February 2 NEC Energy News
¶ “Xcel Energy To Build 3.6 GW Of Renewable Capacity And 600 MW Of Storage In Minnesota” • Utility Xcel Energy announced plans to decarbonise its operations in the Midwest. The plans involve the construction of 3.6 GW of new renewable power generating capacity and 600 MW of new battery energy storage system facilities. [PV Tech]
¶ “Vibrations In Cooling System Mean New Georgia Nuclear Reactor Will Again Be Delayed” • Georgia Power Co said that vibrations in a cooling system of its second new nuclear reactor will delay when the unit starts operating. Plant Vogtle’s Unit 4 now will not begin operating until sometime between April 1 and June 30. [The Public’s Radio]
¶ “State Says Holtec Must Report On Chemicals In Vaporized Wastewater” • While Holtec International awaits decisions by regulators on discharging water from the Pilgrim nuclear plant, it has got rid of 200,000 gallons of the water by using heaters in the reactor cavity to evaporate it. The state wants a report on contaminants. [The Provincetown Independent]
¶ “Should More British Homes Be Built Using Straw?” • This year, straw from Lithuania will envelop a building in a quiet town in West Yorkshire. The panels will be supplied by a Slovakian firm, EcoCocon. Each timber-framed panel is around 400 mm thick and contains a mass of chopped straw. They help meet a rising demand for insulation and sustainability. [BBC]
¶ “Kenya’s Complete Transition To Clean Energy Gets World Bank Support” • The Climate Investment Funds endorsed a $70 million plan, with an allocation of $46.39 million, to advance the integration and use of renewable energy in the Kenyan grid. The move will enable the country’s transition to 100% clean energy by 2030. [Construction and Civil Engineering News]
¶ “Can Ocean Energy Power Carbon Removal?” • A mass of sargassum, a seaweed, sometimes has huge bits break off and wash ashore in Florida or the Caribbean. If that seaweed could be sunk instead of covering beaches, it would carry a huge amount of carbon to the ocean floor, sequestering massive amounts of carbon that was recently in the air. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Carbon Dioxide, Radio Isotopes, The Keeling Curve, And The Greatest Cover Up In History” • Seventy years ago, Los Angeles had an air pollution problem that led to the word ‘smog’ being coined. Petroleum and automotive companies came to realize that pollution is a problem, and they created a massive cover-up to protect their profits. [CleanTechnica]
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