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☆ The US, Russia and China are in a race to dominate new-wave nuclear energy — and win global influence
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Angela Dewan | Ella Nilsen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Russia's floating nuclear power plant, Akademik Lomonosov, leaving the service base Rosatomflot on August 23, 2019. For some experts, nuclear energy — in all forms, large or small — has an important role to play in that transition. Globally, the construction of conventional nuclear power plants dipped following the Chernobyl meltdown in 1986. Russia has already built or designed nuclear plants — the traditional type — for China, India, Bangladesh, Turkey, Slovakia, Egypt and Iran. “It certainly dampens the excitement abroad,” said John Parsons, a senior lecturer at MIT and a financial economist focused on nuclear energy.

Persons: Akademik Lomonosov, Biden, Lomonosov, Maxim Shemetov, “ There’s, ”, Josh Freed, China —, Vladimir Putin’s, Bill Gates ’, Luo Yunfei, Kirsten Cutler, they’re, Cutler, ” Cutler, They’re, John Parsons, John Kerry, Thomas Mukoya, Way’s Freed, “, ” Parsons, Mohammed Hamdaoui, ” Hamdaoui, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Reuters, European Union, International Energy Agency, Energy, World Nuclear, IEA, US, SMR, US Export, Import Bank, International Development Finance Corporation, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, China, Changjiang, China News Service, Nuclear Energy, US State Department, “, MIT, InfluenceMap, The State Department, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NRC, Rystad Energy Locations: Alaska, Russian, Russia, China, European, Japan, India, South Korea, Europe, Dubai, America, Poland, North Carolina, Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, Turkey, Slovakia, Egypt, Iran, Lomonosov, Siberia, Russia’s, Washington, Bill Gates ’ TerraPower, Wyoming, Changjiang Li Autonomous County, Hainan province, United States, Oregon, Idaho, United Arab Emirates

☆ John Podesta will take over for John Kerry as the U.S. special climate change envoy, AP source says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

John Podesta, senior advisor to the President for clean energy innovation, listens during a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023. White House senior adviser John Podesta will replace John Kerry as U.S. special climate change envoy, a person familiar with the appointment said Wednesday. Kerry announced earlier this month that he would step down from the top climate job to work on President Joe Biden's reelection campaign. Podesta would start when Kerry departs, the person said. Podesta was a behind-the-scenes veteran on climate in past Democratic administrations and was brought back to the White House last year to put into place an ambitious U.S. climate program newly revived by $375 billion from Congress.

Persons: John Podesta, James S, John Kerry, Kerry, Joe Biden's, Podesta, Biden Organizations: Brady, White, White House, Associated Press, Washington Post, Democratic Locations: Washington ,, U.S

☆ Hertz dumping 20,000 EVs is a warning to electric-car owners everywhere
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Graham Rapier | Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . The car-rental firm said it's selling 20,000 EVs — about one-third of its electric fleet of Teslas, Volvos, Polestars, and more — partly due to repair and maintenance costs. AdvertisementIt's also a warning about the cost of EV ownership to drivers thinking about switching from gas to electric. Mitchell, which supplies data for insurance and repair companies, has found EVs — and particularly Teslas — are more expensive than gas-powered cars to repair. Among all EVs, Tesla's Model 3 has the best resale value, falling by only 42.9% in five years.

Persons: Hertz, —, Adam Jonas, Morgan Stanley, It's, Jonas, Mitchell, Kelley, Power, iSeeCars Organizations: EV, Service, Automotive, Energy Innovation, Insurance, quicken Locations: West Coast

☆ New US rules on Chinese batteries could push up price of electric cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Hong Kong CNN —The US government has announced new regulations that aim to keep Chinese batteries out of cars sold in the United States, a move that could push up the price of electric vehicles for American drivers. China is the world’s leader in EV battery production, dominating almost “every stage of the EV battery supply chain,” according to a 2023 report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Tesla is a longtime customer of China’s CATL, the world’s largest EV battery maker. Doubling downThe new measures add to existing efforts by Washington to redirect auto manufacturing to the United States. “Financial incentives play an important role in the widespread adoption of electric vehicles,” researchers at George Washington University found in a 2022 study.

