netherlands. A Dutch farm had 10,250 solar panels deployed across 3.2 hectares of raspberry crops to provide renewable energy for the area and create a more sustainable environment for the raspberries to grow in. [Energy Live News]

¶ “Deutsche Bank To Discontinue Lending To Coal Miners” • Deutsche Bank announced that it would discontinue doing business with companies that are most exposed to coal mining by 2025 at the latest. Deutsche Bank also said it would cease financing of new projects in the Arctic and of oil sand projects immediately. [EconoTimes]

Coal-burning power plants (Coburn Dukehart | Wisconsin Watch)

¶ “WEC Pledges To Be Carbon-Neutral By 2050” • WEC Energy Group, which owns We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, is pledging to go carbon-neutral by 2050, joining a growing list of companies that are looking to step up their carbon reduction goals. It has set a new goal to reduce carbon emissions 70% in the next decade. [Urban Milwaukee]

Monday, August 3

Coal (Robert Cianflone | Getty Images)

¶ “More Coal Power Generation Closed Than Opened Around The World This Year, Research Finds” • The size of the global coal power fleet fell for the first time on record over the first six months of the year, with more generation capacity shutting than starting operation, according to Global Energy Monitor, a US research and advocacy group. [The Guardian]

Wind turbines in China (Suzlon image)

¶ “251 GW Of New Chinese Wind Expected This Decade” • China is expected to add 251 GW of new wind capacity through 2029 but additions will take a 16% hit from next year due to the end of subsidies, according to Wood Mackenzie. The country’s wind power market could reach a cumulative grid connected capacity of 461 GW by the end of the decade. [reNEWS]

Wind farm (Jonathan Mitchell | IWEA)

¶ “Ireland ‘On Track’ To Meet 2020 Clean Power Goal” • Ireland is on track to reach its 2020 renewable energy target to get 40% of its electricity from clean power, after a strong second quarter saw wind energy alone deliver 28.5% of the country’s electricity. That is up from 26.1% in the second quarter of last year, and new wind farms are coming online. [reNEWS]

Tuesday, August 4

Lonely truck (Image from Transportation.gov)

¶ “Road Revenue Plummets – New Ways To Fund Infrastructure Projects Needed” • With Covid-19, traffic has been reduced to a fraction of what it had been. As road revenue plummets because of low sales of gasoline and diesel oil, road infrastructure projects that keep our labor force on the job and support the economy are in real jeopardy. [CleanTechnica]

Wind farm in Texas (Paul Harris | Getty Images)

¶ “It’s Time For American Leaders To Wake Up To The Threat Of Climate Change For The Good Of The Planet And Business” • If left unchecked, the impact of climate change will alter our world, reshaping our coastlines and coastal cities, accelerate extinctions, devastate agriculture, cause famine, ravage our economy, and threaten our health. [TIME]

Irrigation canal covered with solar panels (Getty Images)

¶ “The ‘Solar Canals’ Making Smart Use Of India’s Space” • One of the main challenges in building solar farms in India is finding good places to build them. The high population density makes it hard to find sites for solar arrays. Rooftop solar is used, but roofs are inadequate for the need. In Gujarat, the answer has been to cover its canals with solar panels. [BBC]

Wednesday, August 5

Yamaha electric motor for cars (Image credit: Yamaha)

¶ “Yamaha Creating High Performance Electric Motors For Mainstream Manufacturers” • The EV revolution keeps pushing forward, and Yamaha has turned its attention to designing and building high output electric motors that are as small and light as possible. It will soon offer a range of motors ranging from 35 kW (47 HP) to 200 kW (268 HP). [CleanTechnica]

New Jersey R&D facility solar array (Courtesy of Siemens)

¶ “Siemens Seeks To Optimize Microgrid Solutions With New Building Management System Integration” • Siemens is pushing into microgrid development with the launch of a microgrid test bed at its New Jersey R&D facility. It is a ‘living lab’ to explore the integration of a wide range of traditional microgrid components with the building itself. [CleanTechnica]

BP Portable EV fast charger charging a Nissan LEAF (BP image)

¶ “BP To Cut Oil Production 40% By 2030, And Invest Billions Into Green Energy” • BP announced that it is planning to cut oil and gas production by 40%, and it will invest billions of dollars into clean energy. This is part of a major strategic plan that was unveiled along with a gigantic second-quarter loss and a cut in dividends. [CleanTechnica]

Energy Week #383: 8/6/2020

Energy, renewable energy, wind power, Solar, batteries, Nuclear, coal, oil, gas, Climate Change

Energy Week #382: 7/30/2020

Visitors Please Note: This blog is maintained to assist in developing a TV show, Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell. The post is put up in incomplete form, and is updated with news until it is completed, usually on Wednesday. The source is geoharvey.com.

