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Energy Week #568 – 4/11/2024
Minute 0: Introduction
Thursday, April 4
Coal-burning plant (Daniel Moqvist, Unsplash)
Minute 2
¶ “EU Carbon Market Emissions Fall Record 15.5% As Renewable Power Soars” • Carbon dioxide emissions regulated under the EU’s Emissions Trading System fell by a record 15.5% in 2023 as renewable power output soared, the European Commission said. Around 45% of the EU’s output of greenhouse gases is regulated by the EU ETS. [Reuters]
View from the top of a wind turbine (WindEurope image)
Minute 5
¶ “Renewables Failing To Keep Pace With Energy Demand” • A report from REN21 found that persistent obstacles prevent renewables from keeping pace with rising energy demand. This leads to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Renewables are increasing in the overall energy mix, but they are not replacing coal, oil, and gas at the pace required. [reNews]
Small traction battery (Kumpan Electric, Unsplash)
Minute 8
¶ “Digital Battery Passports Coming to EU” • Starting in February 2027, every new traction battery, two-wheeled vehicle battery, and industrial battery with a capacity of over 2 kWh that is sold in the EU will need a digital battery passport. There are several reasons for this, including transparency and sustainability in the battery value chain. [CleanTechnica]
Friday, April 5
Horizon Solar Project (Leeward Renewable Energy image)
Minute 10
¶ “Leeward Energy Starts Operations At Huge South Texas Solar Project” • Dallas-based Leeward Renewable Energy completed construction and commenced operations at its 200-MW Horizon Solar Project in South Central Texas. The project will provide Verizon Communications with renewable energy under a power purchase agreement. [Dallas Innovates]
AutoFlight Prosperity (AutoFlight image)
Minute 13
¶ “AutoFlight Delivers First Electric Air Taxi To Customer In Japan” • AutoFlight has achieved a significant milestone by officially delivering its first Prosperity aircraft to a customer in Japan, marking the world’s inaugural delivery of a civilian ton-class eVTOL aircraft. The five-seater Prosperity aircraft went to a commercial operator. [CleanTechnica]
Jersey City (Jonathan Roger, Unsplash)
Minute 16
¶ “Plans Filed For New Jersey’s Garden State Energy Path Grid Upgrade” • National Grid Ventures and Con Edison Transmission have submitted plans to build transmission infrastructure that will connect offshore wind power to the New Jersey electricity grid. Garden State Energy Path will be able to carry 6 GW of electricity from four wind farms. [reNews]
Saturday, April 6
Solar PVs over a canal (Courtesy of Turlock Irrigation District)
Minute 19
¶ “$19 Million For Innovative Solar Panel Installation Over Canals” • The Interior Department announced a $19 million investment from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to install solar panels over irrigation canals in California, Oregon, and Utah. This reduces evaporation of needed water while it increases clean energy. [CleanTechnica]
Cambodian floating solar mesh-grid (Courtesy of Okra Solar)
Minute 22
¶ “The Potential Of Solar And Mesh-Grids” • While the power potential of mini-grids make them viable for densely populated areas, they are too expensive for rural areas with low population densities. Mesh-grids are offer a more affordable system than traditional off-grid installations, often with a cost just 60% of that of mini-grids. [CleanTechnica]
Skiing at Stubai Glacier (Markos Mant, Unsplash)
Minute 24
¶ “Austria Likely To Be Largely Ice-Free Within 45 Years As Its Glaciers Recede Quickly, Experts Say” • Austrian glaciers receded rapidly last year and the country is likely to be largely ice-free in 40 to 45 years as the process continues. The Austrian Alpine Club said that, of the 93 glaciers its volunteers measured, all but one receded in 2022-2023. [ABC News]
Sunday, April 7
Solar pavilion at Fair Park in Dallas (Michael Barera, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
Minute 27
¶ “Solar Beats Coal In Fossil-Friendly Texas, Despite Fossil Friends” • The renewable energy juggernaut keeps rolling on in Texas, even though public officials bend over backwards to keep fossil energy interests safe. Coal’s market share fell below 10% for the first time ever, to just over 9%. And solar’s market share rose above 10% in the same month. [CleanTechnica]
Penguins (Eamonn Maguire, Unsplash)
Minute 30
