14 Clean Energy Stories to Love This Valentine's Day
February 14 is Valentine’s Day. To celebrate, here are fourteen stories to love, illustrating how America’s communities are falling for clean energy technologies that are helping them save money, add jobs, cut pollution and become energy secure.
“Texas recently generated 80% of its power from renewable and nuclear power.” (from Houston Chronicle in February)
“For more than six hours Sunday, nearly 80% of Texas’s electricity came from solar, wind or nuclear power, a phenomenon that is likely to become more common as the Texas power grid increasingly shifts to zero-emissions power generation.”“Biden's climate law has led to 86,000 new jobs and $132 billion in investments” (from CNN Business in August)
“More than 270 new clean energy projects have been announced since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), with private investments totaling $132 billion, according to the report. These investments are expected to be accompanied by more than 86,000 jobs, including 50,000 jobs related to electric vehicles. The Inflation Reduction Act ‘is not only working to strengthen supply chains but also to boost domestic manufacturing and create new jobs,’ Bank of America said in the report.”“Veterans leading the charge for clean energy” (from Stars and Stripes in November)
“Veterans have always played a vital role in preserving our national security. Now they’re leading the charge via clean energy, as new laws like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which celebrates its second anniversary this week, continue to create new openings with robust investments in American clean energy manufacturing.”“Vermont utility keeps the power on with portable long-duration energy storage” (from PV Magazine in August):
“Green Mountain Power (GMP) … deployed the [Nomad mobile battery system] to keep Twincraft Skincare’s manufacturing facility from going down during routine power system maintenance. GMP estimates that the scheduled maintenance would have otherwise required a 6-hour outage for line crew safety.”“LanzaJet opens sustainable aviation fuel plant in Georgia” (from Canary Media in January)
“On Wednesday, LanzaJet marked the opening of its Freedom Pines Fuels facility, which uses novel technology to convert ethanol into sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF. The $200 million biorefinery is the first in the world to deploy an “alcohol-to-jet” process, one that the company claims can curb greenhouse gas emissions by over 70 percent compared to conventional jet fuel.”“Former Coal Towns Get Money for Clean-Energy Factories” (from New York Times in November)
“An Energy Department program designed to create jobs and manufacturing in communities reliant on fossil fuels is backing projects in West Virginia, Colorado and elsewhere.”“Clean Energy Can Be a Lifeline for Low-Income Texans” (from Dallas Morning News in July)
“Millions of federal dollars are headed to Texas for game-changing clean energy projects. As part of the Inflation Reduction Act passed last year, this funding will create jobs, save people money and fight the climate crisis.”“At Pentagon’s first net-zero base, military tests green future” (from Washington Post in June)
“Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany…is the first in the military to reach its net-zero goal…Renewable energy on bases makes them more resilient and less prone to blackouts from the civilian grid. And reducing the Pentagon’s overall carbon footprint slows the climate change that President Biden and others fear could lead to future conflicts.”“Goodwill of North Georgia is training people to work in cleantech” (from NPR in January)
“Expanding Georgia’s charging infrastructure is a critical step in the electric vehicle (EV) transition. That’s why Goodwill of North Georgia is launching a cleantech workforce training program. Workers will get paid to learn technical skills for jobs in EV charging.”“How One Solar Company Is Succeeding in Coal Country” (from Grist in October)
“In the midst of the Inflation Reduction Act’s rollout, McFadden and coal-rich Wise County have something many politically conservative areas from Texas to Ohio are struggling to create: real, and growing, support for solar.”“Fervo Energy Says it Has Achieved Geothermal Energy Tech Breakthrough” (from Bloomberg in July)
“In a landmark step for enhanced geothermal technology’s potential as a dependable carbon-free energy source, startup Fervo Energy has completed a performance demonstration of its commercial pilot. The Houston-based company wrapped up a full-scale, 30-day well test at its Project Red site in northern Nevada, which was able to generate 3.5 megawatts of electricity, according to a company statement. (One megawatt can power roughly 750 homes at once.)”“US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm took summer EV road trip” (from ABC’s GMA3 in July):
ABC News’ Alex Presha joined Granholm on an electric vehicle road trip that started in Charlotte, North Carolina, and made stops around the country.
“Solar energy company Unimacts expanding in Las Vegas, creating new jobs” (from Las Vegas Review-Journal in September)
“Over the last nine months a solar parts manufacturer has added 100 jobs at its Las Vegas facility and plans to add another 100 by the end of next year. Unimacts held an event this week to celebrate the expansion of its Las Vegas facility that brings the company’s total manufacturing space in Las Vegas to 127,000 square feet. The expanded Unimacts facility, located next to The Orleans, will support Nextracker, a firm that creates solar tracking and solar panel performance technology, which will use the Las Vegas-made parts on solar projects throughout Nevada and the U.S.”
“Biden uses executive power to create a New Deal-style American Climate Corps” (from AP in September)
“In an announcement Wednesday, the White House said the program will employ more than 20,000 young adults who will build trails, plant trees, help install solar panels and do other work to boost conservation and help prevent catastrophic wildfires.”