Interesting stats on EVs and energy use in the US, developments in wind and tidal power, a plastic recycling microfactory, and an "unprecedented collapse" in EU fossil fuel generation.
Construction starts on the largest renewable energy infrastructure project in the US, good news about cities and buildings going carbon free, and has China reached peak oil?
With solar and wind energy are getting cheaper every day, one of the big stumbling blocks still remaining to getting more communities using renewable energy is the lack of transmission lines to carry that energy from where it's generated to where it needs to go.
That's why construction beginning on the new SunZia transmission line is such great news. The line will stretch 550 miles (885 km), carrying electricity from massive wind farms in central New Mexico to metro areas in Arizona and California, and is expected to come online in 2026.
A new study suggests that dozens of European cities can achieve carbon neutrality within 10 years by incorporating greener building methods as well as nature-based solutions such as using permeable concrete for flood mitigation and adding a lot more urban green spaces. Turns out the way to save ourselves and nature is by bringing more nature into the city. Who woulda thunk?
Bloomberg is saying that China's top oil refiner has announced the country will reach peak gasoline this year, two years earlier than expected. Apparently 38% of all Chinese new car sales in August were electric and fuel demand for two- and three-wheeled vehicles is already in decline, with 70% of total kilometres traveled by such vehicles already switched over to electric.
A recent modeling study shows the US can use existing technologies to reduce building emissions by 91% of their 2005 peak and generate $107 billion in annual energy savings by 2050. That seems good!
Of course a 91% reduction doesn’t equal ZERO emissions, which is the goal we need to hit by 2050 at the latest. But it’s reassuring to know that tools we already have could take us most of the way there – IF we choose to use them.
I appreciated this article on growing bipartisan support in U.S. Congress for agrivoltaics, a "specialized field of renewable energy development that co-locates solar arrays with grazing fields, row crops, pollinator habitats, and other forms of agricultural activity."
Makes sense to me! Instead of buying into a false "agriculture vs. renewables" dichotomy, why not use the land for both?
According to CleanTechnica, China has electrified 72% of its rail systems while India has electrified an incredible 83% of its railway and is on track to achieve 100% electrification years ahead of schedule. Europe is behind them at 60% but still miles ahead of the U.S., which has only a paltry 1% of its rail electrified.
Why is the US so far behind? The article blames private ownership. Are railway tycoons STILL screwing us over? How very old-timey of them.
Seeing all the videos of Florida coastal towns flooded by Hurricane Idalia made me appreciate this MIT Review article about efforts to rebuild Venice’s salt marshes as a way of mitigating rising ocean levels and water’s erosive effect on the city’s buildings and infrastructure. Not only do the marshes buffer the force of waves, they store carbon and can support fish habitats, a huge bird population, and marshland plants that can be cultivated as crops.
Interesting to see Forbes publishing articles on the limits to growth and why we need to rethink GDP as the primary metric for defining the wellbeing of a society. While I agree with much of what the article says, I must confess that the word “degrowth” still makes me wince.
I really enjoyed this book looking at how humans and nature have always co-existed in cities, often in spite of humanity’s best efforts and how our views of nature and its role in urban environments have evolved throughout history.
I especially appreciated this part: "If you picture the city of the future, think less of smart tech, flying cars and skyscrapers and think more of cascading foliage, farms on flat roofs, rough urban meadows and dense groves of forest. The tendency in the 21st century will be for them to go greener as a form of self defence if nothing else."
Interesting stats on EVs and energy use in the US, developments in wind and tidal power, a plastic recycling microfactory, and an "unprecedented collapse" in EU fossil fuel generation.
