Energy Efficiency, Energy Storage, Microgrids, Regulation, Solar  -  January 11, 2020

Weekend reads: Sustainability resolutions for 2020; squirrel-proofing the power grid

It's the weekend! Kick back and catch up with these must-read articles from around the web.

20 New Year's resolutions for sustainability professionals in 2020 and beyond (Edie) Against a backdrop extreme weather events and raging wildfires, 2019 saw climate change become a mainstream concern amongst the public. In turn, this has charged the political and business spheres with new considerations and demands from climate strikers, investors and other key stakeholders to ensure that actions and targets and in place to alleviate publicly declared climate emergencies. With 2020 shaping up to be the first year in a decade of deliverance to ensure the aims of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement are met, there is no better time to set a New Year’s Resolution to accelerate corporate sustainability.

2,000 gigawatts of solar power needed for 100% renewables (pv magazine) Stanford researchers have a plan that would balance 2,000 GW of solar capacity and 2,300 GW of wind power with 3,300 GW of battery capacity and a large amount of flexible load. Consumers would save 64% on total energy bills, partly from electrification of transportation and heating. The U.S. would need 1,500 GW of utility-scale solar power and 500 GW of rooftop solar to reach 100% renewable energy by 2050, according to a plan developed by Stanford engineering professor Mark Jacobson and seven co-authors. Battery capacity of 3,300 GW would balance solar and wind power — helped by 512 GW of annual average flexible load.

Counties, cities, states step up on climate as Trump administration steps back (Washington Post) Maryland’s most populous jurisdiction is promising an ambitious package of new climate initiatives in 2020, joining other liberal counties, cities and states stepping up to address what they see as the Trump administration’s resistance to protecting the planet. With earthquakes and warming temperatures wreaking havoc across the world, and President Trump rolling back emissions limits and withdrawing from the Paris agreement, officials in Montgomery County are determined to accelerate their own efforts to counter climate change.

Sony's electric car is the best surprise of CES (The Verge) To answer your question: no, you won’t be able to buy the Sony car. Not any time soon, at least. The company has no plans to mass-produce the Vision-S, the car it surprise-announced at the end of its press conference at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, nor does it plan to do a limited run. Instead, the Sony Vision-S really exists somewhere between a concept and a prototype. Like a concept, it’s meant to showcase the ideas Sony has for the world of cars. But like a prototype, the car actually works.

How to squirrel-proof the power grid (Vox) For the past century, we’ve powered our world using the same basic model. Power is generated from large power plants, sent down transmission lines, and eventually delivered to the end user. But this has meant that something as small as a squirrel can cause massive blackouts. In fact, this happens all the time. It’s not just squirrels. Wildfires and storms can also cause massive blackouts. And it’s because we rely on this centralized power system.

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