South Korea Pledges Coal Phase-Out | Good Climate News
South Korea has pledged to retire all 62 of its coal power plants by 2040, reports The Guardian. The East Asian nation made the promise at the COP 30 climate conference in Belem, Brazil. South Korea currently operates the world’s 7th largest coal fleet.
“The shift from coal to clean power is not only essential for the climate. It will also help both the Republic of Korea and all other countries increase our energy security”
2. Clean Batteries Can Power Data Centers
Batteries can power data centers instead of fossil gas, explains Jigar Shah in an interview with Yale Environment 360.
“The reason why batteries and demand flexibility is such a large focus for people is that you could accomplish those same [growth] outcomes for one-tenth the cost.”
3. UK Sets New Wind Power Record
The UK hit a new wind generation peak of 22.7 GW earlier this month, notes Sky News. At the time wind was providing 43.6% of Britain’s electricity, enough to power 22 million homes.
“Wind power is now the largest source of electricity generation for the UK, and the government wants to generate almost all of the UK’s electricity from low-carbon sources by 2030.
4. Massive New Solar Plant Opens in USA
First Solar has opened a $1.1 billion solar panel factory in Louisiana, heralds Electrek. The plant - 11 times the size of the local football stadium - will have a 3.5 GW annual capacity, bringing the company’s total US capacity to 14 GW.
“The Louisiana plant produces First Solar’s Series 7 modules using US-made materials — glass from Illinois and Ohio, and steel from Mississippi, which is fabricated into backrails in Louisiana.”
5. Geothermal Boom Approaching
Geothermal may soon contribute more to energy production than nuclear fission, argues The Economist. Rapid technological progress by companies like Fervo, Eavor, and Quaise means the world is on the cusp of unlocking cheap 24/7 geothermal energy.
“Geothermal power could produce nearly triple the current output of the country’s nuclear power plants (which supply roughly 20% of America’s electricity at present) by 2050”
6. New England Launches Heat Pump Scheme
Five New England states have launched a $450 million effort to encourage heat pump adoption, says Canary Media. Heat pumps are essentially air conditioners that can be used for both heating and cooling. They are much more climate-friendly than fossil gas or oil furnaces commonly used in the Northeastern United States.
“The prevalence of oil in particular means there’s plenty of opportunity to grow heat-pump adoption, cut emissions, and lower residents’ energy bills.”
7. Soil Carbon Storage
Restoring healthy soils could help countries meet their climate targets, explains The Conversation.
“Our modelling work suggested that reasonable levels of afforestation and grassland restoration could deliver up to 7% of the cuts in emissions needed by 2050 in the UK.”
E-waste incineration can be used to recycle or recover valuable metals such as copper. However, burning computer monitors and other electronics can release pollutants (such as hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and brominated dioxins) into the air. This affects our overall health and air quality.
Heavy metals such as lead, barium, mercury, and lithium can be found in mobile phones and computer batteries. When these pollutants are not properly handled or disposed of in a landfill, they can seep into the soil and eventually reach groundwater.
Once in groundwater, heavy metals can end up in streams, ponds, lakes, and rivers. These heavy metals make groundwater toxic and unusable for the communities, animals, and plants that rely on it.