January 3 NEC Energy News
¶ “Spain’s New Radwaste Plan Supports Nuclear Phase-Out” • Spain’s Council of Ministers approved the seventh General Plan for Radioactive Waste, which sets the roadmap for treatment of wastes from nuclear plants. The plan slightly extends nuclear plant operations. Spain plans to close all of its five nuclear plants by 2035. [Nuclear Engineering International]
¶ “Prosumers In Romania Have Installed Capacity Larger Than Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant” • In Romania, there are over 100,000 prosumers with a total installed capacity estimated at 1,400 MW, and additions aren’t slowing down. There is more capacity of rooftop solar than at the country’s one nuclear power plant. [Balkan Green Energy News]
¶ “BYD Is The First Company To Sell Three Million Plugin Vehicles In A Year” • We note that BYD was targeting 3 million vehicle sales in 2023, and it just surpassed that target. It had 3,023,679 EV sales in the year, all of which are plugin vehicles. BYD’s EV sales were split in 2023, as 52% were full electrics and 48% were plugin hybrids. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Solar Panels Meet Saffron In New Agrivoltaic Project” • The allure of raising a spice crop that retails for $5,000 a pound is enticing. In the unlikely state of Vermont, there is a agrivoltaic experiment under way. If all goes according to plan, it could pave the way for for a saffron boom in the US while it helps save the country’s small farms. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Resilient Power Proves A “Lifesaver” For Mississippi Health Center After Catastrophic Tornado” • After a March 2023 tornado leveled a health center in Mississippi, the organization was able to run operations via a resilient power microgrid system for the better part of a year and continued serving patients, many of whom had lost everything. [Direct Relief]
¶ “UK Use Of Gas And Coal For Electricity At Lowest Since 1957, Figures Show” • The amount of electricity generated by the UK’s gas and coal power plants fell by 20% last year, with consumption of fossil fuels at its lowest level since 1957. The UK’s gas power plants generated 31% of the UK’s electricity last year, and the UK’s last coal plant produced 1%. [The Guardian]
¶ “Bangladesh’s Solar Project Approvals Hit 2.1 GW In 2023” • In December, Bangladesh’s Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase approved tariffs for seven solar power plants totaling 630 MW. Approvals had been granted for 1,566 MW in the year to that point. Most of these projects secured a fixed tariff of around $0.10/kWh. [PV Magazine]
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