"France already relies on nuclear power to generate more than 70% of its electricity. But the average age of its fleet of reactors is 37 years old, putting pressure on authorities to bring a new generation on to the market in the coming years."
Articles from Around the Web
Direct Air Capture & The Climate Long Game
"In December 2021, RMI’s startup accelerator, Third Derivative (D3), announced First Gigaton Captured, a four-year partnership with the Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust to find, fund, and scale the most promising carbon removal startups. First Gigaton Captured will focus on specific areas for innovation in direct air capture technology, and qualified startups are encouraged to apply when applications open in March."
Bill Gates’ climate fund mobilizes $1.5 billion to make climate tech less expensive
"Catalyst plans to take a portfolio approach, investing in multiple projects working on each of the four areas of emerging climate tech it has identified, and then determing the best way to get long-term funding for the project."
Paint Is The Largest Source Of Microplastics In The Ocean, Study Finds
"Last year, a study by scientists from the University of Plymouth and the Marine Biological Association (MBA) concluded that flakes of paint could be one of the most abundant types of microplastic particles in the ocean. They estimated that each cubic metre of seawater contained an average of 0.01 paint flakes."
Major breakthrough on nuclear fusion energy
"Operating the power plants of the future based on fusion would produce no greenhouse gases and only very small amounts of short-lived radioactive waste."
Emissions tracking startups are attracting cash
"Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins led the funding round for San Francisco-based Watershed, which claims a valuation of $1 billion. Clients include Sweetgreen, Twitter, Airbnb and DoorDash."
Renewable energy heat batteries for industrial applications gain funding
"The system is designed to pull energy from solar, wind, and the energy grid, charging the battery intermittently, but delivering continuous heat. Rondo said the battery bricks are made of safe, widely available materials."
It’s Been One Year Since the Texas Energy Crisis – Here’s How to Prevent Another One
"Rather than relying on more centralized planning, we should expand the market for electricity conservation. Providing tools and incentives for individuals to reduce electricity use during periods of high demand is the best and most efficient tool we have to avoid future catastrophic blackouts."
Valvoline Launches EV Maintenance Program
"Valvoline has announced a new pilot program to roll out electric vehicle service and maintenance offerings in a number of its retail stores. The company is calling this move 'the next step in advancing Valvoline’s strategy to extend its world-class preventive auto maintenance service model to EV owners, OEMs and fleets.'"
Supreme Court Can and Should Resolve ‘Waters of the United States’ Issue
"By clarifying that the standard for WOTUS, including wetlands, should be based on Scalia’s plurality opinion in Rapanos, the Supreme Court will ensure that the agencies have the clear guidance they need to develop a WOTUS regulatory definition that does properly reflect Supreme Court decisions, the Clean Water Act, and the Constitution. Absent this, there will be continued confusion."