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Energy Week #5https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-6811882258 – 2/1/2024
Minute 0: Introduction
Thursday, January 25
Offshore wind turbine (Courtesy of energyRE)
Minute 2
¶ “US Offshore Wind Industry Comes Roaring Back To The Tune Of 3.7 GW” • The US offshore wind industry suffered one blow after another last year, and two projects totalling 2.2 GW, planned for the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New Jersey, were cancelled. But the state’s Board of Public Utilities just approved two projects with 3.7 GW of capacity. [CleanTechnica]
Flow batter water purifier
Minute 5
¶ “NYU Tandon Researchers Unlock Energy-Efficient Solution to Global Water Crisis” • Researchers at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering have achieved a major breakthrough in Redox Flow Desalination, an emerging electrochemical technique that can turn seawater into potable drinking water and store affordable renewable energy. [CleanTechnica]
Skyscraper in Brooklyn (Courtesy of Alloy)
Minute 8
¶ “A Sustainable Skyscraper Grows In Brooklyn Thanks To Alloy” • Alloy is an architectural and design firm that focus on property in New York City, especially Brooklyn. Its most recent project is a 44 story residential building in downtown Brooklyn. Everything in the building, from ovens to elevators, operates on electricity from renewable sources. [CleanTechnica]
Friday, January 26
Dual axis trackers in China (Vinaykumar8687, CC-BU-SA 4.0)
Minute 10
¶ “China Added More Solar Panels In 2023 Than US Did In Its Entire History” • China installed more solar panels in 2023 than any other nation has built in total, adding to a massive renewable energy fleet that’s already leading the world by a wide margin. China added 216.9 GW of solar capacity last year, blowing away its previous record of 87.4 GW. [Financial Post]
Mauna Loa Observatory (Christine Smith, NOAA)
Minute 13
¶ “US DOE Is Helping NOAA’s Mauna Loa Observatory Get To Net-Zero” • The US DOE awarded NOAA $5 million to support converting the Mauna Loa atmospheric baseline observatory in Hawaii to be a net-zero carbon facility. Among other things, the Mauna Loa Observatory monitors the global increase in levels of greenhouse gases. [CleanTechnica]
Lake Mead (ricardo frantz, Unsplash)
Minute 16
¶ “North America Experienced An Unprecedented ‘Hot Drought’ In The Last Century, Research Shows” • Western North America has experienced an unprecedented “hot drought” over the last century, according to research that shows the amplification of heat in the region over recent decades. The paper was published in Science Advances. [ABC News]
Saturday, January 27
Solar array at Dearborn (Courtesy of City of Dearborn)
Minute 19
¶ “Dearborn Commits To 100% Renewable Energy At City Buildings” • In Michigan, the city of Dearborn is opting into DTE Energy’s MIGreenPower program to get municipal buildings to 100% renewable energy by 2026. Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud says it’s one of the ways the city is taking a lead in becoming more green. [WDET 101.9 FM]
AgriRobot at work (University of Prince Edward Island)
Minute 22
¶ “AI Is Increasingly Being Used To Deal With Climate Change, But It Has Its Own Emissions Problem” • As the climate changes, farmers are facing more challenges than ever before. Floods, droughts, disease, and shifts within the growing and harvesting seasons mean the agriculture business is rapidly changing. AI can help, but it has its own problems. [CBC]
Transmission lines (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)
Minute 24
¶ “Copper Is King, But It Is Time for a Metal Meritocracy” • As the world scrambles to slow climate change by electrifying everything (and decarbonizing everything), demand for copper is soaring. The US DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office launched a new prize in 2021 to develop alternatives. Four are detailed here. [CleanTechnica]
Sunday, January 28
Solar farm (Merallisolar image)
Minute 27
¶ “Booming Renewable Energy Generation Halves Wholesale Power Prices Across National Grid” • Rapid growth in renewable generation reduced the wholesale cost of power in Australia’s energy grid late last year, and it greatly reduced reliance on coal. Prices were down more than half in the final three months of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. [MSN]
Heat pump diagram (US DOE Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy)
Minute 30
