"The number of active projects show that the Gulf's offshore expertise, earned through decades of oil and gas operations, translates well to supporting wind farms currently under construction. Out of about 1,200 contracts signed by US companies for offshore needs like survey work, electric substations and cables, companies in the Gulf and the South have scored 23% of the total, according to a tally kept by the industry group Business Network for Offshore Wind."
Articles from Around the Web
Exxon Joins Hunt for Lithium in Bet on EV Boom
"Lithium production would also diversify Exxon’s portfolio and expose it to a rapidly growing market. The company is positioning other parts of its business to accommodate electric vehicles. Exxon executives have said many of its chemical products supply EV manufacturers, whose cars are made with plastics and other petroleum products."
Climate tech startup led by former Nike sustainability leader raises cash
"In the Pacific Northwest alone, there are multiple startups in the field. Muir AI, Earth Finance, Scope 5, and Carbon Direct focus on carbon accounting and reductions strategies, and some additional services. LevelTen Energy and Ever.green aid companies in forging contracts with clean energy producers."
Cities Must Be Redesigned for a Future of Extreme Heat
"By 2050, almost 70% of the world’s population will live in cities — and nearly 1,000 cities will see their average high temperatures reach or surpass 35C during summer months. That’s triple the number of cities experiencing those kinds of temperatures today, and alarming evidence of extreme heat’s growing impact on the viability of urban areas."
EU’s new green reporting rules are ‘impossible’, businesses say
"European industry, still struggling from the after-effects of Covid-19 and last year’s record-high energy prices, has become increasingly vocal about the bureaucratic burden of complying with EU rules. Ursula von der Leyen, the commission’s president, recently promised to cut red tape by 25 per cent and is expected to propose a plan to do so this year."
Italy’s Enel to invest more than $1 bln in Oklahoma solar panel factory
Nichola Groom of Reuters reports that Enel is investing more than $1 billion into building a solar panel factory in Oklahoma. “Enel’s U.S. manufacturing arm, 3Sun USA LLC, selected the 300-acre site in Oklahoma because it has water and power utilities and a workforce in the region that can immediately support its large factory.” Read...
Oklo’s Next Two Nuclear Power Plants Planned for Southern Ohio
"Oklo’s flagship reactor technology is the Aurora Powerhouse, a vertically oriented compact passive fast-spectrum reactor derived from the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) that features a hexagonal fuel element with a sealed heat pipe and a passive air-cooling system. While the company has so far marketed a 1.5-MWe microreactor version of the Aurora, it has now expanded its capacity offerings from 15 MWe to 100 MWe. The design is simplified with more affordable and simpler components, and it is modular, which allows the company to achieve cost competitiveness, the company says."
Microsoft and Helion want to build the world’s first fusion plant and seize energy’s ‘Holy Grail’
"Engineers for decades have chased the promise of fusion energy — a potentially limitless source of carbon-free power. There are demonstration fusion reactors running or under construction around the world. But none of the commercial devices — including Helion’s reactors — have been able to produce more electricity than they require to operate, let alone generate enough power to send to the grid. Some in the clean energy industry are skeptical it will ever work."
Latest Appliance Energy-Efficiency Mandate Equals Fewer Consumer Choices, Dirtier Dishes
"The proposed mandate would slash the limit on water use from 5 gallons of water per cycle down to 3.2 gallons per cycle, while simultaneously reducing the appliance’s energy consumption by nearly 30%. This will have real-world effects on performance."
House overwhelmingly supports satellite-driven precision agriculture
"The bill is on its way to the Senate. If it passes and is eventually signed into law by President Joe Biden, the FCC will have 15 months to investigate and present a plan to Congress with ways to improve satellite technology and enable greater access for farmers."
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