#renewablesnow — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #renewablesnow, aggregated by home.social.
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However, we need to figure out #Batteries that don't involve #Lithium (or reuse lithium), and also #GreenTechnology that is TRULY green -- ideally from recycled or common place materials, that can be repaired, and that can be recycled/reused once its useful life is over...
#ClimateSolutions most likely to reach ‘positive tipping points’ revealed by scientists
Global shift towards clean electricity could trigger ‘cascade’ of progress, helping reduce air pollution, cut waste and revive oceans
Matthew Pearce
Thu 10 Sep 2026Excerpt: "The report, produced by the University of Exeter with the Earthshot prize, applies tipping point science to 51 priority areas across five environmental goals: protecting nature, cleaning the air, reviving oceans, eliminating waste and tackling the climate crisis.
"Smith said positive tipping points could be understood as the beneficial counterpart to dangerous climate thresholds, such as the collapse of ice sheets or the death of coral reefs.
" 'Tipping points can also work in our favour,' he said. The rapid growth of solar power, wind power and electric vehicles, as well as the recovery of some natural systems, showed beneficial change could accelerate after reaching a critical threshold.
"However, the transition to clean power is being impeded by slow planning and grid expansion, particularly in wealthier economies, and a severe lack of investment elsewhere. Africa receives less than 2% of global clean energy investment despite possessing 60% of the world’s best solar resources, according to the report.
"Research cited in the analysis suggests coordinated policies supporting clean power, transport and heating could bring forward tipping points in those sectors by between two and eight years. Progress in one sector makes the others easier by increasing demand for clean electricity, encouraging investment and driving costs down further.
"Transforming global commodity supply chains is identified as another high-impact intervention. A relatively small number of #companies, #banks and regulators control trade in commodities including #beef, #soy, #PalmOil, #timber, #cocoa and #coffee, which together drive much of the world’s tropical #deforestation."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/hMMv4#SolarPunkSunday #NewTechnology #Capitalism #RenewablesNow #PostOil #PostCapitalism #Earth4All
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However, we need to figure out #Batteries that don't involve #Lithium (or reuse lithium), and also #GreenTechnology that is TRULY green -- ideally from recycled or common place materials, that can be repaired, and that can be recycled/reused once its useful life is over...
#ClimateSolutions most likely to reach ‘positive tipping points’ revealed by scientists
Global shift towards clean electricity could trigger ‘cascade’ of progress, helping reduce air pollution, cut waste and revive oceans
Matthew Pearce
Thu 10 Sep 2026Excerpt: "The report, produced by the University of Exeter with the Earthshot prize, applies tipping point science to 51 priority areas across five environmental goals: protecting nature, cleaning the air, reviving oceans, eliminating waste and tackling the climate crisis.
"Smith said positive tipping points could be understood as the beneficial counterpart to dangerous climate thresholds, such as the collapse of ice sheets or the death of coral reefs.
" 'Tipping points can also work in our favour,' he said. The rapid growth of solar power, wind power and electric vehicles, as well as the recovery of some natural systems, showed beneficial change could accelerate after reaching a critical threshold.
"However, the transition to clean power is being impeded by slow planning and grid expansion, particularly in wealthier economies, and a severe lack of investment elsewhere. Africa receives less than 2% of global clean energy investment despite possessing 60% of the world’s best solar resources, according to the report.
"Research cited in the analysis suggests coordinated policies supporting clean power, transport and heating could bring forward tipping points in those sectors by between two and eight years. Progress in one sector makes the others easier by increasing demand for clean electricity, encouraging investment and driving costs down further.
"Transforming global commodity supply chains is identified as another high-impact intervention. A relatively small number of #companies, #banks and regulators control trade in commodities including #beef, #soy, #PalmOil, #timber, #cocoa and #coffee, which together drive much of the world’s tropical #deforestation."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/hMMv4#SolarPunkSunday #NewTechnology #Capitalism #RenewablesNow #PostOil #PostCapitalism #Earth4All
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However, we need to figure out #Batteries that don't involve #Lithium (or reuse lithium), and also #GreenTechnology that is TRULY green -- ideally from recycled or common place materials, that can be repaired, and that can be recycled/reused once its useful life is over...
