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Why an energy crisis and $5 gas aren’t spurring a green revolution
Big solar projects are facing major delays. Plans to adapt the grid to clean energy are confronting mountains of red tape. Affordable electric vehicles are in short supply. The United States is struggling to squeeze opportunity out of an energy crisis that should have been a catalyst for cleaner, domestically produced power. After decades of putting the climate on the back burner, the country is finding itself unprepared to seize the moment and at risk of emerging from the crisis even more reliant on fossil fuels. [ read more … ]
Wind Energy
Dutch Wind Turbine Blades to Find New Home on the Ski Slopes
Turbine blades from a Dutch wind farm will be recycled into skis as a Swedish energy company finds a new use for its old infrastructure. After 25 years of generation, blades from the Irene Vorrink wind farm just north of Amsterdam are to be made into snowboards, skis and construction materials for solar farms as Vattenfall AB starts a pilot project to improve sustainability of its turbines, the company said in a statement Friday. The blades are made from materials including glass, carbon fiber and wood, complicating the recycling process. [ read more … ]
Solar Energy
BLM OKs construction of large Calif. solar projects
The Bureau of Land Management has approved construction work to begin on two commercial-scale solar power projects that would be the first to be built inside an Obama-era renewable energy zone in the Southern California desert. If built, the Arica and Victory Pass photovoltaic solar power projects would cover a total of 1,300 acres of federal lands and collectively produce up to 465 megawatts of electricity — enough to power more than 130,000 homes. [ read more … ]
States
Wind and solar power are ‘bailing out’ Texas amid record heat and energy demand
Texans are cranking on the air conditioning this week amid an unusually early heat wave, setting new records for electricity demand in the state, which surpassed 75 gigawatts on Sunday and smashed the 2019 record. Texas grid operator ERCOT projects it could approach that peak again on Tuesday. But unlike previous extreme weather events in Texas which led to deadly blackouts, the grid is holding up remarkably well this week. Several experts told CNN that it’s owed in large part to strong performances from wind and solar, which generated 27 gigawatts of electricity during Sunday’s peak demand — close to 40% of the total needed. [ read more … ]
Can Tesla’s virtual power plant aid ‘screwed-up’ Texas grid?
As Texas faces questions about the reliability of its electricity grid and the state hits a demand record even before the peak days of summer, Tesla Inc. is pitching a novel solution: a virtual power plant made up of its customers’ home solar panels and batteries. The electric vehicle manufacturer recently asked the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state’s main grid operator, to adopt rules that would allow its home storage customers to participate in the market as soon as possible. [ read more … ]
Air Pollution
Air quality: Pollution shortening lives by almost 10 years in Delhi, says study
The Air Quality Life Index by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) notes that some 510 million people who live in northern India – nearly 40% of India’s population – are “on track” to lose 7.6 years of their lives on average, given the current pollution levels. EPIC says that since 2013, about 44% of the global pollution has come from India – currently the second most polluted country in the world.
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Congress
Probing oil marketing
Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee are asking five public relations firms and the American Petroleum Institute to cough up internal documents detailing the work they did for fossil fuel companies. The request stems from the episode last year when former Exxon Mobil lobbyist Keith McCoy was caught on video saying the company only backed a carbon tax for publicity and never pushed for one in discussions with lawmakers. [ read more … ]
Markets
DOE: Here’s where renewable costs are heading
Recent challenges facing wind and solar likely won’t sink their longer-term progress in the United States, as industries figure out ways to keep the cost of renewable power on a downward slope, according to a new peer-reviewed analysis from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Three Berkeley Lab researchers assessed how well the wind and solar industries have performed based on the historical prices of renewable electricity, and then used the findings to project how renewables’ levelized costs of energy would decrease through 2050.
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EVs
EXCLUSIVE U.S. automaker CEOs, Toyota urge Congress to lift EV tax credit cap
General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co, Chrysler-parent Stellantis NV and Toyota Motor North America on Monday urged Congress to lift a cap on the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit, citing higher costs to produce zero-emission vehicles, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The CEOs — GM’s Mary Barra, Ford’s Jim Farley, Stellantis’ Carlos Tavares and Toyota North America CEO Tetsuo Ogawa — said in the joint letter to congressional leaders that they have pledged to invest over $170 billion through 2030 to bolster electric vehicles’ development, production and sale. The current $7,500 tax credit phases out after a manufacturer hits 200,000 vehicles sold. Both GM and Tesla have already hit the cap and are no longer eligible for the consumer tax credits. [ read more … ]
BMW is testing iX electric SUV with 600 miles of range thanks to new battery chemistry
Our Next Energy (ONE), the Michigan-based energy storage company, has signed an agreement with BMW Group to incorporate ONE’s Gemini Dual-Chemistry battery technology into the BMW iX all-electric Sports Activity Vehicle. ONE’s unique long-range Gemini technology reduces lithium use by 20% while reducing graphite use by 60% and minimizing the use of nickel and cobalt. In doing so, ONE is creating more sustainable energy storage technology that can significantly reduce environmental impact. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.