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Energy Week #461: 3/3/2022
Minute 0: Introduction
Thursday, February 24
Oil traders (Own Oil Industry News, public domain)
Minute 2
¶ “Oil Hits $100, US Stock Futures Slide After Putin Announces Military Operation In Donbas” • Brent crude oil hit $100 a barrel and stock futures fell sharply Wednesday after blasts were heard in Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Donbas. Dow futures lost nearly 700 points, or about 2%. Nasdaq futures dropped 2.7%. [CNN]
USPS delivery truck (Joel Moysuh, Unsplash)
Minute 5
¶ “USPS Finalizing Plan To Replace Fleet With 90% Gas-Powered Vehicles” • The US Postal Service is moving ahead with a plan to replace its current fleet with 90% gas-powered trucks and 10% battery EVs, after the EPA and White House objected and asked for further study of the emissions impact. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said more EVs are not funded. [CNN]
Sunseap floating solar farm (Sunseap Group image)
Minute 8
¶ “European Renewable Energy Firm Plans To Invest $10 Billion In Singapore By 2030” • EDP Renewables, the world’s fourth largest renewable energy producer, will invest $10 billion by 2030 to establish its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore, while continuing to develop new clean energy projects across the region, the company said. [The Straits Times]
Friday, February 25
Empty buildings at Chernobyl (Viktor Hesse, Unsplash)
Minute 11
¶ “Russian Forces Seize Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant” • The Russian military forces seized control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Ukrainian officials say. A presidential adviser said the “totally pointless attack” on Thursday amounted to “one of the most serious threats in Europe today.” The danger goes far beyond the borders of the Ukraine. [BBC]
Western Spirit Wind facility (Pattern Energy image)
Minute 13
¶ “New Mexico Grand Opening Of Pattern Energy’s Western Spirit Wind, Largest Renewable Project In US History” • Pattern Energy Group LP commissioned its Western Spirit Wind power facilities. Western Spirit Wind consists of four wind projects with a total capacity of over 1,050 MW, enough to provide for annual needs of 900,000 Americans. [Los Alamos Daily Post]
Nord Stream pipeline route (Samuel Bailey, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
Minute 16
¶ “Why Europe Is So Dependent On Russia For Natural Gas” • The EU is especially dependent on Russian energy, which is becoming increasingly unsustainable. The Washington Post reported the EU is making plans for energy independence from Russia, citing anonymous sources. The plan is expected to be announced next week. [CNBC]
Saturday, February 26
Minute 19
Offshore windpower (Seaway 7 image)
¶ “US Offshore Wind Auction In NY, NJ Raises A Record $4.37 Billion” • The federal government announced a record $4.37 billion sale of six offshore wind leases off the coasts of New York and New Jersey. The success of the lease auction moves forward the Biden administration’s goal to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. [Verve times]
Conversion by Janus Trucks (Janus Trucks image)
Minute 22
¶ “Janus Trucks Converting Freightliner To Electricity – Seeing Lot Of Demand” • Janus announced that the second fully electric registered Class 8 prime mover in Australia has hit the roads. Its exchangeable batteries can be swapped in three minutes, giving it a range of up to 600 km (373 miles). And the JCM350 Janus Conversion Module is 480 HP. [CleanTechnica]
Wind turbines (Karyatid, Unsplash)
Minute 24
¶ “This Is How We Defeat Putin And Other Petrostate Autocrats” • Along with its military machine, control of oil and gas supplies is Russia’s main weapon. Now is the time to remind ourselves that the costs of solar and windpower have dropped by an order of magnitude in the last decade. We have a way to reduce Putin’s power: Get off oil and gas. [The Guardian]
Sunday, February 27
Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant (Ralf1969, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
Minute 27
¶ “Russian Military Threatens Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant” • The Russian military is threatening a nuclear power plant in Ukraine amid the ongoing invasion in the country. Russia’s military presence has increased near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine’s ministry of internal affairs has reported. [TheHill]
Tesla Model Y (Image courtesy of Tesla)
Minute 30
