Henry Harrell"s Blog: February 28 Energy News

Headline News:

Oil giant Shell’s farsighted 1991 film, titled Climate of Concern, set out with crystal clarity how the world was warming and that serious consequences could well result. It said climate change was happening “at a rate faster than at any time since the end of the ice age – change too fast perhaps for life to adapt, without severe dislocation.” [The Guardian]

Severe dislocation in Bangladesh (Photo: Mufti Munir / AFP/Getty Images)

Russia has used oil dependence as a weapon to subvert democracies that border it. Estonia, however, has countered this. The country had been importing all of its natural gas for heating and hot water from Russia, but that ended last year. It has shifted its fossil fuel buying to Norway’s Statoil, and is developing offshore wind power. [CleanTechnica]
Minnesota’s renewable energy standard would increase to 50% by 2030 under a bipartisan plan unveiled Monday by Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith. The state’s current renewable energy standard, or RES, stands at 25% by 2025 for all utilities, with a more aggressive target for the state’s largest investor owned utility, Xcel Energy. [Midwest Energy News]
Minnesota wind turbines (photo: Michael Janke)
Tesla will end up hiring around 54% more workers for the Gigafactory project than was initially supposed, according to the executive director of the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development. Initial estimates were that 6,500 jobs would be created by the Gigafactory project. Now, the forecast is for more than 10,000. [CleanTechnica]
Legislation to require all California electricity providers to supply power generated 100% from renewable resources such as wind and solar by 2045 has been introduced by Senate President Kevin de Leon as Senate Bill 584. Current standards require 33% renewable power by 2020 and 50% by 2030. [Natural Resources Defense Council]

Henry Harrell"s Blog