March 27 NEC Energy News
¶ “92.5% of New Power Capacity Added Worldwide in 2024 Was from Renewables” • Some 92.5% of new power capacity added to the grid in 2024 came from renewable energy sources. This is not even a competition anymore. And that’s great, because we’re still running behind schedule when it comes to decarbonizing the world. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “DOE Reissues $900 Million Nuclear SMR Opportunity, Scraps Community Criteria To Focus On Technical Merit” • The US DOE reissued a $900 million funding opportunity to accelerate deployment of Generation III+ small modular reactors. It is removing community benefit requirements and shifting the focus solely to technical merit. [POWER Magazine]
¶ “Palisades Nuclear Plant Revival Sparks Industry Interest” • Last year, Holtec International, the private owner of the Palisades Power Plant in Covert, Michigan, announced plans to reopen the facility after it closed in 2022. If it is successful, the Palisades Nuclear Plant could provide a blueprint that other energy companies could follow. [OilPrice.com]
¶ “Solar Canals Are Coming For Your Fossil Fuels” • The US is ripe with opportunities to establish itself as a leader in the solar canal movement, which opens up sites to develop solar power on existing water infrastructure. In California, researchers are hot on the trail of best cases for site selection among the state’s 4,000 miles of irrigation canals. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners Makes 2.3-GW Italian BESS Pact” • CIP, through its Flagship Fund CI V, entered into a partnership with Italian developer GC Storage Services for a 2,300-MW pipeline of large-scale batteries in Italy. The projects are in Northern and Southern Italy, with the first expected to be in a ready-to-build in 2025. [reNews]
¶ “Honey Bee Colonies Could Face 70% Losses In 2025” • Honey bee colonies across the US are facing record-breaking losses in 2025. Scientists warn there could be an impact on agricultural production. Washington State University entomologists project that commercial honey bee colony losses are to be between 60% and 70% this year. [ABC News]
¶ “These Are The Impacts Some Scientists Fear Most From EPA Deregulation” • Several of the environmental freedoms that Americans experience today – clean air, clean water and clean rain among them – could soon be in jeopardy from the plans to deregulate the Environmental Protection Agency, several experts told ABC News. [ABC News]
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