Lunchtime Reads and Hot Takes
Here’s where the Biden admin wants to build new power lines — ASAP — Canary Media
Amena’s take: These projects, which will be eligible for $2 billion in federal loans after undergoing environmental review, are aimed at complementing separate but related rules expected out of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission next week.
The $9tn question: how to pay for the green transition — Financial Times (subscription)
Cat’s take: Notable from an energy strategist: “This is a false problem,” he says. “The sums involved are actually quite limited and it’s absolutely solvable." But they will require bold, strategic regulation.
Giant Batteries Are Transforming the Way the U.S. Uses Electricity — The New York Times
Amy’s take: Good graphics and overview. No mention of pumped hydro though, and the story only hints at longer duration energy storage at the end.
Here’s why so many Republicans won’t buy EVs — The Washington Post
Amena’s take: Saving money on gasoline while protecting the environment could be seen as a plus; instead, it has become a culture war issue.
Tesla won the EV charging race. So why’s it gutting its Supercharger team? — Canary Media
Amy’s take: It was eye-opening to learn about the degree to which electric vehicle charging stations may or may not be profitable, despite their core role in facilitating more EVs.
A Billionaire Wanted to Save 1 Trillion Trees by 2030. It’s Not Going Great. — Bloomberg
Cat’s take: The number of trees pledged to the effort is less than 15% of the goal and 2.6 billion trees, less than 0.3% of what's needed, have been planted or conserved, according to admittedly imperfect records.
Can Forests Be More Profitable Than Beef? — The New York Times
Bill’s take: Carbon offsets have proved controversial, but this story shows why many — certainly including the carbon credit industry itself — have not given up on them as a way to address climate change.
Spain, Portugal take home most of €720m EU hydrogen award — Euractiv
Anca’s take: The results were impressive, with all bids calculating they can produce hydrogen below €0.5 per kilogram. This is ten times lower than the €4.5 per kg of hydrogen the state support was capped at.
‘Everything’s on fire’: Inside the US failure to safeguard pipelines — E&E News (subscription)
Cat’s take: This excellent reporting exposing a "potentially deadly gap in the regulatory apparatus" is especially critical, reporter Mike Soraghan points out, because we're going to need lots more pipelines.
This bank is turning Africa into a climate investment opportunity — Bloomberg
Bill’s take: Africa has the world’s youngest population, and long term there’s no solving the climate crisis without this huge continent on board, the sooner the better.
Microsoft to power data centres with big Brookfield renewables deal — Financial Times (subscription)
Cat’s take: The ginormous deal is a sign of how tech giants like Microsoft both demand huge quantities of new energy to drive AI data centers and at the same time are looking to meet clean power commitments.
More of what we're reading:
- Amazon, BP Counter Push to Repeal Washington Climate Law — Bloomberg
- Wind and solar are ‘fastest-growing electricity sources in history’ — CarbonBrief
- After Vogtle, what’s next for nuclear? — E&E News (subscription)
- Good COP, bad COP: Azerbaijan’s climate charm offensive is backfiring — POLITICO
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