Within a few days of the last update, the show may be seen, along with older shows, at this link on the BCTV website: Energy Week Series.

Energy Week #382: 7/30/2020

Thursday, July 23

Tesla Solarglass Roof installation (Kyle Field | CleanTechnica)

¶ “Tesla Tripled Solar Roof Installations In Q2 2020” • Tesla released what was perhaps the most highly anticipated quarterly earnings letter to date. While much of Tesla’s business was flat quarter on quarter due to coronavirus, we learned Tesla was able to triple the number of Solar Roof installations in Q2 compared to Q1 of this year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Confirmed: Tesla’s Giga Texas In Austin, Texas, Will Build Cybertruck, Semi, Model 3 And Y” • In Tesla’s quarterly earnings letter, CEO Elon Musk confirmed the location of the new factory. It will be Giga Texas, built just outside Austin. It will produce the Cybertruck, but also the Tesla Semi, Model Y, and Model 3 for customers in the Eastern US. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array (Featured image: Stock)

¶ “Flexible Energy Systems For Africa Accelerated By Crises” • In South Africa, responding to the department of mineral resources and energy’s first budget speech since a departmental merger, Standard Bank Group says the Covid-19 crisis highlights that Africa needs to develop flexible energy systems, renewables and decentralized. [ESI Africa]

Friday, July 24

Tesla Semi (Tesla image)

¶ “Tesla’s Efficiency Advantage: Cheap And Abundant LFP Batteries Will Power Mass-Market EVs” • Tesla’s second quarter earnings call just confirmed what may be the hottest technology topic for the EV revolution. Relatively inexpensive and abundant Lithium Iron Phosphate (aka LiFPO₄) batteries can be well suited to affordable mass market EVs. [CleanTechnica]

Underground farm

¶ “Is Underground Farming The Future Of Food?” • Since last September, those who descend underground at Seoul’s Sangdo Station and push through the ticket gate are met with an unusual sight: behind a glass-panelled facade, leafy shoots, sprouts, and microgreens have sprung up from under bright LED lights as part of a subterranean, organic farm. [BBC]

Clouds (World Climate Research Programme)

¶ “The Best Case Scenario For Climate Warming Is So Not Happening” • The latest climate report prepared on behalf of the World Climate Research Program looks closely at three climate models and concluded that the best case 1.5°C path is extremely unlikely to happen. It says there is a 66% chance the planet will warm by 2.6°C to 3.9°C. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, July 25

¶ “1H20 saw a rise in global renewables investment” • Renewable energy capacity investment showed great resilience in the first half of 2020, in the face of the unprecedented economic shock caused by the coronavirus, according to the latest figures from research company BloombergNEF. Offshore wind financings were up 319% from of last year. [Energy Global]

Mt Pinatubo eruption (Image credit: USGS)

¶ “Harvard Profs Plan Geoengineering Experiment, Igniting Ethics Debate” • Two Harvard professors say they are planning to inject about 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of calcium carbonate dust into the air over Arizona to see what effect it has on the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth below. There are people who do not approve of this type of geoengineering. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “NextEra Energy To Build Its First Green Hydrogen Plant In Florida” • NextEra Energy is closing its last coal-fired power unit and investing in its first green hydrogen facility. In an earnings call, NextEra said it was proposing a $65 million pilot in Florida with a 20-MW electrolyzer to produce 100% green hydrogen from solar power. [Greentech Media]

Sunday, July 26

Inside the MTC structure (Mike Cannon-Brookes | Atlassian)

¶ “World’s Largest Hybrid Timber Tower Will Be Built In Sydney” • The world’s largest timber hybrid tower is going to be built in Sydney, Australia. This hybrid timber tower is made with a technique known as Mass Timber Construction. MTC has a steel exoskeleton supports the entire structure, largely built of wood and glass. [CleanTechnica]

