Connect with us

Published

on

With just weeks to go until COP26 takes place in the Scottish city of Glasgow, discussions about sustainability, the environment and net-zero goals are at the forefront of many people’s minds.

The stakes are high for the climate change summit, which will be hosted by the U.K. In a speech at the U.N. General Assembly last month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson described COP26 as “the turning point for humanity.”

“We must limit the rise in temperatures — whose appalling effects were visible even this summer — to 1.5 degrees,” Johnson said. “We must come together in a collective coming of age,” he added. “We must show we have the maturity and wisdom to act.”

Breaking things down, a broad range of topics will be addressed at COP26.

This image shows onshore wind turbines in the Netherlands.
Daniel Bosma | Moment | Getty Images

Discussions about adaptation to climate change and the mobilization of finance to achieve climate-related goals will take place, while a document outlining the summit’s aims says countries have been “asked to come forward with ambitious 2030 emissions reductions targets … that align with reaching net zero by the middle of the century.”

The ambitions of COP26 are lofty and getting all parties to agree on a common set of goals that will have a positive outcome for the planet represents a huge challenge.

Collaboration will be key in Glasgow, and the importance of working together was touched upon in some detail during a recent debate moderated by CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick.

“Right now, I think the climate crisis is one thing that really unites us around a common issue and a common issue that we must bring together,” Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and executive director of the United Nations Global Compact, said.

Consisting of over 14,000 businesses, the U.N. Global Compact describes itself as the planet’s “largest corporate sustainability initiative.” A voluntary scheme, it’s centered around 10 principles focused on human rights, labor, anti-corruption and the environment.

In addition, the Global Compact says it supports firms in taking “strategic actions to advance broader societal goals, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with an emphasis on collaboration and innovation.”

For her part, Ojiambo articulated how fostering a sense of unity was so important when it came to tackling the tough challenges related to the climate.

She said: “What excites me most … above and beyond the membership of the Global Compact, is the clarity of the fact that to address the climate crisis you do need partnership between government, between the private sector, civil society. And it really does have to be a multi-stakeholder, multilateral response.”

It was put to Ojiambo that getting companies to come to an accord on such a wide range of issues must be a difficult task.

“We don’t really ask for alignment across a whole host of issues,” she said. “What we do say at the Global Compact is embrace the 10 principles as being fundamental for responsible business.”

“But in terms of the Sustainable Development Goals, it’s really a question of materiality,” she said, going on to stress the importance of having a laser focus on specific challenges.

“If you’re sitting in an extractive industry, what is more material to you is certainly very different from if you’re in the banking industry, or in the hospitality industry,” she said.

“So it then becomes a matter of materiality, and where you need to prioritize and have the most impact.”

“But if I go to the fundamentals … we believe that embracing the principles that we have on human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption just make for better business.” 

Businesses taking action is one thing but, as noted above, a variety of stakeholders will need to work together when it comes to ensuring efforts to tackle climate change are effective and long-term.

For Adair Turner, who is chairman of the Energy Transitions Commission, a shift does seem to be taking place.

“The good news is that, really, over the last two years, there has been a positive ambition loop … a self-reinforcing cycle between what governments are saying and what the private sector is saying,” he said.

“You’ve had private sector companies increasingly realizing that with the technologies available, they can commit to get to net zero emissions by mid-century,” he added.

“That [is] giving governments confidence that they can set that target and that [is] making it non-negotiable for businesses to then come in line with that target.”

Continue Reading

Environment

Tesla plans mini Oasis Supercharger with solar and batteries near its giant project

Published

on

By

Tesla plans mini Oasis Supercharger with solar and batteries near its giant project

Tesla appears to be doubling down on its new “Oasis” Supercharger station concept, which consists of larger stations powered by solar and a microgrid battery system.

Although, this new one is a bit less ambitious.

Last month, Tesla announced its “project Oasis” (pictured above), which should become one of Tesla’s largest Supercharger stations with several pull-through stalls for trucks and trailers, but the real differentiating factor is a large solar array and battery system that enables the charging station to operate off-grid mostly.

CEO Elon Musk has been saying that the goal of the Supercharger network is to be powered by solar and batteries and mostly off-grid since 2016, but Tesla has yet to make this common.

The announcement of the Project Oasis gave us some hope that it might finally happen, and now it looks like Tesla is planning a mini Oasis.

Marco RP, who tracks Supercharger projects, reported on the new construction plans submitted for the Coalinga, California station:

https://twitter.com/MarcoRPi1/status/1852794833154535719

The project is about 50 miles north of Project Oasis – also on Interstate 5 between Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

We call it a “mini Oasis” not because it has fewer charging stations than Oasis; it actually has the same number of planned stalls, 168 stalls, but because it doesn’t have as much solar and batteries to enable off-grid use.

Oasis has 11 MW of planned solar power and 39 MWh of energy storage.

This new project in Coalinga has less than 1 MW of solar and 15.5 MWh of energy storage. In the case of Oasis, the grid complements Tesla’s microgrid, and in this new project, it’s Tesla’s microgrid that complements the grid connection.

