January 26 NEC Energy News
¶ “China Added More Solar Panels In 2023 Than US Did In Its Entire History” • China installed more solar panels in 2023 than any other nation has built in total, adding to a massive renewable energy fleet that’s already leading the world by a wide margin. China added 216.9 GW of solar capacity last year, blowing away its previous record of 87.4 GW. [Financial Post]
¶ “A Bill To Designate Nuclear Energy As Clean Energy Dies In Committee” • A Colorado Senate bill that would have defined nuclear energy as clean energy died in committee. SB24-039 would have included nuclear energy in the statutory definition of clean energy sources. Opponents said such a designation would have a negative environmental impact. [Colorado Politics]
¶ “Glow-In-The-Dark Red Herrings And Dead Whales” • During 2023, Australia made steady progress towards its 82% renewable energy for the grid by 2030. Some would say that we are halfway there! Progress is being hindered a bit by new naysayers, some of whom are promoting nuclear power. That is a glow-in-the dark red herring! [CleanTechnica]
¶ “US DOE Is Helping NOAA’s Mauna Loa Observatory Get To Net-Zero” • The US DOE awarded NOAA $5 million to support converting the Mauna Loa atmospheric baseline observatory in Hawaii to be a net-zero carbon facility. Among other things, the Mauna Loa Observatory monitors the global increase in levels of greenhouse gases. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Scotland Generates Record Amount Of Renewable Energy, Figures Show” • The latest data show that renewable technologies generated the equivalent of 113% of Scotland’s overall energy consumption in 2022. This is the highest level of renewables recorded to date, and it marks an increase of 26 percentage points compared to 2021. [The National]
¶ “North Macedonia Sees 160% Year Over Year Growth In 2023 Renewable Energy Licences” • The energy regulator for North Macedonia said that it issued licences for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources with a total installed capacity of nearly 399 MW in 2023, up by 160% compared to a year before. [SeeNews]
¶ “North America Experienced An Unprecedented ‘Hot Drought’ In The Last Century, Research Shows” • Western North America has experienced an unprecedented “hot drought” over the last century, according to research that shows the amplification of heat in the region over recent decades. The paper was published in Science Advances. [ABC News]
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