Dawn (Karsten Würth | Unsplash.com)

¶ “To Solve The Climate Crisis, We Need An Investment Revolution” • We depend on our leaders in moments of crisis. We also depend on the tenacity and insights of scientists, the ingenuity and vision of entrepreneurs, and the resourcefulness and boldness of companies to solve big problems. But we also need investors. [World Economic Forum]

Offshore wind turbines (© Getty)

¶ “Recent Gutting Of Regulations Is Inhibiting Adequate Review Of Renewable Energy Projects” • With offshore wind energy activities underway in states along the Atlantic coast, we stand at the start of an exciting offshore wind energy boom. But these states are acting in the absence of federal leadership, and that poses an unnecessary hindrance. [MSN Money]

Monday, July 27

High Lonesome wind farm in Texas (Enel Green Power image)

¶ “Renewable Energy Provides More Than 25% Of US Electricity In May Of 2020” • Renewable energy produced significantly more electricity than either coal or nuclear power during the first five months of 2020, SUN DAY Campaign analysis shows. In May, renewable sources provided 25.3% of the nation’s electricity, an all-time high. [Renewables Now]

Desert PVs (Godong | Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

¶ “World’s Largest Solar Power Plant Moves Forward In Abu Dhabi With Contract Award” • Plans for developing the world’s largest solar power plant in the deserts of the Gulf have been given the go-ahead, with the authorities in the UAE awarding the project to a multinational consortium. The project had been bid at the historic low of 1.35¢/kWh. [Forbes]

Standard Lithium facility in Arkansas (Standard Lithium)

¶ “Standard Lithium Ramping Up Lithium From Brine Operations” • Standard Lithium, based in British Columbia, is one of the largest producers of bromine, which is extracted from groundwater. Now it has a process that captures lithium from its wastewater. It is developing that process at sites in Arkansas and California. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, July 28

Solar farm in the state of Chihuahua (Source: NexTracker Inc)

¶ “Clean-Energy Optimism Soars As World Struggles With The Pandemic’s Fallout” • As companies and governments try work to recover from the Covid-19 crisis, leaders in the renewable energy sector say business is chugging along, attracting new money and new players. The momentum is being fueled by falling costs and popular support. [S&P Global]

¶ “Era Of Subsidy-Free Offshore Wind Turbines Has Arrived, Researchers Say” • Researchers found that the cost of offshore wind farms in some parts of the world is now so low that they are generating ‘negative subsidies’ that leave energy users financially better off. The paper was published in the academic journal Nature Energy. [RenewEconomy]

Traffic (Chad Myers | NWS)

¶ “EPA Watchdog To Review Trump’s Auto Emissions Rule Changes” • The Trump administration’s overhaul of vehicle emission standards is under review by the EPA inspector general to determine whether it met requirements for “transparency, record-keeping, and docketing, and followed the EPA’s process for developing final regulatory actions.” [CNN]

Wednesday, July 29

Wind turbine in Colorado (Christian Murdock | The Gazette)

¶ “Study Finds Renewable Energy Has Created 6,300 Jobs In Rural Colorado” • The renewable energy industry has created 6,334 jobs and generates $388.6 million a year in economic activity in eastern Colorado, according to a study from The Western Way, a Denver-based conservative environmental group. [Colorado Springs Gazette]

Animal rescue (John Moore | Getty Images)

¶ “Nearly 3 Billion Animals Killed Or Displaced In Australia’s Fires, Scientists Say” • Nearly 3 billion animals were killed or displaced by the catastrophic bushfire season that scorched tens of millions of acres across Australia in 2019 and 2020, according to experts. They hope the research will demonstrate the urgent need for action to prevent future disasters. [HuffPost]

Off-grid electricity charging a cell phone (Courtesy of Engie)

¶ “1.4 Million Ugandans To Access Reliable And Affordable Energy Under New Initiative” • Millions of people in villages of Uganda are set to access reliable, cheap electricity for the first time under a new off-grid solar scheme that Fenix International, an ENGIE subsidiary, and the European Investment Bank have agreed on. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Energy Week #382: 7/30/2020

 

Energy, renewable energy, wind power, Solar, batteries, Nuclear, coal, oil, gas, Climate Change

Energy Week #381: 7/23/2020

Visitors Please Note: This blog is maintained to assist in developing a TV show, Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell. The post is put up in incomplete form, and is updated with news until it is completed, usually on Wednesday. The source is geoharvey.com.

