Thread: Fossil Fuel Alternatives

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^Taking over for RPETER666?

What’s Wrong with this Picture? Carbon Capture Shell Game

It’s a short video from the usually solid Diana Olick- and I kept waiting for the punchline – OK if they’re capturing carbon, what do they do with it?

Make more fossil fuel, bubbles for Coca-Cola, and enhanced recovery of, you guessed it, more oil.

No commentary on the circular logic here makes this a fail.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Make more fossil fuel, bubbles for Coca-Cola, and enhanced recovery of, you guessed it, more oil.

https://www.bgs.ac.uk/discovering-geology/climate-change/carbon-capture-and-storage/

Well the EU, the committee which thinks the whole world should follow their example. Its setting out its climate change example to the world. Gas is of course a green form of power, especially since ze chermans are plugged into it and sucking Putins pipe, oh and Nuclear is too and very climate friendly to appease the surrender monkeys. Fooking hypocrites.

Climate change: EU moves to label nuclear and gas as sustainable despite internal row

Nuclear and natural gas energy plants could be counted as "green energy" under controversial EU plans just unveiled.

The European Commission says it has decided that both types of energy can classify as "sustainable investment" if they meet certain targets.

But the move has divided the EU, and been fiercely opposed by some members.

Austria's chancellor responded to the news by saying "nuclear power is neither green nor sustainable".

"I cannot understand the decision of the EU," Karl Nehammer said.

He said he would back his environment minister, Leonore Gewessler, in pursuing legal action at the European Court of Justice if the plans go ahead.

"This decision is wrong," Ms Gewessler said. "The EU Commission today agreed its greenwashing programme for nuclear energy and [the fossil fuel] natural gas."

Luxembourg has also said it will join in legal action.

The EU has set itself a goal of becoming climate neutral by 2050 and the Commission argues that to get there, a great deal of private investment is needed. Its proposals are meant to guide investors.

more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60229199

• Biden admin. bets on renewable energy to revamp Puerto Rico's electric system

Puerto Rican Gov. Pedro Pierluisi is meeting with administration and agency officials in Washington on Wednesday as part of a formal agreement to revamp the U.S. territory’s outdated electric grid and move toward renewables.

Three federal agencies — the Departments of Energy, Homeland Security and Housing and Urban Development — are signing an agreement to align federal investments with local policies to start transitioning into clean energy by 2025, with the goal of achieving 100 percent renewable electricity by 2050.

The Biden administration says it's part of a commitment to ensure that $12 billion in federal aid for Puerto Rico's energy sector leads to a more resilient and sustainable grid, which is consistent with Biden's climate resilience goals, Pat Hoffman, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Electricity at the Department of Energy, told NBC News.

“We recognize that there is a long way to go, given that less than 3 percent of generation in Puerto Rico comes from renewable energy,” Hoffman said.

Biden's national climate change agenda includes zeroing out federal carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 and transitioning to 100 percent clean electricity by 2030.

The $12 billion in federal funds to revamp Puerto Rico’s electric system was approved after the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017, decimating its outdated electric grid and triggering the world’s second-longest blackout.

The signing of the agreement ramps up efforts by the Department of Energy to conduct a community-driven study, known as PR100, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to evaluate pathways for Puerto Rico to achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2050.

The Department of Energy will be using its national laboratories as well as providing technical assistance, "as we think about different scenarios to achieving this goal," Hoffman said.

The final findings of the PR100 study will be ready by 2024.

The study is modeled after the Los Angeles “100% Renewable Energy Study,” also known as LA100, which found that the city's goal of achieving 100 percent renewable electricity by 2045, or even 2035, is feasible and will provide benefits related to air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and public health if coupled with electrification of other sectors, according to the Department of Energy.

• U.K. Wind Energy Hits Record, Bringing Relief to Power Costs

U.K. wind farms produced a record amount of energy on Saturday, helping to ease the country’s dependence on expensive fossil fuels in the short-term.

Wind generation rose as high as 18,431 megawatts, according to data from National Grid.

Higher wind speeds bring temporary relief to U.K. power prices. Surging natural gas prices are pushing up electricity costs which are feeding into bills for millions of households. Power for delivery on Saturday fell to 150.59 pounds ($201.81) per megawatt-hour, the lowest level since Jan. 3 on the N2EX exchange. The price for power on Sunday, when the wind is set to be lower, jumped to 193.57 pounds per megawatt-hour.

High Power Prices Mean Wind Farms Are Paying the U.K. Government

Wind power, in particular offshore, is the cornerstone of Britain’s net-zero plan, and it’s the second-biggest market in the world for the technology. The nation has plans to quadruple its capacity of wind farms at sea by the end this decade. Earlier this month Scotland awarded seabed rights for more than twice the size of the U.K.’s current capacity.

The high amount of generation Saturday wasn’t just due to strong winter winds, but also because of new offshore wind farms that started operating last year. As more projects come online, including the world’s largest offshore wind farm that’s being developed off the east coast of England, the country’s output will increase further.

• Electric roadway will charge your EV while you're driving

The nation's first stretch of road to wirelessly charge electric vehicles while they're in motion will begin testing next year in Detroit.

Why it matters: "Electrified" roadways, which have wireless charging infrastructure under the asphalt, could keep EVs operating around the clock, with unlimited range — a big deal for transit buses, delivery vans, long-haul trucks and even future robotaxis.

• In-road charging could also help pave the way for more widespread EV adoption by relieving consumers of the need to stop and plug in their cars.

Driving the news: Electreon Wireless, an Israeli company whose plug-free charging infrastructure is already being tested in Europe, will deploy its first U.S. pilot in Detroit's Michigan Central district, a new mobility innovation hub near downtown.

• The electrified road, up to a mile long, would allow EVs to charge whether they're stopped or moving, and should be ready for testing in 2023.
• The state will contribute $1.9 million toward the project, which will also be supported by Ford Motor, DTE Energy and the city of Detroit.

The big picture: Wireless EV charging is expected to grow to $827 million worldwide by 2027, says Meticulous Research.

• Most of that growth will be for "static" wireless charging systems in places like parking garages, taxi stands, and bus or truck depots.
• Major U.S. players include WiTricity, WAVE, Momentum Wireless Power, Mojo Mobility, HEVO and Plugless Power, per the research firm.
• Electreon claims leadership in the market for "dynamic" wireless charging — systems that allow vehicles to suck up juice while in motion.
• It has ongoing pilots in Germany, Italy and Sweden, and will soon launch a plug-free charging network for 200 public buses in Tel Aviv.

How it works: Wireless EV charging systems use magnetic frequency to transfer power from coils buried underground to a receiver pad attached to the car's underbelly.

• An EV can pull into a designated parking place with an underground charging pad and add electricity the same way a smartphone charges wirelessly.
• Along an electrified road, vehicles with wireless charging capability can suck up energy as they drive, but for all other cars, it's an ordinary road.

Between the lines: Wireless, or inductive, charging has multiple benefits over traditional EV plugs.

• Vehicles that charge on the go can use smaller, cheaper batteries.
• They also don't need to be taken out of service for charging. More uptime means more revenue for fleet owners and better customer service for transit agencies.
• A taxi waiting at the train station, for example, can add 10 minutes of charging without having to plug in. Buses can also top off their battery at the depot while loading passengers.
• And wireless charging is ideal for autonomous vehicles, which don't have a driver to plug a traditional charging cable into the car's socket.

Yes, but: Wireless charging can add $3,000 to $4,000 to an already pricey EV, notes Meticulous Research.

• Electreon, which is working with carmakers to add receivers to their vehicles, aims to get the cost down to $1,000 or $1,500, Stefan Tongur, Electreon's vice president of business development, tells Axios.
• Users would likely access the feature through a monthly subscription, he noted.

Where it stands: President Biden is calling for 500,000 new public charging stations by the end of 2030, and Congress allocated $7.5 billion for EV charging in the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package passed last November.

• "What a great time to come to the U.S. and show there’s an alternative — a smarter, faster charging system that takes us to where we need to be," says Tongur.

Extra…….

• Elderly people living near fracking sites at higher risk of early death, study says

Not much is known about how exposure to oil and gas developments relate to mortality risks, but a new massive study tried to answer that question and found that elderly people living near certain fracking sites are at a higher risk of early death.

Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published a study that analyzed a cohort of about 15 million Medicare beneficiaries in all major U.S. unconventional oil and gas development (UOGD) regions from 2001 to 2015.

Data from records of more than 2.5 million oil and gas wells was collected along with each Medicare beneficiary’s ZIP code of residence and year in the cohort, and that allowed researchers to calculate an exposure rate.

Researchers found that there was evidence of a statistically significant higher mortality risk associated with people living in proximity to and downwind of unconventional oil and gas wells.

Those who lived the closest to wells had a 2.5 percent higher mortality risk compared to those who didn’t live close to wells. The study also found that people who live downwind of UOGD wells were also at a higher risk of premature death versus those living upwind.

“Although UOGD is a major industrial activity in the U.S., very little is known about its public health impacts. Our study is the first to link mortality to UOGD-related air pollutant exposures,” said Petros Koutrakis, professor of environmental sciences and senior author of the study, in a statement.

UOGD is different than traditional drilling, as it uses a relatively new process of hydraulic fracturing that requires injecting water, sand and other chemicals under high pressure into a bedrock formation through a well. The process is used to increase oil or gas flow to a well from gas-bearing rock formations.

The process is considered more invasive as it involves longer construction periods and larger well pads, along with larger volumes of water, sand and other materials to keep hydraulic fractures open. All that leads to the use of more chemicals during the fracking process.

ECONorthwest, a consulting firm specializing in economics and planning, conducted a report for the state of Pennsylvania in 2019 and found fracking primarily affected vulnerable populations like children, the elderly and low-income populations. The group said that fracking can impact human health by reducing air quality, contaminating ground water while also creating noise pollution and safety issues.

Even more worrisome, ECONorthwest also found health effects linked to fracking including low birth weight, preterm births, infertility, asthma, respiratory diseases, cancer, liver damage, cardiovascular diseases, migraines, anxiety and more.

Oil and gas drilling and fracking has rapidly expanded over the past decade, with Harvard researchers finding that as of 2015, more than 100,000 UOGD land-based wells were drilled using directional drilling combined with fracking. That's occurred as roughly 17.6 million U.S. residents currently live less than a mile from at least one active well.

“Our findings suggest the importance of considering the potential health dangers of situating UOGD near or upwind of people’s homes,” said Longxiang Li, postdoctoral fellow at Harvard and lead author of the study. Elderly people living near fracking sites at higher risk of early death, study says | TheHill - https://www.nature.com/articles/s415...heguardian.com

Just for fun……..

• Wind Turbine "Noise" - Gratiot County, MI, August 6, 2021

Successful experiment brings fusion energy 'huge' step closer to reality

Researchers at the UK-based Joint European Torus laboratory broke its own record this week of how much energy can be created from a sustained fusion reaction, according to the experiments findings which were published in the journal Nature.

The experiment produced 59 megajouls of heat, or about 14kg of TNT, during a five-second-long burst of fusion which is double the amount of energy produced during the lab’s previous record setting experiment in 1997.

“These landmark results have taken us a huge step closer to conquering one of the biggest scientific and engineering challenges of them all,” said Ian Chapman, who leads the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE), where JET is based, in a statement.

JET is owned by the UK Atomic Energy Authority, but its scientific operations are run by a European collaboration called EUROfusion.

Fusion energy emits no greenhouse gases and could potentially supply the planet with a “near limitless” mount of sustainable energy. But so far, no experiment, including JET’s, has been able to generate energy that is required to create the fusion reaction, according to researchers’ findings.

But JET’s most recent experiment suggests that a future experiment using the same fuel mix and technology the laboratory used, like what could be done with the ITER, a $22 billion international project in France, could have such an outcome.

• Ireland breaks its wind energy record

Stormy weather over the weekend resulted in a new all-island wind energy record for Ireland, according to analysis from national grid operator EirGrid.

Wind generation hit a record high of 4584MW on Saturday at 1.15pm, as Ireland prepared to play Wales at the Aviva stadium in Dublin.

Total demand for electricity across the island at the time was 5335MW.

The record surpassed the previous total of 4489MW set in February 2021.

A new Ireland-only record of 3603MW was established later that evening at 5.45pm, beating the previous record of 3591MW also set in February 2021.

EirGrid chief executive Mark Foley said: "For over 24 hours from Saturday morning, engineers in our control centres in Belfast and Dublin managed a power system that comprised over 70% wind power.

"This is an amazing technical achievement and is testament to the expertise of the SONI staff in Belfast and the EirGrid staff in Dublin."

Wind energy reached a peak of 96% of all-island demand for electricity on Sunday at 00.30am.

EirGrid has undertaken a major project to reshape the grid so that it can carry up to 80% of Ireland’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030, as set out in the Government's Climate Action Plan (2021). https://renews.biz/75576/ireland-bre...energy-record/

• UK in a first awards offshore wind power a contract to help stabilise grid

Britain's National Grid ESO (NG.L) has for the first time awarded a contract to an offshore wind farm to help keep voltage levels in the power network stable, it said on Monday.

