Friday, September 27, 2019
Recycling, Renewables and Sustainable Business 2
1 Making plastics recycling pledges is easy, following through can be hard
https://www.plasticsnews.com/blog/making-plastics-recycling-pledges-easy-following-through-can-be-hard
Brand owners and plastics companies have been making a lot of voluntary pledges related to plastics packaging in the past year. Some of those goals may be difficult or expensive to achieve.
2 Recyclable packaging is top concern for shoppers: report
https://www.packagingnews.co.uk/top-story/recyclable-packaging-top-concern-shoppers-report-24-09-2019
A new report found that 69% of shoppers believe buying packaging that is recyclable is the foremost sustainable spending behaviour, and two thirds of shoppers want non-recyclable packaging to be banned altogether.
3 Solar PV growth slows as sector transitions to new phase
https://blogs.platts.com/2019/09/26/solar-pv-capacity-growth-slows/
Dramatic cost reductions are now seeing solar PV becoming increasingly competitive, but capacity additions remain subdued so far this year across major markets, following a prior year of stalled growth, according to S&P Global Platts Analytics’ latest Global Solar PV Outlook.
4 Environmental groups secure air protections at proposed Ohio cracker plant
https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2019/09/26/environmental-groups-secure-air-protections-at-proposed-ohio-cracker-plant/
A petrochemical company and three environmental groups have reached an agreement to increase air quality protections at a proposed ethane cracker plant in Belmont County, along the Ohio River. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency approved an air permit, called a “permit to install” for PTTGCA, based in Thailand, in December of last year.
5 Renewables ‘faster and cheaper’ than nuclear in saving the climate
https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/1854840/renewables-faster-and-cheaper-than-nuclear-in-saving-the-climate
Renewable energy is cheaper and reduces emissions faster than nuclear power, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report from French industry consultant Mycle Schneider.
New renewable plants in many countries with nuclear fleets now can not only compete economically with new nuclear, but also with existing nuclear power plants, the report finds.
6 Solar sector sees tax credit extension adding $87 billion to U.S. economy
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-solar-taxcredit-idUSKBN1W92FO
The U.S. solar energy industry will add an additional 113,000 jobs and generate $87 billion in investment over the next decade if U.S. lawmakers extend the sector’s key tax credit, a report published on Tuesday said.
7 Rystad: Equinor’s mega offshore wind project gives hope to deflated service industry
https://www.offshoreenergytoday.com/rystad-equinors-mega-offshore-wind-project-gives-hope-to-deflated-service-industry/
The offshore wind project Dogger Bank in the UK North Sea will not only be Equinor’s largest project through 2026, it will also rank as the sixth largest offshore development project in the world during this period, according to Rystad Energy.
8 Oil and Gas Investor EnCap Muscles Into Energy Storage Business
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/with-broad-reach-investment-encap-shifts-from-fossil-fuels-to-energy-storag
EnCap Investments has directed about $37 billion in venture investment into oil and gas companies over its 30 years in business. Now, it’s making its first investments into clean energy, with a goal of developing up to 2 gigawatts of utility-scale energy storage, either on its own or linked to solar, wind and peaker plants.
9 Is Building Energy Efficiency Overrated?
https://cleantechnica.com/2019/09/26/ec2019-part-3-is-building-energy-efficiency-overrated/
The day of the Global Climate Strike, September 20th, I participated in a fascinating all day conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. It’s the fourth annual conference put on by the BC Sustainable Energy Association. There are three or four threads I want to pull at, but this one is focused on the segment on building energy efficiency.
10 Buying corporate renewable energy – a quick guide
https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/1854433/buying-corporate-renewable-energy-a-quick-guide
With the objectives of reducing carbon footprints and driving down energy costs, more and more corporations are beginning their renewable journey.
But how do you know which path to take and which options are right for you?
11 Trans Mountain oil tankers aren’t the only thing endangering whales on the West Coast
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/tmx-killer-whale-marine-traffic-1.5294445
As Captain Aaron Nagler sets out onto the water, his boat navigates through a harbour full of vessels, from kayaks and sea ferries to sailing yachts.
Past the waters around Granville Island, in the heart of Vancouver, Nagler cruises by much larger ships hauling grain and coal, and another vessel filled with shipping containers. Beyond all the traffic, the horizon opens up as the engine pushes the boat further away from the coast.
12 SEIA: Steps For Reaching 20% Solar By 2030
https://solarindustrymag.com/seia-steps-for-reaching-20-solar-by-2030
As part of the first steps into the “Solar+ Decade,” the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has released a roadmap that puts solar energy on a path to reaching 20% of U.S. electricity generation by 2030.
13 Microsoft signs US wind and solar power deal with Engie
https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/1854529/microsoft-signs-us-wind-and-solar-power-deal-with-engie
Microsoft has signed power deals for 230MW of wind and solar with Engie in the US. The software giant agreed long-term PPAs for the majority of the output from Engie’s 200MW Las Lomas wind farm and 85MW from its 200MW Anson Solar center, both in Texas and due online in January 2021.
14 Honda Announces U.S. Solar And Wind Agreements
https://solarindustrymag.com/honda-announces-u-s-solar-and-wind-agreements
Seeking to slash emissions from its manufacturing operations, Honda has entered into long-term virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) for wind and solar power that will cover more than 60% of the electricity the company uses in North America.
15 Solar To Headline Double-Digit Renewable Power Capacity Growth In 2019
https://cleantechnica.com/2019/09/24/solar-to-headline-double-digit-renewable-power-capacity-growth-in-2019/
Global capacity additions of renewable power are expected to bounce back with double-digit growth in 2019, according to the International Energy Agency, led by a resurgent performance from the solar PV industry which is expected to see growth of over 17% and capacity of 115 gigawatts (GW) by year’s end.
16 Alliance to End Plastic Waste joins project STOP
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/alliance-end-plastic-waste-joins-project-stop
The recently established Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) has joined Borealis initiative Project STOP to help further scale up the development of more sustainable and circular waste management systems in Indonesia.
