Cement and steel are on the path to zero emissions.
Quote of the Week:
"We want to make sure that the workers are getting their fair share and their due at the outset," said Massachusetts Building Trades President Frank Callahan. “When we first started negotiations on Vineyard Wind — we're talking about the skilled workforce — all we heard about was it's a mature industry in Europe and we didn't know how to do it. [But our] members have the skills. We're going to upgrade those skills to meet the unique aspects of this project to work offshore."
CLEAN ENERGY
Must Be Equitable
Offshore wind is embracing union labor. Following in the footsteps of other offshore wind projects, Mayflower Wind is the latest wind farm to sign a deal to employ only American union labor in its construction and operation. The Massachusetts project could create up to 2.4 gigawatts of clean energy by the end of the decade and is expected to employ thousands of local workers. Union leaders applauded the announcement, noting that they have been working for years to advance union labor in emerging clean energy industries. (Cape Cod Times)
CLEAN ENERGY
Has Many Benefits
Shift to electric trucks will prevent tens of thousands of deaths. Electrifying the U.S. medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fleets by 2040 would save roughly 67,000 lives from premature death by 2050, according to a new study from the American Lung Association. The truck sector represents just 6 percent of America’s vehicles on the road but produces 55 percent of particulate pollution, which contributes to disproportionate levels of asthma, heart attacks, stroke, and lung cancer in communities of color. The report also estimates healthcare savings of $735 billion by 2050. (CNN)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is A Good Investment
GM is getting into the energy storage business. Leveraging its experience with electric vehicle battery production, the automaker says it’s launching a new business unit focused on battery packs, solar panels, EV chargers, and other energy management products aimed at residential and commercial markets. Commercial operations are already underway and home energy systems are expected to go on the market in 2023. GM says the new business will help improve the experience of customers buying new EVs and believe it could help the company double annual revenue by the end of the decade. (CNBC)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is Replacing Fossil Fuels
Most EV drivers don’t switch back to gas. U.S. vehicle registration data shows that most EV drivers are sticking with electric cars as their next vehicle purchase. Nearly two-thirds of EV owners that purchased a new car in 2022 purchased another electric car — up from roughly half in 2021 — according to data from S&P Global Mobility. Analysts say these trends may be explained by the growth of EV models and are a positive sign for the EV market and the broader shift to clean transportation. Nationally, EVs made up 5.8 percent of new car purchases in July, up from just 3.4 percent a year earlier. (Axios)
Renewables are dominating new energy capacity. During the first half of 2022, renewable energy met 100 percent of the rise in global electricity demand and prevented coal and gas growth, according to a report by the environmental think tank Ember. Engineering & Technology reports that renewable deployment prevented a 4 percent rise in fossil fuel energy generation, avoiding $40 billion in fuel costs and 230 metric tons of climate pollution. In the U.S., The Hill writes that domestic solar and wind capacity have tripled since 2012, according to a study by the Environment America Research and Policy Center. (Engineering & Technology, The Hill)
Cement and steel production are going electric. The industrial sector has been challenging to decarbonize, but new breakthroughs are charting a path for clean production of key materials like cement and steel. One startup is pioneering a new zero-emissions ironmaking process using low temperatures and clean energy. Another has invented a method to produce cement at room temperature through a chemical reaction that produces a pure carbon dioxide that is easier (and cheaper) to capture than emissions from traditional cement kilns. Other startups are also exploring alternative clean energy solutions, which could revolutionize the industrial sector as the global energy transition continues. (Bloomberg $)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is Challenging
For a little extra cost, renewable energy deployment can avoid environmental damage. As cheap wind and solar continue to drive the U.S. energy transition, new concerns have emerged about their potential to damage ecologically vulnerable areas. A new study from the Nature Conservancy finds that Western states can meet their renewable energy needs without encroaching on critical ecosystems — though it would raise costs by about 3 percent. The analysts found that the land footprint of renewable energy can be reduced by emphasizing local solar farms on developed and marginal lands instead of wind from other states. Advocates say avoiding these critical areas would also accelerate permitting and reduce the threat of delays from litigation. (Los Angeles Times $)
MULTIMEDIA
Slideshow: The Hottest New Car on the Market Is an E-Bike