Within a few days of the last update, the show may be seen, along with older shows, at this link on the BCTV website: Energy Week Series.

(Note: Energy Week #380 was a special on how the U.S. is doing with Covid-19.)

Energy Week #381: 7/23/2020

Thursday, July 16

Wind turbines in California (Phrankiephotog, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Key Trends To Disrupt The US Renewables Market In The Next Six Months” • A Deloitte study examines the key trends, challenges, and opportunities that may affect the US renewable energy industry in the second half of 2020. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the US renewable energy industry’s long-term growth trajectory appears intact. [Smart Energy]

S&P 500 vs S&P 500 Energy (Australia Institute)

¶ “Fossil Fuel Companies Are Losing Value Globally” • A paper published by the Australia Institute details how fossil fuels are the worst-performing sector on the ASX 300 and have been for the past decade. $100 invested in the S&P ASX 300 Energy Index back in 2010 was only worth $104 by January 2020. It dropped to $51 with COVID-19. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “FERC Data Shows Fossil Fuels Are Failing” • Currently the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has four commissioners, all Trump appointees. They have been seen as pushing a fossil fuel agenda. Nevertheless, for the first time, FERC is projecting a net decline of US fossil fuel generating capacity over the next three years. [Green Energy Times]

Trump with a truckload of goodies (Getty Images)

¶ “Trump Weakens Environmental Law To Speed Up Infrastructure Projects” • President Trump has announced alterations to a landmark environmental law, in a controversial move to allow projects to go ahead with less oversight. Mr Trump touted changes to the National Environmental Protection Act as a “historic breakthrough.” [BBC]

Friday, July 17

Sydney Opera House (Diliff, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Central Sydney Now Runs 100% On Renewable Energy” • Sydney is sourcing clean energy from wind and solar farms in New South Wales, and the central part of the city is now running on 100% renewable energy. The move is estimated to reduce CO₂ emissions by about 20,000 tonnes every year, and it will save around A$500,000 per year. [Happytrips]

Home with a Tesla solar roof (Kyle Field | CleanTechnica)

¶ “A Third Of US Workers Want To Stop Commuting And Work Remotely” • A study by Morning Consult found that a third of Americans surveyed want to work from home. The majority say it has given them more time during the day, improved their health, and brought them closer to their family members – all without impacting productivity. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, July 18

Cable-laying vessel NKT Victoria (NKT image)

¶ “NKT To Supply SSE’s Shetland Link” • SSEN Transmission has awarded NKT the contract to deliver and install a high voltage DC interconnector to the Shetland Isles. It is worth about €235 million. The turnkey order is for two 320-kV HVDC cables, installation by the cable-laying vessel NKT Victoria, and protection of the cables. [reNEWS]

Jack-up ship building offshore wind turbines

¶ “Wind Energy Will Play An Important Role In Making Renewable Energy The Base For Japan” • Japan will build more offshore wind farms as part of its shift away from fossil fuels, industry minister Hiroshi Kajiyama said. Japan will aim to add capacity to generate 1 GW each year, eventually reaching a combined 30 GW by 2040. [REVE]

¶ “Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company Reports On Progress For Solar Project On Landfill In Brattleboro, Vermont” • The 5.73-MW solar array at Windham Solid Waste Management District’s closed landfill in Brattleboro provides electricity to 17 subscribers, mostly towns and schools. In 2019, it saved them an estimated $470,000. [EnerCom Inc]

Sunday, July 19

Studying the impact of warming oceans on reefs (CIMAS image)

¶ “NOAA Gives UM Up to $310 Million To Continue Leading Climate And Ocean Research” • In Florida, the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, a research institute at the University of Miami that has done research on climate change, hurricanes, and sick reefs is getting up to $310 million from NOAA to continue its work. [WUSF News]

¶ “We Now Know How Many Billions Of Gallons Of Water Colorado Will Save By Closing Coal-Fired Power Plants” • An analysis by the Energy and Policy Institute found that closing 30 coal-fired generating units in the West could free up over 76 billion gallons of river and groundwater a year in the increasingly parched region. [Steamboat Pilot and Today]

