Energy Week #404: 2/4/2021

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 #404: 2/4/2021

Thursday, January 28

President Joe Biden (White House image)

¶ “Biden Signed Two Executive Orders And A Memorandum Wednesday. Here’s What They Do” • President Joe Biden issued an executive order directing a number of actions on the Climate Crisis and an executive order establishing a Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. In addition, he issued memorandum is designed to ensure scientific integrity. [CNN]

Large solar array (Sun Cable image)

¶ “Major Milestone For World’s Biggest Solar Project” • Plans to develop a 10-GW solar farm to export electricity to Singapore through a submarine transmission link continue to gather steam. The Northern Territory Government and Sun Cable signed the Project Development Agreement. The project will also have 30 GW of storage. [pv magazine Australia]

Tesla energy storage (Tesla image)

¶ “Tesla’s Had 83% Increase In Energy Storage Deployments In 2020” • In its most recent earnings report, Tesla noted that its energy storage deployments grew from 2019 to 2020. “For the first time, our total battery deployments surpassed 3 GWh in a single year, which is an 83% increase compared to the prior year,” Tesla’s report stated. [CleanTechnica]

Friday, January 29

Offshore wind farm (Ørsted image)

¶ “Renewables Surge Past Fossil Fuels In UK Energy Mix” • In the UK, renewable resources overtook fossil fuels as the main source of electricity in 2020, new analysis by climate and energy think tank Ember has revealed. A record 42% of the UK’s electricity was generated by renewables in 2020, compared to a 41% share by fossil fuels. [reNEWS]

Charging a Chevrolet (Chevrolet image)

¶ “GM Looks To Sell Only Emission-Free Vehicles By 2035” • General Motors said it plans to be carbon neutral by 2040 in its global operations and hopes to offer only zero-emissions vehicles by 2035. GM had previously announced that it was working towards an “all electric future,” but it had not set any target date for achieving that goal. [CNN]

Greenland ice (Tina Rolf, Unsplash)

¶ “Earth Is The Hottest It’s Been In 12,000 Years, A New Study Confirms” • A study published in the journal Nature this week revealed that the planet is hotter now than it has been in at least 12,000 years, and very well may be warmer than at any point in the last 125,000 years. The study is based on much improved models, which explain past trends. [Mic]

Saturday, January 30

Oil platform (NAFTA)

¶ “S&P Warns Oil Majors A Downgrade Is Coming ‘Within Weeks'” • According to The Guardian, the well-known financial ratings company S&P has warned thirteen of the largest oil and gas companies in the world that it may downgrade their credit rating within weeks because of increasing competition from renewable energy. [CleanTechnica]

Hydrogen generator (Image courtesy of Extreme E)

¶ “THIS Is The Hydrogen Generator That Will Power The Extreme E Electric Off-Road Racers” • The upcoming Extreme E off-road series for electric race cars has brought up questions about where the fuel would come from in the remote deserts and jungles. Extreme E just revealed the portable, hydrogen-powered generator to make the fuel. [CleanTechnica]

CityQ (Image via CityQ)

¶ “Meet CityQ, The 4-Wheeled Electric ‘Car-eBike’ That Can Carry Passengers And Cargo” • The CityQ is another approach to micromobility. It’s a 4-wheeled enclosed electric “Car-eBike” with a range of up to 43-62 miles (70-100 km) per charge and a 5-hour charge time. It can carry two adults (or one adult and two kids) and/or cargo. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, January 31

Okefenokee Swamp (Okefenokeeswamppark, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Ikea Bought 11,000 Acres Of Forest In Georgia To Protect It From Development ” • Ingka Group, which owns and operates most Ikea stores, acquired forestland in southeast Georgia to protect it and its diverse ecosystems from development. The company announced that it purchased 10,840 acres of land near the Altamaha River Basin. [CNN]

Renault Zoe (Renault Press Image)

¶ “Open the Gates! 23% Plugin Vehicle Share in Europe!” • The overall automotive market still in the red in December (-4% YoY), but Europe’s passenger plugin vehicle market had an historic month, having registered a record 281,000 vehicles (+264% YoY!), adding an amazing 115,000 units to the previous record, which was set in the previous month. [CleanTechnica]