#ClimateSolutions most likely to reach ‘positive tipping points’ revealed by scientists
Global shift towards clean electricity could trigger ‘cascade’ of progress, helping reduce air pollution, cut waste and revive oceans
Matthew Pearce
Thu 10 Sep 2026Excerpt: "The report, produced by the University of Exeter with the Earthshot prize, applies tipping point science to 51 priority areas across five environmental goals: protecting nature, cleaning the air, reviving oceans, eliminating waste and tackling the climate crisis.
"Smith said positive tipping points could be understood as the beneficial counterpart to dangerous climate thresholds, such as the collapse of ice sheets or the death of coral reefs.
" 'Tipping points can also work in our favour,' he said. The rapid growth of solar power, wind power and electric vehicles, as well as the recovery of some natural systems, showed beneficial change could accelerate after reaching a critical threshold.
"However, the transition to clean power is being impeded by slow planning and grid expansion, particularly in wealthier economies, and a severe lack of investment elsewhere. Africa receives less than 2% of global clean energy investment despite possessing 60% of the world’s best solar resources, according to the report.
"Research cited in the analysis suggests coordinated policies supporting clean power, transport and heating could bring forward tipping points in those sectors by between two and eight years. Progress in one sector makes the others easier by increasing demand for clean electricity, encouraging investment and driving costs down further.
"Transforming global commodity supply chains is identified as another high-impact intervention. A relatively small number of #companies, #banks and regulators control trade in commodities including #beef, #soy, #PalmOil, #timber, #cocoa and #coffee, which together drive much of the world’s tropical #deforestation."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/hMMv4#SolarPunkSunday #NewTechnology #Capitalism #RenewablesNow #PostOil #PostCapitalism #Earth4All
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However, we need to figure out #Batteries that don't involve #Lithium (or reuse lithium), and also #GreenTechnology that is TRULY green -- ideally from recycled or common place materials, that can be repaired, and that can be recycled/reused once its useful life is over...
#ClimateSolutions most likely to reach ‘positive tipping points’ revealed by scientists
Global shift towards clean electricity could trigger ‘cascade’ of progress, helping reduce air pollution, cut waste and revive oceans
Matthew Pearce
Thu 10 Sep 2026Excerpt: "The report, produced by the University of Exeter with the Earthshot prize, applies tipping point science to 51 priority areas across five environmental goals: protecting nature, cleaning the air, reviving oceans, eliminating waste and tackling the climate crisis.
"Smith said positive tipping points could be understood as the beneficial counterpart to dangerous climate thresholds, such as the collapse of ice sheets or the death of coral reefs.
" 'Tipping points can also work in our favour,' he said. The rapid growth of solar power, wind power and electric vehicles, as well as the recovery of some natural systems, showed beneficial change could accelerate after reaching a critical threshold.
"However, the transition to clean power is being impeded by slow planning and grid expansion, particularly in wealthier economies, and a severe lack of investment elsewhere. Africa receives less than 2% of global clean energy investment despite possessing 60% of the world’s best solar resources, according to the report.
"Research cited in the analysis suggests coordinated policies supporting clean power, transport and heating could bring forward tipping points in those sectors by between two and eight years. Progress in one sector makes the others easier by increasing demand for clean electricity, encouraging investment and driving costs down further.
"Transforming global commodity supply chains is identified as another high-impact intervention. A relatively small number of #companies, #banks and regulators control trade in commodities including #beef, #soy, #PalmOil, #timber, #cocoa and #coffee, which together drive much of the world’s tropical #deforestation."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/hMMv4#SolarPunkSunday #NewTechnology #Capitalism #RenewablesNow #PostOil #PostCapitalism #Earth4All
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However, we need to figure out #Batteries that don't involve #Lithium (or reuse lithium), and also #GreenTechnology that is TRULY green -- ideally from recycled or common place materials, that can be repaired, and that can be recycled/reused once its useful life is over...
