Distributed Energy Resources, Energy Storage, GHG Emissions  -  February 25, 2023

Weekend Reads: Good Time/Bad Time for Battery Recycling; Good/Bad Tax Credits for Iowa Ethanol

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

Has Battery Recycling Arrived Too Soon? What About Second Life Energy Storage? (Clean Technica)  There is a report out this morning from the Washington Post with this scary title — “EV Battery Recycling Has Boomed Too Soon.” Bloomberg is also carrying a version of this story. There aren’t enough used electric vehicle batteries to meet even 10% of the raw material demand for electric vehicles made in the US, the Washington Post says. Meanwhile, the US already has more battery recycling capacity than it has batteries available to recycle, with more public and private battery recycling facilities planned or under construction. T battery recycling company founded by former Tesla CTO JB Straubel. Has DOE been hoodwinked? Did they not do their due diligence? How could they not know what the Washington Post and Bloomberg know?

The U.S. Has Billions for Wind and Solar Projects. Good Luck Plugging Them In. (New York Times)  Plans to install 3,000 acres of solar panels in Kentucky and Virginia are delayed for years. Wind farms in Minnesota and North Dakota have been abruptly canceled. And programs to encourage Massachusetts and Maine residents to adopt solar power are faltering. The energy transition poised for takeoff in the United States amid record investment in wind, solar and other low-carbon technologies is facing a serious obstacle: The volume of projects has overwhelmed the nation’s antiquated systems to connect new sources of electricity to homes and businesses.

Republicans in the US ‘battery belt’ embrace Biden’s climate spending (The Guardian)  Georgia, a state once known for its peaches and peanuts, is rapidly becoming a crucible of clean energy technology in the US, leading a pack of Republican-led states enjoying a boom in renewables investment that has been accelerated by Joe Biden’s climate agenda. Since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in August, billions of dollars of new clean energy investment has been announced for solar, electric vehicle and battery manufacturing in Georgia, pushing it to the forefront of a swathe of southern states that are becoming a so-called “battery belt” in the economic transition away from fossil fuels.

Industry study: Generous tax credits are a double-edged sword for Iowa ethanol (Iowa Capital Dispatch)  Federal incentives for low-carbon fuels would be a boon to Iowa ethanol producers — potentially more than tripling their profit margins — but they also put those producers at risk if they are unable to take advantage of the tax credits, ethanol proponents say. If Iowa producers are able to capture the carbon dioxide they would otherwise emit into the atmosphere, an ethanol plant that produces 100 million gallons per year might benefit to the tune of more than $40 million annually, according to a recent study commissioned by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. 

Net Zero Goals and More at Renovated Cosgrove Animal Shelter (Zip 06) At Branford’s newly renovated and expanded Daniel P. Cosgrove Animal Shelter, the goal is to become the country’s first net zero municipal animal shelter. But there is also much more to celebrate about this remarkable facility. The shelter is awaiting delivery and installation of some furnishings and other final elements ahead of a yet-to-be-announced public opening date. On February 16, Shelter Director Laura Burban shared a tour of the shelter and adoption center, located at 749 East Main St., with Zip06/The Sound. 

Read These Related Articles:

• Weekend Reads: COP29 on Energy Efficiency; Unscrambling Hydrogen
• Weekend Reads: Five Things to Know About COP29; Rethinking Gas Stations
• Weekend Reads: Where Climate Triumphed at the Polls; Iceland Goes to Space for Solar
• Weekend Reads: Candidates Avoid Clean Energy; Costco (Cautiously) Adds EV Charging
• Weekend Reads: The Carbon Offset Debate; New Powder Captures CO2

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