Stranded ship (SEPOC image)

¶ “Time Running Out To Prevent Oil Spill From ‘Ticking Time Bomb’ Tanker In Yemen, UN Warns” • Time is running out to prevent a decaying tanker off the coast of Yemen from dumping its load of 1.1 million barrels of oil into the Red Sea, sparking an environmental catastrophe, the UN has warned. The vessel is under the control of Houthi rebels. [CNN]

Monday, July 20

Lithium chloride (Amadeus Bramsiepe | KIT)

¶ “Lithium Can Be Extracted From Groundwater At Geothermal Installations” • Scientists at the KIT Energy Center, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, say there is enough lithium dissolved in the groundwater extracted by German geothermal heating and electricity plants to meet the needs of most, or possibly all, of Germany’s battery manufacturers. [CleanTechnica]

Bodawerk’s electric plow (Image courtesy of Bodawerk)

¶ “Uganda-Based Bodawerk’s Electric Tractors, Motorcycle Conversion Kits, Threshing And Milling Machines Look Set To Transform Lives” • Bodawerk is looking to transform lives in Africa, starting in Uganda with its electric products powered by upcycled old laptop batteries. Bodawerk has run pilot programs, including one for an electric tractor. [CleanTechnica]

Leeward Community College

¶ “Leeward CC Becomes UH’s First Net-Zero Campus” • Hawaii’s Leeward Community College has become one of the first virtually net-zero campuses in the country. It is generating 97% of its energy through on-site PV systems, including solar shade canopies and energy storage. It has also implimented efficiency measures. [UH System Current News]

Tuesday, July 21

Noble Energy “thumper trucks” setting off seismic waves used for oil exploration (BLM Nevada, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Chevron Will Buy Noble Energy For $5 Billion – The Biggest Oil Deal Since The Pandemic” • Chevron announced it would acquire Noble Energy for $5 billion. It’s the biggest energy deal since the Covid-19 pandemic decimated the oil industry. The shareholders of Noble will receive Chevron stock in this all-stock transaction. [CNN]

Coral (Photo: Maoz Fine)

¶ “Red Sea Corals’ Heat Tolerance Offers Hope For Climate Crisis” • Reefs from Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea survived when scientists cranked the heat above the lethal threshold and waited for them to die. The scientists said corals taken from the Gulf of Aqaba appeared untroubled by an increase in temperature of seven degrees. [The Guardian]

¶ “Co-op Power Raises The Bar For Community Solar” • An effort to address renewable energy goals and make renewable energy accessible to everyone is growing in the Northeast. Co-op Power is on the front lines, coordinating community power and buildng valuable policy resources to change legislation and the lives of many nationwide. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, July 22

Growth or decline by energy source (Ember image)

¶ “Green Power Beats Fossil Fuels For First Time In Europe” • About 40% of the electricity in the first half in the 27 EU countries came from renewable sources, compared with 34% from plants burning fossil fuels, the London environmental group Ember said. As a result, CO₂ emissions from the power sector fell 23%. [Yahoo Canada Finance]

Nakhchivan countryside (Credit: Anar Aliyev | Getty Images)

¶ “Nakhchivan: The World’s Most Sustainable Nation?” • As a result of regional conflicts, residents of Nakhchivan, an enclave of Azerbaijan, developed an unwavering sense of self-sufficiency born from scarcity and necessity. They began producing their own goods and planting their own food, based strictly on a pesticide-free, all-organic food policy. [BBC]

Governor Andrew M Cuomo (Image: NYSGO)

¶ “New York State Announces 4 GW In Renewables Solicitations” • New York State Governor Andrew M Cuomo has announced 4 GW of renewable energy solicitations and a multi-billion dollar port strategy. This will include a second solicitation of offshore wind, seeking up to 2.5 GW of projects, said to be the largest in the nation’s history. [reNEWS]

Energy Week #381: 7/23/2020

 

Energy, renewable energy, wind power, Solar, batteries, Nuclear, coal, oil, gas, Climate Change

Energy Week #379: 7/16/2020

Visitors Please Note: This blog is maintained to assist in developing a TV show, Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell. The post is put up in incomplete form, and is updated with news until it is completed, usually on Wednesday. The source is geoharvey.com.