Wilmot Energy Center (David Sanders, Tucson Electric Power)

¶ “Tucson Electric Power’s Biggest Solar Farm Taking Shape South Of The City” • The Wilmot Energy Center, a 100-MW PV project with 30 MW of linked battery storage, is currently under construction south of Tucson. A spokesman for the developer, NextEra Energy Resources, said operations are scheduled to begin as early as April. [Arizona Daily Star]

Monday, February 1

Solar farm (City of Loveland)

¶ “Largest Solar Project In US Underway In Texas” • Construction began recently on the Samson Solar Energy Center, the largest planned solar energy farm in the US. When completed, the solar farm will have 1,013 MW of generating capacity. The project is being developed by Invenergy, and it is expected to be compled in 2023. [Earth911.com]

Tengah (Courtesy of the Housing & Development Board)

¶ “Singapore Is Building A 42,000-Home Eco ‘Smart’ City” • Tengah will be the 24th new settlement built by the government of Singapore since World War II. But it’s the first with centralized cooling, automated trash collection, and a car-free town center. A 328-foot-wide corridor is safe passage area for wildlife, and some call the settlement a “forest town.” [CNN]

Stardust (Knack Factory, Courtesy Aerospace)

¶ “Groundbreaking Biofuel Rocket Could Be ‘Uber For Space'” • Stardust was hauled to its launch site in Maine by a pick-up truck. When it lifted off, it was the first commercial launch of a rocket powered by bio-derived fuel. Sascha Deri, inventor of the biofuel and chief executive of bluShift Aerospace, says it can be sourced from farms around the world. [BBC]

Tuesday, February 2

Solar array in Massachusetts (Nick Allen, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “As Boston Gets On Board, Community Power Compacts Gain Steam” • With the launch of Boston’s new Community Choice Electricity program this month, nearly half of all Massachusetts municipalities are now buying electricity on behalf of their residents. The state’s 168 municipal aggregation programs provide cheaper, greener power. [WWLP]

Excavator (Proterra image)

¶ “Battery-Powered Construction Equipment From Komatsu And Liebherr” • Electric bus manufacturer Proterra is joining forces with Komatsu to develop a line of medium size electric excavators. The combination makes use of Komatsu’s experience as a manufacturer of heavy equipment with Proterra’s expertise at building batteries. [CleanTechnica]

Battery component (Volkswagen image)

¶ “Volkswagen Begins Battery Recycling Pilot Project In Lower Saxony” • At Volkswagen, the quest for in house battery recycling technology began more than a dozen years ago with a doctoral project. Components of lithium ion batteries can be recovered and reused to make new batteries, rather than being incinerated or sent to landfills. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, February 3

Wind turbine (Alyssa Bossom, Unsplash)

¶ “US Set To Add More Than 170 GW Of Renewable Energy Capacity By 2024” • Newly released data by S&P Global Market Intelligence found that the US is on track to add 172.5 GW of renewable energy capacity through 2024. That total is comprised of 96.8 GW from solar power projects and 75.7 GW from wind power projects. [ThomasNet News]

New Flyer Xcelsior AV

¶ “New Flyer Xcelsior AV Is America’s First Autonomous Bus” • American bus manufacturer New Flyer recently took the wraps off an all-new battery-electric model it’s calling the Xcelsior AV. The thing that makes this bus special, however, isn’t what’s under the Xcelsior AV’s hood. Rather, it’s what’s behind the steering wheel: nothing. [CleanTechnica]

PLAT-I 6.40 (Sustainable Marine image)

¶ “Sustainable Marine Unveils Floating Tidal Energy Platform” • Sustainable Marine is set to deliver the world’s first floating tidal energy array with its next-generation platform in Nova Scotia. Construction of the 420-kW PLAT-I 6.40 floating tidal energy platform has recently been completed and it was launched in the Bay of Fundy. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

George Harvey, blogger, author, and journalist for Green Energy Times and CleanTechnica, computer engineer

Tom Finnell, electrical engineer, transmission grid expert, world traveler, philanthropist, and philosopher