#ClimateSolutions most likely to reach ‘positive tipping points’ revealed by scientists
Global shift towards clean electricity could trigger ‘cascade’ of progress, helping reduce air pollution, cut waste and revive oceans
Matthew Pearce
Thu 10 Sep 2026Excerpt: "The report, produced by the University of Exeter with the Earthshot prize, applies tipping point science to 51 priority areas across five environmental goals: protecting nature, cleaning the air, reviving oceans, eliminating waste and tackling the climate crisis.
"Smith said positive tipping points could be understood as the beneficial counterpart to dangerous climate thresholds, such as the collapse of ice sheets or the death of coral reefs.
" 'Tipping points can also work in our favour,' he said. The rapid growth of solar power, wind power and electric vehicles, as well as the recovery of some natural systems, showed beneficial change could accelerate after reaching a critical threshold.
"However, the transition to clean power is being impeded by slow planning and grid expansion, particularly in wealthier economies, and a severe lack of investment elsewhere. Africa receives less than 2% of global clean energy investment despite possessing 60% of the world’s best solar resources, according to the report.
"Research cited in the analysis suggests coordinated policies supporting clean power, transport and heating could bring forward tipping points in those sectors by between two and eight years. Progress in one sector makes the others easier by increasing demand for clean electricity, encouraging investment and driving costs down further.
"Transforming global commodity supply chains is identified as another high-impact intervention. A relatively small number of #companies, #banks and regulators control trade in commodities including #beef, #soy, #PalmOil, #timber, #cocoa and #coffee, which together drive much of the world’s tropical #deforestation."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/hMMv4#SolarPunkSunday #NewTechnology #Capitalism #RenewablesNow #PostOil #PostCapitalism #Earth4All
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#Aotearoa / #NewZealand - #MakerFestival
12 - 13 Sept 2026
10:00 am – 6:00 pm148 Durham Street, #Tauranga 3110, New Zealand
"Innovate. Create. Electrify the Future.
#STEM #WanaTrust proudly presents our first ever #MakerFest ! A #SustainableTech event that aims to inspire #innovation and #EnvironmentalResponsibility by developing and showcasing #RenewableEnergy and electrification projects to a broad audience.
Maker Festival will also have a dedicated #RepairCafé over the 2 event days.
Registration: Register for this event and find out more by heading to the learn more button or here
Audience: While the festival is about hands-on learn by doing, #MakerFest is suited to older rangatahi and young adults. We welcome all ages, but some activities will be unsuitable to those under 12 years of age. Please check our programme for the day for more info on what to expect to avoid disappointment.
Accessibility: Public transport, #WhānauFriendly and #Mobility #accessible
Cost: Free entry
Venue: 148 Durham Street, Tauranga 3110
Maximum Capacity: 1600"FMI and to register:
https://www.repairnetworkaotearoa.org.nz/repair-festival-2026/maker-festival-tauranga-repair-caf%C3%A9#SolarPunkSunday #RepairCafes #RepairNetworkAotearoa
#RepairReuseRestore #STEMWanaTrust #ZeroWaste #FixIt #RepairFestival #RenewablesNow #SolarPunk #RepairFestival2026 #BuildingCommunity #SustainableTechnology -
Boo hiss...
Controversial #JackdawGasField set to be approved in weeks, sources say
Simon Jack, 3 September 2026
"The #UK government is set to give the go-ahead for a controversial new #GasField off the coast of #Aberdeen, the BBC understands.
"Approval for the Jackdaw project could come in mid-September, just before #Parliament breaks for party conference season, according to government and industry sources.
"The gas field was approved by the former #ConservativeGovernment in 2022 but was delayed by a legal ruling from a #ScottishCourt, after #EnvironmentalGroups argued consent was given without fully considering the #ClimateImpact.
