Friday, January 31, 2020
Recycling, Renewables and Sustainable Business 20
1 EIA expects U.S. electricity generation from renewables to soon surpass nuclear and coal
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=42655
In the latest long-term projections, the U.S Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects electricity generation from renewable sources such as wind and solar to surpass nuclear and coal by 2021 and to surpass natural gas in 2045. In the Annual Energy Outlook 2020 (AEO2020) Reference case, the share of renewables in the U.S. electricity generation mix increases from 19% in 2019 to 38% in 2050.
2 Electric Vehicle Batteries Will ‘Dwarf’ The Grid’s Energy-Storage Needs
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2020/01/29/electric-vehicle-batteries-could-dwarf-the-grids-energy-storage-needs/
There will be more than enough batteries in electric vehicles by 2050 to support a grid that runs on solar and wind—if the two are connected by smart chargers, according to experts at the International Renewable Energy Agency.
3 How Machine Learning Could Impact the Future of Renewable Energy
https://www.altenergymag.com/article/2019/10/how-machine-learning-could-impact-the-future-of-renewable-energy/32030/
More and more cities are looking to go green. And renewable energy is, if current trends hold, the future of the energy industry. But as renewable energy technologies like wind farms are implemented at larger scales than ever, local officials are running into their limitations. The energy production of wind farms is hard to predict, and this makes energy grid design difficult.
4 Corporations inked 19.5 GW of clean energy contracts in 2019
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/01/29/corporations-inked-19-5-gw-of-clean-energy-contracts-in-2019/
With businesses more eager than ever to make bold clean energy promises, the global market for corporate renewable energy power purchase agreements continues to surge. Last year, corporations contracted an unprecedented volume of renewable energy projects, up more than 40% from the previous year’s record, finds Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).
5 Credit Suisse, others back initiative to factor CO2 cuts into shipping finance
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-shipping-environment-finance-idUSKBN1ZT2GU
Credit Suisse (CSGN.S), BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) and French public investment bank Bpifrance are the latest lenders to join an initiative to link provision of shipping finance to cuts in carbon dioxide emissions.
6 Change climate policy now to avert oil market crisis, warns thinktank
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jan/31/change-climate-policy-now-to-avert-oil-market-crisis-warns-thinktank
The oil industry is at risk of a global market shock that could halve the value of fossil fuel investments if governments delay setting policies to tackle the climate crisis, according to new analysis.
7 Can Seawater Batteries Replace Lithium?
https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Can-Seawater-Batteries-Replace-Lithium.html
Lithium and cobalt: the two components of a rechargeable battery that have spurred a research and development rush may eventually meet their match in the future, in a simple element available in abundance in seawater.
8 Tesla hits new storage record as PV installs tumble year-on-year
https://www.pv-tech.org/news/51963
Tesla’s PV roll-out of 173MW this year is a far cry from the volumes it had recorded in 2017 (522MW) and 2018 (326MW). Image credit: PV Tech. Tesla has anticipated a solid 2020 on the renewable deployment front after its figures for 2019 proved stellar for storage installs but far less so for PV additions.
9 Arkema keen to ride bifacial wave with new polymer solution launch
https://www.pv-tech.org/news/51967
Materials firm Arkema is lining up a bifacial-ready backsheet polymer solution for release this year, having identified the trend for bifacial panels to represent a significant opportunity for the group.
10 The truth about compostable plastics
https://www.plasticstoday.com/sustainability/truth-about-compostable-plastics/14384319762324
Being “green” has its rules, and they are often confusing. To quote Kermit, “It isn’t easy being green.” A big part of the problem in getting people to dispose of their waste properly is educating them on the rules.
11 Tesla Earnings Report: Top Takeaways
https://cleantechnica.com/2020/01/30/tesla-earnings-report-top-takeaways/
Below are a number of top takeaways from Tesla’s latest shareholder letter and conference call. Perhaps these thing stood out to you as well. Perhaps they will light a spark in your brain.
12 Here’s How Renewable Energy Benefits the Wastewater Industry
https://www.altenergymag.com/article/2020/01/heres-how-renewable-energy-benefits-the-wastewater-industry/32592
The gap between the demand for clean water and the world’s supply of it will only widen in the coming decades. Wildly inconsistent access to potable water sources is one major challenge in the world today when it comes to hydration.
13 The First Phase of the Transition is About Electricity, Not Primary Energy
https://about.bnef.com/blog/the-first-phase-of-the-transition-is-about-electricity-not-primary-energy/
Primary energy might be the right lens through which to think about energy when there are few alternatives to fossil fuels, or if you’re an oil, gas, or coal company, for which primary energy describes the product you sell. However the world economy does not run on primary energy, it runs on final energy. That’s the energy we consume to heat and light our buildings, run our vehicles, and power industry.
14 Fed has a role in combating climate change risk, Powell says
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fed-climatechange-idUSKBN1ZT031
While the overall U.S. response to climate change is up to elected officials, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday, the Fed can play a part in keeping global warming from destabilizing U.S. banks and financial markets.
15 Environment Canada to release science review backing need for plastics ban
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/environment-canada-report-plastics-ban-1.5445611
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced last June the government was getting ready to prohibit the production and sale of single-use plastics in Canada, such as drinking straws, takeout containers and plastic cutlery.
16 Study doubts LNG fuel’s life-cycle GHG emissions benefit
https://www.lngworldnews.com/study-doubts-lng-fuels-life-cycle-ghg-emissions-benefit/
A paper by the International Council on Clean Transportation takes into consideration the life-cycle GHG emissions of LNG, marine gas oil (MGO), very low sulfur fuel oil, and heavy fuel oil when used in engines suitable for international shipping, including cruise ships.
17 EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2020 projects consumption growing more slowly than production
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=42635
The AEO2020 Reference case also projects the share of U.S. electricity generation from renewable sources to double from 19% of total generation in 2019 to 38% by 2050. Solar contributes the most to the growth, more than tripling from 14% of total renewable generation in 2019 to 46% by 2050. Although coal and nuclear generation decline through the mid-2020s as a result of capacity retirements, their generation stabilizes over the longer term as the more economically viable plants remain in service.
