EV Interest Soars as Gas Prices Explode - Good Climate News
Automobile dealers are seeing increased interest in electric vehicles, heralds Yale Environment 360. The Iran War has driven oil prices to above $4.00/gal in the United States, the threshold at which buyers began to ditch gasoline cars.
“After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the price of gas in the U.S. rose to more than $5 per gallon, and sales of battery-powered vehicles rose by 66 percent that year…”
2. Solar Insulates Pakistan From Iran War Fallout
Pakistan’s solar boom is cushioning the impact of the Iran War and the consequent rise in fossil fuel prices, reports The Guardian. Pakistan built a fleet of massive Liquefied Fossil Gas (LFG) plants, but they are now mostly used to back up its residential solar panels.
“Booming solar generation has reduced the need for gas to generate electricity, especially during the day…Pakistan’s solar surge had helped to avoid about $12bn in oil and gas imports.”
3. Renewables Booming in Both California and Texas
Both leftist California and right-wing Texas are renewable energy superstars, explains Yale Climate Connections. Wind and solar account for 40% of all electricity generation in California, and 30% in Texas - where it is now growing more quickly.
“California has used centralized state control to achieve lots of wind, solar, and storage, while Texas has accomplished the same outcomes via open-access and competitive choice…”
4. Geothermal Can Be Built in Under 3 Years
New low-carbon, enhanced geothermal plants could be built in under three years, relays Utility Dive. This compares very favorably to timelines for fossil gas plants and particularly nuclear plants - which can take up to 15 years to complete.
“A DOE [Department of Energy] analysis shows the potential for at least 300 gigawatts of reliable, flexible geothermal power on the U.S. grid by 2050.”
5. Long Duration Batteries Arrive in Europe
American energy storage startup Form Energy has made its first sale in Europe, according to ESS News. The company will bring its iron-air batteries to Ireland to help store energy from variable renewable resources like wind.
“The US company published analysis about Ireland’s energy system that claimed Ireland could reduce renewable curtailment and lower energy generation costs by more than 25% annually by integrating multi-day energy storage.”
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