¶ “Gas Cars Produce More Supply Chain Emissions Than EVs – Yale University Study” • EVs offer lower emissions on the road, but some skeptics criticize the mining, manufacturing, and charging practices. A study shows how minuscule the lifespan emissions of EVs are, especially when compared to those of fossil fuel vehicles. [CleanTechnica]
Farm in Queensland (Carnaby Gilany, Unsplash)
Minute 32
¶ “Forrest Outlines Plans For $3 Billion Wind, Solar And Battery Hub In Queensland” • Iron ore billionaire Andrew Forrest has unveiled plans for a $3 billion wind, solar, and battery storage hub in central Queensland. He said the proposed project would create the biggest renewable energy precinct in the Southern Hemisphere. [Renew Economy]
Monday, February 28
Wind energy (Luca Bravo, Unsplash)
Minute 35
¶ “Renewables Provide 21% Of US Electricity In 2021” • With strong growth in solar and wind power, electrical generation by renewable energy sources provided 21.02% of total US electrical generation in 2021, which exceeds US Energy Information Administration forecasts, according to a SUN DAY Campaign analysis of EIA data. [Renewables Now]
Wind turbines (Waldemar Brandt, Unsplash)
Minute 38
¶ “Russia’s War On The Ukraine Will Hasten The Drive For Clean Energy Security” • Russia is a huge exporter of oil and gas. But waging war on Ukraine will change its energy trade. It will be a short-term boost to other energy exporters, but the bigger effect will be a fundamental re-think on energy security which will accelerate decarbonization. [Lowy Institute]
Solar PV (Biel Morro, Unsplash)
Minute 40
¶ “Germany Aims To Get 100% Of Energy From Renewable Sources By 2035” • Germany aims to fulfil all its electricity needs with supplies from renewable sources by 2035, compared to its previous target to abandon fossil fuels “well before 2040,” according to a government draft paper that has been obtained by Reuters. [Reuters]
Tuesday, March 1
António Guterres (Palácio do Planalto, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
Minute 43
¶ “IPCC 6 Shows A ‘Criminal Abdication Of Leadership,’ Says UN Secretary General” • Bloomberg Green reports that UN Secretary General António Guterres said about the IPPC report, “With fact upon fact, this report reveals how people and the planet are getting clobbered by climate change.” He calls it an indictment of a “criminal abdication of leadership.” [CleanTechnica]
Nissan EVs (Nissan image)
Minute 46
¶ “Nissan Will Spend $500 Million On Mississippi Factory For EV Production” • Nissan said in a press release that it will spend $500 million to make a factory in Mississippi ready to produce EVs. The company plans to make 40% of its US sales battery EVs by 2030. The Canton, Mississippi, factory has been in operation for almost two decades. [CleanTechnica]
Tanker (Alexandr Popadin, Unsplash)
Minute 48
¶ “Shell Follows BP Out Of Russia As UK Oil Companies Abandon Putin” • Shell is getting out of Russia. The company said it would dump its 27.5% stake in the Sakhalin-2 liquified natural gas facility, its 50% stake in a project to develop the Salym fields in western Siberia and its 50% interest in an exploration project in the Gydan peninsula in Siberia. [CNN]
Wednesday, March 2
One cost of climate change (Mike Newbry, Unsplash)
Minute 51
¶ “Five Takeaways From The UN’s Climate Report” • The UN’s climate science panel issued a report detailing both the impacts of climate change and potential adaptation measures society can take to mitigate the damage. The report warned of dire impacts from global warming. Here are five major takeaways from the newest report. [TheHill]
Solar panels (First Solar image)
Minute 54
¶ “SB Energy Places 1.5-GW PV Order With First Solar” • SB Energy Global, a subsidiary of SoftBank Group, has placed a multi-year order for 1500-MW of First Solar’s advanced, ultra-low carbon thin-film photovoltaic solar modules. SB Energy will deploy these PV modules across its 4-GW US solar and storage development pipeline. [reNews]
Waymo EV (Waymo image)
Minute 56
¶ “Waymo To Start Charging Robotaxi Passengers In San Francisco” • After years operating only in a corner of Phoenix, Waymo branched out to San Francisco in 2021. It is hasn’t been charging for its robotaxi service there, but that’s about to change. Waymo will charge riders in the San Francisco area real-life money to get a ride. [CleanTechnica]
Minute 59: Finis
Notes: Energy Week #461: 3/3/2022
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 with George Harvey and Tom Finnell 