Green Energy Times

Headline News:

• “Seven Countries Generate 100% Of Their Electricity From Renewable Energy” • Seven countries generate nearly all of their electricity from renewable energy, data shows. Albania, Bhutan, Nepal, Paraguay, Iceland, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo produced over 99.7% of their electricity using solar, wind, hydro or geothermal power. [MSN]

Punakha, Bhutan (Nihar Modi, Unsplash)

• “Dubai Sees Severe Flooding After Getting Two Years’ Worth Of Rain In 24 Hours” • Dubai was hit with severe flooding after 6.26 inches of rain fell in just 24 hours. Dubai receives 3.12 inches of rain per year on average, and typically just 0.13 inches of rain during the month of April. Climate change is making weather worse, scientists say. [ABC News]
• “This Boat Runs On 100% Renewables. Can It Help Clean Up Bigger Ships?” • The Energy Observer has sailed the world as a floating lab of zero-emission technologies. Now its owners want to apply what they’ve learned to dirty freighters. The boat’s fossil-free generators and storage can provide all the energy it needs for weeks on end. [Canary Media]
• “US DOE Report Highlights Ways To Address Significant Wind Energy Workforce Gap” • A report from the US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory finds that while there is likely to be a significant shortage of wind energy workers in the coming decades, impactful opportunities exist to close the wind energy workforce gap. [CleanTechnica]
• “The Safest Truck In The USA Is The Rivian R1T” • EVs have innate safety advantages. It’s also easier to design them to be safe in multiple ways. CleanTechnica has a new report on the subject: The EV Safety Advantage. Apparently, it already needs updating, because the Rivian R1T just set a new high bar for safety among pickup trucks.[CleanTechnica]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “US Grid Connection Backlog, Dominated By Solar, Grows To 2.6 TW In 2023” • The grid connection backlog in the US grew by 27% year-on-year in 2023, with about 2.6 TW of generation and storage capacity now seeking interconnection. As of the end of 2023, the total capacity in the queue was more than twice the current US generating capacity of 1.28 TW. [PV Tech]

Transmission towers (Matthew Henry, Unsplash)

• “Adani Green Records 35% Growth In Operational Capacity In FY24” • Adani Green Energy Ltd recorded a 35% increase in its operational capacity with the addition of solar and wind power projects in the financial year 2024. The company aims for growth in its renewable capacity to 45,000 MW by 2030, which is 10% of India’s renewable energy target. [NDTV Profit]
• “How Farmers Can Thrive In The Evolving Energy Landscape” • In an era marked by climate concerns and renewable energy ambitions, the agricultural sector is at the forefront of innovation and adaptation. As the world seeks sustainable solutions to meet growing energy demands, the roles of managing agricultural land are expanding. [Farmers Weekly]
• “Repsol Completes 637-MW Frye Solar project In Texas” • The Spanish oil and gas company Repsol completed the Frye Solar project, its largest solar plant to date in the US. The solar facility in Swisher County, Texas, has an installed capacity of 637 MW, of which 570 MW is currently operational. The project has a million solar panels. [GlobalData]
• “A Major US State Just Achieved A Critical Milestone For Nearly Two Weeks. Why Isn’t There More News Coverage?” • California has set a benchmark for renewable energy, with wind, solar, and hydro providing 100% of the state’s energy demand on 25 out of the last 32 days. The data comes from Professor Mark Z Jacobson of Stanford University. [The Cool Down]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “New Material Could Double Output Of Solar Panels” • In a research study published in the journal Science Advances, scientists at Lehigh University say they developed a material that has the potential to drastically increase the efficiency of solar panels. The university says a prototype using the material in a solar cell has an average PV absorption of 80%. [CleanTechnica]

Solar cell (Ekuma Lab, Lehigh University)

