Concentration of CO2 in the Atmosphere
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The January, 2025 edition of Green Energy Times has gone to press and will be distributed soon.
The full edition can be downloaded as a pdf file HERE.
Online posts of the individual articles will be available soon.
Headline News:
- “Act Urgently On Food Security, Climate Change” • With each passing year, farmers find it more difficult to predict growing seasons, with unpredictable rainfall threatening both crops and livestock. The effects of climate change further extend to the oceans, where even fishermen say they find fewer fish. We must urgently find solutions. [The Standard]
- “Ordinary Driving Adds Life To EV Batteries (It’s Official!)” • Estimating the lifespan of EV batteries is a tricky but essential task to make the sustainability case for EVs. Recent studies reveal that batteries last longer than expected when real-world driving conditions are applied, along with some recent improvements in battery technology. [CleanTechnica]
- “Southern California Is About To Get Soaked – The Good And The Potentially Bad” • The Los Angeles area is preparing for its first rain since wildfires first broke out weeks ago. That’s good news to help dampen the still-active fires and soils, but if it’s too much rain at once, it could bring its own set of significant issues, including a risk of debris flows. [ABC News]
- “Climate Barometer: How Renewable Energy Is Saving Irish Consumers Billions” • A study entitled “Good for your Pocket: How renewable energy helps Irish electricity consumers,” was published by Baringa Management Consulting. It found that scaling up renewable energy sources since 2000 has cut Irish spending on fossil fuels by €7.4 billion. [The Times]
- “Reviving Lakebeds Show The Value of Water Conservation” • Clean technology isn’t just about technologies like solar panels and batteries. Sometimes, reducing our negative impacts on the landscape is as simple as doing less of something or growing crops differently. When we take too much water from the earth, the impacts can be devastating. [CleanTechnica]
For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.
Headline News:
- “Heat Pumps Outselling Gas Furnaces In America” • It’s easy to see why. In addition to providing heated air in the winter and cool air in the summer, heat pumps are far more efficient than conventional heat sources, delivering three to four times more heat per dollar spent than oil- or gas-fired heating equipment or electric baseboard heat. [CleanTechnica]
Heat pump (Courtesy of Electrify Now)
- “Trump Pumps Coal As Answer To AI Power Needs But Any Boost Could Be Short-Lived” • President Trump’s promise to go all in on fossil fuels includes coal, a reliable but polluting energy source that’s long been in decline. He suggested coal can help meet surging electricity demand from the massive data centers needed for artificial intelligence. [ABC News]
- “UK Gives Consent To Heckington Fen And West Burton Solar Farms” • UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband awarded planning consent to two large-scale solar farms in England totaling almost 900 MW of capacity. Approval has been given to Ecotricity’s 500-MW Heckington Fen and Island Green Power’s 480-MW West Burton projects. [reNews]
- “Morocco And Mauritania Finalize Deal To Boost Electricity And Renewable Energy Cooperation” • Morocco and Mauritania have finalized an agreement, seeking to boost their partnership in renewable energy. Minister of Energy Leila Benali, signed the agreement with her Mauritanian counterpart Mohamed Ould Khaled. [Morocco World News]
- “Crews Battle Border 2 Fire Near Otay Mountain For Second Day” • A large vegetation fire is still burning near the US-Mexico border in San Diego County. The Border 2 Fire broke out on Otay Mountain on Thursday now covers 6,273 acres, Cal Fire says. It is sending up a plume of smoke that can seen for miles across San Diego County. [NBC 7 San Diego]
For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.