Within a few days of the last update, the show may be seen, along with older shows, at this link on the BCTV website: Energy Week Series.

Energy Week #379: 7/16/2020

Thursday, July 9

Air Products facility (Air Products image)

¶ “Air Products Announces $5 Billion Renewable Hydrogen To Ammonia Investment” • US chemical business Air Products announced a $5 billion joint investment Saudi generator ACWA Power and tech accelerator city Neom for a power-to-hydrogen-to-ammonia production plant in Saudi Arabia powered by 4 GW of renewable energy. [Power Technology]

¶ “EU Unveils 40-GW Green Hydrogen Vision” • The EU will support development of up to 40 GW of green hydrogen projects by 2030, according to the EU Hydrogen Strategy. From 2020 to 2024, the EU will support the installation of at least 6 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolyzers, and the production of up to 1 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen. [reNEWS]

Solar array in the American countryside (Capital Dynamics image)

¶ “Capital Dynamics Signs 4.8-GW Deal To Increase Portfolio In The US” • Capital Dynamics announced that its Clean Energy Infrastructure business signed an agreement for 4.8 GW with Tenaska. The transaction comprises 24 solar projects in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator and Southeast Reliability Council markets. [reNEWS]

Friday, July 10

Volkswagen reforesting Australia (Courtesy Volkswagen Group)

¶ “Amazon Greening German Cities, Volkswagen Reforesting Australia” • The global economy, our increasingly integrated global society, is an interesting phenomenon. Amazon, based in the US, committed to greening cities in Germany by planting a lot of trees and bushes there. Now, Volkswagen Group, based in Germany, is reforesting Australia. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “PacifiCorp Opens 4.3-Gigawatt Renewables And Storage Procurement” • PacifiCorp is soliciting bids for up to 4.3 GW of solar, wind, and battery storage projects, part of a massive clean-energy growth plan that will open the utility’s six-state territory to third-party renewable energy developers. Projects must be operating by the end of 2024. [Greentech Media]

Tesla Model 3 Charging (CleanTechnica)

¶ “Massachusetts Expands EV Rebates To Nonprofits, Business Fleets” • Massachusetts took a big step forward by including nonprofits and business fleets in the state’s electric vehicle incentives. The move hopes to maximize the environmental impact of the EV incentive program during a time when the economy has slowed. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, July 11

Rivian electric truck (Rivian image)

¶ “Rivian Reaps $2.5 Billion In Latest Funding Round As EV Investments Soar” • Rivian is an EV startup headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan. For its initial funding, it raised raising $2 billion, much of which came from Amazon and Ford. Now it has gone for more money, and it has raised a further $2.5 billion in a funding round led by T Rowe Price. [CleanTechnica]

Extinction Rebellion protestors (Photo: Ilyas Tayfun Salci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

¶ “Report Says Asset Sales And Debt-Driven Dividends Show Fossil Fuel Industry Cannot Be Saved” • A report says major fossil fuel companies such as ExxonMobil and BP, “are racking up debt to maintain their shareholder payments and sustain an image as sound investments.” Others are selling assets. Their actions show they are failing. [Common Dreams] (Thanks to Tom Finnell.)

Transmission lines (American Public Power Association | Unsplash)

¶ “US Businesses Face Increased Energy Management Pressure” • The Deloitte Resources Study, “Energy Management: Paused by Pandemic, but Poised to Prevail,” found that Covid-19 might actually be partially responsible for driving increased efforts to manage energy use, reduce CO₂ emissions, and address climate change. [Environment + Energy Leader]

Sunday, July 12

India’s largest BIPV system (Photo credit: U-Solar)

¶ “India’s Largest Building Integrated Vertical Solar System And The Road Ahead” • In 2019, U-Solar Clean Energy Solutions Pvt Ltd installed India’s largest building-integrated vertical solar PV system in Mumbai. The system has a capacity of about 1 MW with integrated solar panels on all four walls, covering over 5000 square feet of facade area. [CleanTechnica]

Crushed rock dust on farmland (Credit: Dr Dimitar Epihov)

