“We’ve spent years saying, ‘When are they going to fix the levees, when are they going to set up cooling centers?” said Antoine Barriere, senior pastor of Household of Faith Family Worship Church in New Orleans. “We have to stop saying, ‘When are they going to?’ and start saying, ‘How are we going to?’”
CLEAN ENERGY
Must Be Equitable
New Orleans seeks clean energy “lighthouses” to aid communities during disasters. Local community and faith groups have formed a new coalition to develop rooftop solar arrays and battery storage in houses of worship and community centers. Drawing from their experiences supporting their communities after Hurricanes Katrina and Isaac, the coalition wants solar and storage systems to help their sites function as hubs offering shelter, cooling, refrigeration, charging, and volunteer coordination in the event of blackouts. Under their plan, every neighborhood in the city would be within a 15 minute walk of one of the “community lighthouses.” (Canary Media)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is A Good Investment
Dead solar panels are about to become a hot commodity. Most used solar panels are typically sent to landfills, but as commodity shortages and mining challenges have strained solar supply chains, there is a growing appetite to recycle dead panels to shore up supply of key materials. These trends, in addition to advancements in recycling technology, are poised to make solar panel recycling not just economical, but even lucrative. Research firm Rystad Energy expects the value of recyclable materials to grow to $2.7 billion in 2030 from just $170 million this year. (The Verge)
CLEAN ENERGY
Has Many Benefits
Clean energy trailer aims to replace diesel generators. A new 20-foot trailer created by the startup Sesame Solar intends to replace polluting diesel generators. The trailers generate clean energy from onboard solar panels, battery packs, and a green hydrogen fuel cell. Though it is not designed to keep the lights on in individual homes, the “Nanogrid” trailer can act as a communications center, medical clinic, or community power station, providing essential services to communities during blackouts. (Bloomberg $)
Offshore wind farms could benefit ocean biodiversity. For the first time, marine biologists have planted coral larvae at the base of offshore wind turbines to try to spur the growth of new reefs. Danish wind developer Ørsted is backing the effort, which has marine biologists collecting coral spawn that would have otherwise washed up on shores, and instead planting them at the base of turbines. Since it launched in 2020, the effort has successfully grown juvenile corals on steel and concrete in their test facility. These trials could be a model for how clean energy development can act as an asset for marine ecosystems. (Energy Monitor)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is Replacing Fossil Fuels
Clean energy produced a record amount of electricity in April. The share of U.S. electricity generated by clean sources is growing, with wind, solar, and hydropower producing 28 percent this April — up from 8.6 percent during the same period in 2001. The ongoing buildout of wind and solar resources has been a key factor in this change, thanks to their low costs. Seasonality was also a driving factor, since this April was especially windy and electricity demand tends to be lower in the spring. (USA Today $)
American interest in EVs keeps growing. The percentage of Americans who say they would “definitely” buy a new electric vehicle has tripled in the last two years, according to a new survey from Consumer Reports. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they have at least some interest in EVs, and interest is greater among people who know EV owners or have ridden in one. These findings come in the context of high gas prices driving renewed interest in EVs — the last time the survey was conducted in 2020, gas was just $2.50 a gallon. (CNN)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is Challenging
California faces a long road to decarbonize shipping. While Los Angeles and Long Beach recently committed to zero-emissions shipping at their ports by 2030, many technical roadblocks remain. International shipping is responsible for nearly 3 percent of global climate pollution, but alternative clean fuels are not currently available at scale to replace polluting ones. Green hydrogen and green ammonia produced from clean electricity sources are widely regarded as the best solution, but they are currently produced in small quantities at relatively high costs, and ships would need to be reconfigured to run on those fuels. Despite the challenges, experts say the cities’ resolutions can help push the shipping sector to accelerate this shift. (Grist)