Headline News:
- “US Lags Behind Europe On Wind Expansion” • The US is behind European peers on wind power and risks falling behind other major economies like China, according to energy think tank Ember. Eleven EU countries generated more than a fifth of their electricity from wind in 2024. Denmark generated 58%, and Ireland 36%. The US generated 10%. [reNews]
Wind farm (Invenergy image)
- “40% of Safest Car Brands Are Electric Vehicle Brands” • The writers at Confused.com, despite its being focused on the UK market, decided to analyze safety ratings done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, that is vehicle safety ratings for the USA. The results are quite positive for EVs. Some 40% of the safest brands are EVs. [CleanTechnica]
- “Halting New Wind Farms While Coal Plants Buckle: Is This The LNP’s Plan For Queensland?” • We know our old coal-fired power stations are unreliable in the heat. Now three coal units are down unexpectedly in Queensland’s summer. This is such an interesting time for the state government to stop assessments of new wind farms. [RenewEconomy]
- “Governor Gavin Newsom Signs $2.5 Billion Wildfire Recovery Package For Los Angeles County” • Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation providing $2.5 billion in funding to recovery efforts in Los Angeles County, where wildfires, including two that are massive and ongoing, killed 28 people and are leaving behind trails of destruction. [CBS News]
- “Bloomberg Philanthropies to Fund US Obligation After Paris Withdrawal” • On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order to the effect that the US withdraw from the Paris Agreement. Bloomberg Philanthropies and other climate funders in the US will cover America’s funding and reporting obligations to the UN. [OilPrice.com]
For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.
Headline News:
- “Mt Washington Cog Railway Goes Electric!” • Mt Washington, while it is still preserving history, is also highlighting ongoing innovation. Engineering students from the University of New Hampshire are working alongside the Mt. Washington rail staff to develop an all-electric locomotive to replace its iconic steam engine. [CleanTechnica]
- “Solar Energy Has Already Won. Now The Real Work Begins To Bring Light To Those Left Behind” • In rural Latin America, a single solar panel can mean that a child studies by electric light rather than by candlelight, or a family with cows can keep their milk refrigerated, protecting their income and improving food security. [Welcome to the United Nations]
- “Europe Made More Electricity From Solar Than Coal In 2024” • The EU made more power from sunshine than coal last year. Solar PVs generated 11% of the EU’s electricity, but coal-burning plants generated 10%, according to data from climate thinktank Ember. And the role of fossil gas fell for the fifth year in a row to cover 16% of the electricity. [The Guardian]
- “California Fires Live Updates: New LA County Fire Explodes To Over 9,000 Acres” • The two largest fires, the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades and the Eaton Fire near Pasadena, remain active. One of the latest, the Hughes Fire in the Castaic area, now covers 9,400 acres, closed I5, and has prompted evacuation orders for tens of thousands of people. [ABC News]
- “Toyota Whacked With Gigantic Fine For Diesel Emissions Cheating” • Toyota, that paragon of virtue who advertises its hybrid vehicles as “self charging electric cars,” has been caught with its hand in the diesel cheating cookie jar and slapped with the second largest civil and criminal fines in EPA history. They come to $1.6 billion in total. [CleanTechnica]
For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.
Headline News:
- “China’s RE Sources To Meet All New Energy Demand By 2025” • As China further increases its renewable energy capacity, it is possible that it will meet its new electricity demand this year. “This paves the way for China’s power sector to achieve peak emissions by 2025,” Greenpeace East Asia Beijing-based project lead Gao Yuhe said. [Asian Power]
- “Sheep To Defend US Solar Industry With Agrivoltaic Projects” • The US kicked itself off the Paris Agreement on climate change again, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a wet blanket was cast over the whole domestic solar industry. One development is a solar-plus-farming collaboration aimed at creating standards for US agrivoltaic projects. [CleanTechnica]
- “Qualitas Energy Bags 117-MW Solar Portfolio” • Qualitas Energy has acquired a 117-MW solar portfolio in Poland from international renewable energy developer ib vogt. The portfolio consists of two solar PV farms, both of which are in a “ready-to-build” phase, with construction scheduled to begin in the second and third quarters of 2025. [reNews]
- “Fire Risk And Strong Winds Continue In Southern California With Potential Rain On The Horizon” • Dry Southern California was forecast to face more dangerous winds on Wednesday but could get some badly needed rain this weekend, dampening the prospects of more killer wildfires. Light rain could could create new challenges, however. [ABC News]
- “Financial Watchdog: Markets Could Soon Freak Out From Climate Catastrophes” • The Financial Stability Board warned in a report that financial markets could be disrupted by climate change and associated catastrophes in a number of ways. Climate change has a number of ways to push costs up and bring about financial troubles. [CleanTechnica]
For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.
