March 12 NEC Energy News
¶ “US Installed Record 50 GW Of Solar In 2024” • Figures shot the US installed 50 GW of new solar capacity in 2024. It is the largest single year of new capacity added by any technology in over two decades. Solar and storage account for 84% of all new capacity added to the US grid last year, according to the US Solar Market Insight 2024 Year in Review report. [reNews]
¶ “‘Nervous And Rushed’: Massive Fukushima Plant Cleanup Workers Exposed To Radiation And Stress” • Radiation levels at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have dropped a lot since the cataclysmic meltdown fourteen years ago. Some workers walk around in wearing only surgical masks and regular clothes. It’s a different story for other workers. [The Japan News]
¶ “Solar Farms Can Host Up To Three Times As Many Birds As Crop Fields” • Building solar farms should be done carefully to avoid exacerbating a reduction in biodiversity. We found that solar farms in East Anglia that were managed for biodiversity had more bird species, and more birds overall, than surrounding cropland. [RenewEconomy]
¶ “Flood And Drought Risk Increasing In Cities” • The world’s 100 most populated cities are becoming increasingly exposed to both flooding and drought, according to new research. Charity WaterAid worked on a study with the University of Bristol and Cardiff University and found 17% of the cities studied were at risk from “climate whiplash.” [BBC]
¶ “Europe Seeks To Avoid Russian Energy If Sanctions Eased, Ministers And Execs Say” • European buyers are unlikely to return to Russia’s energy sector if sanctions are lifted, as the bloc has diversified its power mix with both renewable energy and alternative gas suppliers, ministers and executives said at a conference in Houston. [Yahoo News UK]
¶ “Trump Or No Trump, EV Charging Is Getting Easier Than Ever” • The occupant of the White House is determined to take down the entire US auto industry, EVs and all. Presidents come and go, and this one will be gone four years hence. Meanwhile, EV charging stakeholders continue to lay the groundwork for the electrified future of the US. [CleanTechnica]
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