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

Energy Week #403: 1/28/2021

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 #403: 1/28/2021

Thursday, January 21

Joe Biden taking the oath of office (US Government photo)

¶ “Biden’s First Act Sets Tone For Ambitious Approach” • Make no mistake, returning to the Paris climate agreement is not mere symbolism. It is an act cloaked in powerful, political significance. While re-joining involves simply writing a letter and waiting 30 days, there could be no more profound signal of intention from this incoming administration. [BBC]

StoreDot batteries (StoreDot image)

¶ “StoreDot, Penn State Announce Batteries That Recharge In Under 10 Minutes” • StoreDot, an Israeli company, says it has batteries that will take a vehicle up to 250 miles and recharge in just 5 minutes. And researchers at the Penn State University say they have found a the key to fast charging LiFePO₄ batteries in just 10 minutes. [CleanTechnica]

Letitia James (Matthew Cohen, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “New York Wins Lawsuit Against EPA Over Clean Energy” • The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled to vacate the Trump Administration’s Affordable Clean Energy rule. New York Attorney General Letitia James lead a coalition against the ACE rule, which was Trump’s attempt to replace the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan. [WETM]

Cruise vehicle (Courtesy of Cruise)

¶ “In Bid To Lead Autonomous Driving Revolution, Microsoft Invests $2 Billion In Cruise ” • With the nature of transportation changing, Microsoft is cozying up to GM to become its cloud computing partner of choice. In fact, Microsoft is kicking $2 billion into the pot to support the work in autonomous driving that the company is doing. [CleanTechnica]

Friday, January 22

Offshore wind farm (MingYang image)

¶ “China Adds 72 GW Of Wind In 2020” • China added just under 72 GW of wind power capacity in 2020, nearly tripling the amount of capacity added in 2019, according to data from the National Energy Administration. Installed capacity of solar power rose by 48.2 GW, returning that sector to growth after two years of lost momentum. [reNEWS]

BYD electric bus (Transmilenio image)

¶ “BYD Will Sell 1,002 More Electric Buses To Bogotá, Colombia” • We recently reported that a stunning 470 BYD electric buses were headed to Bogotá, Colombia. That was apparently the warmup act. BYD has now been selected to provide the city with 1,002 more electric buses. This comes from winning an open tender the city put out. [CleanTechnica]

Forest (Dan Meyers, Unsplash)

¶ “Forests Absorb Twice As Much Carbon As They Emit Each Year” • Research published in Nature Climate Change found that the world’s forests sequestered about twice as much carbon dioxide as they had emitted in 2001 through 2019. In other words, they provide a “carbon sink” that absorbs about 1.5 times as much CO₂ as the US emits. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, January 23

Capitol set for inauguration (The White House)

¶ “Biden Revs The Executive Branch’s Climate Engine After Four Lost Years” • President Joe Biden gave an inaugural address that outlined the country’s many challenges he must face as the leader of its executive branch. The bulk of the speech carried a demand for unity and for truth as we tackle the “cascading crises of our era.” [National Audubon Society]

Elon Musk being himself (Credit: Elon Musk via Twitter)

¶ “Elon Musk Contributing $100 Million To Discover Carbon Capture Technology That Works” • We had been relegating carbon capture to charlatans and sorcerers. But now Elon Musk, the wealthiest man in the known universe, says he is donating $100 million as a prize for whoever can come up with the best carbon capture technology. [CleanTechnica]

Cherry blossoms and Mt Fuji (Catriona Palo, Unsplash)

¶ “As Climate Change Push Grows, Japanese Firms Accelerate Shift To Renewable Energy” • With Japan announcing a goal to become carbon neutral by 2050 and the US getting back into the Paris Agreement, the momentum toward curtailing climate change is growing. And Japanese businesses are pushing plans to switch to renewables. [The Japan Times]

Sunday, January 24

St Peter-on-the-Wall (Mjrogers50, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Saxon Church Prays For Deliverance From Nuclear Plant” • The Grade I-listed church St Peter-on-the-Wall was built in an abandoned Roman fort in about the year 660. Now the Bradwell B nuclear reactor is to be built threateningly close by. Members of the congregation question why nuclear power is needed when renewables are cheaper. [The Guardian]

