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
Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell 