Klimaat en Energie – BL

Fossil fuels—petroleum, natural gas, and coal—accounted for 79% of the 97 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) of primary energy consumption in the United States during 2021. About 21% of U.S. primary energy consumption in 2021 came from fuel sources other than fossil fuels, such as renewables and nuclear, according to... Read more »

Power plant developers and operators have reported plans to install more than 6 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity at sites mostly along the U.S. eastern seaboard over the next seven years, according to our latest Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory report. These additions include projects off the coasts of... Read more »

Operable atmospheric crude oil distillation capacity, our primary measure of refinery capacity in the United States, totaled 17.9 million barrels per calendar day as of January 1, 2022, down 1% from the beginning of 2021. According to our annual Refinery Capacity Report, 2021 was the second consecutive year of decreasing... Read more »

The U.S. Gulf Coast is a key supplier of motor gasoline and distillate fuel to the U.S. East Coast. During March 2022, the East Coast received an average of 1.9 million barrels per day (b/d) of gasoline and 0.9 million b/d of distillate by pipeline, tanker, and barge from the... Read more »

Jeff shares where community solar is growing across the US, where it is being held back, and the efforts the CCSA is making to change thinking and policy around this fast-growing form of local energy. The post Podcast 087: Jeff Cramer: How community solar can make local energy accessible to... Read more »

Growing up in India, I experienced the shortage of electricity very personally. We did not have access to uninterrupted, good quality power. The thing that always bothered me was a thermal power plant I could see from my house. It was burning coal to produce electricity for the City of... Read more »

“I close my eyes and I can almost see – I can see the world in 2030 being fundamentally a different place. Cars, as we know them, will cease to exist. They’ll be computerized power plants on wheels. It will change everything, and it’s going to be extremely fast." The... Read more »

“What gets me most excited is that we're finally going to deliver a product that anyone in the United States can use, and the world. We're breaking down these old myths that this can't be done, when here in north central New Mexico, we're doing it." The post #HeroesofFreeingEnergy: Luis... Read more »

The clean energy headlines from May 2022 including EV models that are cheaper than their gas-fueled equivalent, the European Commission's rooftop solar mandate, and more. The post Monthly Local Energy Headlines and Analysis appeared first on Freeing Energy.... Read more »

Palazzi explains the role of AI in the clean energy transition, and how Myst AI is improving the reliability of DERs and creating exciting new business opportunities. The post Podcast 086: Titiaan Palazzi: How is AI reshaping the grid, and how will that affect local energy? appeared first on Freeing... Read more »

Mansoor shares his vision for a clean energy future and the critical role of local energy in the emerging shared energy economy. The post Podcast 085: Arshad Mansoor: What is the grid’s biggest R&D team planning for the future and how does local energy fit? appeared first on Freeing Energy.... Read more »

How the DOE is going beyond science and engineering to help companies understand the emerging business models, financial viability, and long-term value of clean energy. The post Podcast 084: Jigar Shah: The US Department of Energy is breaking down barriers to Local Energy and the story goes way beyond science... Read more »

A quick look at the table of contents and sections within the Freeing Energy book. The post The Freeing Energy book’s Table of Contents appeared first on Freeing Energy.... Read more »

Beijing (AFP) July 4, 2022 Chinese developer Shimao Group said it has failed to make payment on a $1 billion bond that matured Sunday, one of the biggest such defaults so far this year in the country's troubled property sector. China's real estate sector has been struggling since authorities began... Read more »

Hong Kong (AFP) July 5, 2022 Most markets rose Tuesday on growing speculation US President Joe Biden is about to roll back some of the Trump-era tariffs on Chinese goods as he looks for ways to rein in inflation, though sentiment remains at a premium owing to fears of a... Read more »

Canazei, Italy (AFP) July 4, 2022 Rescuers used thermal drones Monday to search for possible survivors trapped under ice after an avalanche set off by the collapse of the largest glacier in the Italian Alps killed at least six people and injured eight others. Authorities said they did not know... Read more »

Beijing (AFP) July 5, 2022 Top officials from the United States and China held a "candid" video call on Tuesday to discuss global economic challenges, especially regarding supply chains. The exchange between Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen came as President Joe Biden considers lifting... Read more »

Rome (AFP) July 4, 2022 Italy declared a state of emergency in five northern regions and announced emergency funds on Monday over a worsening drought that has plagued the Po Valley in recent weeks. The cabinet approved a state of emergency in five regions - Friuli-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont... Read more »

Lugano, Switzerland (AFP) July 4, 2022 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of the "colossal" work ahead as leaders from dozens of countries and organisations gathered in Switzerland Monday to hash out a "Marshall Plan" to rebuild his war-torn country. Zelensky, who is due to deliver a video address to the... Read more »

Exeter UK (SPX) Jul 01, 2022 Americans were more likely than people living in the UK to feel threatened by China's growth as a world power, a new survey shows. The research suggests support in both countries for NATO and the UN to act diplomatically and militarily is high, with... Read more »

Frankfurt (AFP) July 4, 2022 The European Central Bank on Monday unveiled plans to make its monetary policy greener but met with criticism from environmental groups who urged the Frankfurt-based institution to go further. The steps by the ECB's governing council "aim to better take into account climate-related financial risk"... Read more »

Manaus, Brazil (AFP) July 1, 2022 In Manaus, the largest city in Brazil's Amazon rainforest, tons of stinking trash fill the canals and streams, giving one the feeling that they're visiting a post-apocalyptic wasteland. On the west side of the city, in a poor neighborhood where homes have been erected... Read more »

Brussels (AFP) July 1, 2022 Plans to rebuild Ukraine will need to address restoring the country's war-torn ecosystems, the EU Commissioner for the Environment has said. Virginijus Sinkevicius warned the environmental cost of the conflict was "increasing every day" - and said it could take "generations" to overcome. Next week,... Read more »

Sao Paulo (AFP) July 1, 2022 Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon reached a record level during the first half of 2022, the INPE national space agency said Friday. The world's largest tropical rainforest lost 3,750 square kilometers (1,450 square miles) of jungle since the beginning of the year, the worst... Read more »

Lisbon (AFP) July 1, 2022 A handful of postage-stamp nations in the South Pacific launched an uphill battle this week against the deep-sea mining of unattached, fist-sized rocks rich in rare Earth metals. The stakes are potentially enormous. Companies keen to scrape the ocean floor five to six thousand metres... Read more »

Lake Mead, United States (AFP) July 5, 2022 Millions of gallons of Colorado River water hurtle through the Hoover Dam every day, generating electricity for hundreds of thousands of homes. But the mega drought affecting the western United States is sending reservoir levels plummeting towards deadpool - the point at... Read more »

Strasbourg, France (AFP) July 5, 2022 The European Parliament on Tuesday ratified landmark laws that will more closely regulate Big Tech and curb illegal content online, as the EU seeks to bring order to the internet "Wild West". MEPs approved the final versions of the Digital Markets Act, focused on... Read more »

In other news, DAH Solar announced a 5 GW TOPCon solar module factory in Anhui province and Tongwei further raised the prices of its solar cells.... Read more »

Machinery company Yuchai expects mass production by the end of 2022, targeting tractors and other heavy commercial vehicles in mountainous or plateau areas. Sunfire is installing a 2.6 MW high-temperature electrolyzer at Neste’s renewable products refinery in Rotterdam, with commissioning expected in early 2023. Meanwhile, hydrogen-based projects in the mobility... Read more »

Scientists from the Fraunhofer ISE built a bifacial heterojunction solar cell with a power conversion efficiency of 21.7% via rotary screen printing. They used a machine that is able to achieve a cycle time of just 0.6 seconds per solar cell and enables a strong reduction in silver use.... Read more »

The new measures are expected to accelerate solar deployment across the country.... Read more »

Any developers bidding to construct solar plants with more than 300 MW of generation capacity in the latest round of the UK's clean power auction program will have to draw up a supply chain plan showing how they will address matters ranging from skills gaps to new technology to modern... Read more »

On June 27, the Guidelines for The Design, Construction and Operation of Agrovoltaic Plants were published in Italy by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, in coordination with the Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economics (CREA), Gestore dei Servizi Energetici S.p.A. (GSE), the National Agency for New Technologies,... Read more »

Kenya's new net-metering regulations will apply to PV systems up to 1 MW in size.... Read more »

Australian company AspiraDAC, which uses solar-powered Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology to remove carbon from the atmosphere, has been selected to be part of the first round of purchases from Frontier, a program backed by Facebook and Google’s parent companies, Meta and Alphabet.... Read more »

The Energy Market Authority has already attracted proposals for 1.2 GW of renewable electricity, to be generated in four southeast Asian nations, and wants to raise that figure to 4 GW by 2035.... Read more »

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority installed 514 MW of the fifth 900 MW phase of the 5 GW Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in May.... Read more »

The Tunisian module maker said its new product is based on p-type gallium-doped solar cells and is suitable for both residential and commercial applications. The panel is available in nine versions with nominal power of up to 505 W and an efficiency of up to 21.44%.... Read more »

A Spanish startup has developed a new pumping system that can operate in DC and AC modes. It can work for direct irrigation and with a water tank.... Read more »

Tata Power has signed an agreement to invest $380 million to set up 4 GW of solar cell and module production capacity in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.... Read more »

Basf and Man Energy announced a plan to build a 120 MW renewables-powered heat pump for steam production at an industrial site operated by Basf in the Rhineland-Palatinate region, Germany. The feasibility study for the project should be completed by the end of this year.... Read more »

A newly signed law in California, SB54, is set to reduce amounts of plastic waste, improve recycling rates, and place more responsibility on producers rather than consumers to curb plastic pollution. The new law requires a 25% decrease in single-use plastics entering the market over the next 10 years, and... Read more »

Leather is everywhere – in our shoes, our purses and luggage, our winter jackets and stylish furniture – but its effect is seen globally.  The post The Future of Leather: How Pineapple Leaves, Cacti, and Mycelium Are Revolutionizing the Industry appeared first on EcoWatch.... Read more »

As we strive for a more environmentally conscientious world, everything we eat, drink and buy can be looked at from the vantage point of sustainability. And that includes simple pleasures like wine. In California, wine means big business, and it’s standard practice for winemakers to coat their grapes with a... Read more »

In 1968, a photograph taken from space helped galvanize the environmental movement. The famous “Earthrise” image of our planet rising from the moon helped raise awareness about the importance of protecting humanity’s only home. “The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there... Read more »

Fourth of July firework shows are getting harder and harder to stage as high summer temperatures fueled by the climate crisis increase the risk that they will spark wildfires. But one town in the drought-stricken West has come up with a more environmentally-friendly alternative: a drone show.  The town of... Read more »

One of the biggest attractions of Yellowstone National Park, which receives more than three million visitors a year, is the wildlife. More than 360 species — including black bears, moose, elk, bighorn sheep, bison, Canada lynx and gray wolves — roam the 3,472 square miles of alpine meadows, sagebrush steppe,... Read more »

Romantic partners can be the sounding boards for each other’s thoughts on all sorts of issues, including the climate crisis. But, until recently, there hadn’t been much examination of whether one partner’s views on climate change could influence the other’s. A research team led by the Yale School of the... Read more »

The Supreme Court has restricted the ability of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fight the climate crisis.  In a 6 to 3 ruling on Thursday, the nation’s highest court ruled that the Clean Air Agency does not empower the EPA to limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants... Read more »

Even if global temperatures start to decrease, after peaking this century due to climate change, biodiversity risks are likely to persist for decades, a new study by London’s Global University (UCL) and University of Cape Town researchers finds. The potential impacts on biodiversity were modeled against pre-industrial levels if temperatures... Read more »