Solar array in Japan (Mark Merner, Unsplash)

¶ “Our Amazing Clean Energy Future Has Arrived” • Evidence of a great green wave is now overwhelming. In 2020 the world spent half a trillion dollars on renewables and clean technology, according to BloomergNEF. Prices are going down, and they will continue to fall with economies of scale, so the rate of renewable energy adoption will increase. [Foreign Policy]

Monday, January 25

Scientific survey lauch (NOAA, Unsplash)

¶ “Three Reasons Scientists Are Optimistic Under President Biden” • During the Trump Administration, there was a general feeling that science was under attack. Whether climate science, COVID-19, or the environment, a “fog” hung over the science community. Now, there seems to be a new optimism with the inauguration of President Biden. [Forbes]

BP offshore oil rig (Grahame C Anderson, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “BP Oil Exploration Team Swept Aside In Climate Revolution” • The geologists, engineers, and scientists of BP’s oil exploration team have been cut to less than 100 from a peak of more than 700 a few years ago, company sources told Reuters. The job cuts are part of a climate change-driven overhaul triggered last year by CEO Bernard Looney. [Reuters]

Wind turbines in Italy (Totoyba2, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Renewable Energy Surpassed Fossil Fuels For European Electricity In 2020” • Europeans got more of their electricity from renewable sources than fossil fuels for the first time last year, according to an annual report from Ember and Agora Energiewende. It found that 38% of electricity was generated by renewables last year, and 37% by fossil fuels. [CNN]

Tuesday, January 26

Google Maps 3D view of the SpaceX rig, marked in red

¶ “Reader Tip And Pic Of SpaceX Phobos, Seconnd SpaceX Oil Rig” • CleanTechnica has covered the SpaceX purchase of two offshore oil rigs, with plans to modify them into floating launch and landing facilities for Starship. And we have been tracking progress of the rigs. Thanks to our readers, we now have pictures of the one called Phobos. [CleanTechnica]

In-turbine toilet (PWS image)

¶ “Vattenfall Invests In In-Turbine Toilets” • Vattenfall has placed an order for the offshore wind industry’s “first” in-turbine toilet. The Swedish developer is spending more than a few pennies by installing the cubicles in every turbine on its Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm. The toilets are being installed for reasons of both safety and productivity. [reNEWS]

Building an offshore wind turbine (Rscbelgium, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Vineyard Wind Looks To Regain Spot In Project Pipeline” • With a new federal administration that is expected to be far more receptive to offshore wind projects, Vineyard Wind said it is ready to resubmit plans for a wind farm 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard that it yanked from federal review in early December. [Fall River Herald News]

Wednesday, January 27

Spider web (Jan Huber, Unsplash)

¶ “Accounting For Value Of Nature Reinforces Paris Climate Targets” • The key finding in a study of climate-economics models is that they have been underestimating the cost of climate damages to society by a factor of more than five. The study, by researchers at UC Davis, was published in the journal Nature Sustainability. [Yale Climate Connections]

Wind turbines (Trianel image)

¶ “Germany Adds 1.4 GW Of Onshore Windpower Capacity” • Germany installed 1,431 MW of additional onshore wind capacity in 2020, comprising 420 turbines, according to associations BWE and VDMA Power Systems. The figures for 2020 represent an increase of 46% compared to 2019. About 339 MW of the amount was repowering projects. [reNEWS]

Pump Jack (Zbynek Burival, Unsplash)

¶ “Biden To Halt New Oil And Gas Leases On Federal Lands” • President Joe Biden is set to order a moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands, a person familiar with his plans said. The move is expected to be the most prominent in a series of climate actions he will take today, including elevating the climate crisis as a national security issue. [CNN]

Energy Week #403: 1/28/2021

George Harvey, blogger, author, and journalist for Green Energy Times and CleanTechnica, computer engineer

Tom Finnell, electrical engineer, transmission grid expert, world traveler, philanthropist, and philosopher

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

Energy Week #402: 1/21/2021

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 #402: 1/21/2021

Thursday, January 14

Gov Cuomo speaking (Darren McGee, Gov Cuomo’s Office)