But Tesla could eventually expand its solar array and battery storage system at the new station.

This new station also includes restrooms, which Tesla has sometimes deployed at bigger stations.

Supercharging with solar is great, but the best solar to charge your car is the one you own. If you want to make sure you’re finding a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage. EnergySage is a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar – whether you’re a homeowner or renter. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, including some who install Tesla products like Powerwalls. They ensure you get high-quality solutions and save 20 to 30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and you share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Lucid (LCID) is gaining momentum in Europe’s largest auto market with its luxury EVs

Published

on

By

Lucid (LCID) is gaining momentum in Europe's largest auto market with its luxury EVs

Home to luxury automakers like Porsche and BWM, Lucid Motors (LCID) is making a name for itself in Germany. Lucid just had its second consecutive month of record EV registrations in Europe’s largest auto market.

Lucid is taking on Europe with its luxury EVs

According to new data released Tuesday from Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), Lucid had 129 new registrations in October.

Although it may not seem like much, it’s a considerable jump from the 41 registrations Lucid had in September. Lucid sold more cars in Germany last month than it did in the entire third quarter. The luxury EV maker has 256 registrations in Germany through the first ten months.

Lucid’s growth comes despite overall EV registrations in Germany slipping nearly 5% YOY to 35,491 units in October.

After opening its newest studio in Hamburg last month, Lucid declared its “expansion in Europe continues.” The new studio comes just a month after opening one in Frankfurt.

Lucid now has four showrooms in Germany and eight in Europe as it expands overseas. Last month, the EV maker also signed a deal with SIXT to add its luxury Air sedan to its fleet in Germany.

Lucid-Europe-luxury-EV
Lucid EV studio in Germany (Source: Lucid)

Following the deal, former CEO Peter Rawlinson said more customers will be able to “experience the only EV in the world which is equally at home on the Autobahn as on city streets.”

Lucid’s mobile service network covers 15 European markets, including Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Austria, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, and the Czech Republic.

Lucid-Europe-luxury-EVs
Lucid retail studio in Düsseldorf, Germany (Source: Lucid)

The Lucid Air Pure starts at about $93,000 (€85,000) in Germany and has up to 464 miles (747 km) of WLTP range. Lucid’s Air Touring and Air Grand Touring models start at $108,200 (€99,000) and $141,000 (€129,000), respectively.

Starting Price WLTP Range
Lucid Air Pure $93,000 (€85,000) 464 miles (747 km)
Lucid Air Touring $108,200 (€99,000) 451 miles (725 km)
Lucid Air Grand Touring $141,000 (€129,000) 521 miles (839 km)
Lucid Air EV prices and range by trim in Germany

Lucid said it plans to continue expanding in Europe with its newly opened service and delivery centers in Munich and Zurich.

In the US, the company is gearing up to launch its first electric SUV, the Gravity. Lucid will begin taking Gravity SUV orders for US buyers on November 7, 2024.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Why repowering wind farms is wind power’s next big thing

Published

on

By

Why repowering wind farms is wind power's next big thing

Renewables developer Exus Renewables North America is giving a $200 million upgrade to Somerset County, Pennsylvania’s 139 megawatt (MW) Twin Ridges Wind Farm – here’s why repowering projects like this are the future of the wind industry.

Wind energy repowering is all about breathing new life into older turbines or entire wind farms. By swapping out aging parts like turbines, blades, and nacelles for the latest tech, wind farms can see significant boosts in efficiency, power capacity, and overall lifespan. Other infrastructure and control systems can also get a second life, too.

Adding new components to existing infrastructure and grid connections mean it’s less expensive to extend the life of the wind farm with fewer resources. New components make the turbines less prone to breakdowns which means less maintenance, so there are fewer operational costs. Plus, a wind farm’s debt is usually paid off at around 10 years, and it qualifies for new tax credits and new financing at around that time. Existing wind farms often have power purchase agreements in place, and data companies are increasingly chasing power sources as demand grows.

Repowering Twin Ridges meant keeping all 68 towers and foundations while swapping out the nacelles and blades. Vestas, which has identified the repower market as a huge opportunity and engineered a solution that’s compatible with most turbines, supplied US-made nacelles, hubs, blades, and tower adaptors for the project. (Twin Ridges’ original supplier, RES, is no longer in business.)

Jim Spencer, CEO of Exus Renewables North America, said of Twin Ridges, “This upgrade will increase the power generation by 30%, which is a lot more power going into the grid. Repowering will allow it to use more of its allotted grid capacity since wind farms don’t operate at maximum capacity 100% of the time.”

Unlike a new wind farm, which comes online all at once, a repowered wind farm sees refurbished turbines turned on one at a time since the infrastructure is already in place. Out of its 68 upgraded turbines, Twin Ridges has brought 40 repowered turbines online, and a 41st turbine will soon follow.

Industry estimates suggest that up to 50 GW of US onshore wind capacity will be assessed for repowering in the next few years.

Read more: Renewables now make up 30% of US utility-scale generating capacity


If you live in an area that has frequent natural disaster events, and are interested in making your home more resilient to power outages, consider going solar and adding a battery storage system. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Trending