The new plant – located in Ramme, Denmark – is said to be capable of producing 5,000 tons of green ammonia per year, entirely from solar and wind energy. Topsoe reports that this effort will prevent 8,200 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. Gray ammonia production – which uses fossil fuels – is currently the norm around the globe, and accounts for about 1.2% of all carbon dioxide emissions.
The toymaker hopes gradually to bring down the amount of oil-based plastic it uses by paying up to 70% more for certified renewable resin, the raw plastic used to manufacture the bricks, in an attempt to encourage manufacturers to increase production. In the long term, Lego plans to switch entirely to renewable and recycled plastic by 2032, in a green push that has resulted in the company testing more than 600 alternative materials.
From January through July of this year, wind and solar in the U.S. generated more net electricity than power from coal, according to recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Further, wind energy generation alone beat coal energy generation in two consecutive months: March and April. As CleanTechnica reported, wind energy installations produced 45.9 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in March and a record high 47.7 GWh in April, compared to the 38.4 GWh in March and 37.2 GWh in April generated by coal-fired power plants.
Financial close has been reached for the first two phases of the world’s largest battery storage project, the Oasis de Atacama in Chile, with 1.24GWh now financed and an eventual 4.1GWh once all five phases are completed. Grenergy expects the completed project will generate electricity equivalent for the needs of 145,000 homes and reduce CO2 emissions by over 146,000 tons.
The Kenyan government’s move to start buying electric vehicles could be good news for companies that are looking assemble or retail electric cars in the country. The announcement just said “vehicles,” and therefore could include electric buses, trucks, and motorcycles as well, which would be a major boost for Kenya’s nascent electric vehicle ecosystem.
From January through June, Chinese officials permitted 10.3 gigawatts of new coal capacity, far less than the 50.4 gigawatts approved in the first half of last year, according to an analysis from Greenpeace and the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. While China is bullish on renewables — it is currently building twice as much wind and solar as the rest of the world combined — officials have been looking to coal to meet demand when solar and wind are in short supply.
Leading global renewable energy developer Lightsource BP has secured $NZ267 million in financing for its 168MW Kōwhai Park solar project planned to be built at the Christchurch Airport, which will be – for a time – the largest in the country. The solar farm is expected to begin construction later this year and begin operations some time in 2026. Once operational, the Kōwhai Park solar farm will generate over 275GWh per year, equivalent to the annual demand of approximately 36,000 homes.
The vast Sundarbans mangrove forests along the southern coast of Bangladesh act as a shield and protect the coastal people and their livelihoods from tropical cyclones and tidal surges. In the last couple of years, the number of mangroves in the zone has increased as the government and some NGOs have introduced programs to plant mangrove trees on the coastal embankments as protection measures. Women from coastal villages, who know the ecosystem well, have been at the forefront of these reforestation projects and have also become entrepreneurial with mangrove forest resources.
A new analysis of satellite imagery dating as far back as 1972 reveals that mangroves in Madagascar are rebounding after decades of deforestation. The island’s total mangrove cover is down 8% compared with 1972, but a closer look at the data shows that the rate of loss has been declining and even reversed in the last decade. Between 2009 and 2019, Madagascar’s mangrove cover increased by 5%, with mangrove forests expanding even more in protected areas — showing that conservation efforts are working.
As a part of the 2nd anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, nearly 350 Climate Mayors announced a commitment to electrify at least 50% of municipal fleets by 2030 while increasing electric vehicle (EV) chargers by at least 500%, with at least 40% of the charging infrastructure benefitting disadvantaged communities. This collective effort is a pivotal move to meet the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal to make 50% of all new vehicle sales electric by 2030.