The transmission assets of the Dogger Bank C offshore wind farm will provide 200 megavolt amperes of reactive power (MVAr), which is used to maintain network stability, for a 10-year period from 2024, National Grid said.

This will help stabilise voltage on the grid in the northeast of England after the expected closure of Hartlepool nuclear power station in March 2024, it said.

"Reactive power capability is vital for managing voltage and being able to operate a zero carbon system of the future," Julian Leslie, head of networks at National Grid ESO, said in a statement.

"We're excited to see that an offshore wind farm’s transmission asset will deliver reactive power to support the wider network for the first time in Britain."

The Dogger Bank C wind farm off the northeast coast of England has an installed capacity of 1.2 gigawatts. https://www.reuters.com/business/ene...id-2022-02-07/

• First-in-the-nation project will cover canals with solar panel canopies

A pilot project to install solar panel canopies over sections of an existing canal in California’s San Joaquin Valley is set to kick off in the fall, as researchers posit using canals for solar infrastructure can both save water and produce renewable energy.

The Turlock Irrigation District (TID), a utility company in Turlock, Calif., is partnering with the state’s Department of Water Resources (DWR), Solar AquaGrid and The University of California, Merced on the project dubbed “Project Nexus.”

The project involves covering several open water canal segments in Stanislaus County with solar panels to test whether the concept could result in a reduction of water evaporation, improve water quality through reduced vegetative growth and generate renewable electricity in a state aiming to decarbonize by 2030.

The $20 million project is being funded by the state of California. Ground breaking is expected sometime in the fall and completion in 2024 at multiple locations.

TID’s board approved piloting the “first-in-the-nation” solar panel over canal development on Tuesday.

The project stemmed from a study published by the University of California, Merced and UC Santa Cruz which found covering 4,000 miles of the state’s water canals could cut water evaporation by as much as 82 percent and save about 63 billion gallons of water annually, about the same amount required to irrigate 50,000 acres of farmland.

Researchers also showed covering the canals with solar installations could generate about sixth of the state’s current installed energy capacity, about half the projected new capacity needed to meet California’s goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030.

“Using water canals for solar infrastructure conserves water while producing renewable electricity and avoids converting large tracts of land to solar development,” Brandi McKuin, a researcher behind the study, said in a statement.

“The cooler microclimate next to the canal mitigates panel heating, which enhances PV efficiency, and shade from the panels mitigates aquatic weed growth which is a major maintenance issue,” McKuin said.

The concept, if successful and scaled up, could potentially help California reach its ambitious climate goals and provide water and energy solutions to a state that has long suffered from severe drought.

Researchers note, however, there are challenges, including the cost of solar infrastructure relative to energy output, the need to access canals for maintenance and overall and delivery of electricity to a useful load. https://thehill.com/changing-america...er-canals-with

• Biden administration seeks equity in guidance for electric vehicle charging network

A new guidance from the Biden administration as it prepares to disburse funds to states to build out an electric vehicle charging network seeks to do so with equity in mind.

The guidance document issued on Thursday says that state plans submitted to the federal government to gain access to funds for the charging network “should explain how the State will deliver projects … [that] target at least 40 percent of the benefits towards disadvantaged communities.”

This would put them in line with a White House Initiative called Justice40, which seeks to give at least 40 percent of the benefits of federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities.

The report notes that the equity push doesn’t necessarily mean that 40 percent of the chargers need to be located in disadvantaged communities if they can benefit in other ways.

The guidance comes as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law, which the Biden administration has touted as its signature Build Back Better climate and spending bill remains stalled in Congress.

Wednesday’s rollout deals with the bill’s $5 billion program for states to build out a nationwide electric vehicle charging network. Funds for the program which will be dispersed to states over a five-year period.

States will have until Aug. 1 to submit their plans, which the government will decide on by Sept. 30. https://thehill.com/policy/energy-en...ectric-vehicle

• India to replace diesel by renewable energy in agriculture by 2024: Govt

Union Power Minister R K Singh on Friday said that India will achieve zero-diesel use in agriculture and replace the fossil fuel with renewable energy by 2024.

The minister held a virtual meeting with the officials of the Ministry of Power and Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Additional Chief Secretaries and Principal Secretaries of Power or Energy Departments of states & UTs to discuss their role in achieving India's energy transition goals and meeting climate commitments.

The minister asserted that India will replace diesel with renewables to achieve target of zero-diesel use in the agricultural sector by 2024, a power ministry release stated.

Addressing the meeting, Singh stressed the need for collaborative efforts between the Central and State Governments towards the large-scale deployment of energy efficiency measures in potential sectors of the economy.

He emphasised the need to have a state-specific agency dedicated for energy efficiency and conservation. He urged that the states should develop action plan to achieve the assigned targets.

He further said that the central government is working for a new and modern India, which cannot happen without modern power systems, and it look forward to working with all states and UTs to achieve this.

Singh stressed that India will replace diesel with renewables to achieve target of zero diesel use in agricultural sector by 2024.

The minister during the meeting highlighted that the commercial buildings should follow ECBS and the domestic buildings should follow ECO NIVAS and this should be part of the building by-law. He said that all the power demand will be met by non-fossil fuel methods with the help of energy storage.

He reiterated Prime Minister's commitment to ramp up India's fight against climate change & global warming and emphasised the need for collaboration between the centre and states to ensure Energy Transition in all potential sectors of the economy.

This meeting was organised in line with the Prime Minister's commitment at COP26, towards reducing the carbon intensity of our country.

The objective of this meeting was to ensure the state's participation in fulfilling the India's climate commitments and each State and UT can be assigned energy saving targets: https://www.business-standard.com/ar...ergy%20storage.

Just for fun.

• California utilities contributed $1.7M to coalition aiming to squash solar subsidies

California’s three biggest investor-owned utilities (IOUs) collectively contributed about $1.7 million in 2020 to groups that support slashing the state’s rooftop solar subsidies, according to public records.

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE) are all major contributors to the Affordable Clean Energy for All coalition, which is seeking to reform California’s Net Energy Metering (NEM) program by reducing paybacks to residential solar customers, according to documents the utilities filed with the state.

While public, these documents were first identified by the Protect Our Communities Foundation, which is against the proposed reforms.

The changes are part of a controversial proposal unveiled in December by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), as previously reported by The Hill. That proposal — which the CPUC has now postponed “until further notice” — would reduce the incentives that Californian homeowners receive for producing their own solar power, while also charging them for connecting to the electricity grid. https://thehill.com/policy/equilibri...tion-aiming-to

• Bill Gates, Chris Sacca invest $50 million in Antora Energy

Bill Gates and Chris Sacca invest in energy storage start-up Antora to help heavy industry go green

Decarbonization at the scale necessary to meet global warming mitigation targets will require a radical rethinking of global infrastructure. Heavy industry is a large and often overlooked piece of the puzzle.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has researched the issue extensively. In his 2021 book, “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster,” Gates wrote that the process of making things like cement, steel and plastic is the single biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. That’s largely because the high-temperature heat needed for industrial processes typically comes from natural gas.

Gates, through investing arm Breakthrough Energy Ventures, is now backing a start-up that’s at the very early stages of addressing the problem through technology.

Founded in 2018, Antora Energy takes zero emissions energy from renewable energy sources, like wind and solar farms, and converts that to heat, which it stores in solid carbon blocks that are insulated in a kind of thermal battery. From there, the stored energy is used as heat in industrial processes needed to make materials like cement and steel, or it’s converted into electricity.

In its efforts to reach its ambitious goals, Antora said Wednesday that it raised $50 million in a financing round led by Breakthrough and Chris Sacca’s Lowercarbon Capital. Energy giant Shell’s venture arm also contributed to the deal.

The Antora thermal battery is meant to replace a natural gas boiler and will be similar in size to a small house or a large truck trailer. If Antora is successful, it will be selling to large industrial companies, providing a zero-emissions alternative at a lower price.

“Antora makes heat and electricity from solar at prices cheaper than burning gas,” Sacca wrote in an email. “The oil and gas industry can deny climate change all they want, but buyers will always choose the lower price option, and that means lights out for fossil fuels.” Antora Energy

• Nissan to build two new EV models in Mississippi

Car manufacturer Nissan announced Thursday it will build two new electric vehicle models at its plant in Mississippi.

The two new Nissan and Infiniti EV models will be built starting in 2025 after the company invests $500 million into its Canton assembly plant, allowing 2,000 workers to be retrained for the transformation.

“Today’s announcement is the first of several new investments that will drive the EV revolution in the United States,” Ashwani Gupta, chief operating officer of the company, said.

“Nissan is making a strong investment in Canton’s future, bringing the latest technology, training and process to create a truly best-in-class EV manufacturing team,” Gupta added.

By 2030, the company is aiming to have 40 percent of its sales in the U.S. be electric vehicles and to have rolled out 15 all-electric models.

• U.S. surpasses 200 gigawatts of total clean power capacity, but the pace of deployment has slowed according to ACP 4Q report

The Clean Power Quarterly 2021 Q4 Market Report, released today by the American Clean Power Association (ACP), shows the U.S. surpassed more than 200 gigawatts (200,209 MW-ac) of total operating utility-scale clean power capacity in 2021, but significant policy issues continue to hold back growth for the industry and threaten the country’s ability to meet emissions goals.

“Surpassing over 200 gigawatts of clean energy is a significant milestone for the United States and shows that we can achieve even more with strong public policy support for the industry,” said Heather Zichal, ACP CEO. “Although the U.S. has reached this incredible achievement, more needs to be done, at a faster pace, to reach the climate goals and targets our country needs to achieve. We urge Congress to take action to create a clean energy future that will help create more good-paying American jobs and combat the climate crisis.”

During 2021 there was a three percent decline for clean energy installations compared to 2020’s record year. Over 11.4 gigawatts of projects, originally expected to come online in 2021, slipped to 2022 or 2023 due to a variety of issues. For the solar sector this was due to trade policies and lack of regulatory certainty impacting the availability of solar panels coming into the country. The wind sector faced policy uncertainty, including the expiration of tax credits for wind projects.

The pace of installations fell significantly short of what is required to achieve a net zero emissions goal. While 27.7 GW is the second largest year on record for combined wind, solar and energy storage installations, it is only 45% of what’s required to stay on track for an emissions-free power sector.

The top five states for new installation additions in 2021 include:

Texas (7,352 MW),
California (2,697 MW),
Oklahoma (1,543 MW),
Florida (1,382 MW) and
New Mexico (1,374 MW)

• Gas pipeline regulators to consider climate impacts for new projects

A US federal agency that considers whether to approve or reject natural gas pipelines will now weigh the projects’ contributions to climate change as part of their decisions.

In determining whether a project is in the public interest, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) voted on Thursday to examine greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the project’s construction and operations — as well as the emissions from when the gas is ultimately burned to make electricity.

Environmental advocates have long criticized the agency for not considering these impacts in its reviews, and have more broadly argued that it should stop approving as many pipelines as it has in the past.

According to a 2020 investigation by House Democrats, the agency has, over the past 20 years, approved more than 99 percent of the pipeline projects that have come before it.

Airbus to Use A380 Superjumbo as Hydrogen-Powered Test Bed

The Airbus A380 represents the last superjumbo of a bygone, kerosene-guzzling era. Now the double-decker will serve as the unlikely test bed to help the industry fly into a fuel-efficient future.

Airbus SE will use a model to test its first propulsion system using hydrogen, a fuel the planemaker wants to introduce on a new passenger aircraft by 2035. The modified jetliner, the first of its kind that Airbus ever built, will maintain its four conventional turbines, while a fifth engine adapted for hydrogen use will be mounted on the rear fuselage.

The unusual design of the demonstration aircraft, developed in collaboration with engine-maker CFM International, will allow emissions to be monitored separately from those of the turbines powering the aircraft, including contrails, Airbus said in a statement. The wispy clouds planes leave behind in the sky are of growing concern as they trap warmer air in the atmosphere.

The hydrogen test program will give at least one of the troubled jumbo jets, consigned to the commercial scrap heap even before the pandemic, a second life as it tests the new technology.

Bloomberg reported on Monday that Airbus was poised to announce the collaboration with CFM, a joint venture of General Electric Co.and Safran SA.

While hydrogen is still under research for use in jet engines, Airbus is attempting to rally the aviation industry behind the technology as it faces mounting pressure to reduce emissions that lead to global warming. Last year, the airline industry’s main trade group endorsed a plan to reach net-zero carbon emissions by the middle of the century.

“To achieve these goals by 2050 the industry has to take action now and we are,” said Gael Meheust, CFM’s chief executive officer.

Flight Plan

The demonstrator is set to begin flying in the middle of this decade. While a commercial product will be much smaller, the development plan allows Airbus to take advantage of the A380’s size to give engineers room for extra tanks, testing equipment, and the fifth engine at the back, executives said.