"Jackdaw's owner says it will account for 6% of UK gas output when at peak production but environmental groups say it will provide only 2% of UK use when imports are included.
"Campaigners launched legal challenges after Jackdaw was approved in 2022 and when the #RosebankOilField off #Shetland was given the green light in 2023.
"The Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled last year that #Rosebank and Jackdaw had been unlawfully approved because the government had failed to take into account the climate impact of burning extracted #OilAndGas from the sites.
"A judge ruled that more detailed climate assessments had to be published, and further estimates were put out for consultation in July.
"Both Jackdaw and Rosebank are operated by #Adura, a joint venture between energy giants #ShellOil and Norway's #Equinor. Aberdeen-based firm Ithaca also owns 20% of Rosebank.
"Adura has estimated that Jackdaw could produce 35.8m tonnes of carbon over its 11-year lifetime, the equivalent of 90% of Scotland's emissions for 2023. But it said a more likely estimate was about 23.6m tonnes - equivalent to 60% of the 2023 figure.
" #Environmentalists insist that more #drilling would be unconscionable, hampering efforts to cut planet-warming carbon emissions as deadly #heatwaves and #ExtremeWeather affect billions across the globe.
"They also say starting production would not protect energy security and that transitioning sooner to #GreenerTechnologies would be better for supporting jobs."
Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj9xe09jz4eo#RenewablesNow #NoDrilling #NorthSea #ScottishCoast #UKNews #UKPol #Scotland #BigOilAndGas #ShellLies #Oiligarchy
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#PlugInSolar Panels Are Starting to Sprout in #US Backyards
Ten U.S. states have legalized systems that can be plugged into standard wall outlets. The technology typically does not require permits or electricians.
By Ivan Penn and Claire Brown
Published July 31, 2026, Updated Aug. 3, 2026Excerpt: "Millions of Americans worried about rising energy costs might soon follow in her footsteps as states start allowing homeowners and renters to plug in solar panels on balconies, in backyards and other places. Plug-in systems are much smaller and cheaper than rooftop build-outs — some costing just a few hundred dollars a panel. Permits are not required in the states that allow their use, and people can often install them on their own.
"Utah became the first state to legalize plug-in solar systems last year. Nine others, including New Jersey, Virginia and Colorado, have joined it, and lawmakers in California, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and several other states are considering doing so."
Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/business/energy-environment/plug-in-balcony-solar.htmlArchived version:
https://archive.ph/0yRS2#SolarPunkSunday #BackyardSolar #Renewables #SolarEnergy #BalconySolar #RenewablesNow
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#Carbon14: Another underestimated danger from #nuclear reactors
"There are a number of radionuclides released from nuclear energy facilities. This paper highlights carbon-14 for a number of reasons:
- Carbon-14 is radioactive and is released into air as #methane and #CO2
- Before 2010, carbon-14 releases from nuclear reactors were virtually ignored in the United States. Today only estimates are required and only under certain restrictive circumstances.
- There is no good accounting of releases to date, so its impact on our health, our children’s health, and that of our
#environment remains unknown, yet environmental measurement is possible, but can be challenging under certain
conditions.- Carbon-14 has a half-life of over 5700 years and the element carbon is a basic building block for life on earth. Therefore, “it constitutes a potential health hazard, whose additional production by #anthropogenic sources of today will result in an increased #radiation exposure to many future generations.”
- Like #tritium, it can collect in the tissues of the fetus at twice the concentration of the tissues in the mother, pointing to its
disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable human lifecycle: the developing child.The element carbon is found in all organic substances. Carbon is also a primary constituent of #GreenhouseGases that are responsible for #ClimateChange, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (#CH4). Carbon-14 (c-14) is a radioactive form of
carbon that occurs in nature and is also newly formed in nuclear power processes.
