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Energy Week #569 – 4/18/2024
Minute 0: Introduction
Thursday, April
Sign at Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (Kilian Karger, Unsplash)
Minute 2
¶ “Nuclear Energy ‘Now An Obstacle To Delivering Net Zero’ – Greenpeace” • Nuclear energy provides about 25% of the world’s low-carbon electricity. However, Greenpeace director of policy Doug Parr said, “Nuclear power can’t bridge the gap between anything and anything. It is too slow. It is too expensive. It is a massive distraction.” [Energy Monitor]
Sheep grazing at solar farm (Dominion Energy)
Minute 5
¶ “Virginia Governor Signs Legislation Establishing Community Solar” • Governor Glenn Youngkin signed legislation that creates a community solar program in Virginia enabling up to 200 MW of shared power projects between the two major utilities that serve the state. Virginia targets 30% renewable energy by 2030, and 100% by 2050. [pv magazine USA]
Solar system (Tom Brewster, BLM California, cropped)
Minute 8
¶ “Avangrid Broke Ground On Its First Solar Farm In California” • Avangrid is one of the largest clean energy operators in the US, with 8.7 GW of installed renewables capacity in the country. Now, it is building its first solar farm in California, the 57-MW Camino Solar Project in Kern County. The company already has six wind farms in the state. [Electrek]
Friday, April
Renewable energy in the UK (Mat Fascione, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
Minute 10
¶ “UK Renewable Boom Plunges Electricity Prices” • Wholesale electricity prices in the UK fell sharply in the first quarter of 2024 due to a significant increase in renewable energy production, as reported by Montel EnAppSys. The average prices dropped by 22% compared to the previous quarter, with average day-ahead prices close to £64.50/MWh. [Energy Live News]
Solar panels (Courtesy of the US DOE)
Minute 13
¶ “A New Dawn For Solar Cells: 190% Quantum Efficiency Is Possible” • The Shockley-Queisser limit refers a theory about an upper limit of PV technology efficiency. The limit is now thought to be 33.7%. But Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems achieved 47.6%, and they are still working to improve efficiency. [CleanTechnica]
Nexamp solar array (Nexamp immage)
Minute 16
¶ “US Community Solar Developer Nexamp Raises $520 Million to Accelerate Deployment” • Nexamp, a developer and operator of distributed solar with storage, announced that it raised $520 million. Proceeds from the financing are to accelerate growth as the company expands into new markets and builds its renewable energy and storage capacity. [ESG Today]
Saturday, April
Schematic of solar cell (Ekuma Lab, Lehigh University
Minute 19
¶ “New Material Could Double Output Of Solar Panels” • In a research study published in the journal Science Advances, scientists at Lehigh University say they developed a material that has the potential to drastically increase the efficiency of solar panels. The university says a prototype using the material in a solar cell has an average PV absorption of 80%. [CleanTechnica]
Wind turbines (Iberdrola image)
Minute 22
¶ “Iberdrola’s Renewable Energy Production Reaches 10-Year Highs In Spain” • Investments by the Iberdrola in renewables and a commitment to decarbonization pushed production of clean energy in Spain to a decade high. In the first quarter of 2024, the group generated 10,489 GWh with clean energy, up 19.4% from the same period last year. [Iberdrola]
Making solar cells (Oregon Department of Transportation, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
Minute 24
¶ “Solar Is Largest Source Of New Generating Capacity For Sixth Month In A Row” • A review by the SUN DAY Campaign of data recently-released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission shows that for the sixth month in a row, solar provided more new US electrical generating capacity than any other energy source, 83.64% of the total. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
Sunday, April
Solar Power Plant Maharashtra (Thomas Lloyd Group, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
Minute 27
¶ “India Added A Record 18 GW Renewable Energy Capacity In FY24” • India added a record renewable capacity of 18.48 GW in 2023-24, up 21% from 15.27 GW the tear before, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy data shows. India’s installed renewable capacity came to 143.64 GW, as of March 31, 2024. That does not count 47 GW of large hydropower. [TheBengaluruLive]
Phytomining (courtesy of ARPA-E)
Minute 30