¶ “New York Governor Outlines Major Renewable Energy Plans” • New York Gov Andrew M Cuomo unveiled a host of initiatives to add renewable energy, build transmission, and boost the clean energy economy. He said the green energy program create more than 50,000 jobs, and spur $29 billion in private investment all across the state. [pv magazine USA]

Offshore wind farm (Nicholas Doherty, Unsplash)

¶ “Equinor And BP To Deliver 2.5-G W Offshore Wind Power To New York State” • Equinor and partner BP have been selected to provide close to 2.5 GW of offshore wind power to the state of New York, in the latest renewables solicitation. Equinor and BP will develop 1,260-MW Empire Wind 2 project and the 1,230-MW Beacon Wind 1 project. [Power Technology]

San Francisco during the wildfires (Patrick Perkins, Unsplash)

¶ “Top Scientists Warn Of ‘Ghastly Future’ For Planet As Leaders Underestimate Ecological Threats” • A team of seventeen leading scientists cautioned that the future of the planet is “more dire and dangerous than is generally understood.” They warned that unless world leaders face up to the challenge and act urgently our survival is threatened. [CNN]

Friday, January 15

Colorado charging station (Image by Jessica Russo, NRDC)

¶ “Colorado Approves $110 Million Transportation Electrification Plan” • Xcel Energy will deploy about 20,000 charging stations for EVs at residential, commercial, and public sites in Colorado, under a $110 million plan approved by the Colorado PUC. At least $20 million is to be invested to promote EV adoption in low-income areas. [CleanTechnica]

Polluting factory (Patrick Hendry, Unsplash)

¶ “The Trump Administration Is Launching One Last Assault On Climate Science” • President Donald Trump’s term in office will be remembered for many disastrous moments, but one of the most consequential might be its systematic degradation of environmental protections. His administration seems intent on doing more damage as he leaves office. [AOL]

Solar array in rough waters (Moss Maritime image)

¶ “Equinor To Pilot Floating Solar Off Norway” • Equinor is working with Moss Maritime to start testing floating solar in the ocean off the island of Froya, off Trondheim in Norway. The partnership will build the floating solar pilot plant in the late summer of 2021, making it the first of its kind to be situated in rough waters. [reNEWS]

Saturday, January 16

Forest (Jay Mantri, Unsplash)

¶ “Cutting Emissions To Zero CAN Halt Climate Change In Our Lifetimes” • Buried under doomsday predictions on climate change, there is newer information from Michael Mann, the distinguished climate scientist. It turns out that if we cut to zero emissions, he tells us, the warming would continue, but only for a few years. [CleanTechnica]

Moynahan Trail Hall (Courtesy of Gov Andrew Cuomo via Flickr)

¶ “New York’s $306 Billion 2021 Infrastructure Plan – Largest In Nation” • New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his state’s 2021 infrastructure plan. It is the largest such plan in the nation, with an expected cost of $306 billion. It includes a lot of support for climate-friendly transportation solutions. Here is a quick look focusing on them. [CleanTechnica]

Pagurus on water (Courtesy of Lazzarini Design)

Just for fun: Pagurus on land (Courtesy of Lazzarini Design)

¶ “Solar-Powered Amphibious Catamaran Concept Is A Literal Land Yacht” • No, you haven’t wandered into The Onion. This is CleanTechnica, and this is a real design put forward by an Italian design house, Lazzarini, which sometimes has fun with designs. It showed the Pagurus, an 82-ft. solar-powered “amphibious” catamaran, set to cruise on land. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, January 17

Cypress 6.0 wind turbine (GE Renewable Energy image)

¶ “More Than 8,000 GE Renewable Energy Onshore Wind Turbines” • In November, GE passed a milestone. Over 8,000 GE Renewable Energy onshore wind turbines stand in 23 US states and 10 other countries. The 2-MW turbines alone have 20 GW of installed capacity worldwide, enough to power the equivalent of 12.9 million homes around the world. [REVE]

Fire in Portugal, stoked by unseasonal heat (UN via Twitter)

¶ “Worried About Earth’s Future? Well, The Outlook Is Worse Than Even Scientists Can Grasp” • A research paper published this week reviews over 150 studies to produce a stark summary of the state of the natural world. It says that future environmental conditions will be far more dangerous than experts currently believe. [Red, Green, and Blue]

