Henry Harrell"s Blog: November 30 Green Energy News

Headline News:

Nearly 5,500 K-12 US schools, about 5% of them, are now powered by the sun, and their solar capacity has almost doubled in the last three years, according to a study by the Solar Energy Industries Association, The Solar Foundation, and Generation 180. Their total generating capacity is 910 MW, enough to power 190,000 homes. [InsideClimate News]

Students at an elementary school in Arlington, Virginia (Credit: Lincoln Barbour)

Sales demand for sedans in the US could fall by more than half by 2030 due to the influence of self-driving taxis on the market, going on the findings of a new study from the consulting firm KPMG. The study predicts a “precipitous decline” in the US from the current 5.4 million sedan sales each year to 2.1 million by 2030. [CleanTechnica]
“Life After Coal” • At one time, 500,000 miners worked in Germany’s Ruhr Valley, producing as much as 124 million tons of coal every year. Next year, that era will come to an end when the last mine closes. Wind turbines have sprung up among old shaft towers and coking plants, as Germany strives to hit its renewable energy goals. [Grist]
“Senate bill threatens US renewable energy tax equity market” The Base Erosion Anti-Abuse Tax provisions in the Senate version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act would hurt wind and solar investments in the US and damage tax equity markets, renewable energy groups warn. The BEAT provisions apply retroactively to existing plants. [Renewables Now]
The Industry Committee of the European Parliament backed a binding target of at least 35% renewable energy for 2030 and stricter renewable energy laws. Members of the European Parliament voted on the committee’s position on the post-2020 Renewable Energy Directive, steered by Spanish MEP José Blanco López. [Offshore Wind Journal]

Henry Harrell"s Blog