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 #570 – 4/25/2024
Minute 0: Introduction
Thursday, April 18
Possible site for offshore energy (Levi Kilcher, NREL)
Minute 2
¶ “Alaska’s Wind, Wave, Tidal Resources Could Help State Meet Future Energy Needs” • A 131-page report by 11 researchers in eight different areas, recommends the Alaska office of BOEM assess the potential for ocean energy. Alaska’s Outer Continental Shelf holds the potential to generate 3,800 GW of electricity from wind, wave, and tidal resources. [NREL]
Nissan Formula E racer for 2028 (Nissan image)
Minute 5
¶ “Nissan Teases All Solid-State EV Battery For Itself, Renault, And Mitsubishi Motors” • Nissan hasn’t saying what goes into the solid state battery it is developing, but did give some details. It listed a reduction in charging time “to one-third,” while bringing the cost of battery packs down to $75.00/kWh by 2028, with the ultimate goal of $65.00. [CleanTechnica]
Renewable energy hybrid (Fred Olsen Renewables image)
Minute 8
¶ “Fred Olsen Renewables Files Plans For Scottish Hybrid” • Fred Olsen Renewables submitted proposals for a 100-MW hybrid renewable energy project to the Scottish Government. Lees Hill Renewable Energy Park would consist of wind, solar, and battery storage in the Scottish Borders. The developer offered over £7 million in community benefit funding. [reNews]
Friday, April 19
Thimphu, Bhutan (Pema Gyamtsho, Unsplash)
Minute 10
¶ “EIB Lends €150 Million For Renewables In Bhutan” • The European Investment Bank agreed to lend €150 million ($160.2 million) for renewables in Bhutan, to fund solar power along with small to mid-size run-of-river hydropower plants, especially in remote regions. Bhutan is one of only three net carbon-negative countries in the world. [pv magazine International]
Skyline of Gold Coast (City of Gold Coast, Unsplash)
Minute 13
¶ “Queensland Locks 80% Renewable Energy By 2035 Target Into Law” • The Queensland government has passed laws locking in 80% renewable energy generation by 2035, a move it expects will create more than 100,000 new jobs in manufacturing, renewable energy generation, power transmission and industries of the future. [pv magazine Australia]
Thirsty girl (Piotr Chrobot, Unsplash)
Minute 16
¶ “ER Visits For Heat Illness Rose In 2023 Amid Record-Breaking Temperatures: CDC” • Heat-related ER visits increased in 2023 in the US compared to previous years. Between January 1 and December 31, 2023, there were 119,605 ER visits for heat-related illnesses, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [ABC News]
Saturday, April 20
Claudia Sheinbaum (Claudia Shein, public domain)
Minute 19
¶ “Mexican Presidential Frontrunner Would Focus On Water And Renewable Energy” • Mexican presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum said that if she is elected, her administration would focus on water management and renewable energy as part of a plan to boost the country’s sustainability. She is strongly favored to win the June elections. [Yahoo News Canada]
Chevy Silverado EV (Courtesy of GM)
Minute 22
¶ “GM Picks Up The Electric Pickup Truck Torch Dropped By Cybertruck” • When you have a powerful electric pickup truck, do you really need to shell out for a home energy storage system as well? The launch began earlier this week with a focus on the new Chevy Silverado electric pickup truck and its bi-directional charging capability. [CleanTechnica]
Texas wind farm (Carol M Highsmith, public domain)
Minute 24
¶ “RTX Partners With ENGIE For Renewable Electricity In Texas Facilities” • RTX has announced an agreement with ENGIE North America to power 12 of RTX’s facilities in Texas with 100% renewable electricity. This deal is RTX’s largest renewable energy procurement to date, nearly doubling the company’s use of renewable electricity. [GreentechLead]
Sunday, April 21
Data center (imgix, Unsplash)
Minute 27
¶ “Data Centers Fuel AI And Crypto But Could Threaten Climate, Experts Say” • Artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency take a lot of power. At complexes, which typically span 100,000 square feet, the increased energy usage could jeopardize the fight to reduce carbon emissions and address climate change, experts told ABC News. [ABC News]
Queensland wind farm (Queensland government image)
Minute 30
¶ “Queensland Looks To Cut Emissions By 75% In A Decade In Rare Show Of Bipartisanship” • Queensland is looking to harness its power as the Sunshine State for something more than the skin cancer capital of the world. Cutting emissions by 75% by 2035 and a renewable energy target of 80% by 2035 have been enshrined in law in a bipartisan vote. [ABC]