• “Solar Is Largest Source Of New Generating Capacity For Sixth Month In A Row” • A review by the SUN DAY Campaign of data recently-released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission shows that for the sixth month in a row, solar provided more new US electrical generating capacity than any other energy source, 83.64% of the total. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
• “NTPC Targets 5 GW Of Capacity Addition in Fiscal Year 2025” •  In India, NTPC committed to expanding its installed capacity by 5 GW, of which 3 GW would be renewable. NTPC plans to expand its non-fossil fuel-based capacity to constitute up to 50% of its portfolio, with plans to reach 60 GW of renewable capacity out of a portfolio of 130 GW by 2032. [SolarQuarter]
• “DOE Finalizes Efficiency Standards For Lightbulbs” • The US DOE finalized Congressionally-mandated energy efficiency standards for general service lamps. These standards will go into effect for newly produced bulbs in July of 2028. The new bulbs are expected to save American families $1.6 billion annually on household energy costs. [CleanTechnica]
• “Iberdrola’s Renewable Energy Production Reaches 10-Year Highs In Spain” • Investments by the Iberdrola in renewables and a commitment to decarbonization pushed production of clean energy in Spain to a decade high. In the first quarter of 2024, the group generated 10,489 GWh with clean energy, up 19.4% from the same period last year. [Iberdrola]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “Virginia Governor Signs Legislation Establishing Community Solar” • Governor Glenn Youngkin signed legislation that creates a community solar program in Virginia enabling up to 200 MW of shared power projects between the two major utilities that serve the state. Virginia targets 30% renewable energy by 2030, and 100% by 2050. [pv magazine USA]

Sheep grazing at solar farm (Dominion Energy)

• “Nuclear Energy ‘Now An Obstacle To Delivering Net Zero’ – Greenpeace” • Nuclear energy provides about 25% of the world’s low-carbon electricity. However, Greenpeace director of policy Doug Parr said, “Nuclear power can’t bridge the gap between anything and anything. It is too slow. It is too expensive. It is a massive distraction.” [Energy Monitor]
• “Replacing Wires Could Double How Much Electricity The US Grid Can Handle” • Everyone seems to agree the US electrical grid will need modernizing as the demand for electric power increases. There are new technologies available that may allow the existing grid to carry more electricity without all those messy policy hurdles to jump over. [CleanTechnica]
• “Avangrid Broke Ground On Its First Solar Farm In California” • Avangrid is one of the largest clean energy operators in the US, with 8.7 GW of installed renewables capacity in the country. Now, it is building its first solar farm in California, the 57-MW Camino Solar Project in Kern County. The company already has six wind farms in the state. [Electrek]
• “Solar And Wind Power Is Surging In The Mountain West, But There’s Plenty Of Room To Grow, Study Finds” • Nationwide, wind turbines and solar panels generated more than 600,000 GWh of electricity in 2023, which is enough to power more than 61 million average American homes, according to research group Climate Central. [KSUT Public Radio]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “Incredible 60% Of Europe’s Electricity Was Powered By Clean Energy In The First Two Months Of 2024” • According to energy think tank Ember, Europe’s generation of 516,500 GWh of renewable electricity in January and February satisfied 60% of overall power demand. This marks a gain of 12% from the same period in 2023. [Good News Network]

Wind turbines in Spain (Raimond Klavins, Unsplash)

• “Swiss Climate Group Wins Victory At European Court Of Human Rights” • A group of older Swiss women brought a suit to the European Court Of Human Rights, claiming that the Swiss government has denied them a clean and safe environment. The ECHR found Switzerland had failed to comply with its duties to stop climate change. [CleanTechnica]
• “Wiscasset Looks To Negotiate After Nuclear Plant Loses Tax Exemption” • Wiscasset officials are hopeful that a new state law that closed a tax exemption for the former Maine Yankee nuclear power plant will eventually result in more revenue flowing to the town. But it’s still unclear when that revenue will arrive, or how much it will amount to. [Bangor Daily News]
• “Texas Solar Power Growth Changing the Shape of Daily Electricity Supply in ERCOT” • The electricity mix of energy sources in Texas, managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas electricity grid operator, changed noticeably in 2023. This was because additions of solar generating capacity grew rapidly, often co-located with storage. [CleanTechnica]
• “RWE Forges 5-GW Alliance With US Developer” • RWE Clean Energy has established a strategic relationship with WhiteRock Renewables to accelerate the expansion of RWE’s onshore wind, solar and energy storage development pipeline. WhiteRock is expected to originate and develop 4 GW to 5 GW of onshore wind, solar, and battery projects. [reNews]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.