GHG Emissions, Commercial, Industrial, Sourcing Renewables  -  March 3, 2023

Weekend Reads: GHG's Unsustainable Growth Trajectory; The Debate over Clean Hydrogen

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

Global CO2 emissions rose less than initially feared in 2022 as clean energy growth offset much of the impact of greater coal and oil use (IEA)  Global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose by under 1% in 2022 – less than initially feared – as the growth of solar, wind, EVs, heat pumps and energy efficiency helped limit the impacts of increased use of coal and oil amid the global energy crisis, according to new IEA analysis published today. Although the rise in emissions last year was far smaller than the exceptional jump of over 6% in 2021, emissions still remain on an unsustainable growth trajectory, calling for stronger actions to accelerate the clean energy transition and move the world onto a path toward meeting its energy and climate goals, according to the new analysis, CO2 Emissions in 2022. 

Inside the fierce debate over clean hydrogen, with $100 billion in federal subsidies on the line (CNBC)  In August, the White House passed a historic piece of legislation with $369 billion in spending to address climate change. One of the most significant tax credits in that historic law was a tax credit to make hydrogen in climate-conscious ways. Hydrogen is currently used for many purposes, including making ammonia-based fertilizer, which the world depends on for growing crops, and for refining crude oil into useful petroleum products. But it’s also likened to a “Swiss Army Knife of decarbonization,” because it could be used as a power source in industries that are particularly hard to wean off fossil fuels, like airplanes and heavy shipping.

This Interactive Chart Shows Changes in the World's Top 10 GHG Emitters (CleanTechnica)  A lot has happened since countries met in Paris in 2015 and agreed on an accord to combat climate change. So far, 196 countries ratified or otherwise joined the Paris Climate Agreement, representing more than 96% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, 57 countries  — including the United States, Japan, Canada, Germany, and Mexico — also developed long-term plans to decarbonize their economies.

Here’s Why BMW Is Still Betting on Hydrogen (Autoweek)  A few months after it began building the fuel cells for the BMW iX5, the automaker has officially launched the first batch of hydrogen-fueled sport utilities. BMW is just one of a handful, along with Toyota and Hyundai, to have developed passenger cars powered by hydrogen amid a significant turn toward EVs in the past year. The BMW iX5 couples fuel cells made by Toyota with what is essentially an EV drivetrain borrowed from the BMW iX, along with a small 2.0-kWh lithium-ion battery. The result is an output of 395 hp, with the 16 pounds of hydrogen aboard giving the sport utility a range of 310 miles in the WLTP cycle.

Auburn school officials concerned about electric bus mandate (Auburnpub.com) Auburn Enlarged City School District officials have expressed concern over costs and other factors involved with a state mandate for all new school buses to be electric by 2027. The topic came up during an Auburn board of education meeting Tuesday night when business official Lisa Green spoke about the program component of the district's proposed 2023-24 budget, which includes transportation costs.

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