Distributed Energy Resources, GHG Emissions, Sourcing Renewables, Wind  -  January 7, 2023

Weekend Reads: Is the Needle Moving on Climate Action?; California Wind - the New Gold Rush?

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

LLNL’s Energy Flow Diagrams Show That The US Isn’t Moving The Needle On Climate Action (Clean Technica) The graphic that leads this article is one of the most commonly used graphics in energy and climate discussions. It’s the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) energy flows diagram for the US, in this case the 2021 version. It has been publishing variants of them in this format since 2010. When I speak to institutional investors or university seminars or corporate strategy groups, it’s rare that I do not include and discuss this chart. 

What is regenerative agriculture and how can it help us get to net-zero food systems? 3 industry leaders explain (World Economic Forum)  Food systems are linked to many global challenges – from hunger to deforestation to being the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions after the energy sector. What if we reverse that role instead and realize the true potential of transforming food systems to be net-zero, nature-positive, and that nourishes all? 

California offshore wind promises a new gold rush while slashing emissions (NPR)  Installation of enormous floating wind turbines needed to turn West Coast ocean gales into clean electricity remains years off, but results of a federal lease auction this month off California promised to kickstart a work boom on the state's northern and central coasts. The farming of wind power from American waters will be crucial in efforts to slash emissions of heat-trapping pollution from fossil fuels and ensure reliable supplies of electricity. 

Germany and Norway will build a big hydrogen pipeline (CNN Business)  Germany just took a step closer to finding a long-term, greener replacement for Russian natural gas and coal. German power producer RWE and Norwegian state-owned energy firm Equinor on Thursday announced plans to build hydrogen-fueled power plants in Germany over the next few years, as well as a major pipeline between the two countries to feed them. The agreement — which is not yet legally binding — is part of Germany’s efforts to phase out all coal-fired power stations by 2030 and decarbonize its energy sector. 

A Visual Crash Course on Geothermal Energy (Visual Capitalist)  Geothermal is a lesser-known type of renewable energy that uses heat from the Earth’s molten core to produce electricity. While this unique feature gives it key benefits over solar and wind, geothermal also suffers from high costs and geographic restrictions. Because of this, few countries have managed to produce geothermal energy at scale. In this infographic, we’ve used a combination of diagrams and charts to give you a high-level overview of this sustainable energy source.

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