¶ “‘Simply Mind-Boggling’: World Record Temperature Jump In Antarctic Raises Fears Of Catastrophe” • Scientists at Concordia research station on the east Antarctic plateau documented a remarkable event. They recorded the largest temperature jump ever measured at a meteorological center on Earth, 38.5°C above its seasonal average. [The Guardian]
Volvo EX30 Cloud (Volvo image)
Minute 32
¶ “Volvo Sets All-Time Sales Record Thanks To EV Sales Surge” • Volvo sold 78,970 vehicles worldwide in March, a 25% increase YOY. Sales of fully electric cars were up 43% and made up 23% of all Volvo March global sales. Volvo sales in Europe, the firm’s top market, rose 33% in March. Even better, sales of its fully electric cars rose 66% over last year’s total. [CleanTechnica]
Monday, April 8
Work on a silicon wafer (ENERGY.GOV, public domain)
Minute 35
¶ “Adani Kicks Off Commercial Production Of Wafers, Ingots” • Adani Group has started production of the wafers and ingots essential for manufacturing solar power cells and modules at a plant in Gujarat. Adani Group aims to be India’s first integrated renewable energy player and plans for its renewables to reach 45 GW by 2030. [Manufacturing Today India]
Offshore wind turbine (Courtesy of NJ DEP)
Minute 38
¶ “New Jersey National Guard To Help With 6 GW Of Offshore Wind” • Fossil energy stakeholders smelled blood last year when they helped mobilize local residents to oppose offshore wind off the coast of New Jersey. Now the Garden State is back on track on a long-term goal of 11 GW by 2040, with a little help from the New Jersey National Guard. [CleanTechnica]
Fire at a petrochemical plant (US Chemical Safety Board image)
Minute 40
¶ “A New EPA Rule Is Meant To Prevent Chemical Disasters, But Safety Advocates Say Loopholes Remain” • There is a chemical disaster on average once every two days in the US, the Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters says. The EPA recently released a safety rule meant to reduce chemical disasters, but advocates say loopholes remain. [CleanTechnica]
Tuesday, April 9
Calpine grid-scale battery, image courtesy of Calpine
Minute 43
¶ “Swapping An 800-MW Gas Generator For A 680-MW, 2720-MWh Grid-Scale Battery” • A decade ago, GE installed a state of the art combined cycle methane-fired turbine at a generating station southeast of Los Angeles. Fast forward to 2024: It has been demolished, and a $1 billion battery storage facility is being built for Calpine in its place. [CleanTechnica]
Deepwater Horizon (Patrick Kelley, USCG, public domain)
Minute 46
¶ “A Small Group Of Carbon Majors Has Created The Most Climate Pollution, And They’re Not Slowing Down” • Which companies are most heavily linked to CO₂ emissions? The ignominious winners are the most prominent group of carbon majors, the world’s largest oil, gas, coal, and cement producers. And the emissions are increasing. [CleanTechnica]
The eWolf (Courtesy of Crowley Maritime Corporation)
Minute 48
¶ “New Electric Tugboat Unveiled At Port Of San Diego” • The Port of San Diego recently unveiled an electric tugboat, the eWolf. The electric tugboat runs only on electricity, whereas a conventional tugboat uses diesel fuel. Air pollution at ports is a well-documented problem, and this electric tugboat generates no carbon dioxide or air pollution. [CleanTechnica]
Wednesday, April 10
One winter and the next (EIA image)
Minute 51
¶ “Texas Solar Power Growth Changing the Shape of Daily Electricity Supply in ERCOT” • The electricity mix of energy sources in Texas, managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas electricity grid operator, changed noticeably in 2023. This was because additions of solar generating capacity grew rapidly, often co-located with storage. [CleanTechnica]
Locarno, Switzerland (Johnson Hung, Unsplash)
Minute 54
¶ “Swiss Climate Group Wins Victory At European Court Of Human Rights” • A group of older Swiss women brought a suit to the European Court Of Human Rights, claiming that the Swiss government has denied them a clean and safe environment. The ECHR found Switzerland had failed to comply with its duties to stop climate change. [CleanTechnica]
Wind turbines in Spain (Raimond Klavins, Unsplash)
Minute 56
¶ “Incredible 60% Of Europe’s Electricity Was Powered By Clean Energy In The First Two Months Of 2024” • According to energy think tank Ember, Europe’s generation of 516,500 GWh of renewable electricity in January and February satisfied 60% of overall power demand. This marks a gain of 12% from the same period in 2023. [Good News Network]
Minute 59: Finis
Notes: Energy Week #568 – 4/11/2024
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 