El Niño temperature anomalies (NOAA, public domain)
Minute 32
¶ “’Uncharted Territory’: El Niño To Flip To La Niña In What Could Be The Hottest Year On Record” • El Niño is likely to give way soon, a NOAA scientist said. For the US, this climatological flip-flop will likely mean a greater risk of major hurricanes in the Atlantic as well as areas of drier-than-usual weather in southern portions of the country. [Live Science]
Monday, April 22
Solar farm (EnergyCo image)
Minute 35
¶ “Australia Targets 6 GW Of New Renewables In ‘Largest Ever’ Tender” • The Australian government said a new national Capacity Investment Scheme tender process will open in May seeking 6 GW of new variable renewable energy projects to replace aging coal power generation in the National Electricity Market. [pv magazine International]
Floating turbines (Green Volt Floating Offshore WindFarm)
Minute 38
¶ “Europe’s First Commercial-Scale Floating Offshore Wind Farm Secures All Planning Approvals” • With onshore consent, Green Volt has all its planning approvals and remains on track to be Europe’s first floating offshore wind farm. Green Volt will include up to 35 floating wind turbines, providing up to 560 MW of capacity. [Offshore Wind]
Floating solar array (Courtesy of Gippsland Water)
Minute 40
¶ “Largest Floating Solar Array In Australia Switched On” • The 350-kW system at Gippsland Water has 644 solar panels and floats on a treatment lagoon at the Drouin wastewater treatment plant. Gippsland Water said it is the largest floating solar array in Australia, and the solar panels result from the its commitment to renewable energy. [Energy Magazine]
Tuesday, April 23
Work in a wind farm (DNV GL image)
Minute 43
¶ “China Faces Huge Energy Transition Challenge” • China is proving itself a global green energy leader, but it is expected to depend heavily on fossil fuels in 2050. DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook China says the country’s build out of renewable energy is unrivalled, but fossil fuels will still make up 40% of its energy mix in 2050. [reNews]
Wind farm in South Africa (NJR ZA, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
Minute 46
¶ “Renewables To Thank For Weeks Of No Load-Shedding” • In the past three weeks there has been no load-shedding in South Africa. The good performance was due to deliberate plans by the government and utility Eskom to deal with power outages. The Energy Action Plan is starting to bear fruit, with the contribution of renewable energy projects. [ITWeb]
Planet Earth (NOAA/NASA GOES Project)
Minute 48
¶ “Earth Day 2024 Report Card” • Earth Day offers an annual opportunity for citizens, experts, and lawmakers to celebrate the planet, examine our impact on the changing environment and demand a push toward a sustainable future. To make a united step forward, awareness of the mounting climate crisis is vital, one scientist told ABC News. [ABC News]
Wednesday, April 24
Delivery EVs (Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Vans)
Minute 51
¶ “Mercedes-Benz Explores Pairing eSprinter Vans With E-Cargo Bikes For Last-Mile Deliveries” • A pilot program uses a special Mercedez-Benz eSprinter electric van as a mobile micro-depot to bring standardized container modules to transfer points. A container is off-loaded onto an ONO electric cargo bike which makes the last-mile deliveries. [CleanTechnica]
Solar power in Queensland (Kgbo, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
Minute 54
¶ “Queensland Passes Legislation To Deliver On Renewable Energy And Jobs” • The Queensland Government has passed the transformation of Queensland’s energy grid into law, which they have stated will create over 100,000 new jobs in manufacturing, renewable energy generation, power transmission, and industries of the future. [PACE Today]
Solar powered cabin in Alaska (Steve Hillebrand, FWS, public domain)
Minute 56
¶ “Alaska Groups Awarded $125 Million For Solar Projects” • Several Alaska organizations are set to share in $125 million in federal funding so low-income and disadvantaged communities can be powered by solar projects. Awards are going the Alaska Energy Authority and the Alaska Housing Finance Corp, and tribal solar projects. [Anchorage Daily News]
Minute 59: Finis
Notes: Energy Week #570 – 4/25/2024
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 