Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions, Sourcing Renewables  -  June 22, 2024

Weekend Reads: U.S. Military Driving Clean Tech; Renewables Project Backlog

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

5 actions needed to regain the energy transition momentum (World Economic Forum)  "Where the marathon starts is after 30 kilometres," says Eliud Kipchoge, perhaps the greatest marathon runner in history, as he stresses the importance of preparation and planning over all else in how he approaches the race. "That's where you feel pain everywhere in your body. The muscles are really aching, and only the most prepared and well-organized athlete is going to do well after that." Similarly, the energy transition is a marathon, not a sprint.

How US military bases became proving grounds for clean energy technology (The Hill)  The cost and security advantages of renewable energy are driving their adoption on U.S military bases — a development with significant long-term implications for the civilian market. The military’s demand for inexpensive, hard-to-disable power for its constellation of bases has driven it to collaborate with civilian contractors in exploring a new generation of “off the shelf” clean tech. Military bases have played a similar role since the Obama era in helping to “de-risk” other frontier technologies that are now a growing bulwark of the power system — like the once-exotic pairing of solar and wind power with large-scale batteries. 

Food has a climate problem: Nitrous oxide emissions are accelerating with growing demand for fertilizer and meat – but there are solutions (The Conversation)  Food’s role in climate change has emerged as one of the defining challenges of our time. The journey of a steak, fruit or salad from the vast expanses of agricultural lands to the plates on our tables leaves a significant footprint on the environment. As earth, climate and atmospheric scientists, we track global greenhouse gas emissions and just published the most comprehensive assessment yet of a powerful greenhouse gas from food production: nitrous oxide, or N₂O.

Midwest States Have Approved Hundreds of Renewable Energy Projects. So Why Aren’t They Online? (Inside Climate News)  Wisconsin’s Saratoga Solar Project appeared to have every box checked when state regulators issued their final approval of the 150-megawatt solar farm last spring. Wood County, where the project is set to be built, will garner $600,000 each year in state funding. Public comments showed residents were largely in support of the effort. 

Boulder pioneers Colorado’s first energy code to reduce ’embodied carbon’ in buildings (Boulder Reporting Lab)  Boulder, the largest city in Colorado to ban gas in new construction, is also pioneering climate-friendly building practices beyond energy use.  Until now, Boulder has focused on reducing the climate impact of its buildings through energy-saving solutions like heat pumps and better insulation. Starting in December, the city’s new energy code will encourage builders to improve the sustainability of the building materials themselves.

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