The main deck of the aircraft will have four hermetically sealed hydrogen tanks and a distribution system to the engine, a modified GE Passport turbofan. That smaller-scale version of CFM’s LEAP engine was originally designed for the business jet market and was chosen because of its light weight.

Airbus will carry out ground tests this year, then convert the aircraft, targeting flight tests by the end of 2026. This is in line with the company’s existing timetable to make its technology choices by 2027 and launch a hydrogen jet by 2035, Chief Technology Officer Sabine Klauke said.

Airbus rival Boeing Co. is testing hydrogen fuel cells on its ScanEagle3 pilotless military drone, while expressing skepticism about the 2035 target for commercial jetliners.

Safran has called hydrogen a “promising candidate” for future aircraft models, and has been developing materials and fuel-system adjustments to be used with the technology.

With manufacturers gearing up to ultimately make the shift to zero-emission flying, enginemakers GE, Safran, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc will all compete for a share of the new market.

• U.S. offshore wind auction bids top $1.5 bln, with more to come

The largest ever U.S. sale of offshore wind development rights - for areas off the coasts of New York and New Jersey - attracted a record $1.5 billion in bids on Wednesday, supporting President Joe Biden's plan to create a new domestic industry.

The auction, which will continue on Thursday, is the first offshore wind lease sale under Biden, who has made expansion of offshore wind a cornerstone of his plans to tackle global warming and decarbonize the U.S. electricity grid by 2035, while creating tens of thousands of jobs.

After 21 rounds of bidding, combined live bids for the six leases stood at nearly $1.54 billion, according to updates posted on the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM) web site.

That easily topped the U.S. offshore wind auction record of $405 million set in 2018. It was also far more than recent oil and gas auctions in U.S. federal waters. A sale of drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico late last year, for instance, attracted $191.7 million in high bids.

BOEM said 14 companies took part in the auction. The web site did not identify the companies competing for the leases, but approved bidders included entities controlled by Equinor ASA (EQNR.OL), Avangrid Inc (AGR.N), BP Plc and Eletricite de France SA (EDF.PA) among others, according to government documents published last month.

By the end of the day, five of the six leases offered had each garnered bids well above the $135.1 million record set for a single U.S. offshore wind lease in 2018.

The highest was a bid of $410 million for a lease 32 miles (52 km) off the coast of New Jersey. The government had identified the 114-acre (46-hectare) area - the largest offered in the sale - as being capable of producing power for more than 485,000 homes.

The energy generated from the newly offered areas could one day power nearly 2 million homes, the administration has said. U.S. offshore wind auction bids top $1.5 bln, with more to come | Reuters

• Biden admin suspends Alaska mining road plans approved in Trump era

The Biden administration asked a court Tuesday to send a Trump-era permit approval for an Alaska mining road running through Indigenous territory back to the Interior Department for further analysis of its environmental impacts.

Why it matters: "The Interior Department is asking the court to remand the right-of-way decision to the agency to correct the significant deficiencies we have identified in the underlying analyses," the department said in an emailed statement.

The Department of Justice's response brief filing in the U.S. District Court for Alaska, on behalf of the Interior Department, suspends the federal rights-of-way for the 211-mile road that would provide access to the Ambler Mining District in northwest Alaska.

The big picture: Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) and congressional delegates in the state see the road that was approved in July 2020 as essential to accessing valuable deposits found in the area, including copper, cobalt, zinc, silver and gold.

Indigenous leaders and environmental groups have said it would "devastate" the pristine and "fragile arctic tundra’s landscape, biodiversity, and Native livelihood."

The Ambler Metals joint venture between Australian mining company South32, the Vancouver-based Trilogy Metal and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority had set aside $60 million for this year "in preparation for the road and associated mines in the area," the Washington Post notes.

What they're saying: Brian Ridley, president of the Tanana Chiefs Conference, a nonprofit representing 42 tribes in interior Alaska, said in a statement calling for the state of Alaska to drop the road proposal altogether that they appreciated the Biden administration's action.

"Ambler road represents a fundamental threat to our people, our subsistence way of life and our cultural resources," Ridley said.

The other side: Alaska's Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Young issued a joint statement criticizing the Biden administration for hurting U.S. mineral projects during a global supply chain crisis, noting that permitting began during the Obama administration.

Murkowski noted in the statement that the Biden administration had announced plans earlier Tuesday aimed at bolstering U.S. development and processing of key minerals used in electric cars and other energy applications.

"It's stunning: on the very same day the President attempted to tout 'progress' on mineral development, his administration backtracked and set back this crucial project, which will enable Alaska to responsibly produce a range of needed minerals," she said.

• Biden administration announces mineral supply chain push

The Biden administration announced on Tuesday actions taken by both the federal government and private industry that it says will bolster the critical mineral supply chain.

The minerals targeted by the administration are those used in technologies including electric vehicles, batteries, solar panels and wind turbines — as well as electronics and defense systems.

According to a White House fact sheet, on the private side, MP Materials will invest $700 million in the magnet supply chain, creating 350 jobs by 2024 and that the company will be given an additional $35 million from the federal government for a magnet supply chain and the processing of rare earth elements.

Meanwhile, Berkshire Hathaway Energy Renewables will break ground on a facility to test viability of a sustainable extraction process for lithium — a mineral that’s used in batteries.

In the federal government, the Interior Department launched an interagency group pursuing “legislative and regulatory reform of mine permitting and oversight.” The fact sheet didn’t specify whether this reform would add restrictions or take them away.

But, the Interior Department's press release announcing the group notes that currently, mining companies can stake claims "regardless of potential conflicts with other uses" and don't have to pay royalties to the government for the minerals they extract.

It said that the group would "make recommendations for improvements necessary to ensure that new production meets strong environmental and community and Tribal engagement standards...while improving the efficiency and outcomes of the permitting process."

^ Following on, in a YouTube

Guy explaining how it will work ...

Putin’s Carbon Tax: War Pushes Europe, and US, to Faster Renewable Transition

• Did Vladimir Putin just impose a global carbon tax?

Above, a look at the geopolitics, and insane engineering, of the Nordstream 2 pipeline, newly deceased.

For years, Europe’s dependence on Russian energy has held it back from taking powerful action against Kremlin mischief. But now, the Russia-Ukraine crisis is forcing a change unlike any before, driving the European Union to make plans for a permanent, far-reaching break from Russian oil and gas, European policymakers said.

The strategy to split from Russian energy, expected to be announced by the European Commission next week, would give Europe a freer political hand against Russia than it has had in the past. It would take years and come with a hefty bill for European taxpayers. But it comes with the crucial backing of Germany, a nation so entangled with Russia that one of its former chancellors, Gerhard Schröder, is the chairman of Rosneft, Russia’s biggest oil company.

With this week’s arrival of Russian boots on Ukrainian soil, Germany had enough. Chancellor Olaf Scholz shelved the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, a new project that was emblematic of Europe’s energy-focused approach to Russia. President Biden on Wednesday imposed U.S. sanctions on Nord Stream 2 and its corporate officers. And the European Commission’s planned strategy next week aims to accelerate the transition to renewable energy so that Europe never again is so dependent on the Kremlin to keep households warm and factories humming.

“A strong European Union cannot be so reliant on an energy supplier that threatens to start a war on our continent,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a conference of security-focused European policymakers Saturday.

She complained that Russia’s state-owned gas company, Gazprom, was delivering the bare minimum of gas this winter even though price and demand are through the roof — “a strange behavior for a company,” she said.

“We are doubling down on renewables. This will increase Europe’s strategic independence on energy,” she said.

Europe will remain attached to Russian energy for the foreseeable future. But in the long run, the shift in sources of supply will reorder power politics and could make Russia a more unpredictable geopolitical actor if it is weakened economically and freed from its long-standing need to maintain basic trade ties with the wealthy countries to its west.

A top Russian policymaker embraced the role of energy threat-maker Tuesday, underlining Russia’s view of itself as a spoiler in Europe.

“Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz has ordered a stop to the certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline,” tweeted Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council and a former prime minister. “Fine. Welcome to a new world, where Europeans will very soon be paying 2,000 euros per cubic meter of gas!”

The sharp-toothed new E.U. strategy is expected to be unveiled March 2. It calls for a 40 percent reduction in fossil fuel use by 2030 and requires European energy companies to fill their storage tanks with natural gas this summer so that the continent is less dependent on Russian gas next winter than it has been in the past, according to an official involved in drafting the strategy, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the proposal before it is officially released. This season, Europe is poised to eke by with just enough gas after Russia cut exports roughly by half compared to a year ago. About 40 percent of the European Union’s natural gas currently comes from Russia. Elements of the plan were reported by Reuters last week.

The goal is “not being vulnerable to potential disruptions from one supplier,” the policymaker said.

“We are trying to wean ourselves off Russian gas,” the policymaker said. “When the time comes in 2028, 2029, 2030 and Russia decides to close us out, we can be like, ‘Fine.’”

The E.U. effort — which would still need to be approved by the 27 member states — would make it easier for individual governments to offer subsidies to consumers and companies that are struggling with high energy bills. And it would speed permitting for renewable energy projects, which in 2020 accounted for 22.1 percent of energy consumed in the European Union — around 2 percentage points above the 2020 target, according to the E.U. statistics office.

European policymakers acknowledge they would be in a better spot if they had started more concerted work on building robust energy independence years ago, but they say that in some ways skeptics have needed this crisis to be kicked into action. The planning has been underway for months, after Russia started scaling back gas deliveries last year but before it deployed troops along Ukraine’s border.

“Russia carefully calibrated this energy crisis to precede the circumstances around the current invasion,” Sarah Ladislaw, a managing director at RMI, an organization devoted to the clean energy transition, said in an email.

Even ahead of the new strategy, a constellation of efforts has been underway. Italian consumers are being urged to swap out their gas-fired water heaters in favor of electric ones. French President Emmanuel Macron declared ambitious plans to build more than a dozen nuclear power plants that — if actually built — would limit Russian natural gas sales to French utilities. Germany approved $68 billion in December to accelerate its climate and green infrastructure spending.

“It’s been a seismic shift over the last six months,” said Henning Gloystein, an energy analyst at the Eurasia Group.

The sharpest turnabout may have come Tuesday, with Scholz’s decision to freeze the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The move was so sudden that even some of Germany’s closest European allies were taken by surprise. In meetings at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, Scholz had told fellow leaders that he would place a hold on the pipeline if Russia invaded Ukraine, according to a senior European diplomat familiar with the conversations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks. The diplomat said that the furious tone of Putin’s speech Monday may have accelerated the German decision.

“The situation today is fundamentally different,” Scholz told reporters in Berlin as he announced the move against the pipeline. “These are very difficult days and hours for Europe. Almost 80 years after the end of World War II, war is looming in Eastern Europe. It is our duty to avert such a catastrophe.”

Policymakers acknowledge that the shift can’t happen overnight, meaning that Europe will still rely on Russia for its energy needs throughout the current geopolitical crisis. If Russia cuts off gas entirely ahead of next winter — a step policymakers say they believe remains unlikely — it would force a series of painful choices across the continent.

“In the short and medium term, there are no good options,” said Nathalie Tocci, the head of the Italian Institute of International Affairs and an adviser to E.U. policymakers in Brussels. “The problem is not now, but next fall. And by next fall we will not have found the silver bullet.”

Any fix to a total, immediate split from Russia would require sacrifice across the continent — something that would be painful for European politicians who are wary of infuriating their voters.

“There’s a list of torture that you can think of,” said Georg Zachmann, an energy expert at Bruegel, a Brussels-based policy think tank, who said Europe could have a 20 percent gas shortfall even if all of its alternatives to Russia-delivered gas are at full capacity until next winter.

“It would require the member states to come together. Nuclear, cutting off Belgian industrial consumers, increasing household tariffs in Bulgaria,” Zachmann said.

A decision at the top to make a break from Russia “doesn’t change the fact that Europe needs Russian gas. Nothing is going to make a difference in the medium scenario,” said Jason Bordoff, the founding head of Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, who worked on energy and climate issues in the Obama administration.

“It takes time to build out renewables and to electrify heating and diversify fuels for heavy industry,” Bordoff said. “And it takes time to build infrastructure needed to pull natural gas from world markets. Russia is still the cheapest gas into Europe. So you have to be willing to pay a premium” for more expensive liquefied natural gas.

So, US gas companies are big winners in the medium term. But look more closely.

As US LNG exports grow, US consumers more and more are competing with global gas prices, and consumers in Asia and Europe who will pay several times more for the product.

If you believe markets work, that can only lead in one direction.

• Bahrain's first solar panel manufacturer, is blazing a trail for renewables

Bahrain, a tiny island state of less than 2 million people off the Arabian Peninsula, has long punched above its weight economically, due to its rich oil and gas reserves.

