Commercial, GHG Emissions, Industrial, Solar, Sourcing Renewables, Wind  -  October 19, 2024

Weekend Reads: Dueling Nuclear Strategies; An Offshore Wind Success

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

Amazon, Google make dueling nuclear investments to power data centers with clean energy (Associated Press)  Amazon on Wednesday said that it was investing in small nuclear reactors, coming just two days after a similar announcement by Google, as both tech giants seek new sources of carbon-free electricity to meet surging demand from data centers and artificial intelligence.

As parts of Florida went dark from Helene and Milton, the lights stayed on in this net-zero, storm-proof community (CNN)  William Fulford moved from Virginia Beach, Virginia, to a new waterfront development in Florida in 2023. Nestled between Sarasota Bay and the southwestern part of Tampa Bay, the new home by Bradenton Beach was everything Fulford, a retired custom homebuilder, ever wished for. The developers of the new Hunters Point community, Pearl Homes, billed the property as the first “net-zero” single-family home development in the US, meaning residents produce more energy from solar panels than they need, with the excess energy either being stored or sold back to the grid – in a state where most electricity is generated by burning natural gas, a planet-warming fossil fuel.

WEBINAR: Scope 1 Emissions Reduction: Why All Eyes Are On Heat Pump Technology (Trane)  Institutions with sustainability goals that include a transition from direct fossil fuel usage (Scope 1 emissions) are increasingly adopting heat pump technology as a low-carbon solution for heating and cooling requirements. Heat pumps, which are nearly a 100-year-old technology, provide ultra-high efficiency cooling and enable heating requirements to be met with the same high-efficiency technology.  The outcome is reduced operational expenses and reduced electrical capacity requirements relative to traditional electrical resistance heating technology. Join Trane to learn more about this technology, how it dovetails with corporate sustainability commitments, and a future outlook on technology capabilities. REGISTER HERE

Xcel Energy’s plan to replace state’s biggest coal plant could start with renewables and gas — and maybe end with nuclear (Colorado Public Radio)  Xcel Energy wants to replace the state’s largest power plant with a slew of new energy projects it says will cut its climate-warming emissions and generate enough electricity to meet surging demands from data centers, electric vehicles and buildings.

Data centers face growing opposition Outside. Gov. Mike Dunleavy wants them in Alaska (Northern Journal)  Amid a growing backlash to the factory-sized data centers that power the global internet, Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy has started pitching his state as a new home for the industry — citing Alaska’s cool temperatures and abundant land and water.

South Fork Wind offers a glimpse at what’s possible as offshore wind power projects struggle to gain traction (CNBC)  Roughly 35 miles off the east coast of Montauk, New York, 12 turbines gently spin in the wind at Orsted’s newly developed South Fork Wind farm. The project, which connected to the grid earlier this year, is the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S., providing enough power for 70,000 homes annually. It’s a needed bright spot for the U.S. offshore wind industry, which has faced a number of challenges getting off the ground. 

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