Friday, February 14, 2020
Recycling, Renewables and Sustainable Business 22
1 Germany’s Volkswagen and Daimler push for more ‘sustainable’ Chile lithium
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chile-lithium-exclusive-idUSKBN20524Z
German automakers Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and Daimler (DAIGn.DE) have launched a study to push for more “sustainable” lithium mining in Chile, according to lobbyist filings reviewed by Reuters, a sign of growing supply chain concerns ahead of an expected electric vehicle boom.
2 Investors from five countries eye Mexico’s nascent lithium market
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-lithium-idUSKBN2070AG
Investors from at least five countries have expressed interest in Mexico’s nascent lithium extraction and production industry, said Francisco Quiroga, the undersecretary for mining, after a promising find in the north of the country.
3 Portuguese communities lock horns with lithium miners to save their land
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-portugal-environment-lithium-insight-idUSKBN2080GV
The lush, green hills where Paulo Pires has for years brought sheep to graze above his picturesque Portuguese village may soon be transformed by the race to power electric vehicles.
4 Energy density advances and faster charging would unlock EV revolution
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/02/11/energy-density-advances-and-faster-charging-would-unlock-ev-revolution/
If the electric vehicle (EV) industry can drive advances in battery energy densityand drastically improve charging rates, as many as eight in every ten cars sold could be fully electric in ten years’ time, according to analyst Wood Mackenzie. The U.S.-owned business intelligence firm said yesterday its base case scenario for EV adoption would see fully electric vehicles account for just 14% of sales in 2030, up from 3% last year.
5 China Batteries and the World
https://www.argusmedia.com/pages/NewsBody.aspx?id=2069777&menu=yes
Carmakers are looking for secure battery supply chains independent from the current dominance of Chinese cell makers, seeking to challenge Chinese hegemony in the global battery markets.
6 Total considers stopping fuel oil sales for power: CEO
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-total-fueloil-idUSKBN2081LT
France’s Total (TOTF.PA) is considering stopping sales of fuel oil to power markets as the energy giant seeks to reduce its carbon footprint and grow its renewable power business, its chief executive told Reuters.
7 What BP Can Learn From Orsted: The Route to Low-Carbon Profits
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/what-bp-can-learn-from-orsted
The first step to change is admitting you’ve got a problem.
“BP gets it.” That was one of several mantras to appear during new CEO Bernard Looney’s two-and-a-half-hour flag-planting welcome party on Wednesday.
8 BP’s carbon-neutral pledge puts pressure on Exxon, Chevron
https://www.worldoil.com/news/2020/2/12/bp-s-carbon-neutral-pledge-puts-pressure-on-exxon-chevron
BP’s pledge to zero out all its carbon emissions by 2050 deepens the divide between major European and American oil producers on climate change, increasing the pressure for Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. to do more.
9 Delta to invest $1 billion to curb global air travel’s climate impact
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-delta-air-idUSKBN2081FY
Delta Air Lines Inc said on Friday it will invest $1 billion over the next decade in initiatives that would limit the impact of global air travel on the environment, the first airline to make a commitment of that scale.
10 EU watchdog says ESG rating firms need rules to stop ‘greenwashing’
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-climate-regulator-idUSKBN2062H6
Agencies that issue ratings on how much companies and financial products are exposed to climate change need better supervision to help crack down on “greenwashing”, a top European Union regulator said on Wednesday.
11 Antarctic temperature rises above 20C for first time on record
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/13/antarctic-temperature-rises-above-20c-first-time-record
The Antarctic has registered a temperature of more than 20C (68F) for the first time on record, prompting fears of climate instability in the world’s greatest repository of ice. The 20.75C logged by Brazilian scientists at Seymour Island on 9 February was almost a full degree higher than the previous record of 19.8C, taken on Signy Island in January 1982.
12 A Third Of Fossil Fuel Assets May Soon Be Stranded
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/A-Third-Of-Fossil-Fuel-Assets-May-Soon-Be-Stranded.html
Fossil fuel companies hold vast oil, gas and coal riches that they frequently tout to the investing universe to help elevate their market values. However, not a single energy company has ever told investors about the potential effects on the environment if all their hydrocarbon reserves were burned.
13 Big oil traders start investing in renewables
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oil-traders-renewables-factbox-idUSKBN20603K
The world’s big oil trading firms are investing heavily in environmentally-friendly projects as they face increasing pressure from investors, governments, activists and financiers to find a sustainable business model.
