Just sharing a Generation 180 mailing:
And because I feel Aptera is Flipping the Script, providing one of the most efficient EV on the planet!
From climate anxiety to clean energy action
Is battery storage ready for prime time? In case you haven’t heard, battery storage is entering the big leagues. Thanks to high-profile projects in places like California and Australia, we’re seeing a lot more buzz about this “game changer” for our clean energy future. Amidst the high expectations, the emerging arrival of battery storage serves as another occasion to remind ourselves of a critical truth: there’s no silver bullet when it comes to tackling the all-hands-on-deck transition to renewables. If you’re not sure what all the commotion is about, read on for a quick primer on the state of this technology. Battery storage (lithium-ion technology is what we’re focused on here) simply stores and discharges electricity. These batteries are in everything from cell phones and medical equipment to luxury yachts and power plants. When paired with renewable energy sources, batteries store excess electricity generated by wind and solar farms at times of low demand and then discharge this power back to the grid when it’s needed: during peak demand periods, when the sun isn’t shining, or when the wind isn’t blowing. Battery storage systems are essential to enabling power grids to handle lots of wind and solar power in a stable way. (Wondering what the heck a “power grid” is? Learn more here). Just how massive are these batteries? As recently as five years ago, a 20-megawatt battery storage project was considered a big deal. But now, the race is on to build new lithium-ion batteries in the hundreds of megawatts that can hold enough renewable electricity to power hundreds of thousands of homes. Keep reading here.
How does this flip the script?
We've got solutions in hand—and more coming quickly down the pipe. While battery storage isn’t a silver bullet, it is a key enabler of the clean energy future that we’re rapidly moving toward.
Creative Energy
Matchup of the Century: Fossil Fuels FC vs. Clean Energy United
The Buzz
What's happening this week
AUSTRALIA'S BIGGEST BATTERY YET TO BE BUILT ON AGING COAL PLANT SITE
A giant 700-megawatt capacity battery is in the works in New South Wales. It will be 4X times larger than Tesla's 150 MW battery in South Australia. (ABC News Australia)
EXPERTS GIVE 2021 ENERGY PREDICTIONS
Five leading policy experts shared their predictions, from unprecedented federal climate policy to surging energy storage installations and a shift away from gas toward sustainable investment and just transitions. Buckle up for a big 12 months. (Forbes)
COVID-19 TOOK A BITE FROM U.S. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN 2020
America’s greenhouse gas emissions from energy and industry plummeted more than 10% in 2020, reaching their lowest levels in at least three decades as the coronavirus pandemic slammed the brakes on the nation’s economy. Emissions will bounce back to normal levels, however, unless we clean up the country’s power plants, factories, cars and trucks. (The New York Times)
THE ELECTRIC YEAR: IN 2020, WE CHARGED TOWARD EVS
During the cavalcade of horrors that was 2020, the electrified march of progress continued, albeit a bit slowed by the global pandemic. A helpful summary of the highlights of EV development in this crazy year. (Car and Driver)
You are receiving this email because you signed up at our website or it was forwarded to you from a (really cool) friend. You can sign up here to receive this weekly newsletter or manage your subscription preferences. If you like, you can unsubscribe. But we'll miss you more than a little.
107 1st Street South, Suite A, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902