GHG Emissions, Solar, Sourcing Renewables  -  June 8, 2024

Weekend Reads: The Great Data Center Problem; America's Geothermal Potential

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

New map shows vast potential for geothermal energy beneath entire US (The Hill)  Much of the vast fleet of U.S. military bases, coal plants and industrial facilities sits atop a prime resource for clean energy: layers of hot rock deep within the earth. That’s according to GeoMap, a new collaboration that combines the subsurface expertise of dozens of scientists organized by Project Innerspace, a nonprofit focused on building out the geothermal industry with the surface data of Google Maps. 

Mexico’s new president is a climate scientist. That could be a boon for California (Politico)  California officials are cheering Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum’s victory as one for the California climate, too.

Data centers are driving up energy demand nationally. What does that mean for Wisconsin? (Wisconsin Public Radio)  As work continues on Microsoft’s data center campus in Mount Pleasant, similar developments nationally have sparked concerns about strain on the country’s electric grid. But it’s unclear how much stress data centers will put on Wisconsin’s electric grid and what the impact of these projects will be on the state’s clean energy transition.

Investment in clean energy this year is set to be twice the amount going to fossil fuels (International Energy Agency)  Despite pressures on financing, global investment in clean energy is set to reach almost double the amount going to fossil fuels in 2024, helped by improving supply chains and lower costs for clean technologies, according to a new IEA report.

The US is putting enough solar to power 70,000 homes on old nuclear weapons sites (Electrek)  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is going to repurpose sites previously used in the nuclear weapons program into solar farms. DOE is negotiating leases with two developers for solar farms within the 890-square-mile Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site, in Idaho Falls. The plan is to produce 400 megawatts (MW) of solar power — enough to power 400,000 homes.

 

Read These Related Articles:

• Trump would be only world leader to deny climate science; Pokemon are taking over power plants
• Weekend Reads: The Climate Implications of a Build Back Better Collapse; The Future of EV Charging
• Weekend Reads: Ukraine's Pre-War Lithium Wealth; Are You Ready for Battery Storage?
• Weekend Reads: Harnessing Solar Power Without Direct Sunlight; The Year of Next-Generation Clean Tech
• Weekend Reads: Floating Solar Panels Are About to Have Their Moment; EVs Take a Starring Role in Super Bowl Ads