¶ “Nickel-Mining Plants To Juice EV Battery Supply Chain” • The EV battery supply chain has its pitfalls. The environmental cost of nickel mining is one of them. A solution to that may have emerged in the form of a new US phytomining startup called Metalplant. Phytomining is the practice of growing plants for their metal content. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla charging in Munich (alex, Unsplash)
Minute 32
¶ “Good News About Electric Cars: They’re Driving Down Electricity Rates” • In a study commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council, an analysis by Synapse found that between 2011 and 2021, electric car drivers contributed $3.12 billion more than their associated costs, which drove down monthly rates for “all customers.” [CleanTechnica]
Monday, April
Transmission towers (Matthew Henry, Unsplash)
Minute 35
¶ “US Grid Connection Backlog, Dominated By Solar, Grows To 2.6 TW In 2023” • The grid connection backlog in the US grew by 27% year-on-year in 2023, with about 2.6 TW of generation and storage capacity now seeking interconnection. As of the end of 2023, the total capacity in the queue was more than twice the current US generating capacity of 1.28 TW. [PV Tech]
Solar farm (Adani Green Energy)
Minute 38
¶ “Adani Green Records 35% Growth In Operational Capacity In FY24” • Adani Green Energy Ltd recorded a 35% increase in its operational capacity with the addition of solar and wind power projects in the financial year 2024. The company aims for growth in its renewable capacity to 45,000 MW by 2030, which is 10% of India’s renewable energy target. [NDTV Profit]
Solar farm (© Conrad energy)
Minute 40
¶ “How Farmers Can Thrive In The Evolving Energy Landscape” • In an era marked by climate concerns and renewable energy ambitions, the agricultural sector is at the forefront of innovation and adaptation. As the world seeks sustainable solutions to meet growing energy demands, the roles of managing agricultural land are expanding. [Farmers Weekly]
Tuesday, April
Wind farm (Dan Meyers, Unsplash)
Minute 43
¶ “CIP Bags 1.3-GW US Onshore Wind Portfolio” • Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners has acquired Liberty Renewables, which has a 1,300-MW portfolio of onshore wind projects in the state of New York. The projects are scheduled to be built to come online during the years 2026 to 2030. Hoffman Falls Wind will be the first project developed. [reNews]
Installing a rotor (GWEC image)
Minute 46
¶ “Global Wind Installations In 2023 Set New Record” • The global wind industry installed a record 117 GW of new capacity in 2023, making it the best year for new wind energy so far. Total installations of 117 GW in 2023 represents a 50% year-on-year increase from 2022, according to a report from the Global Wind Energy Council. [reNews]
Retired oil rigs (Ben Wicks, Unsplash)
Minute 48
“US Interior Department Takes Action to Protect Taxpayers from Offshore Oil & Gas Decommissioning Costs” • The Interior Department announced a final rule from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to protect taxpayers from covering costs that should be borne by the oil and gas industry when offshore platforms require decommissioning. [CleanTechnica]
Wednesday, April
Rivian R1T (Rivian image)
Minute 51
¶ “The Safest Truck In The USA Is The Rivian R1T” • EVs have innate safety advantages. It’s also easier to design them to be safe in multiple ways. CleanTechnica has a new report on the subject: The EV Safety Advantage. Apparently, it already needs updating, because the Rivian R1T just set a new high bar for safety among pickup trucks.[CleanTechnica]
Energy Observer in 2017 (Margauux P, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
Minute 54
¶ “This Boat Runs On 100% Renewables. Can It Help Clean Up Bigger Ships?” • The Energy Observer has sailed the world as a floating lab of zero-emission technologies. Now its owners want to apply what they’ve learned to dirty freighters. The boat’s fossil-free generators and storage can provide all the energy it needs for weeks on end. [Canary Media]
Punakha, Bhutan (Nihar Modi, Unsplash)
Minute 56
¶ “Seven Countries Generate 100% Of Their Electricity From Renewable Energy” • Seven countries generate nearly all of their electricity from renewable energy, data shows. Albania, Bhutan, Nepal, Paraguay, Iceland, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo produced over 99.7% of their electricity using solar, wind, hydro or geothermal power. [MSN]
Minute 59: Finis
Notes: Energy Week #569 – 4/18/2024
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 