Plus: troubling news from IPCC report; TOTAL says time is right to accelerate renewables; BP slams divestment
Hi Everyone,
There was one line I read this week that stood out: “The basic fact remains that the extent of global warming depends on China’s emission control, or lack of it, more than any other single factor.” Check the very last article for more on this.
Meanwhile, the latest IPCC report was all over the headlines this week. Worth familiarizing yourself with what they had to say about the urgency of reducing emissions.
I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to send me a quick note now and then. As always, forward this on to a friend who’d be interested.
Thanks,
Peter
Ørsted expands US offshore wind presence with $510M buy
Comment: Remember that Ørsted was formerly Denmark Oil & Natural Gas (DONG), before they rebranded to shift focus towards renewables, making their renewables footprint larger in the US offshore wind rather interesting. The acquisition appears to be a move to help Ørsted better navigate US policy and regulation.
Excerpt: While the European sector familiar to Ørsted is more advanced in terms of offshore wind construction and supply chains, U.S. contracts have already been awarded for hundreds of megawatts in the past year. …more from Utility Dive
IPCC’s latest report, and other troubling news
It was hard to pick which story to point to, as this was all over the news this week. I encourage you to take a couple minutes to read all of what Joel Makower from GreenBiz had to say.
Excerpt: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report on the risks and benefits of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, along with recommended pathways for limiting temperature increases to that level. Staying within 1.5 C, said IPCC, would require “rapid and far-reaching” transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport and cities. In short, changing almost everything. …more from GreenBiz
Time is right to ‘accelerate’ renewables investment, says Total president
Excerpt: Speaking at this month’s BNEF Future of Energy Summit Philippe Sauquet, president for gas and power at the French energy giant, said it had become clear that investing in renewables was “very logical” for Total and, having been active in the sector for a number of years, now was the right time to “speed up” its renewables strategy. …more from Current
Big Oil Should Be Worried About Amazon’s Battery Play
Excerpt: While Amazon helping to get new plugs put into garages may not scream revolution, it should still worry the likes of Exxon Mobil Corp. The oil industry has long been more concerned with generating supply than encouraging demand—why bother, when drivers had no alternative? …more from Bloomberg
Comment: Yet oil demand is still on the rise, with the globe demanding 1.7 million barrels a day more in 2017 than the year before. With climate change looking more likely than not, the question might rightly be asked if the oil industry ought to be concerned with reducing demand.
Ford starts production of all-electric Streetscooter delivery vehicles
Excerpt: DHL, one of the largest logistics companies in the world, started its StreetScooter subsidiary to build electric vehicles for its own fleet, but it is now emerging as an important electric vehicle manufacturer.
Now they are expanding in even larger vehicles with the help of Ford, which has now started production of its all-electric Streetscooter WORK XL delivery vehicles. …more at Electrek
Toyota and SoftBank to partner on mobility services
Excerpt: Eventually, the companies will work on business-focused self-driving vehicles, including mobile offices, hospital shuttles that allow for onboard medical examinations or delivery vehicles with on-board food prep. …more from Smart Cities Dive
BP Slams Oil-Stock Divestment in Call for ‘Collaborative Path’
Excerpt: BP boss Bob Dudley launched a wide-ranging attack on the divestment movement that’s calling on institutional investors to sell down their oil stocks, rejecting warnings from the likes of the Bank of England that hydrocarbons present a risk to the financial system. Dudley says many fuels must play a part in future energy mix. …more from Bloomberg
Google: Powering data centers with clean energy 24/7 ‘no easy feat
Excerpt: The company is already the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy in the world, but a new white paper shows how difficult it will be to eliminate all emissions from its footprint. …more from Utility Dive
Jaguar sounds new solution to the silence of electric vehicles
Excerpt: Electric vehicles are known for their silent movement, but this raises its own set of problems which Jaguar has solved a year ahead of upcoming global noise regulations. …more from The Driven
The grim reality about China ‘s building boom and coal burning
Excerpt: The basic fact remains that the extent of global warming depends on China’s emission control, or lack of it, more than any other single factor.
In China it turns out that despite national Chinese rules trying to limit the building of new coal power plants there are still over 250 GW under construction encouraged by Chinese provincial govts. …more from RenewEconomy