Friday, January 3, 2020
Recycling, Renewables and Sustainable Business 16
1 U.S. electricity generation from renewables surpassed coal in April
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=42336
In April 2019, U.S. monthly electricity generation from renewable sources exceeded coal-fired generation for the first time based on data in EIA’s Electric Power Monthly. Renewable sources provided 23% of total electricity generation to coal’s 20%.
2 Renewable corporate power deals soar tenfold in Europe: study
https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/renewable-corporate-power-deals-soar-tenfold-in-europe-study/2-1-731698
Increased pressure on corporations over their green credentials and a phase-out of government incentives sent the number of renewable power purchase agreements (PPAs) in Europe soaring more than tenfold in six years, according to global law firm DLA Piper.
3 Goldman Sachs agreed to stop funding Arctic drilling. Will other banks join them?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/03/goldman-sachs-arctic-drilling-gwichin-banks
Last fall, I traveled more than 4,000 miles from my home in Alaska to meet with major banks and urge them to help protect the Arctic national wildlife refuge from destructive oil drilling and exploration. In all the years I’ve worked to defend this place, we’ve been focused on trying to make our voices heard by leaders in the White House or in Congress, and I never thought I’d be sitting in a conference room on the 43rd floor of Goldman Sachs’ global headquarters in downtown New York, talking about the Arctic refuge.
4 Global capital moving towards renewables, away from coal
https://ieefa.org/global-capital-moving-towards-renewables-away-from-coal/
The latest climate talks in Madrid achieved very little, with the world’s governments making glacial progress on the task of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to avoid climate catastrophe.
5 Self-Healing Lithium Batteries Are On The Horizon
https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Self-Healing-Lithium-Batteries-Are-On-The-Horizon.html
Engineers at the University of Illinois have developed an electrolyte that could help manufacturers produce recyclable, self-healing commercial batteries.
In a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the researchers said that they have created a solid polymer-based electrolyte that can self-heal after damage—and the material can also be recycled without the use of harsh chemicals or high temperatures.
6 Tesla meets low end of 2019 goal for vehicle deliveries
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tesla-deliveries-idUSKBN1Z21B5
Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) beat Wall Street estimates for vehicle deliveries in its fourth quarter on Friday and met the low-end of its full-year delivery goal, boosted by higher demand for its mass-produced Model 3 sedans.
7 Iberdrola completes ‘Europe’s largest’, 500MW solar giant
https://www.pv-tech.org/news/51817
Multinational utility Iberdrola has completed the giant 500MW Núñez de Balboa solar farm in Spain’s Extremadura region, claiming it to be Europe’s largest completed solar project.
8 Ontario environmental groups set ambitious goals for 2020
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-environmental-goals-2020-1.5410213
2020 is set to be a busy year for climate activism.
The do-or-die deadlines for curbing emissions put out by groups like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) continue to draw closer — and around the world, you can expect another year of dire reports, high-profile international meetings, and protests.
9 Zero carbon power sources outstrip fossil fuels in 2019 in historic first
https://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/news/zero_carbon_power_sources_outstrip_fossil_fuels_in_2019_in_historic_first
Wind, solar and hydro together generated 26.5% of Britain’s electricity. This contributed towards a total of 48.5% of power from zero carbon sources when added to nuclear and imports from interconnectors. In comparison, fossil fuels, predominantly gas, generated 43% of the nations power, while the remaining 8.5% came from biomass.
10 Automakers Face Tough New Standards In EU
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Automakers-Face-Tough-New-Standards-In-EU.html
The long-awaited light-duty vehicle emission rules will hit light-duty vehicle makers working in EU member countries on January 1.
11 $1bn solar plan to power Las Vegas takes new step forward
https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/-1bn-solar-plan-to-power-las-vegas-takes-new-step-forward/2-1-731463
Plans to spend $1bn building one of the world’s largest solar plants near Las Vegas took another step forward when US federal officials published a final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the 690MW Gemini Solar and Storage project.
12 3 Major Solar Trends to Watch in 2020
https://www.energytrend.com/research/20200103-16099.html
After the turbulence in 2018, the global market has begun to stabilize in 2019. According to EnergyTrend, the Green Energy Research Division from TrendForce, in 2020, judging from the three major global market trends, the market conditions are improving. The industry is stabilizing and maturing through perpetual changes.
13 5 Battery & EV Charging Stories You May Have Missed
https://cleantechnica.com/2020/01/02/5-battery-ev-charging-stories-you-may-have-missed/
Electric vehicle (EV) batteries and charging may not be as exciting as robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles, there’s been a variety of fun news about these matters that should help to further raise awareness and get people to switch to EVs.
14 Behind the Buzzword: A Brief History of Energy ‘Resiliency’
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/behind-the-buzzword-a-brief-history-of-resiliency-in-the-energy-industry
Over the last 30 years, the transition away from centralized energy infrastructure, global climate events like the devastating hurricanes of 2017, extreme volatility in the cost of fossil fuels, and a growing demand for renewable energy have shaped an unfamiliar theoretical term into not only a buzzword but a cornerstone of infrastructure planning.
15 5 Early Applications for Green Hydrogen
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/5-early-applications-for-green-hydrogen
Few energy-related topics are getting as much attention at the moment as green hydrogen. Europe’s biggest natural-gas infrastructure firm recently launched a new hydrogen business. A hydrogen economy in the U.S. could generate an estimated $140 billion per year in revenue and support 700,000 jobs by 2030, according to a recent McKinsey study published by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association.
16 ‘Completely unsustainable’: How streaming and other data demands take a toll on the environment
https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/data-centres-energy-consumption-1.5391269
The gigabytes of data we’re using — although invisible — come at a significant cost to the environment. Some experts say it rivals that of the airline industry.
17 Tracking emissions in China | MIT News
http://news.mit.edu/2019/tracking-emissions-china-valerie-karplus-1230
In January 2013, many people in Beijing experienced a multiweek period of severely degraded air, known colloquially as the “Airpocalypse,” which made them sick and kept them indoors. As part of its response, the central Chinese government accelerated implementation of tougher air pollution standards for power plants, with limits to take effect in July 2014.