Oil provides about 70% of government revenue -- but Bahrain's reserves are expected to run out within the next decade. This -- and the global push to transition away from dirty fuels -- means that the kingdom is looking for ways to diversify its economy and energy mix.

This is good news for Solar One, Bahrain's first solar panels company. Since its founding in 2017, the startup boasts of contributing over two megawatts of solar to the country's energy mix — enough to power around 380 US homes. It's a drop in the ocean, but it hopefully marks the beginning of a sea change.

"Renewable energy is one of the key sectors that are growing in the region," says Husain Mohamed Rajab, CEO of Tamkeen, a government agency that supports small businesses and has invested in Solar One. "The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) is one of the most energy rich regions globally and that drives a lot of interest from governments to support growth and development of any activity in the sector."

• South Korea opens one of the largest floating solar projects with 92,000 flower-shaped solar panels

The solar energy project aims to reduce carbon emissions and reliance on coal use for electricity generation. In addition, the solar panels in the shape of plum blossoms make the region even more beautiful and attractive.

South Korea highlighted the opening of a floating solar farm which, in the eyes of the population and everyone who has seen its structure, looks like a huge work of art made outdoors. On the floating solar farm, some 92,000 solar panels are joined into 17 blocks shaped like giant plum blossoms. The solar panels were installed in a 20 km long reservoir in the southern city of Hapcheon.

According to Hanwha Solutions Corp., the company responsible for building the farm, the plum blossom-shaped solar panels are capable of generating enough energy to power about 20,000 homes.

• Ireland hits new wind power record

Wind provided 53% of Ireland’s electricity in February 2022, its highest-ever share.

Wind energy was also the number one source of electricity throughout the month and on 5 February set a new All-Ireland record for the amount of wind energy on the system at 4.6GW, according to a Wind Energy Ireland report.

The report also highlights the importance of wind energy in cutting the price of wholesale electricity, with results showing that during the windiest periods of the month, wholesale prices were almost €100 cheaper per MWh than during less windy days, at €134.25 per MWh, versus €229.62.

• NYC Mayor Adams to turn Brooklyn port into offshore wind hub

New York City will be transforming a major warehousing and manufacturing port into a hub for offshore wind production, Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced on Thursday.

The wind farm, to be built at the city-owned South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, will be one of the largest offshore wind port facilities in America, according to the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). Construction of the site will help achieve New York’s goals of producing 100 percent clean electricity by 2040, a news release from NYCEDC said.

“With this investment, the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal will soon be transformed into one of the largest offshore wind port facilities in the nation,” Adams said in a statement, noting that offshore wind in New York is expected to support 13,000 local jobs and generate $1.3 billion in average annual investment.

“This is a transformative moment for New York City and our clean energy future — a future of sustainable power, good-paying jobs, and climate justice,” Adams added.

The port — built in the 1960s as a container terminal — will host power interconnection infrastructure for New York’s Empire Wind 1 project, an 816-megawatt site being built about 14 miles from Jones Beach State Park, according to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Empire Wind 1, a project of Norway-based Equinor subsidiary Equinor Wind U.S., is slated to be complete in 2026.

In the future, the port will also serve as a support hub for Equinor projects Empire Wind 2 and the Beacon Wind, the NYCEDC news release said. The 1,260-megawatt site Empire Wind 2, adjacent to Empire Wind 1, is expected to be complete in 2027, according to NYSERDA. The 1,230-megawatt Beacon facility, about 60 miles east of Montauk Point, is scheduled to be operational by 2028. NYC Mayor Adams to turn Brooklyn port into offshore wind hub | TheHill

• Thailand - Chula installs EV charging stations on campus as SAMYAN SmartCity Project takes shape

To support energy sustainability and the use of clean energy vehicles, the Property Management of Chulalongkorn University (PMCU) has installed electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in and around campus for personal and public vehicles. Up to 27 EV charging stations are now open for service across Samyan and Siam Square areas, enough to simultaneously charge 87 vehicles at a time.

Associate Professor Wisanu Subsompon, Vice President for Property and Physical Resources Management, Chulalongkorn University, said that car users today are more conscious about the environment and are opting for the more environmentally-friendly electric vehicles.

“Electric cars can help reduce air pollution, lessen the greenhouse effect from carbon emissions, and cut down the airborne PM 2.5 released from exhausts of petrol or diesel cars,” he said. “The project to install EV charging stations on campus is a part of the more extensive SAMYAN SmartCity project, which aims to develop the areas in and around Chulalongkorn University into a comfortable and livable city. The vision is to create value for the community and society, blend people’s quality of life with businesses, and work for a sustainable highest and best use for the livelihood of all.”

Set on providing convenience for EV users and people in the community, PMCU has fully supported the EV charging station installations in the Samyan and Siam Square areas. To date, 27 EV charging stations housing 87 chargers are in place, with 70 chargers using alternating current (AC) and 17 using direct current (DC).

The charging stations are distributed strategically across the university and neighboring areas, including the recently opened SIAMSCAPE, Chula Bookstore, the parking lot behind Siam Square One, Novotel Hotel, MBK Center, Chamchuri Square, Block 28, CU Terrace, CU Centenary Park, CU Sport Zone, Dragon Town, Samyan Mitrtown, and the PTT Station on Rama 4 Road. Chula installs EV charging stations on campus as SAMYAN SmartCity Project takes shape

• Sony and Honda team up to develop electric cars with goal of sales beginning in 2025

Japanese electronics giant Sony and carmaker Honda have created a joint venture to make and sell electric vehicles, the companies said Friday.

Sony and Honda aim to establish a new company this year and begin sales of their first vehicle in 2025.

The new company will design, develop and sell electric cars but not own or operate manufacturing facilities. With its years-long expertise in car making, Honda will be responsible for manufacturing the car at its own plants. Sony will develop the “mobility service platform” for the car.

It’s unclear what that might look like at this point, but Sony is a key supplier of image sensors for smartphones and is increasingly designing these chips for cars. Sony is also a major gaming player with its PlayStation division.

Sony said in January that it will set up a company called Sony Mobility to explore entry into the electric vehicle market. The company also took the wraps off a prototype sport utility vehicle called the VISION-S 02.

Honda meanwhile has been transitioning to become an electric car company. The Japanese automaker said it would phase out gas-powered vehicles by 2040. Honda currently has a joint venture with General Motors to develop new electric vehicles.

The Sony and Honda venture marks another example of technology companies jumping into the auto sector and carmakers looking to boost their technological capabilities.

Chinese technology companies Baidu and Xiaomi have both formed electric vehicle companies while a report last year suggested Apple is ramping up its efforts in self-driving vehicles. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/04/sony...g-in-2025.html

• Rivian reverses course on price hike for reservation holders

They take it back.

What’s happening: Startup electric vehicle maker Rivian irked reservation holders earlier this week by hiking the price of vehicles they were set to buy — only to reverse course today after an outcry.

Why it matters: Automakers have been quick to embrace reservations, which bring the benefits of deposit cash flows and efficient planning. But inflation could throw a wrench in those plans as production costs balloon unpredictably in the time since customers placed their orders.

Details. Rivian acknowledged in a letter to customers that it “broke the trust that we have worked to build with you” and “wrongly decided” to make price increases retroactive to past reservations.

Between the lines: Facing inflation, Rivian had planned to increase the price of the R1T pickup from $67,500 to $79,000 and the R1S SUV from $70,000 to $84,000.

“They know they’re probably going to have to charge more to remain profitable because of what it’s going to cost to produce their vehicles,” iSeeCars analyst Karl Brauer tells Axios.
The company's stock has lost about one-sixth of its value this week as it's see-sawed from price hikes to no price hikes.

Our thought bubble: Startup EV companies like Rivian and Lucid Motors have enjoyed a honeymoon period, but customers will revolt if they're not treated fairly, no matter the company.

“The last thing you want to do, when perception might suggest that things aren’t going your way, is appear desperate,” Brauer says. “Desperation in any relationship is one of the least attractive characteristics.”

https://www.axios.com/rivian-evs-pri...9b444ce96.html

Extra………

• Murphy calls for replacing Russian oil with renewable energy in case of potential ban

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy (D) said on Sunday that if the U.S. decides to ban Russian energy imports, he would like to see the gap in energy production filled with renewable energy on top of domestic fossil fuel production.

Fox News Channel’s chief legal correspondent and "Fox News Sunday" anchor Shannon Bream asked Murphy for his thoughts regarding the U.S. energy supply during an interview.

Bream noted that prominent figures like fellow Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who represents the coal-rich state of West Virginia, have called for increased oil and gas production.

"If prices go up, then you are naturally through the market mechanisms going to have more U.S. production. Joe Manchin represents a coal state. I represent a state that's going to have a lot of wind power online very soon and so my preference would be to try to fill in that gap with renewable energy," said Murphy.

Murphy noted that if Europe bans Russian energy imports, the gap in its energy sector will almost certainly need to be filled in with U.S. energy products such as liquified natural gas.

"I would just want to make sure that in the United States, if we're gonna have to fill in what we lose in Russian gas, that's not just from West Virginia coal. That's also from Long Island Sound wind power," he added. https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/...rgy-in-case-of

• Cathy Cowan Becker - I never want to hear about the supposed cost of renewable energy again. The only cost is in NOT moving to 100% renewable energy. https://twitter.com/ccbecker271/stat...27568731353088

• Australian billionaires invest $152m in undersea cable that will deliver solar power to Singapore

Australian billionaires Mike Cannon-Brookes and Andrew Forrest have invested $152 million (£116 million) into a 4,200-kilometre undersea cable link that will deliver solar electricity to Singapore.

The Sun Cable project, which will be the world’s longest undersea high voltage direct current cable, is being funded by Cannon-Brookes’ Grok Ventures and Squadron Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mr Forrest’s privately held investment firm Tattarang.

Sun Cable’s flagship project, the AAPowerLink will harness and store solar energy from the Northern Territory in Australia and transmit it to Darwin and Singapore.

David Griffin, Sun Cable Founder & CEO said: “We have developed a world leading capability in four short years. We are thrilled to have materially strengthened our resources with the support of all of our shareholders, who are such strong advocates for our mission.

“This capital raise will enable the delivery of renewable solar power from Australia to Singapore, advance our other multi gigawatt scale projects, and support the progress of key facilitating assets.

“We are buoyed by the level of support from our investors and key stakeholders including governments, offtakers, suppliers, and the communities in which we operate.

Dr Andrew Forrest AO, Chairman of Tattarang, added: “Sun Cable’s vision will transform Australia’s capability to become a world-leading generator and exporter of renewable electricity and enable decarbonisation.

“I’m proud to be a cornerstone investor in Sun Cable, its team and its vision. This capital raise is a critical step in developing the Australia-Asia PowerLink and I applaud Sun Cable realising this mission.”

• The Mediterranean's first offshore wind farm, off Italy, is nearly halfway complete

Four out of 10 offshore wind turbines have now been installed by Dutch maritime company Van Oord off Italy’s Puglia coast – the heel of Italy’s boot. It’s Italy’s first offshore wind farm, and the first in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Taranto offshore wind farm is near Taranto harbor, and it’s the first offshore wind farm in the Mediterranean Sea. It will have a capacity of 30 megawatts (MW) and estimated output of 58,000 MWh per year. It will be capable of powering 21,000 homes and is scheduled to come online this year.

The Taranto offshore wind farm will feature MySE3.0-135 wind turbines, which are made and delivered by China’s MingYang Smart Energy.

Italian offshore wind development company Renexia SpA is its owner and developer, and Van Oord’s MPI Offshore is running its construction.

Taranto features bottom-fixed turbines, but going forward, offshore developers are looking to floating offshore wind farms for the Mediterranean because it’s very deep.

Italy’s national wind energy association Anev has set a target of 5 GW of floating offshore wind for the country by 2040.

• Europe's ocean energy installations surge back to pre-Covid levels

European installations of tidal and wave energy capacity jumped in 2021, as the ocean energy sector saw deployments revert to pre-pandemic levels and a substantial increase in investment.

In figures released Thursday, Ocean Energy Europe said 2.2 megawatts of tidal stream capacity was installed in Europe last year, compared to just 260 kilowatts in 2020. For wave energy, 681 kW was installed, which OEE said was a threefold increase.

Globally, 1.38 MW of wave energy came online in 2021, while 3.12 MW of tidal stream capacity was installed. Capacity refers to the maximum amount of electricity installations can produce, not what they’re necessarily generating.

Overall, 11.5 MW of tidal stream installations are now in European waters, with the figure for wave energy coming in at 1.4 MW. Investment in the ocean energy sector hit 70 million euros ($76.8 million) last year. OEE, a Brussels-based trade association, said this represented a 50% increase compared to 2020.

“Developing new decarbonised, indigenous and affordable energy sources is not a luxury – it is a necessity,” Remi Gruet, the Ocean Energy Europe CEO, said in a statement.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, has laid out targets for the capacity of ocean energy technologies such as wave and tidal to reach 100 MW in the EU by 2025 and roughly 1 gigawatt by 2030. Given the current level of installations, achieving this goal represents a big challenge.