"Carbon-14 is a health concern because it is released from #NuclearPower facilities as radioactive carbon dioxide and methane, traveling readily in the local and global environment."Over time, carbon-14 becomes part of organic material including food, and has a half-life of approximately 5,730 years, decaying by a type of radioactive particle called a beta. Its hazardous life is 10-20 times its half-life, meaning that harmful exposure to man-made carbon-14 can last for hundreds of generations. The radioactive carbon forms as a byproduct of fissioning of uranium fuel, through a process called activation. The final step is a chemical reaction between carbon-14 and oxygen or hydrogen, which forms methane or carbon dioxide. The radioactive carbon-14 formed by this process is brand new and would not exist without nuclear fission.
"During its long hazardous life, carbon-14 could be responsible for gross physical or
mental defects, stillbirths and childhood deaths, embryonic and neonatal deaths into the many millions over the life of the isotope."These millions could be underestimated five times or more. Carbon-14 could also be responsible for #leukemia, bone and other #cancers."
https://beyondnuclear.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/carbon14FINAL.pdf
#NoNukes #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukesForAI #RenewablesNow! #BeyondNuclear #NuclearIsNotCarbonFree
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'Chaos': #Peru Declares #EnvironmentalEmergency Over #OilSpill
"So far, we have not had any response from the oil company," said one fisherman whose livelihood has been threatened by the accident.
Julia Conley
Dec 27, 2024"At least seven beaches and the safety of local wildlife have been impacted by an oil spill in northern Peru, said the South American country's Environmental Assessment and Oversight Agency on Thursday as the government declared an environmental emergency.
"The environmental watchdog, known as #OEFA locally, said in a preliminary report that about 10,000 square meters of surface seawater have been contaminated by the crude oil, which spilled from a vessel at a terminal of the #TalaraRefinery.
"Petroperu, the state-owned oil company, was preparing to load the oil onto a tanker when the spill was detected at #LasCapullanas beach.
"The company has not disclosed exactly how much oil spilled, but OEFA said it has extended over an area of 116-566 acres. Petroperu has also not stated the cause of the accident."
Read more:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/petroperu
#BigOilAndGas #Petroperu #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife #NoDAPL #RenewablesNow #EnvironmentalPollution #EnvironmentalDisaster -
In a #Cleveland suburb, this old #CoalPlant will soon be replaced by a massive #SolarFarm
Inside Climate News
July 26, 2024"#CoalFired power plant that started running more than a century ago is about to get a long-overdue retirement, and its electricity will be replaced by a solar farm and a #BatteryStorage system on an existing #brownfield.
"The project in #PainesvilleOhio, a suburb of Cleveland, is one of about two dozen clean energy and emissions-reduction initiatives across the country that are sharing $4.3 billion in funding announced on Monday by the #BidenAdministration.
"It was a happy day for Doug Lewis, Painesville’s city manager. He and his colleagues have been considering how to close the city-owned power plant and replace it with a cleaner alternative. They also have wanted to redevelop the site of a long-shuttered #chemical factory near the shores of Lake Erie.
"The federal government will now pay about $80 million to install solar and batteries on the former factory land and to beautify the rest of the brownfield by planting a #meadow of #wildflowers and constructing a #BikeTrail. The trail will provide a connection between Painesville and a regional trail that runs along the lake.
[...]
"The solar farm will have capacity of 35 megawatts and the battery storage system will have capacity of 10 megawatts. It will be capable of running for three hours at that level before recharging.
"The new construction will be on land that once was home to the Diamond Shamrock Corp. chemical plant, which operated there from 1912 to 1977 and occupied about 1,100 acres. The plant’s products included baking soda, chromium compounds, and hydrochloric and sulfuric acids.
"Since the site closed, the community and the federal government have gone through the slow and trying process of removing #pollutants to make it site safe for redevelopment.
The current project can serve as a case study for many things, including regional cooperation. Painesville, in Lake County, worked with officials in neighboring Cuyahoga County and the Cleveland city government to file an application with the federal government that included #RenewableEnergy projects for all of them."