¶ “Shockingly Simple: How Farmland Could Absorb An Extra 2 Billion Tonnes Of CO₂ From The Atmosphere Each Year” • Adding crushed rock dust to farmland could draw down up to two billion tonnes of CO₂ from the air per year and help meet key global climate targets, according to a major study led by the University of Sheffield. [SciTechDaily]

Black Thunder Coal Mine (Josh Galemore | Star-Tribune)

¶ “Could Japan’s Plan To Retire 100 Coal Units Hurt The Powder River Basin?” • Miners in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin hoped to export coal to Asia for years. But the dream of exporting coal to one of the world’s leading importers of coal was dashed when Japan said it is considering phasing out 100 coal-fired power plant units by 2030. [Casper Star-Tribune Online]

Monday, July 13

Converted Kangoo in Grenoble (Phoenix Mobility image)

¶ “France’s Recent Order Liberalizing Retrofits Of Old ICE Vehicles Supercharges Phoenix Mobility” • The transition to EVs is happening much faster than we expected. Affordable mass EV conversions will put this transition into Ludicrous mode. An EV conversion firm in France, Phoenix Mobility, is looking to scale up its B2B fleet conversion business. [CleanTechnica]

Joe Biden, in a time when masks were not needed

¶ “100% Carbon Free by 2035. The Democrat Offer For Renewable energy” • Laid out by the Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s task force, the recommendations for climate-change mitigation call for carbon-free power production by 2035, net-zero emissions for new buildings by 2030, and accelerated adoption of zero-emission vehicles. [Saurenergy]
(Note: The 100% carbon free by 2035 turns out to be not quite correct. [CleanTechnica])

Poison ivy (Submitted photo)

¶ “Poison Ivy Likely To Become More Abundant And More Potent With Climate Change” • A six-year study by researchers at Duke University found that elevated levels of CO₂ not only increased the growth of poison ivy but those high CO₂ receiving plants produced a more potent form of urushiol, the oil that causes the skin inflammation. [BayToday]

Tuesday, July 14

New McDonald’s restaurant (Courtesy of McDonald’s)

¶ “New McDonald’s Flagship Runs 100% On Renewable Energy” • McDonald’s completed its first net zero energy restaurant, near Disney’s All-Star Resorts in Orlando, Florida, according to a company press release. The global flagship restaurant is designed to create enough renewable energy on-site to cover 100% of its energy needs annually. [Restaurant Dive]

Solar panel and flow battery

¶ “Solar Flow Battery Efficiently Stores Renewable Energy In Liquid Form” • An international team led by University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists has created a new version of solar flow batteries that is efficient and long-lasting. The system has a silicon/perovskite tandem solar cell. The team recorded 20% efficiency, which is up there with the best. [New Atlas]

¶ “UK And Denmark To Share Renewable Electricity Through 765 km Interconnector” • Construction has started on the world’s longest electricity interconnector, which will link the UK and Denmark. The £1.8 billion Viking Link project is a joint venture between the National Grid and the Danish electricity system owner and operator, Energinet. [E&T Magazine]

Wednesday, July 15

Making a whisky barrel (Diageo Reserve)

¶ “Johnnie Walker Whisky Will Be Sold In Paper Bottles Next Year” • Starting next year, Johnnie Walker fans will be able to pour their whisky from a planet-friendly bottle. Diageo, the British spirits company that owns the brand, announced the development of a paper-based spirits bottle made from sustainably sourced wood. [CNN]

Work on a wind turbine (Getty Images)

¶ “Biden Rolls Out Massive New Renewable Energy Subsidies” • Joe Biden is proposing today to commit another $2 trillion to subsidies for renewable energy during his first four years in office, as reported by Bloomberg Green. This would represent an acceleration of the $1.7 trillion in new subsidies over 10 years that had proposed during the primary season. [Forbes]

Floating wind turbines (Courtesy Carbon Trust)

¶ “Floating Wind JIP Report Addresses Technology Challenges” • The Carbon Trust has released its latest summary findings on floating windpower. “The Floating Wind Joint Industry Project – Phase II summary report” outlines the technology challenges prioritized by developers to accelerate the commercialization of floating windpower. [Offshore Oil and Gas Magazine]

Energy Week #379: 7/16/2020

 

Energy, renewable energy, wind power, Solar, batteries, Nuclear, coal, oil, gas, Climate Change