“The EU must kick-start its offshore renewables strategy now, and empower ocean energy to deliver energy independence and decarbonisation as part of a diverse set of renewables,” OEE’s Gruet said.

“The figures from 2021 reflect a strong, adaptable sector, and show that ocean energy is proving itself, both technologically and as an investment.”

While there is excitement about the potential of marine energy, the footprint of tidal stream and wave projects remains very small compared to other renewables. In 2021 alone, Europe installed 17.4 gigawatts of wind power capacity, according to figures from industry body WindEurope.

Despite its small footprint, recent years have seen a number of developments within the ocean energy industry. Last July, a tidal turbine weighing 680 metric tons started grid-connected power generation at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, an archipelago located north of mainland Scotland.

A few months later, in Oct. 2021, plans for a £1.7 billion (around $2.23 billion) project in the U.K. incorporating technologies including underwater turbines were announced.

Just this week, it was announced that an independent commission would revisit the possibility of using the Severn Estuary, a large body of water between England and Wales, to harness tidal energy.

• Bill would require RI to get all electricity from renewables by 2030

Experts say that when it comes to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, as required by a landmark climate change measure enacted into law last year, the conversion of Rhode Island’s electric system to a reliance on renewable sources is the logical first step.

For one, it will be easier to green the electric grid by ramping up the development of offshore wind and solar than it will be to slash emissions caused by heating homes and businesses or by car and truck travel. But it also makes sense, because any solution that covers heating and road vehicle emissions will ultimately rely on a steady supply of clean electricity.

That’s why environmental advocates, public health groups and progressives are lining up behind legislation proposed in the General Assembly that would require Rhode Island to get all of its electricity from renewables by 2030.

Just as it did last year with the Act on Climate, which for the first time made emissions reductions mandatory and enforceable in the Ocean State, the Environment Council of Rhode Island, the umbrella group that represents 60 of the state’s environmental groups, has made passage of the update to the Renewable Energy Standard its top priority in this legislative session.

“We have to think what we will need to decarbonize our transportation system, to decarbonize our buildings. We will need more clean electricity. We will need a Renewable Energy Standard that aligns with the market and really drives the economy where we want it to go,” Priscilla De La Cruz, president of the environment council, said at a recent House committee hearing.

Renewable-energy timeline would be most ambitious in nation

For the second year running, the bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Deborah Ruggiero, a Jamestown Democrat, and in the Senate by its president, Dominick Ruggerio. It would codify in state law what former Gov. Gina Raimondo put forward in an executive order two years ago.

The short timeline is the most aggressive by any state in the nation for a complete adoption of renewable electric supplies, according to the bill’s supporters.

Those backers include Raimondo’s successor, Gov. Dan McKee, who signed the Act on Climate into law and whose administration says it’s in favor of the legislation.

“Reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions across the state’s electric, heating, and transportation sectors is integral to climate change mitigation, and is now mandated by law pursuant to the 2021 Act on Climate,” state energy commissioner Nicholas Ucci wrote in a letter to the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. “By accelerating our adoption of renewable electricity using tools inclusive of a robust Renewable Energy Standard, Rhode Island can advance these vitally important goals, while generating new investment and job growth opportunities across the green economy.”

He pointed to a report completed a year ago by consultants hired by the state, who concluded that it’s possible to reach a 100% renewable goal by the end of this decade. At the time they released their findings in January 2021, they said that Rhode Island would have to procure about 1½ times as much renewable energy as it had to that point.

The total capacity then of about 900 megawatts has since increased to more than 1,000 megawatts, including about 400 megawatts of solar, the 30-megawatt Block Island Wind Farm, which was the first offshore wind farm in the nation, and the 400-megawatt Revolution Wind project, which has yet to be built in waters off the state’s coast.

How would this affect residential electric bills?

No matter how Rhode Island were to try to achieve the goal, it would cost electric ratepayers more than what they’re paying now, the report found. For a typical residential electric bill, the impact would be between $11 and $14 a month, depending on the renewable source.

But the authors also found that positive economic impacts of the development of in-state sources of energy — offshore wind, wholesale solar and rooftop solar — would outweigh the bill impacts, with a net addition of as much as $1.5 billion to the Rhode Island gross domestic product through the support of construction and operations jobs.

While annual increases for renewables are currently set at 1.5%, the bill would require them to go up to 4% this year and to 5% next year. They would keep increasing to reach a total of 100% in 2030. The state is currently at 20%.

While getting to 100% will be a challenge, staying there will also be difficult. Electric demand is projected to increase as more electric cars get on the road and Rhode Islanders invest in electric heat pumps. It will mean the continued development of renewables.

And supporters argue that that will be a boon to the local economy.

“Right now, much of our energy dollars are headed out of state,” said Glocester resident Joel Gates. “With our electricity coming from 100% renewable sources, a lot of those dollars will be staying in Rhode Island. Unlike fossil fuels, nobody controls the wind spigot or the solar spigot.”

• EIA projects that renewable generation will supply 44% of U.S. electricity by 2050

In our Annual Energy Outlook 2022 (AEO2022) Reference case, which reflects current laws and regulations, we project that the share of U.S. power generation from renewables will increase from 21% in 2021 to 44% in 2050. This increase in renewable energy mainly consists of new wind and solar power. The contribution of hydropower remains largely unchanged through 2050, and other renewable sources of power generation, such as geothermal and biomass, collectively remain less than 3% of total generation.

In the AEO2022 Reference case, we project that the contribution of total solar generation, including both utility-scale solar farms and small-scale rooftop end-use systems, will surpass wind generation by the early 2030s. Early growth in wind and solar is driven by federal tax credits set to expire or significantly decline by 2026, but declining costs for both technologies play a significant role in both near- and long-term growth.

Meanwhile, we project the total share of U.S. fossil fuel-fired power generation decreases from 60% to 44% in the AEO2022 Reference case as a result of the continued retirement of coal generators and slow growth in natural gas-fired generation. Although natural gas-fired generation increases in absolute terms, the share of natural gas in the total generation mix decreases slightly, from 37% in 2021 to 34% in 2050.

In our Reference case projections, the natural gas share remains consistent despite several projected retirements of coal and nuclear generating units, which cause the shares from those sources to drop by half. Generation from renewable sources increases to offset the declining coal and nuclear shares, largely because existing regulatory programs and market factors incentivize renewable sources.

Energy storage systems, such as stand-alone batteries or solar-battery hybrid systems, compete with natural gas-fired generators to provide electric power generation and back-up capacity for times when nondispatchable renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, are unavailable. Because energy storage shifts energy usage from one time to another and is not an original fuel source of energy, we do not included it in the generation graphic in this article. Based on planned projects reported to us, energy storage capacity is expected to increase in upcoming years. https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=51698

In the news.

• Great Barrier Reef hit by sixth mass bleaching event, leading coral scientist says

One of the world’s leading coral scientists claims a sixth mass bleaching event is unfolding across the Great Barrier Reef, with official monitoring flights now under way all along the Queensland coastline.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has confirmed monitoring flights are being conducted “along the length and breadth” of the 2,300km world heritage reef.

But the authority is not due to make a formal update on conditions over the reef, or the initial findings from those flights, until Friday.

The development comes less than a week before the start of a 10-day United Nations monitoring mission to the reef ahead of a crucial meeting of the world heritage committee in June.

Prof Terry Hughes, a leading expert on coral bleaching at James Cook University, said he had received a “flood of reports from the field” of bleached corals in the last two weeks.

Rising ocean temperatures driven by human emissions of greenhouse gases have caused five mass bleaching events along the reef in 1998, 2002, 2016, 2017 and 2020.

Hughes told the Guardian he believes a sixth mass bleaching event is now unfolding, and that it was not mild or local.

The amount of heat stress over the reef tends to peak in early to mid-March each year but scientists began to worry as early as December after water temperatures rose to record levels for that month.

Hughes said: “We all breathed a sigh of relief because corals that were pale in December regained their colour in January and February. But in the last three weeks there have been reports of moderate to strong bleaching all along the reef.”

Observations from the Bureau of Meteorology show water temperatures at between 1C and 2C above average across wide areas of the reef.

A study, led by Hughes, has found more than 98% of all the individual reefs have bleached at least once.

During the last three mass bleaching events, Hughes has led aerial surveys across the length of the marine park to record the condition of corals from a low-flying aircraft.

Hughes said that task had now been passed on to GBRMPA.

He said water temperatures and the accumulated heat stress alone was not enough to say for sure if corals had bleached.

“We won’t have a full picture until the flights are done,” he said. “We have to see those maps [of bleaching] so it is premature to say how this ranks next to the other five bleaching events.”

GBRMPA has been collating information on bleaching from flights, in-water surveillance and reports for weeks.

A week ago the authority said there had been “low to moderate bleaching” reported in many areas.

In a statement on Thursday, the authority said it was “conducting aerial surveys along the length and breadth of the reef, to get a clearer picture of any bleaching in the Marine Park this summer. The status of reef health is updated each Friday.” Flights began last weekend.

The Australian Institute of Marine Science has previously said a recovery in coral cover over the reef since the last bleaching event in 2020 has been driven by fast-growing acropora corals that were also susceptible to bleaching.

Hughes said northern parts of the reef were “halfway to recovery” but a lot of “vulnerable corals” were now bleaching.

Corals can recover from mild bleaching, but if heat stress is too severe the coral can die.

While there is no formal definition of a mass bleaching event, Hughes said: “Most people would describe bleaching that includes severe levels of bleaching at a scale of hundreds of kilometres would qualify as a mass bleaching.”

Last week, environment groups said it was vital that a UN mission to the reef – requested by Australia and starting on Monday – should be able to see bleaching.

No details have been released either by Unesco or the Australian government about where the mission will go or who it will meet.

A report from the mission is expected by early May ahead of a scheduled world heritage committee meeting in June.

Last year, UN science advisors recommended the committee place the reef on a list of world heritage sites “in danger” because of the impacts of bleaching and a lack of progress in improving pollution levels.

But fierce lobbying by the Australian government saw the 21-country committee ignore the recommendation. During the meeting, Australia also sided with countries to go against several UN recommendations relating to other sites around the world.

Australia reportedly struck at least one quid pro quo – a deal with Spain to back a world heritage inscription for a site in Madrid, despite UN advisors opposing it, in exchange for Spain’s support to block an “in danger” listing for the reef.

Last month the Morrison government pledged a further $1bn for local reef conservation efforts over the next nine years.

But many reef scientists have said efforts like finding more heat-tolerant coral species, improving water quality and removing coral-eating starfish will be overrun by global heating unless greenhouse gas emissions are cut rapidly. https://www.theguardian.com/environm...scientist-says

Just for fun……..

• Most women are not interested in dating stupid.

Climate change is biggest 'dealbreaker' on popular dating app

Among 250,000 users surveyed worldwide over the past year, OKCupid found that 90 percent of daters said that it’s "important" for their match to care about climate change.

Meanwhile, among 6 million users surveyed over the past three years, 81 percent of daters said they were "concerned" about climate change — topping other potential dealbreaker issues like gender equality and gun control.

Data scientists at OKCupid also cross-reference responses to determine how users who react a certain way to one question might answer other questions, according to Reynolds. Such knowledge, she said, can help reveal to daters what else they might learn about a potential match just by knowing one thing about the person.

Over the past year, 250,000 individuals worldwide answered the question "Is it important that your match cares about the environment?" Ninety percent of the respondents said that it’s important for their match to care about the planet, while women were 7 percent more likely than men to care, according to the data.

There were no significant differences among age groups, and responses were fairly homogeneous on both the East and West coasts of the country — with 94 percent of San Francisco daters citing this as a dealbreaker, 90 percent in New York, 90 percent in San Diego, 89 percent in Los Angeles, 88 percent in Washington, D.C., and 85 percent in Miami, OKCupid reported.

Evaluating these figures, Reynolds acknowledged that OKCupid is “a progressive app” and does tend to attract individuals who are “more open-minded and concerned” about topics like climate change.

“We're everywhere around the world and in the U.S., but we certainly lean to more metro areas,” she said.

While Reynolds explained that OKCupid doesn’t publish its total subscriber numbers since it is a publicly traded company, she said that the site is “responsible for about 4 million matches every week.” The consumer data analytics firm Statista showed that OKCupid was the fifth most popular U.S. dating site in 2019, with 1.79 million subscribers — trailing behind Tinder, Bumble, Plenty of Fish and Match.com. https://thehill.com/policy/equilibri...lar-dating-app

• Liberal Redneck - Gas Prices and Joe Biden

.... and now for the good news.

Shell revives huge North Sea gas field to boost Britain's energy security


Plans for the Jackdaw field were rejected last year by environmental regulators

By
Rachel Millard
18 March 2022 • 4:41pm

Shell has submitted new plans to develop a huge gas field in the North Sea, six months after they were rejected by environmental regulators, in an attempt to help Britain become less dependent on foreign suppliers.