¶ “Geothermal Heat Pumps Key Opportunity In Switch To Clean Energy” • Analysis from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that, coupled with building envelope improvements, installing geothermal heat pumps in around 70% of US buildings could save as much as 593 TWh of electricity annually. [CleanTechnica]
Icon of the Seas (Courtesy of Royal Caribbean Group)
Minute 32
¶ “Icon Of The Seas: World’s Largest Cruise Ship Sets Sail From Miami” • The world’s largest cruise ship has set sail from Miami on its maiden voyage, but there are concerns about the vessel’s methane emissions, as it is powered by LNG. The 365m-long (1,197 ft) Icon of the Seas has 20 decks and can house a maximum of 7,600 passengers. [BBC]
Monday, January 29
Abyei dwelling (Sudan Envoy, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
Minute 35
¶ “52 Killed In Clashes In The Disputed Oil-Rich African Region Of Abyei” • Gunmen attacked villagers in the oil-rich region of Abyei claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan, leaving at least 52 people dead, including a UN peacekeeper, an official said. The attackers were armed youth who migrated to the state last year because of flooding in their areas. [ABC News]
Electric bus at charging station (ConceptConcentric Electric Bus)
Minute 38
¶ “New Electric Buses For Waterloo” • In 2020, the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, discontinued purchases of diesel-only buses, switching to hybrid and electric options. The first of Grand River Transit’s electric buses will begin service next month as part of its zero-emission bus pilot project. Ten additional electric buses are expected this year. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla (Taun Stewart, Unsplash)
Minute 40
¶ “Tesla Financials Deep Dive – Massive Growth” • Elon Musk and Tesla’s top executives conducted the year 2023 and Q4 2023 earnings call last week. 2023 was Tesla’s best year yet. In addition to delivering a record 1.8 million vehicles last year, Tesla’s energy storage and solar business grew to more than double last year compared to 2022. [CleanTechnica]
Tuesday, January 30
Ohrid, North Macedonia (Ljupco Dzambazovski, Unsplash)
Minute 43
¶ “North Macedonia Posts 160% Growth In New Renewables Capacity In 2023” • Renewable electricity capacity in North Macedonia increased by 551.2 MW over the last two years. Of that, 399 MW was installed in 2023, two and a half times more than the year before. The increase was spurred by a combination of legal reforms. [Balkan Green Energy News]
Elephant (Nam Anh, Unsplash)
Minute 46
¶ “Global Warming Could Increase Risk Of Human-Elephant Conflict, Researchers Say” • The risks for conflict between elephants and humans could increase in the future due to climate change and other human-caused environmental factors, according to new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [ABC News]
Sierra Northern (Drew Jacksich, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
Minute 48
¶ “US Department of Transportation Announces $31.4 Million Loan To Upgrade Critical Rail Lines In California” • The US Department of Transportation announced provision of a $31.4 million loan to the Sierra Northern Railway and Mendocino Railway to expand and rehabilitate rail systems in the Central Valley and Mendocino County. [CleanTechnica]
Wednesday, January 31
Harabhangi Dam (সন্দীপ সরকার, CC0 1.0)
Minute 51
¶ “India’s Renewable Energy Capacity Has Reached 188 GW: President Murmu” • India’s installed renewable energy capacity has increased to about 188 GW, up from 81 GW a decade ago, President Droupadi Murmu said in an address. She noted that solar power capacity has increased 26-fold, wind power capacity has doubled in the last ten years. [Swarajya]
Monarch butterfly (Melissa Burovac, Unsplash)
Minute 54
¶ “Western Monarch Butterflies Overwintering In California Dropped 30% In 2023” • The number of western monarch butterflies overwintering in California dropped by 30% last year, likely due to how wet it was, researchers said. Other causes of the decline are destruction of habitat due to housing, pesticides, herbicides, and climate change. [ABC News]
Wind turbines (Mark König, Unsplash)
Minute 56
¶ “Europe Signs PPAS For 16.2 GW Of Renewables In 2023, Including 10.5 GW Of Solar” • Swiss financial analyst Pexapark has published its latest report on the European renewable power purchase agreement sector, European PPA Market Outlook 2024. It found that European buyers struck deals for a record 16.2GW of clean power in 2023. [PV Tech]
Minute 59: Finis
Notes: Energy Week #558 – 2/1/2024
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 