#SolarFarms
#RenewablesNow
#RenewableEnergy
#LocalEnergy
#NoNewNukes
#NoNukes #Ohio #Bicycles #BikePaths #GreenSpace #Reclamation #SolarSundays -
Scientists test #agriculture and #SolarEnergy on #Illinois #farms
Two experiments in the state are measuring which crops could grow well under these panels.
By Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco
Jul 18, 2024, 2:58pm EDT"Thousands of #wildflowers are blooming under rows of solar panels in eastern Illinois. #Milkweeds, #BlackEyedSusans and native #PrairieGrasses catch the sunlight that streams past solar panels on one end of this 54-acre property near Champaign.
"'Obviously, this setting is not perfect for the farming system,' D.K. Lee, a professor of crop sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said about the narrow space between solar panel arrays.
"But this experimental station called #SolarFarm 2.0 could help UIUC scientists determine whether the marriage between Midwestern agriculture and solar power will be a happy one. Researchers are piloting how crops such as grains and #soybeans used primarily to feed livestock grow with solar panels obstructing their full view of the sun. The counterintuitive practice is called #agrivoltaics, a nascent industry that partners solar developers looking for large plots of land and farmers looking to make additional income.
"That’s why two parallel experiments are underway here to find out what can grow and thrive under solar panels. To hit the ambitious clean energy targets set by state and federal officials, solar power will have to increase close to seven times over current capacity by 2035. That will mean millions of acres devoted to solar power — many of which could be in America’s #farmlands. But to make sure that agricultural communities aren’t left behind by the clean energy transition, scientists want to know what it will take for life to persist beneath solar panels — potentially a first step for farmers and solar power to co-exist.
"'We can only farm about 70% of the land here,' said Bruce E. Branham, professor of horticulture at UIUC. 'So we’ve got 30% of the land that would be farmed in full sun that is just vacant.'
"But in just two years and despite physical constraints, initial findings suggest that the #sorghum grain could be a promising crop to grow alongside solar panels. Branham said that so far it appears that combining sorghum with solar panels has resulted in a 59% increase in efficiency. And wildlife, including #birds and #bees, are flocking to the improved habitat. It’s a good start, but there’s still ways to go before solar farms like these are generating serious energy.
"'This is a 54-acre site, and we’re getting 12 megawatts,' Banham said. 'A lot of power plants are much, much greater than that.'
"In all, Solar Farm 2.0 produces close to 1% of the generating power of the #ClintonPowerStation, a #NuclearPowerPlant just a 45 minute drive east. But for Banham and others, this presents an opportunity to combine Midwestern row crops with solar power to generate enough energy to compete with #FossilFuels and other clean energy alternatives."
#SolarPunkSunday #SolarFarms #RenewablesNow #RenewableEnergy #LocalEnergy #NoNewNukes #NoNukes #SolarFarm #SaveTheFarms #IllinoisFarms #MidwestFarms #SolarSundays #Agrivoltaic
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Another #SolarFarm project is underway for the #Groveville section of #BuxtonMaine -- near an existing power distribution line. That could power nearby towns!
There were concerns about the nearby waterways, but those were addressed, and there will be a forest buffer for wildlife to cross.
Little River Solar Project
Submitted on August 24, 2020Summary
"BWC Little River, LLC is proposing to construct and operate the Little River Solar Project, an approximately 5.81-megawatt DC solar array project located on Groveville Road. The project will be located on portions of five parcels (Map 7, lots 1, 1B, 1C, 1D and 1E) consisting of 19.04 acres of open fields and woodlands. The project will connect to an existing Central Maine Power distribution line on Groveville Road and will provide community distributed electric generation. The property is in the Village, Residential and Rural Districts."
https://www.buxton.me.us/planning-board/agenda-items/little-river-solar-project-0
#Maine #SolarFarms #RenewablesNow #RenewableEnergy #LocalEnergy