The FTSE 100 company said it wanted the Jackdaw field, about 250km east of Aberdeen, to start operating by 2025.

It argued it would make "a significant contribution to UK energy security" and could be developed with relatively low carbon emissions.

The submission comes as the Government encourages UK producers to increase output to reduce reliance on Russian oil and gas.

Boris Johnson will also meet on Monday with executives from companies involved with nuclear power, including Rolls-Royce, EDF and Westinghouse, about ways to boost Britain’s energy independence, Sky News reported.

Shell said it was "disappointed" last October when regulators knocked back its Jackdaw plans, days before the UK was due to host the Cop26 climate change conference in Glasgow.




About two months later Shell pulled out of the major Cambo proposed development west of Shetland, which had become a flashpoint for anti-fossil fuel campaigners.

The company blamed a weak economic case as well as the “the potential for delays” - widely interpreted as a nod to potential legal and regulatory entanglements.

In its submission about Jackdaw to the Oil and Gas Authority, Shell said: "We have been, and remain, determined to minimise the environmental effects of the Jackdaw development project, including by reducing atmospheric emissions.

"The Jackdaw project will form part of a wider integrated system that makes a significant contribution to UK energy security, and which Shell is working towards repurposing to facilitate significant future greenhouse gas emissions reductions."


About half of the UK's gas is produced domestically with the rest imported via pipelines from Norway and Europe or shipped in from countries including the US, Qatar and Russia.

Less than 3pc of the UK's gas comes directly from Russia and Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business Secretary, wanted to exclude Russian gas imports altogether.

Both the UK and the US are banning imports of Russian oil and Mr Johnson is believed to want the EU to follow suit.

However, Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, has warned that an EU-wide ban on Russian oil and gas would tip economies including the UK's into recession and knock about 3pc off British GDP "straightaway", according to the Financial Times.

The Government has already had to intervene to soften the blow of climbing energy bills due to high wholesale gas prices, with households due a £150 rebate on council tax and a £200 rebate on energy bills.

Meanwhile, the Italian-government controlled Eni said it could increase its oil and gas production in Africa in response to prime minister Mario Draghi’s push to reduce his country’s dependence on Russian energy.

^ UK & the EU should have never leapt to phase out fossil fuels and Nuclear in the manner they did until they have sustainable alternatives, all it did in the case of the EU was made them reliant on Russia and in the case of the UK made us more vulnerable to world market extremes. All the while it made not a jot of difference whilst Poland, China and India are burning coal and gas like its going out of fashion.

Baby steps

In a First, Wind Generation Tops Coal and Nuclear Power for a Day

Wind was the second-largest source of power generation in the country on March 29, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported yesterday, marking the first time wind output had ever simultaneously exceeded coal and nuclear over a 24-hour period.

The milestone at once showed how far U.S. renewable energy has come even as it underscored the lengths the country must go to reach President Joe Biden’s climate goals.

It comes after two strong years of new wind installations. The 13.9 gigawatts of wind capacity built in 2021 came on the heels of a record 14.2 GW installed in 2020. All that capacity is now turning into electricity. Seven of the top 10 days for wind generation since 2018 occurred in the first three months of this year, while the remaining three happened in 2021, according to EIA figures. Wind generation has grown from about 2 percent of annual American power generation to more than 9 percent last year.

The surge in wind output on March 29 was driven by the Great Plains states. The Southwest Power Pool, the regional grid operator for 14 states stretching from Oklahoma to North Dakota, reported that renewable generation accounted for 90 percent of its electricity production on March 29, with nearly all of that coming from wind.

“In a decade’s time, our region has gone from thinking of 25% renewable-penetration levels as nearly unreachable to a point where we regularly exceed 75% without reliability concerns,” SPP Senior Vice President of Operations Bruce Rew said in a statement. “We’re able to manage wind generation more effectively than other, smaller systems can because we’ve got a huge pool of resources to draw from.”

The record wind figure come with several important caveats. Power demand typically wanes in the spring and fall, with utilities using the time to perform maintenance on their power plants. Generation from coal and nuclear plants is normally lower during the spring as a result. At the same time, March is generally the windiest month of the year. Even so, gas, coal and nuclear facilities generated more power during March than wind, EIA noted. Gas has been the top source of electricity generation in the country since 2016.

That underscores the larger challenge facing the Biden administration and those seeking to green the U.S. grid. Biden has targeted 80 percent carbon-free power by the end of the decade, a figure that also includes nuclear and hydropower. Last year, low- and zero-carbon sources accounted for 42 percent of U.S. power generation.

The numer of wind installations will need to essentially double by the end of the decade in order for the United States to get on track for net-zero emissions by midcentury, said Ric O’Connell, who leads GridLab, a clean energy consulting firm. It isn’t clear whether the United States will be able to do that.

While the cost and logistics of running large amounts of renewables on the grid are no longer an impediment to wind and solar, transmission, interconnection and supply chain constraints are all potential hurdles to a further expansion of U.S. renewable capacity. EIA’s figures show a fall off in wind installations from 10.2 GW this year to 4.3 GW in 2023 and 5.2 GW in 2025.

“A lot of stuff has to happen to keep it going,” O’Connell said. Federal efforts are underway to try and make it easier to permit new transmission, but, he added, “the federal government can only do so much when it comes to permitting and siting. It is going to be tough.”

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California sets clean energy record as it pushes toward climate change goals

On the road to transitioning to net-zero carbon emissions by 2045, California set a new record earlier this month when its power grid briefly ran on 97% renewable energy.

The California Independent System Operator said in a statement last week that the state had hit the 97% renewable energy mark at 3:39 p.m. on Sunday, April 3, besting the previous record of 96.4% that had been set a week earlier, Bloomberg reported.

“While these all-time highs are for a brief time, they solidly demonstrate the advances being made to reliably achieve California’s clean energy goals,” California Independent System Operator CEO Elliot Mainzer said in a statement.

On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom heralded the new record, which was achieved primarily though the state's production of solar and wind energy.

California has aggressively boosted solar and wind energy production in recent years, with the hope of generating half its energy from renewable sources by 2025. Lawmakers in the state continue to craft legislation that will speed up the transition to clean energy, with more than 25 bills currently under consideration in the Legislature, the Los Angeles Times reported last month.

While Newsom unveiled a $10 billion electric vehicle plan in January to help Californians transition from gas-powered cars to electric ones, and the state is looking to ban the sale of new gas cars by 2035, clean energy advocates note that the electricity used to power EVs also should come from sources that do not emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In 2020, just 33% of the state's energy came from renewable sources, according to the California Energy Commission.

Since then, however, the country’s most populous state has worked to increase capacity for renewable sources of energy.

“In 2021, California was second in the nation, after Texas, in total electricity generation from renewable resources, including generation from small-scale solar PV generation,” the U.S. Energy Information Agency says on its website. “California is the nation’s top producer of electricity from solar, geothermal, and biomass resources. The state is also the nation’s fourth-largest producer of electricity from conventional hydroelectric power — after Washington, Oregon, and New York — and is sixth-largest from wind energy.”

Renewable sources of energy are growing nationwide. In late March, the U.S. marked another significant milestone when electricity generated by wind turbines was the second-highest source in the country over a 24-hour period, according to the Energy Information Agency.

The challenge ahead for California and the U.S. is to make sure that milestones for renewable-power generation continue to fall on a regular basis. Ashutosh Bhagwat, chair of the California Independent System Operator board of governors, sees last week’s record as a promising sign.

“When we see renewable energy peaks like this, we are getting to re-imagine what the grid will look like for generations to come,” he said, according to the Sierra Sun Times. “These moments help crystallize the vision of the modern, efficient and sustainable grid of the future.”

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Hawaiian Electric Industries 2022 report said utility reaches nearly 40% renewable energy

Hawaiian Electric Industries today released its 2022 consolidated report that describes its updated policies, actions and performance for 2021 regarding environmental, social and governance matters, including climate-related risks and opportunities.

It is the third and most comprehensive environmental, social and governance (ESG) report of Hawaiian Electric Industries, which includes utility Hawaiian Electric, banking subsidiary American Savings Bank and non-regulated subsidiary Pacific Current.

Hawaiian Electric reached a renewable portfolio standard of 38.4% in 2021, which is ahead of schedule for achieving Hawai‘i’s statutory goal of 40% by 2030.

The report also includes the company’s first enterprise-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory. Net enterprise-wide GHG emissions in measured categories decreased 15% from 2015 to 2021, driven largely by reductions in the utility’s generation-related emissions, according to a company press release.

“Our ESG progress demonstrates our commitment not only to operating a sustainable business, but also to building a sustainable Hawai‘i in which our children and grandchildren, our communities, our customers and our fellow employees will thrive together now and for generations to come,” said Scott Seu, Hawaiian Electric Industries’ president and CEO.

To review the report, visit www.hei.com/esg.

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Rivian opportunity at risk

Rivian, the most promising automotive startup since Tesla, has exquisite timing: It's ramping up production of game-changing electric pickup trucks and delivery vans just as gas prices are soaring and people are looking for alternatives to fossil fuels.

Yes, but: Rivian's vehicles are also launching into the teeth of unprecedented, industry-wide supply chain disruptions that could delay or derail the company's ambitious growth plans.

Why it matters: Whether his timing is perfect, or terrible, Rivian CEO R.J. Scaringe's challenge is getting a new electric vehicle brand off the ground while supplying 100,000 promised delivery vans to his company's largest customer and one of its biggest shareholders — Amazon.

• Already, Rivian has conceded that its inexperience is hurting efforts to secure precious semiconductors.
• The microchip shortage, along with other supply-chain constraints, prompted Rivian to cut its 2022 production targets in half, to just 25,000 vehicles.
• The 39-year-old Scaringe, heralded in a 2020 Forbes cover story as Elon Musk's new nemesis, is getting a taste of the kinds of growing pains that the Tesla CEO famously lamented as "production hell."

The big picture: Manufacturing glitches can make new model launches treacherous for any carmaker, especially an inexperienced startup.

• Rivian's challenge is even steeper: it's trying to launch four models almost simultaneously — a pickup, an SUV and two delivery vans.

seemed to take all these pressures in stride last week, however, as he drove me in a golf cart around Rivian's 3.4-million-square-foot assembly plant in Normal, Illinois — formerly home to a joint venture between Chrysler and Mitsubishi.

Details: With the flat brim of his Rivian cap pulled low, Scaringe frequently leapt off the cart to offer a closer look at the company's expanding manufacturing operations:

• The six giant stamping presses where aluminum and steel parts are loudly formed.
• The automated body shop where scores of robots weld, rivet and glue auto parts together.
• The pristine paint shop, where trucks and vans do somersaults through a series of giant paint baths.
• The final assembly area, split in two — one line for Rivian trucks and SUVs, another for Amazon's vans — where items like seats, dashboards and steering wheels are added.

The supply chain challenges of the past year have been more pronounced than he expected, Scaringe says, acknowledging some frustration: "We have a plant with 5,000 people but we need the parts here to support it."

• Microchip manufacturers are allocating shipments based on their customers' historical production volumes, he said. That hurts Rivian, which only recently started manufacturing vehicles.
• "I’m on the phone with semiconductor supplier CEOs every day," he says, trying to convince them Rivian will produce the number of vehicles it says it will.
• "It's a day-in, day-out battle for allocation and the number we get is precisely equal to the number of vehicles we build."

The intrigue: Rivian's inexperience may be a disadvantage now, but Scaringe is looking to establish a track record that will secure long-term partnerships with critical EV component makers.

• "Suppliers are trying to figure out who are going to be the dominant players 10 years from now, so they want to build relationships [with companies] that are going to represent significant slices of market share," he explains.
• "A year ago, we were less proven. Today, we’re at the very top of the list, and where we're not at the top, we’re working very hard to get there."

The bottom line: Rivian delivered a grand total of 920 vehicles in 2021 and has 83,000 customer "pre-orders" in hand.

• It's not clear how patient those customers will be, given that other electric pickups from GM and Ford are hitting the market now.
• Meanwhile, Amazon, an expert in fast delivery, is still waiting for its vans.

https://www.axios.com/rivian-opportu...ab96cc972.html

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Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX concept car traveled over 1,000 km on a single charge

Mercedes-Benz announced that its electric concept car, the Vision EQXX, successfully completed a long-range test of over 1,000 km on a single battery charge. It was among the longest distances covered by an electric vehicle on a single charge.

The trip took place across several European cities, starting in Germany, then on to Switzerland and Italy, and finally to its destination, the port town of Cassis near Marseille in the South of France. Temperatures ranged from 3 to 18 degrees Celsius (37 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit), and the vehicle traveled at an average speed of 54 mph.

The distance covered was “over” 1,000 km, or about 621 miles. That is more than twice the typical range that most EVs on the road today can travel. According to Mercedes, the Vision EQXX’s state of charge on arrival was around 15 percent, leaving the vehicle with a remaining range of around 140 km (87 miles). The average consumption was a record-breaking low of 8.7 kWh per 100 km (7.1 kWh per 62 miles).

