THIS WEEK
China has another kind of coal problem, Ontario's PCs have a climate leadership problem, and a car and a bike had a baby (GRAPHIC CONTENT—kidding).
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WIND POWER
You'll need audio for this
Before you keep reading, I need you to do one quick thing: make sure your speakers are on or plug in a pair of headphones and click this link. Is it playing? Okay, keep reading:
It stands a mighty 260 metres—100 metres taller than the Washington Monument.
Each of its blades is longer than a soccer field.
It will produce 45% more electricity than today's biggest offshore wind turbines.
Enough power for 5,000 homes—from a single turbine.
It is GE's Haliade-X.
The world's most powerful wind turbine.
Coming in 2021.
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Range anxiety? More like range acceleration
Average electric car range is now above 100 miles in countries across the globe. Importantly, that's also true in China, which has a lot of low-cost EVs that don't go as far as premium models. Global EV sales were 58% higher last year than in 2016.
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A hole in China's climate leadership
Kenya plans to build its first coal-fired power plant, but here's the kicker: a Chinese company is building the plant, backed by a Chinese bank. China's massive coal sector is building and financing coal plants around the world—hundreds of them—as they disappear at home.
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Campaigning on the wrong side of history
All four Ontario PC leadership hopefuls have rejected the prospect of a carbon tax, which was supported by ex-leader Patrick Brown. What they haven't done is offered a viable alternative. Meanwhile, recent polling suggests they could be making the wrong bet. The province completed its first international cap-and-trade auction last week, raising $471 million.
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Watch it on repeat
Ontario Power Generation has demolished its stacks in Nanticoke—once the biggest coal-fired generating station on the planet—to make way for a 200,000-panel solar plant. And if that wasn't good enough news on its own, grab a glass of wine, put that song back on, and enjoy:
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The diesel ban stands in German cities
Cities can ban diesel vehicles, a German court ruled last week. This is big news. One-third of passenger cars in the European country are diesel-powered. "It's a great day for clean air in Germany," said Juergen Resch, head of Environmental Action Germany.
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'It's as though a car and a bike had a baby'
So says Tanya Paz, project manager for the UBC Veemo pilot program, which will introduce electric-assist bikes to the university's campus. The company behind the technology, Vancouver's VeloMetro Mobility, also just signed a contract with an Indian company to launch the vehicles in India and potentially elsewhere in South Asia.
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U.S. auto parts suppliers want cleaner cars
Five groups representing America's auto suppliers released a statement last week saying the U.S. should develop “the cleanest and most efficient vehicles in the world.” This puts them at odds with their customers, automakers—who would rather roll back Obama-era standards.
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Cryptocurrency windfall of another sort
Quebec-based Innergex Renewable Energy says its recently acquired energy assets—including 100 megawatts of geothermal in Iceland—have become more lucrative than expected. The reason? Demand from cryptocurrency mining. Innergex says it may further its Iceland expansion.
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The next revolution in EV charging: going plugless
BMW's 530e hits the market later this year, and it will feature wireless charging technology from a company called WiTricity. In other words, we may soon need to stop calling them plug-in EVs.
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Clean Energy Review is sponsored in part by Genus Capital Management, a leading provider of fossil-fuel-free investments.
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Our new private Facebook group is now live! Join and share the group to connect with and support fellow Canadians powering our sustainable future.
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IMAGE & MEDIA CREDITS
Photos: GE, VeloMetro Mobility
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