"But one of Biden’s major pitches for the IRA — that it will help the American economy and U.S. workers — doesn’t seem to be resonating. According to the poll, only about 2 in 10 Americans say the law has done more to help the U.S. economy, while about one-quarter think it’s done more to hurt the economy, and about half think it either made no difference or don’t know enough to say."
Articles from Around the Web
Better heat pumps for commercial buildings are coming soon
"Ten commercial partners have joined the accelerator, including retailers Amazon, Ikea, Target and Whole Foods, as well as the Los Angeles Unified School District. They’ve promised to be early adopters, and may well be test beds for heat-pump prototypes, though they haven’t yet made any firm commitments as to how many newly developed offerings they’ll purchase, Vargas told Canary Media."
To better support U.S. innovation, modernize the Energy Department
"The Department must take steps to better align with industry to advance its technology demonstration mission while protecting U.S. intellectual property from foreign adversaries. One way it can do this is to prioritize the permitting process for DOE-awarded projects. Absent a commitment from DOE to expedite permitting, many of these projects will encounter avoidable delays, jeopardizing potential investment and ultimately succumbing to the 'Valley of Death.' While projects will potentially require permits from a dozen agencies, the DOE will be on the receiving end of Congressional scrutiny should they miss key milestones."
Chevron launches $500 million tech fund
"The aim is to bolster Chevron's main oil and gas businesses; help its multi-billion dollar diversification in areas like carbon capture and hydrogen; and create future opportunities in emerging tech."
The U.S. Urgently Needs a Bigger Grid. Here’s a Fast Solution.
"In many places, upgrading power lines with advanced conductors could nearly double the capacity of existing transmission corridors at less than half the cost of building new lines, researchers found. If utilities began deploying advanced conductors on a nationwide scale — replacing thousands of miles of wires — they could add four times as much transmission capacity by 2035 as they are currently on pace to do."
NBA Legend Rick Fox’s Next Act: Green Concrete Entrepreneur
"Fox wants to do something about those emissions with his startup, Partanna Global Inc. He’s the co-founder and chief executive officer of the company, which has offices in the Bahamas. They make concrete by swapping out cement for a proprietary mix containing blast-furnace slag from steel-making, or materials with similar properties, such as volcanic ash. Then they add brine, which is fluid waste from desalination plants, and aggregate, or crushed rocks. The process requires no fossil-fuel burning or analogous emissions from cooking limestone, the company says. Once set, the material absorbs some CO2, flipping the cement equation on its head."
Toyota’s VC Arm Pours $300 Million In Funds Targeting AI And Green Tech Startups
"Founded in 2017, Toyota Ventures began as Toyota AI Ventures, a subsidiary of the Toyota Research Institute. It rebranded to its current name in 2021, when Toyota committed an additional $300 million to the arm. In addition to Toyota Ventures, Toyota operates Woven Capital, a startup investment arm targeting 'growth-stage' ventures in automation and clean energy. Woven’s six portfolio companies include AI and machine learning startup Nuro, which has raised over $2 billion from investors including SoftBank, Baillie Gifford, Fidelity, Greylock and Tiger Global."
Bipartisan Outdoor Recreation Package Presents Bright Spot in Congress
"Increasing access to nature for more Americans in a responsible manner is a tried and true method for instilling a passion for environmental stewardship. In fact, it’s the sportsmen and women, hikers, mountain bikers, and rock climbers who are some of our nation’s greatest conservationists. These nature enthusiasts want to protect their backyards, and the more people we get outside, the more stewards we will have."
Texas got more electricity from solar than coal last month
"Wind and solar don’t need to pay for fuel, so they can deliver low-cost power to ERCOT whenever the weather is favorable. That pushes down the prices that coal owners can earn during those high-renewables hours, reducing the amount of time when it makes economic sense to run their plants. Solar can only operate in the sunlight, yet it still managed to produce more megawatt-hours in March than Texas coal plants, which technically could run at any time of day."
Brazil and Colombia are curbing destruction of Amazon rainforest
"Brazil was the country with the largest decrease in deforestation last year. The country still lost more primary forest than anywhere else in the world—11,000 square kilometres, equivalent to around half the area of New Jersey. But this figure was down 36% from 2022. It is Brazil’s lowest level of deforestation since 2015. Estimates from the country’s National Institute for Space Research also show a significant decrease, of 22% year on year, in the Brazilian Amazon between August 2022 and July 2023."