Mercedes first introduced the Vision EQXX earlier this year as primarily an experiment in battery efficiency. With its sporty intentions and sleek, futuristic design, the concept car will likely serve as the basis for a production car that could end up rivaling other luxury EVs like the Porsche Taycan, Audi E-tron GT, and Tesla Roadster.

The real-world range test is a boon for Mercedes, which previously claimed that the Vision EQXX will consume energy at a rate of 10kWh per 100 kilometers, or more than 6 miles per kWh. Those tests were based on a simulation of real-world traffic conditions, an estimate the Vision EQXX bested under actual real-world conditions.

At the time, Mercedes said the Vision EQXX’s superior range is “completely realistic” and that many of its technological advancements will be integrated into future production vehicles through the Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture. The results from the real-world tests will serve to bolster those claims.

Of course, a range estimate is still just that: an estimate. It will be up to the Environmental Protection Agency in the US, as well as Europe’s Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), to certify any EV range independently. Most electric vehicles on the market today have a range that falls between 200 and 300 miles, while some earlier models have less than that. The latest crop of EVs has ranges of 250–300 miles.

Of course, EV range is highly subjective. Even the EPA’s rating system is only meant to present a snapshot under the specific conditions of the agency’s testing process. It typically excludes factors such as steep hill climbing and the effects of cold weather, which can wear down a vehicle’s battery much faster than when driving on flat surfaces or in warmer weather.

To Mercedes’ credit, the company didn’t perform its range test under anything resembling perfect conditions. The route included a variety of steep, mountainous conditions, as well as construction work and other hazards. The wide range of temperatures, from chilly mountain air to more temperate conditions, helped show off the Vision EQXX’s performance in a variety of settings. The vehicle did not encounter snow or any freezing conditions, which has been known to suck energy out of an EV battery. https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/13/2...ry-charge-test

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In other news……..

• Biden administration reverses Trump-era rule limiting scrutiny of environmental impacts

The White House on Tuesday finalized a rule that will once again require federal agencies to consider indirect and cumulative environmental impacts of their actions, including those related to climate change.

The rule effectively restores portions of the long-standing rules for how agencies conduct environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act that were altered by the Trump administration. It will allow agencies to expand consideration of environmental justice factors in decision-making — aligning with the stated priorities of the Biden administration.

A second, broader rule making additional changes is expected to be proposed later this year.

Background: Following longtime complaints from industry and Republicans about permitting time for new projects like highways or transmission infrastructure or other actions like fossil fuel lease sales, the Trump administration in 2020 changed its NEPA implementation regulations.

The Trump rule shortened time frames for conducting reviews and removed a requirement that agencies consider “cumulative” impacts, which could have made it easier to downplay the climate effects of certain actions.

The rule drew litigation, but the lawsuits have not advanced far given the Biden administration’s plans to reconsider the regulation. One judge last year tossed a lawsuit from environmental groups after finding their alleged harm was “too speculative” at this stage.

Details: The “Phase 1” rule, Reg. 0331-AA05, will be published in Wednesday’s Federal Register and take effect May 20. It makes three major changes.

The Biden rule reinstates the definition of effects that require study to include direct, indirect and cumulative effects. Critics argued the Trump rule that eliminated this definition could allow agencies to downplay climate change and environmental justice concerns.

“The restoration of direct, indirect, and cumulative effects as part of the definition of ‘effects’ better reflects NEPA’s statutory purpose, policy, and intent and is more consistent with the case law interpreting NEPA’s requirements,” the rule said.

It also expands agency flexibility to define the “purpose and need” of a project or action, an early step in the review process that defines things like which alternative actions are considered. The rule “clarifies that agencies have discretion to consider a variety of factors when assessing an application for an authorization, removing the requirement that an agency base the purpose and need on the goals of an applicant and the agency’s statutory authority.”

And the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality has removed “ceiling provisions” added by the Trump administration that set its NEPA regulations as the “maximum requirements” they could include in their own individual agency NEPA procedures.

“The removal of the ceiling provisions allows agencies to exercise their discretion to develop and implement procedures beyond the CEQ regulatory requirements; however, agency procedures cannot conflict with current CEQ regulations,” the rule said.

“Restoring these basic community safeguards will provide regulatory certainty, reduce conflict, and help ensure that projects get built right the first time,” CEQ Chair Brenda Mallory said in a statement. “Patching these holes in the environmental review process will help projects get built faster, be more resilient, and provide greater benefits — to people who live nearby.”

What’s next: While the “Phase 1” rule largely restored language in place prior to the Trump administration, CEQ is working on a “Phase 2" rule, Reg. 0331-AA07, that is expected to make broader changes to the NEPA regulations for agencies.

The Phase 1 rule is a good start, but the Phase 2 rule must also be aggressive, environmental groups said.

“The upcoming phase 2 rulemaking process is an opportunity for the administration to engage directly with those most impacted by polluting industries and reflect their voices in a final rule that delivers on the commitments this administration has made to environmental justice communities,” said Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen.

Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said, “These key protections must be quickly put back in place and then strengthened during the next phase.” https://www.politico.com/news/2022/0...pacts-00026207

Major Japanese Railway Now Powered Only by Renewable Energy

Japanese railway company, Tokyu, says it now uses only renewable energy to power its train operations. That means Tokyu’s huge network of train lines in and around Tokyo do not produce any carbon dioxide emissions.

The change took place April 1.

Tokyu employs 3,855 people and connects Tokyo with the nearby city of Yokohama. It has more than 100 kilometers of railway tracks serving 2.2 million people a day.

It is the first railroad operator in Japan to have reached the goal of zero carbon emissions. It says the carbon dioxide reduction is equal to the yearly average emissions of 56,000 Japanese households.

Nicholas Little is director of railway education at Michigan State University. He praised Tokyu for supporting renewable energy. But he noted it is also important to improve ways of creating renewable energy.

“...The bigger impacts come from increasing electricity generation from renewable sources,” Little said. “The long-term battle is to increase production of renewable electricity.”

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Biden administration, DOE announce $3 billion in new funding to support US EV battery manufacturing and recycling

President Biden and the US Department of Energy have issued multiple notices of intent to allocate $2.91 billion in support of EV battery manufacturing as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The DOE shared plans to use the funds to further battery materials refining, production plants, and battery cell manufacturing facilities in addition to battery recycling.

The latest news is another movement flush with funding to support clean energy and create US jobs, a major talking point of President Biden during his campaign trail before taking office.

Just yesterday, the US Departments of Transportation and Energy jointly announced nearly $5 billion set aside to support a national electric vehicle charging network under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program – another program established within President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

With the latest announcement, the US government has publicly acknowledged a looming threat of lithium-ion battery dependency from China and is designating funds to bring more manufacturing to US soil.

US to produce EV batteries to gain energy independence

The latest round of funding in support of US EV adoption came from the Department of Energy in the form of two letters of intent, promising just under $3 billion in funds.

By bringing EV battery manufacturing stateside, the US hopes to increase economic competitiveness in the global EV market and gain energy independence from the battery monopoly China currently operates. Furthermore, the overall manufacturing process will significantly shorten US supply chains and bring new clean energy jobs to US workers. US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm spoke:

As electric cars and trucks continue to grow in popularity within the United States and around the world, we must seize the chance to make advanced batteries — the heart of this growing industry — right here at home. With funding from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re making it possible to establish a thriving battery supply chain in the United States.

The aforementioned Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will allow DOE to help fund new, retrofitted, and expanded US facilities for the entire life cycle of an EV battery – from processing materials, producing cells and packs, to recycling batteries.

The letters of intent state the funding will also support research, development, and demonstration of second-life applications for batteries following their use powering US-made EVs.

The funding, which is expected to become available in the coming months, will support the US in producing EV batteries and the materials that go into them such as Lithium, which remains in high demand around the globe.

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California nearly 100% powered by renewables for first time

Renewable electricity met 100% of California's demand for the first time on Saturday, environmentalists said, much of it from large amounts of solar power produced along Interstate 10, an hour east of the Coachella Valley.

While partygoers celebrated in the blazing sunshine at the Stagecoach music festival, energy demand statewide hit 18,672 megawatts at 2:45 p.m. local time, and 37,172 megawatts were available to meet it. The power came from renewables, according to a continuous tracker provided by California Independent System Operator, or CAISO, a nonprofit that oversees the state's bulk electric power system and transmission lines.

Solar power provided 12,391 megawatts – two-thirds of the amount needed. The milestone lasted almost 15 minutes before edging down to about 97% renewables.

"Early indications are we may have hit a new record for the amount of renewables serving load, but we will need time to verify the numbers," CAISO spokeswoman Anne Gonzales said.

Environmentalists who've pushed for years for all of California's power to come from renewables were jubilant as they watched the tracker edge to 100%.

"Once it hit 100%, we were very excited," said Laura Deehan, executive director for Environment California. She said the organization and others have worked for 20 years to push the Golden State to complete renewable power via a series of ever tougher mandates. "California solar plants play a really big role."

The group pushed for 1 million solar rooftops statewide, which has been achieved, adding what some say is a more environmentally friendly form of solar power than the solar farms, which eat up large swaths of the Mojave desert and fragile landscapes.

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Germany, India sign $10.5B green development deal

Germany and India signed a series of bilateral agreements Monday focused on sustainable development that will see the South Asian nation receive 10 billion euros ($10.5 billion) in aid by 2030 to boost the use of clean energy.

The accords were signed during a visit to Berlin by India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz is seeking to elicit India's support for the tough stance taken by Europe and the United States toward Russia over the war in Ukraine.

Modi reiterated his call to both Russia and Ukraine to end the fighting, saying: "We believe that no party can emerge victorious in this war.”

The agreements covered issues ranging from technical assistance to increase the use of renewable energy and hydrogen, to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, protecting biodiversity and improving agricultural land use.

The environmental group Germanwatch welcomed the accords, describing India as “swing state” for global efforts to tackle climate change.

“Accelerating the energy transition there is a vital contribution to staying within the 1.5-degree limit,” said its policy director Christoph Bals, referring to the warming threshold set in the 2015 Paris climate agreement. He urged other members of the Group of Seven major industrialized economies to reach similar agreements with India.

Scholz has invited India, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa to attend the next G-7 summit in Germany at the end of June.

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EU Proposed Russian Oil Blockade Aimed at 'Deflating Putin's War Chest'

The European Commission announced Wednesday a proposed phaseout of all Russian oil imports over a six-month period as part of a fresh package of sanctions to make President Vladimir Putin "pay a high price for his brutal aggression" in Ukraine.

The announcement came as climate campaigners continue to urge the U.S. and E.U. to respond to the invasion with policies and investments that boost renewable energy—a strategy that would address both the planetary crisis of global heating and Europe's heavy reliance on Russian fuels.

"This will be a complete import ban on all Russian oil, seaborne and pipeline, crude and refined," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech to the European Parliament on Wednesday.

A phased-in ban "allows us and our partners to secure alternative supply routes and minimizes the impact on global markets," she said, announcing a six-month phaseout for crude oil and an end-of-year timeline for refined products.

Europe currently relies on Russia for about 25% of its oil imports and 40% of its gas imports.

• Renewable power is set to break another global record in 2022 despite headwinds from higher costs and supply chain bottlenecks

Unprecedented growth in capacity additions is mainly driven by solar PV in China and Europe as renewables demonstrate their energy security benefits amid market turmoil

New capacity for generating electricity from solar, wind and other renewables increased to a record level worldwide in 2021 and will grow further this year as governments increasingly seek to take advantage of renewables’ energy security and climate benefits, according to the International Energy Agency.

The world added a record 295 gigawatts of new renewable power capacity in 2021, overcoming supply chain challenges, construction delays and high raw material prices, according to the IEA’s latest Renewable Energy Market Update. Global capacity additions are expected to rise this year to 320 gigawatts – equivalent to an amount that would come close to meeting the entire electricity demand of Germany or matching the European Union’s total electricity generation from natural gas. Solar PV is on course to account for 60% of global renewable power growth in 2022, followed by wind and hydropower.

In the European Union, annual additions jumped by almost 30% to 36 gigawatts in 2021, finally exceeding the bloc’s previous record of 35 gigawatts set a decade ago. The additional renewables capacity commissioned for 2022 and 2023 has the potential to significantly reduce the European Union’s dependence on Russian gas in the power sector. However, the actual contribution will depend on the success of parallel energy efficiency measures to keep the region’s energy demand in check.

“Energy market developments in recent months – especially in Europe – have proven once again the essential role of renewables in improving energy security, in addition to their well-established effectiveness at reducing emissions,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. “Cutting red tape, accelerating permitting and providing the right incentives for faster deployment of renewables are some of the most important actions governments can take to address today’s energy security and market challenges, while keeping alive the possibility of reaching our international climate goals.”