Joe Biden (David Lienemann, US Government photo, public domain)

¶ “Biden Says His Advisers Will Lead With ‘Science And Truth'” • President-elect Joe Biden has introduced his slate of scientific advisers with the promise that they would summon “science and truth” to combat the coronavirus pandemic, climate crisis and other challenges. “Science is discovery. It’s not fiction,” Biden said. “It’s also about hope.” [Daily Herald]

Monday, January 18

Artist’s concept of floating system (Acciona image)

¶ “Acciona Leads Spanish Floating Green Hydrogen Study” • Acciona is to coordinate a project to design and validate Spain’s first offshore plant for generating, storing, and distributing green hydrogen. The OceanH2 project will study several scenarios for implementation, including use of floating wind and solar, for offshore hybrid power generation. [reNEWS]

Peel Renewable Energy solar farm (PRE image)

¶ “The Solar Allure Of WA’s New-Model Business Park” • Peel Renewable Energy is about to energize a 1.2-MW solar farm in Western Australia. It has a fresh approach to industrial-estate development based on a phased microgrid. The infrastructure is small, while the renewably powered microgrid grows to meet the needs of incoming businesses. [pv magazine Australia]

Southern US at night (NASA image)

¶ “Weird Asymmetry: Nights Warming Faster Than Days Across Much Of The Planet” • University of Exeter scientists studied warming from 1983 to 2017 and found that days and nights have not warmed at the same rate. Areas where night-time warming is greater are about twice as large as those where days have been warming faster. [SciTechDaily]

Tuesday, January 19

Electric school buses (Lion Electric image)

¶ “Miami-Dade Starts Transition To Electric School Bus Fleet” • Miami-Dade County Public Schools have decided to convert its fleet from diesel buses into an electric fleet. Holly Thorpe, a middle school student, had used her science fair project to show the school board that diesel buses had levels of CO₂ in them that are ten times the EPA limit. [CleanTechnica]

Stop the Keystone XL pipeline rally in 2011 (Bill McKibben, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Keystone Pipeline: Biden ‘To Cancel It On His First Day'” • US President-elect Joe Biden is to cancel the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline on his first day in office, North American media report. The pipeline is projected to carry oil nearly 1,200 miles (1,900 km) from the Canadian province of Alberta down to Nebraska, to join an existing pipeline. [BBC]

GE Haliade-X turbine (GE image)

¶ “GE Renewable Energy Finalizes Contracts For 1.1-GW Ocean Wind Energy Offshore Project In New Jersey” • GE Renewable Energy will supply Haliade-X wind turbines for Ørsted’s Ocean Wind offshore wind project off the coast of New Jersey. It could be the state’s first project to feature the 13-MW variant of GE Renewable Energy’s Haliade-X platform. [REVE]

Wednesday, January 20

2-MW demonstration project (Ørsted image)

¶ “Ørsted To Press Ahead With Green Hydrogen Pilot” • Ørsted has taken final investment decision on the Danish demonstration project H2RES, which will use offshore wind energy to produce renewable hydrogen. The project is expected to produce its first hydrogen in late 2021 and will be Ørsted’s first renewable hydrogen project in operation. [reNEWS]

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant (NRC image)

¶ “What’s Next For Vermont Yankee Property?” • A new land inventory report offers a series of possibilities for the site of the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear plant to eventually be used for industry, recreation, preserving habitat, and recognizing the Abenaki relationship to the banks of the Connecticut River, past and present. [Commons]

Hydrogen electrolyser in Fukushima Prefecture (NEDO image)

¶ “McKinsey: Continuous Fall In Battery Prices Is Enabling The Rapid Rise Of Renewable Energy” • Renewable energy uptake and the falling costs of battery energy storage are “inexorably linked” as the global economy faces a crucial decade ahead in its urgent need to decarbonise, according to work by McKinsey & Company. [Energy Storage News]

Energy Week #402: 1/21/2021

George Harvey, blogger, author, and journalist for Green Energy Times and CleanTechnica, computer engineer