Headline News:
- “Trump Halts Offshore Wind Leasing And Permitting” • US President Donald Trump has put a temporary halt to offshore wind lease sales and paused permits for both onshore and offshore wind projects. Renewable energy companies have reacted with dismay after the President signed his wind energy executive order yesterday. [reNews]
- “Trump’s Agenda To Change The Nation’s Approach To Climate Issues On Day 1” • On the first day of his second term, President Trump announced his energy and environmental policy priorities. He declared a “national energy emergency,” rolled back vehicle emissions standards, and withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement. [ABC News]
- “Louisiana Aims To Dominate US Offshore Wind Industry” • If President Trump carries through on his promise to blow up the offshore wind industry, public officials in the deep red state of Louisiana may be hoping they don’t get hit by falling debris. Louisiana’s leading role in the offshore wind industry surfaced during the Obama administration. [CleanTechnica]
- “Increase In Carbon Dioxide Levels Reached A Record High In 2024” • According to Yale Environment 360, CO₂ is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than ever, putting hopes of limiting warming in jeopardy. The proof is the data from the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, which has been tracking the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere for 60 years. [CleanTechnica]
- “Labor’s Green Aluminum Play Is Canny Politics, Not Least For Exposing Dutton’s Energy Ignorance” • After federal Labor’s announcement of a A$2 billion green aluminum production credit scheme, anyone who isn’t loudly singing its praises is most likely in the Liberal National Party. The aluminum industry needs cheap power, not nuclear. [RenewEconomy]
For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.
Headline News:
- “Wind Energy To Push Dirty Bunker Fuel Overboard, Trump Or No Trump” • The US oil industry may regret backing Trump. Global decarbonization is still a force to be reckoned with. A case in point is the shipping industry, which is beginning to edge fuel oil aside in favor of harvesting the wind energy resources right under their feet. [CleanTechnica]
Airwing hard sail by GT Wings (Courtesy of GT Wings)
- “Record-Breaking Year For German Wind Power Sector” • Germany approved 2,400 new wind turbines in 2024, marking the highest number ever and displaying the sector’s momentum, despite the far-right’s election promises to dismantle wind farms and restore nuclear power. In 2024 as authorities approved a record-breaking expansion of 14 GW. [China Daily]
- “For Low-Cost Electricity, Virginia Needs Renewable Energy, Not Gas Plants ” • The era of low-cost renewable energy is fairly new, but it is already impacting utility bills across the country. Virginia used to boast of its low rates, but now there are 22 states with residential rates that are lower. And most of it is generated by renewable resources. [Virginia Mercury]
- “GE Wind Repowering Scheme Puts Wind Whiners To Bed” • Wind repowering is one bright point for the US wind industry, which is facing uncertain times as the incoming administration takes the reins of national energy policy. Instead of trying to build new wind farms from scratch, fighting political battles, old sites can be repowered. [CleanTechnica]
- “BOEM Approves 2.4-GW SouthCoast Construction Plan” • The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced approval of the construction and operations plan for the SouthCoast offshore wind project. The SouthCoast Wind Project, south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, will be able to generate up to 2.4 GW of offshore wind energy. [reNews]
For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.