14 Carbon Offsets and Forestry – How the Market for Innovation is Shaping up.
https://www.cleantech.com/carbon-offsets-and-forestry-how-the-market-for-innovation-is-shaping-up/
In 2019, 15 countries proposed legislation to have net-zero emissions by 2050. In total, 24 out of 28 EU countries and key US states such as California have all made similar commitments towards carbon neutrality. Corporates have also made bold commitments to cut carbon
15 Coronavirus outbreak in China impacting solar industry in Korea, India and Taiwan
https://www.pv-tech.org/news/52047
Manufacturing delays and supply chain constraints in China, caused by the coronavirus outbreak are starting to impact both upstream PV manufacturers and downstream installers in countries such as South Korea, India and Taiwan.
16 The Race for the Best Electric SUV
https://www.altenergymag.com/story/2020/02/the-race-for-the-best-electric-suv/32684/
Over recent years, the popularity of electric vehicles has skyrocketed. Greater awareness of environmental issues paired with increased availability of affordable and stylish electric cars has led to them becoming an attractive option. What’s more, the recent announcement that the ban on new petrol and diesel has been brought forward to 2035 gives even more urgency to the production of electric vehicles.
17 Energy Efficiency, Natural Gas and Renewable Energy Drove Decade of U.S. Energy Transformation
https://about.bnef.com/blog/energy-efficiency-natural-gas-and-renewable-energy-drove-decade-of-u-s-energy-transformation/
The U.S. overhauled how it produces, delivers, and consumes energy over a momentous decade of change, according to a new report from BloombergNEF (BNEF) and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE). In the process, the U.S. posted 10 straight years of economic growth, while cutting both power-sector CO2 emissions and consumer energy costs to their lowest levels in a generation.
18 Red Flags for Natural Gas In New Sustainable Energy Report
https://cleantechnica.com/2020/02/13/red-flags-a-plenty-for-natural-gas-in-new-sustainable-energy-report/
The Business Council For Sustainable Energy has just issued the 2020 edition of its annual Sustainable Energy In America Factbook series, and the first thing to jump out is the inclusion of natural gas under the category of “sustainable.” That’s quite a stretch, to say the least. Nevertheless, the report provides ample room for natural gas in the clean energy revolution of the past 10 years. For the next 10 years ahead, though, the 2020 Factbook exposes a number of factors that should send shivers up the spines of natural gas stakeholders.
19 Enel Green Power CEO: Renewables Beating Fossil Fuels With ‘No Incentives Whatsoever’
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/enel-green-power-renewables-beating-fossil-fuels-with-no-incentives
The energy transition is well underway, and it no longer relies on incentives, according to Antonio Cammisecra, head of global power generation for European utility giant Enel and CEO of subsidiary Enel Green Power.
“Subsidies are not needed anymore,” Cammisecra said in a recent phone interview. “Indeed, they are becoming rare today in this industry.”
20 Electric Vehicle Sales In China In Free Fall
https://cleantechnica.com/2020/02/12/electric-vehicle-sales-in-china-in-free-fall/
The electric car revolution is coming to Europe in a big way. EV sales in Italy are up more than 500% over last year. In France, they are up four times compared to last year. That’s wonderful news for EV fans, but France and Italy are not where the action is when it comes to sales of electric cars. China is the country everyone has their eye on. GM, Ford, Mercedes, BMW, and Volkswagen expect EV sales in China to explode, creating a path toward monumental profits.
21 New $1 billion mine looks to solar, wind, batteries for 80% of power needs
https://reneweconomy.com.au/new-1-billion-mine-looks-to-solar-wind-batteries-for-80-of-power-needs-90179/
Australian mining company Oz Minerals plans to power its proposed $1 billion West Musgrave copper nickel mine in central Australia with up to 80 per cent renewables.
22 Pressure Rises On The Oil And Gas Industry To Address Gas Flaring
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidblackmon/2020/02/12/pressure-rises-on-the-oil-and-gas-industry-to-address-gas-flaring/
It’s been almost a year now since I wrote a piece titled “The Real Existential Threat To America’s Oil Industry Isn’t What You Think.” That piece discussed the reality that the so-called “Green New Deal” that had just been so famously rolled-out by New York Cong. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was actually much less of a threat to the industry’s future than its own slowness or outright failures to adequately address local impacts that invariably arise in every significant oil or gas boom.