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• Europe Drafts $205 Billion Plan to Wean Itself Off Russian Fuels

The European Union’s executive arm is set to bolster renewables and energy savings goals as part of a 195 billion-euro ($205 billion) plan to end its dependency on Russian fossil fuels by 2027.

The European Commission will propose raising its clean energy target for 2030 to 45% from the current 40% when it puts forward a package to implement its RePowerEU strategy on May 18, according to people familiar with the matter. It will also boost its energy-efficiency goal, requiring member states to reduce energy consumption by at least 13% from projections made in 2020 versus the current 9%.

The EU wants to combine faster deployment of renewables, greater energy savings, diversification of supplies from international partners and new tools to accelerate investment in a bid to replace coal, oil and natural gas from Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The strategy, which will bolster a Green Deal push for bigger emissions cuts by 2030, can save the bloc 80 billion euros on gas, 12 billion euros on oil and 1.7 billion euros on coal imports a year, the people said.

It is poised to include a target of 10 million tons of domestic renewable hydrogen production and 10 million tons of renewable hydrogen imports by 2030. The objective for biomethane production will be 35 billion tons.

The package may still change before adoption. The commission has a policy of not commenting on draft documents.

To help unlock investment, the commission wants to bring forward financing from the Innovation Fund, which is based on revenues from sales of carbon permits in the EU Emissions Trading System. That will be done in a call for projects this autumn, with the available funding set to double.

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• Biden administration cancels 3 major offshore oil lease sales

The Interior Department announced Wednesday it won't proceed with plans for three oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska's Cook Inlet.

Why it matters: The move that all but ends the likelihood of the U.S. government selling new drilling leases in coastal waters in 2022 comes as gas prices hit all-time highs and after President Biden spoke of supplying European nations with fuel to ease dependence on Russian energy following the invasion of Ukraine, per the Washington Post.

It's another win for environmental groups after a federal judge last January canceled the Biden administration's late 2021 sale of new oil-and-gas drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico. That's due to expire in June, WashPost notes.

Driving the news: The Interior Department said in an emailed statement that due to "lack of industry interest in leasing in the area," it "will not move forward with the proposed Cook Inlet OCS oil and gas lease sale 258."

"The Department also will not move forward with lease sales 259 and 261 in the Gulf of Mexico region, as a result of delays due to factors including conflicting court rulings that impacted work on these proposed lease sales," the statement added.

Between the lines: The Russian military assault on Ukraine is forcing Biden, a president who wants to hasten the transition away from fossil fuels in order to curb global warming, toward embracing more oil production and natural gas exports, Axios' Ben Geman writes.

What they're saying: Drew Caputo, vice president of litigation for lands, wildlife and oceans for the environmental advocacy group Earthjustice, told CBS News the announcement was "good for the climate, which can't handle new oil and gas development."

Meanwhile, Frank Macchiarola, senior vice president of policy, economics and regulatory affairs at the American Petroleum Institute, said in an emailed statement: "Unfortunately, this is becoming a pattern — the administration talks about the need for more supply and acts to restrict it.

"As geopolitical volatility and global energy prices continue to rise, we again urge the administration to end the uncertainty and immediately act on a new five-year program for federal offshore leasing."

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Extra………

• This Arctic town wants to make renewable energy work at the top of the world

For Toku Oshima, a hunter from Greenland, the quest to bring renewable energy to her hometown of Qaanaaq is not just a fight against climate change — it’s a fight for cultural survival.

In 2015, Oshima journeyed from Qaanaaq — the northernmost town in the country — to a climate conference in Ilulissat, about 1,000 kilometres to the south. She had wanted to discuss how Earth’s rapidly changing climate threatened traditional ways of life in Greenland, such as Indigenous forms of hunting and fishing. But she came away also thinking about how to tackle another existential crisis facing Qaanaaq: energy security.

At the conference, a friend told Oshima that she’d seen a presentation in which Mary Albert, a snow physicist at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, had discussed climate-change evidence that’s preserved in ice cores. Albert had mentioned that transitioning to renewable-energy sources could help to curb the climate crisis, and had shown a picture of her own home decked out with solar panels. Oshima approached Albert during a coffee break, thinking that the scientist might have ideas about how to cut energy costs in Qaanaaq.

Albert was at first dubious that she could help. But as she opened her mouth to explain that renewables weren’t her speciality, she thought to herself: “What a cop out. You have a PhD in engineering. Are you really going to tell these people there’s no way you can help them?”

That marked the beginning of a collaboration between Albert and Oshima to help ween Qaanaaq off fossil fuels. In the past few years, Albert has recruited students at Dartmouth to work on a range of projects, including designing energy-efficient homes and testing the town’s potential for solar energy. And this month, Albert is heading to Qaanaaq to test newly developed solar and wind devices that she hopes will one day heat homes there.

Prototypes on the way

Albert and her students hope to get round these problems by building technologies that Qaanaaq’s carpenter — Oshima’s husband — can easily install and fix.

Two of the group’s devices will be tested in Qaanaaq this month. One of these prototypes, designed by Albert’s student Simon Oster, uses wind energy to generate heat. Other renewable-energy projects in the Arctic, such as the Chaninik Wind Group in Alaska, do this already using electricity produced by wind turbines. But Albert says that Oster’s device is different because it generates heat directly from wind. Similar designs have been suggested before, Oster says, but none has reached the prototype stage. His own design is “top secret” for now, so he can’t discuss it.

Albert hopes that the wind device could be used in the dark of winter to reduce heating costs. And in the summer, homes could generate heat using the second prototype. This one, designed by Dartmouth student Tucker Oddleifson, is a type of window that traps solar heat. The idea is not new, but Oddleifson says that these particular windows are simpler than other designs and are built to make the most of the Arctic summer’s 24 hours of sunlight. The team hopes that, eventually, “these small-scale devices could be used anywhere”, Albert says.

Oshima and the researchers are not under any illusions that their project will solve all the town’s challenges. But the devices could go a long way to helping Qaanaaq’s residents have an easier life and continue to “live in northwestern Greenland, where their people have lived for thousands of years”, Albert says. “They want to be warm and comfortable — and they want to be able to afford it.”

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In other news………

“I didn’t realize how vulnerable it was,” he added.

Patricelli’s home was swept away overnight, but video of his neighbor’s house succumbing to the ocean went viral this week. That neighbor, who lives in Tennessee, declined to comment when reached by phone. A third nearby home met the same fate in February.

“It was a shock,” Patricelli said of the call he received that his house was gone. He later texted photos from before and after the collapse, writing, “Now there is absolutely nothing there — it’s all been taken by the sea — we basically have a vacant lot.”

The precarious nature of homes along the Outer Banks and other barrier islands is nothing new. Nor is the willingness of some Americans to stomach the risks posed by hurricanes and other natural disasters in exchange for homes and investments in desirable locations.

But the episode on the Outer Banks this week highlights a problem likely to deepen as climate change worsens.

For a variety of reasons, Americans continue to flock to disaster-prone areas of the country, despite growing risks of floods, fires and other catastrophes. And as sea levels rise, storms intensify and heat waves grow hotter, even places that once seemed relatively free of risk could face more serious threats to health and homes. https://www.washingtonpost.com/clima...arolina-house/

Adaptation: https://twitter.com/AndrewDessler/st...42020817788928

• Zero Emission Vehicle Transition Council: Progress Dashboard

In 2022, BloombergNEF is supporting the work of the Zero Emission Vehicle Transition Council, an international forum that convenes governments representing over half of the world’s car market, to accelerate the pace of the global transition to zero-emission vehicles.

To coincide with today’s ZEV Transition Council Ministerial Meeting in Leipzig, Germany, BNEF is publishing a ‘dashboard’ showing the speed of progress towards ZEVs globally, and in ZEV Transition Council countries.

Some key findings from the dashboard include:

• Global passenger electric vehicle (EV) sales grew by 103% in 2021, to nearly 6.6 million units. ZEVTC member countries combined were responsible for 50% of these EV sales. About 70% of global EV sales were pure battery electric vehicles, which are zero-emission at the tailpipe. Around 30% were plug-in hybrids, while fuel cell vehicles were below 1% of the market.

• Globally, EVs accounted for 13% of passenger vehicle sales in 4Q 2021, or 9% when excluding plug-in hybrids. If plug-in hybrids are included, countries such as Norway (97%), Sweden (60%), Netherlands (51%) and Denmark (49%) have reached very high sales penetrations as of 4Q 2021, demonstrating true mass-market demand for cleaner vehicles. Other countries are still getting their markets started.

• The public charging infrastructure base is growing steadily. The typical ZEVTC country added about 20-30% to its installed base of public charging connectors in 2021, while some (notably India and Italy) added connectors at a much higher rate.

• Several automakers with headquarters or major operations in ZEVTC countries have surpassed 10% EVs in their sales mix: BMW, Geely, Mercedes-Benz and VW Group. Tesla has been the leading EV manufacturer since 2018.

• Sales of zero-emission trucks are still very low, putting commercial vehicle decarbonization far behind the progress made in passenger vehicles. However, three major truck manufacturers have recently presented plans for zero emission medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Between 2019-2021, these three manufacturers (Daimler, Volvo and Traton) sold around 450,000 units annually in ZEVTC countries, accounting for about 30% of the market.

• Global oil demand in road transport reached roughly 43.7 million barrels per day in 2021, a slight increase since 2015. The adoption of electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles avoided almost 1.5 millions of barrels of oil per day in 2021 – about 3.3% of total demand. The displaced demand is roughly equivalent to one-fifth of Russia’s total oil and oil products exports prior to the war, and roughly double Germany’s imports of Russian oil and products at the end of 2021.

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• Costs for switching from coal to renewables has plunged

It’s now cheaper to switch from coal to renewables instead of coal to gas, report shows

Record-high coal and gas prices have been pushing prices higher for consumers and businesses alike, but there could be a silver lining.

According to the findings of climate analytics firm TransitionZero, it is now cheaper to switch from coal to clean energy, compared to switching from coal to gas — thanks to the falling cost of renewables and battery storage, coupled with the rising volatility of gas prices.

“The carbon price needed to incentivize the switch from coal generation to renewable energy for storage has dipped to a negative price,” said Jacqueline Tao, an analyst at TransitionZero.

“So essentially that means that you can actually switch to renewables at a cost saving,” she told CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia” on Wednesday.

The report claims that the global average cost of switching from coal to renewable energy has plunged by 99% since 2010, compared to switching from coal to gas.

Using its Coal to Clean Carbon Price Index — or C3PI project — the company measured the carbon price level it takes to motivate 25 countries to switch fuels, from existing coal to renewables such as new onshore wind or solar photovoltaics plus battery.

Their findings show that the carbon price required to incentivize the coal-to-clean energy switch has plummeted to -$62 per ton of carbon dioxide emitted on average in 2022. That’s compared to $235/tCO2 to incentive them to switch from coal to gas.

This challenges the place of natural gas as a “bridge fuel” to transition from coal to clean energy like wind, solar and other renewables. Traditionally, gas has been considered a bridge from coal to renewables because burning gas has a lower carbon intensity than burning coal.

EU plans ‘massive’ increase in green energy to help end reliance on Russia

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• Rosenbauer Concept Fire Truck

The world around us is constantly changing. Based on the megatrends in firefighting, Rosenbauer is already designing the firefighting vehicle of tomorrow - today.

The future trends such as the silver society, gender shift and individualization suggest that the working methods of fire departments will change fundamentally. The CFT, therefore, stands for an ergonomically optimized vehicle that can be adapted to a wide variety of requirements and operated intuitively. Connectivity, globalization and knowledge culture reflect the importance of communication and digitization in our society. The networking of man and machine will become increasingly important and will also make a decisive contribution to the success of operations. The topics of mobility, new ecology and urbanization are important when it comes to environmental protection and traffic. The Concept Fire Truck is electrically powered and is, therefore, environmentally friendly, maneuverable and safe.

In June 2020, the CFT becomes the RT (Revolutionary Technology), a new vehicle series that brings the advantages and functionalities of the CFT into series production. The series development will be completed in 2021 with practical tests at the first customers Berliner Feuerwehr, Brandweer Amsterdam Amstelland and Dubai Civil Defense.

LAFD RTX Walkaround

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Just for fun……..

• Taiga was born to electrify the off-road segment, the most challenging and demanding vehicle category. As a trailblazing off-road EV manufacturer, our product line includes mountain, trail, and utility snowmobiles, as well as personal watercraft models.

At our core, we are an innovative technology company who designs purpose-built electric powertrains for outdoor adventure by championing advanced engineering. With a clean-sheet manufacturing approach and rigorous performance standards, these revolutionary off-road vehicles turn dreams into destinations.

We are re-defining the future of outdoor exploration by giving enthusiasts the ability to sustainably explore the waters of the world, and snowy scenery without compromising performance and power.

Our vision is simple, accelerate off-road electrification with our mass-production capabilities.