Headline News:
- “Robot Bees From MIT May Be The Pollinators Of The Future” • Worried that alterations to the Earth’s climate may wipe out bees, leading to a steep decline in the availability of fruits and vegetables? Fear not. Researchers at MIT say they have successfully created robot bees that can do the job of real bees just as well and maybe better. [CleanTechnica]
Artificial bee (MIT image)
- “Laos-Based 600-MW Monsoon Wind Power To Export Power To Vietnam Soon” • The 600-MW Monsoon wind power project in Laos is reaching final phases of construction and will soon be exporting electricity to Vietnam, investor Monsoon Wind Power reported. The first wind facility in in Laos, it is also the biggest in Southeast Asia. [Theinvestor.vn]
- “Telangana Plans To Turn 25 Villages Into Solar Villages” • The Deputy Chief Minister, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, announced the government of Telangana plans to transform 25 selected villages into “Solar Villages.” As part of this initiative, solar panels will be installed for agricultural pump sets and on rooftops of residential buildings. [The New Indian Express]
- “Solar Farms Are Booming In The US And Putting Thousands Of Hungry Sheep To Work” • The booming solar industry has found an unlikely mascot in sheep. In Texas, SB Energy operates the fifth-largest solar project in the country, with a capacity of 900 MW, on 4,000 acres. All that grass is managed with the help of about 3,000 sheep. [ABC News]
- “USA Needs More Electricity to Win AI Race, Says Trump Energy Czar ” • The US risks forfeiting a global competition to dominate artificial intelligence if it doesn’t build more reliable, always-on electricity to supply the industry, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department warned. He said AI needs baseload power. [Rigzone]
For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.
Headline News:
- “New Research Shatters Common Myth About Power Outages” • Some critics said that the clean energy transition would lead to more blackouts, but California researchers debunked this myth. The team found there were no power outages in the state when solar, wind, and hydro supplied 100% of electricity needs for a record 98 of 116 days in 2024. [The Cool Down]
- “Pioneers In Irish Solar Energy” • From modest beginnings in 2011, Power Capital Renewable Energy became one of Ireland’s foremost independent power producers. CEO and co-founder Justin Brown told pv magazine that despite Ireland’s challenging environment for solar, PCRE sees a lot of opportunity and is taking full advantage. [pv magazine International]
- “Two Solar Sites Enter Operation In Brazil” • VH Global Energy Infrastructure has powered up two new solar sites in Brazil, bringing its total to twelve. The company says the sites will contribute to economic growth and grid improvements, while supporting meaningful progress in the country’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions. [reNews]
- “US DOE Announces $15 Billion Loan Guarantee To Pacific Gas & Electric Company To Expand Hydropower Generation, Battery Energy Storage, And Transmission” • As part of the Investing in America agenda, the US DOE’s Loan Programs Office announced closing a $15 billion loan guarantee to Pacific Gas & Electric Company. [CleanTechnica]
- “US Announces $1.2 Billion To Help With Renewable Energy Projects In Puerto Rico” • The US DOE said it was setting aside $1.2 billion in federal funds to help finance renewable energy projects in Puerto Rico to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. The funding includes a $585 million loan guarantee to finance a 100-MW system of solar panels in four cities. [MSN]
For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.
Headline News:
- “‘It’s Going To Be Rough’: What Trump’s Response To LA Fires Portends” • Donald Trump’s response to the catastrophic fires in Los Angeles provided a stark prologue to how his administration will likely handle the growing threat of such disasters: acrimony, brutal dealmaking, and dismissal of a climate crisis that is at the cause of disasters. [The Guardian]
- “New Ohio Law Designates Nuclear Power As ‘Green Energy’” • Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed into law state legislation designating nuclear power as “green energy.” The green designation implies state recognition that nuclear energy causes no environmental harm. The law also expands fracking leases on state land. [Daily Energy Insider]
- “BP Cutting 4,700 Jobs Worldwide In Cost-Saving Drive” • Oil company BP, based in the UK, is cutting 4,700 jobs worldwide and 3,000 contractors as part of a cost-saving drive. In an email to staff that was seen by The Associated Press, BP CEO Murray Auchincloss said the job reductions “account for much of the anticipated reduction this year.” [ABC News]
- “BOEM Finalises Fisheries Mitigation Guidance” • The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management finalized guidance for mitigating the impacts of offshore wind energy projects on commercial and for-hire recreational fisheries. The guidance, informed by public input, creates processes for the offshore wind industry to address potential disruptions to fisheries. [reNews]
- “Trump Nominee Says Approved Offshore Wind Farms Can Continue” • In confirmation hearings for President-to-be Donald Trump’s cabinet picks, nominee for Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said that US offshore wind projects can continue if already approved. He said Trump was concerned about tax incentives for the renewable sector. [reNews]
For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.
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