Tom Finnell, electrical engineer, transmission grid expert, world traveler, philanthropist, and philosopher

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

Energy Week #401: 1/14/2021

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 #401: 1/14/2021

Thursday, January 7

Wind farm (Matthew T Rader, Unsplash)

¶ “East Bay Community Energy Aims For 100% Clean Energy By 2030” • East Bay Community Energy committed to providing nearly 1.7 million local customers with 100% renewable energy in the next decade, 15 years ahead of California’s target date. EBCE is one of the largest US electricity providers to commit to 100% renewables in ten years. [Pleasanton Weekly]

Installing solar panels (DOE image)

¶ “States And Cities Are Driving Climate And Clean Energy Progress” • A third of the people in the US now live in states or cities that are committed to 100% clean electricity. And the role of states, cities, and communities as climate leaders will continue to be vital even as President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris take the helm. [CleanTechnica]

EMS cutaway (Photo courtesy of Urban Aeronautics)

¶ “CityHawk eVTOL Gets Off The Ground Following Initial Orders” • Israeli tech firm Urban Aeronautics has encouraging news. It said it received a pre-order for four of its innovative hydrogen fuel-cell powered eVTOL vehicles from Hatzolah Air, a company that specializes in developing helicopters and other aircraft for EMS applications. [CleanTechnica]

Friday, January 8

Tesla in space (SpaceX image, public domain)

¶ “Elon Musk Becomes World’s Richest Person As Wealth Tops $185 Billion” • Elon Musk became the world’s richest person, as his net worth rose past $185 billion. Musk was pushed into the top slot after Tesla’s hit a market value of $700 billion. That makes the car company worth more than Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, GM, and Ford combined. [BBC]

Flying-V design (TU Delft image)

¶ “Greener planes of the future … or just pretty plans?” • In traditional aircraft the fuselage is basically dead weight and needs big wings to keep it in the sky. But newer aircraft designs are being tested. In some, the whole airframe provides lift, so it can be lighter and smaller than current designs, but can potentially carry the same payload. [BBC]

Sea bird (Waldemar Brandt, Unsplash)

¶ “Vattenfall Makes Room For Seabirds Off Norfolk” • Swedish developer Vattenfall will use taller turbines than initially planned at its 1800-MW Norfolk Vanguard and 1800-MW Norfolk Boreas projects. After consultations with ornithologists, the developer raised clearance heights to 30 metres from 22 to place rotors above the flight paths of birds. [reNEWS]

Saturday, January 9

Birds (Photo by Barth Bailey on Unsplash)

¶ “Oil Lobby Cheers Trump Policy That Lets Oil Companies Kill Birds” • With just two weeks left in office, the lame duck Trump administration published a rule to allow industries to kill migrating birds so long as they don’t intentionally kill them. The rule is based on a legal opinion rejected and vacated by a federal judge last August. [CleanTechnica]

2020 (Copernicus Climate Change Service and ECMWF)

¶ “2020 Was Tied For The Hottest Year Ever Recorded – But The Disasters Fueled By Climate Change Set It Apart” • Data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service made it official that 2020 tied 2016 as the hottest year on record, but it was abundantly clear throughout 2020 that the world is already seeing worsening disasters from climate change. [CNN]

New York City (Photo by Josh jfisher on Unsplash)

¶ “Trump Admin Trying To Force Banks To Finance Fossil Fuel Projects” • Wall Street banks slammed a proposed rule that would force lenders to finance fossil fuel projects and other business they they deem to pose a reputational risk, Bloomberg reports. They question both its legal underpinnings and the fast-tracked process that created it. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, January 10

Tree swallow (Photo by Werner Slocum, NREL)

¶ “NREL And Project Partners Team-Up To Advance Species Conservation And Wind Energy Deployment” • The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Defenders of Wildlife have a nine-part webinar series to help familiarize stakeholders with the nuances of land-based wind energy development in the context of species conservation. [CleanTechnica]

GM “Everybody In” ad featuring Malcom Gladwell (GM image)

¶ “What Is GM’s New Logo And Ad Campaign Actually About?” • General Motors debuted its “Everybody In” marketing campaign and redesigned GM logo in a private briefing for automotive and advertising reporters. They want to convince stakeholders that the company is truly serious about accelerating mass adoption of electric vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

