Headline News:

• “New Energy Policy Focuses On Grid Storage” • Shri Santosh Sarangi, Union Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, affirmed that India has successfully achieved its COP26 commitment to secure 50% of its installed electric power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources, five years ahead of schedule. Now it needs to focus on storage. [Tathya]

Microgrid with storage (Munro89, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

• “DOE Bets Big On Costly SMRs” • Last week, the US DOE made two substantial financial awards to two SMR builders who each proposed 300-MW units. TVA’s estimate that its new 300-MW facility would cost $5.3 billion, or $18,000/kW. This is roughly six times the cost of new gas-fired power plants, which the TVA is also building. [MSN]
• “How Mexico Revived Its Renewable Energy Sector” • After years of energy policy that focused on greater nationalisation, the door is once again open in Mexico for private participation. This is expected to include the development of  number of green energy projects and to attract investment from various firms worldwide. [OilPrice.com]
• “New Bio-Inspired ‘Super Bricks’ Suck Up Carbon” • A research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute calculates that their new alternative building material sequesters 6.1 kg of carbon per cubic meter during the production process. In contrast, making conventional concrete emits approximately 330 kg of carbon during production. [CleanTechnica]
• “Largest Utah Coal Plant Goes Quiet As Los Angeles Goes Coal-Free” • Utah’s largest coal-fired power plant, the Intermountain Power Project in the Great Basin region of western Utah and serves primarily southern California, is no longer operating. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power quietly pulled the plug just before Thanksgiving. [CleanTechnica]

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