Fireworks in Burlington (Kevin Davison, Unsplash)

¶ “What Would It Take To Run A City On 100% Clean Energy?” • Today, more than 170 US cities and towns have promised to shift their power supply from coal and natural gas to solar, wind, and hydropower. But can 100% renewable cities actually be 100% renewable? The reality is a bit complicated. And it reveals the challenges of decarbonization. [WIRED]

Monday, January 11

Arnold Schwarzenegger (Screenshot via Twitter)

¶ “Climate Action Hawk Arnold Schwarzenegger Brings Conan Sword Down Upon Trump Enablers” • Everyone is buzzing about a video Arnold Schwarzenegger circulated. In it, Schwarzenegger, a lifelong Republican, excoriates Trump and his enablers in Congress, identifying the insurrectionists and their supporters in Congress with the Nazis. [CleanTechnica]

Nuro self driving car (Nuro image)

¶ “Nuro Gets California’s First Autonomous Vehicle Permit, Ouster Going Public” • On Thursday, November 19, 2020, the California Public Utilities Commission approved the ability to both launch robotaxi services and autonomous delivery services and to charge for them. The first company to get a permit to do so is Nuro. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla’s Hornsdale Power Reserve

¶ “Neoen Plans Massive 500-MW Big Battery West Of Sydney” • Australia’s largest battery storage project could be built just outside of Sydney. Planning documents submitted by renewable energy developer Neoen show that the company intends to kick-start the planning process for a 500-MW, 1,000-MWh big battery in New South Wales. [Renew Economy]

Tuesday, January 12

Expected new generating capacity (US EIA image)

¶ “Renewables account for most new US electricity generating capacity in 2021” • The US Energy Information Administration’s latest data shows developers and power plant owners plan for 39.7 GW of new capacity to start commercial operation in 2021. Of that, 39% will be solar, 31% wind, 16% natural gas, 11% batteries, and 3% will be nuclear. [US EIA]

Origin’s 2,880-MW coal power plant (CSIRO image)

¶ “Coal Power Plant Site In Australia Could Host 700-MW, 2,800-MWh Battery Energy Storage Project” • The integrated energy company Origin Energy Limited issued a call for qualified firms to supply and install a battery storage system of up to 700-MW, 2,800-MWh. It will be built at the site of a retiring coal-burner in New South Wales. [Energy Storage News]

Thirty storms of the 2020 Hurricane season (NOAA image)

¶ “Climate Change Has Cost The US Billions Of Dollars In Flood Damage, Study Finds” • Intensifying rainfall fueled by climate change has caused nearly $75 billion in flood damage in the US in the past three decades, Stanford University researchers confirmed in a study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [CNBC]

Wednesday, January 13

Emissions (Martin Sepion, Unsplash)

¶ “US Carbon Emissions Fell 10% In 2020, Because Of Covid-19. It’s Up To Biden To Stop Them From Bouncing Back” • US greenhouse gas emissions dropped a lot in 2020, helping the country meet one long-standing climate targets. But experts warn that unless climate action becomes a priority, emissions will bounce back quickly. [CNN]

Tesla (Charlie Deets, Unsplash)

¶ “Elon Musk Is Taking Tesla Beyond Other Automakers With Common Sense: Long-Term Thinking” • Elon Musk has worked tirelessly and methodically to reach goals he set a long time ago, a process that he knew would take years or decades. Tesla’s Master Plan is a three-part strategy to bring a mid-priced EV to the mass market. [CleanTechnica]

Stratosphere (NASA image)

¶ “Extreme Weather from the Stratosphere: Interview with ETH Climate Researcher Daniela Domeisen” • Daniela Domeisen has documented how the stratosphere influences extreme weather events. In an interview, she explains what the sheer range of these impacts implies for climate research and long-term weather forecasts. [CleanTechnica]

Energy Week #401: 1/14/2021

George Harvey, blogger, author, and journalist for Green Energy Times and CleanTechnica, computer engineer

Tom Finnell, electrical engineer, transmission grid expert, world traveler, philanthropist, and philosopher

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