Persons: Biden, ” John Podesta, “, John Bozzella, ”, Tesla, China’s CATL, CATL, Jeff Kowalsky Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, EV, International Energy Agency, US Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Energy, Treasury, Officials, IEA, “, Alliance, Automotive Innovation, Ford, Getty, George Washington University, ” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Hong Kong, United States, China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, America, Michigan, Washington, North America, Dearborn , Michigan, AFP, Europe, Beijing

☆ Britain's Sunak tries to reclaim climate narrative with $2 bln pledge
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivers a speech during a press conference on the net zero target, at the Downing Street Briefing Room, in central London, on September 20, 2023. Running way behind the opposition Labour Party in the polls before a national election expected next year, Sunak's team believes voters will only support measures to tackle climate change when, or if, they are affordable. But the time for pledges is now over – this is the era for action," Sunak said in a statement. "The transition to net zero should make us all safer and better off. ($1 = 0.7911 pounds)For daily comprehensive coverage on COP28 in your inbox, sign up for the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter here.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak's, Sunak, King Charles, Elizabeth Piper, Miral Organizations: Britain's, Downing, Labour Party, Reuters, Thomson Locations: London, DUBAI, Dubai, Africa, Asia

☆ As prices fall, two thirds of global car sales could be EVs by 2030- study
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Nick Carey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A parking bay reserved for electric car charging can be seen on display in London, Britain, October 19, 2018. Batteries are expensive and account for around 40% of an EV's price tag, a cost that has so far made them unaffordable for many consumers. But those prices are steadily coming down as carmakers invest in new battery chemistries, materials and software to make more efficient EVs, RMI senior principal Kingsmill Bond told Reuters. EV sales in the European Union jumped almost 61% in July versus the same month in 2022, accounting for 13.6% of all car sales. The European Union aims to ban the sale of new fossil-fuel models from 2035.

Persons: Simon Dawson, Kingsmill Bond, RMI's Bond, Nick Carey, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rocky Mountain Institute, RMI, European Union, Union, United, Reuters, Research, Exeter University's, Energy Innovation, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Europe, U.S, China, United States, California, New York, Exeter, India

Just as important will be persuading people like Mr. Marohn that electric cars, renewable energy and electric heaters and stoves are practical, economical and exciting. Many, conservatives in particular, chafe at the prospect of the government forcing them to buy electric cars or ditch their natural gas appliances, polls show. By The New York TimesA clean energy future will require painstaking and individually tailored persuasion campaigns. “Even if some of them deny the science of climate change, they can’t deny good-paying jobs,” he said. “I just want to change the perception that electric cars are not as good as big, noisy muscle cars,” Mr. Lawson said.

Persons: Mikey Marohn, “, ”, Marohn, Alicia Cox, Cox, , chafe, Jesus, Ms, ” “, Jae Landreth, “ That’s, “ Nobody’s, Mr, Landreth, Phil Collins, Rob Leach, Leach, ‘, “ I’ve, Jack Conness, Biden, Jennifer Granholm, Granholm, Vladimir V, Putin, Sue Burns, Burns, Marjorie Taylor Greene, William Turner, didn’t “, Jason Walsh, Walsh, Tia Williams, Ms . Granholm, ” Ms, Williams, Joe Wilson, ” “ Didn’t, Roy Cooper of, Cooper, Patrick Lawson, Ford, Lawson, Lawson’s, Susan Lawson, Cheryl, Tesla, They’re, Kent Wheeler, “ It’s, ’, Josh Hermes, Paul Rosenzweig, Rosenzweig, Mary T, Barra, ” Kenneth Boswell, Quinton Lucas, Lucas, ” Mr Organizations: Clean, Biden, General Motors, nonbelievers, Republican, Pew, The New York Times, Pew Research Center, Toyota, Clean Energy Manufacturing, Energy Innovation, Trump, Trump Biden, Savings, Yale, Pontiac, BlueGreen Alliance, Democratic, Georgia Institute of Technology, Mr, Republicans, Flex, Gov, Northern Arapaho Tribe, Tesla, Rocky Mountain Rebels, Elks, Wild West EV, Polaris, Northern Arapaho, Chevy Silverado, Mercedes, Benz, Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, Kansas City, Fire Department Locations: Teton, Wyoming, Yellowstone, Baldwin City, Kan, Kansas City, G.O.P, Counties, Russia, Memphis, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Murfreesboro, Tenn, Dalton, Ga, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Riverton, Jackson, Minnesota, Louisiana, Alabama, Missouri, Quinton Lucas , Kansas, Kansas

☆ Feds pave the way for cities and nonprofits to get climate-bill tax credits
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"For the first time, tax-exempt entities will be able to receive a payment equal to the full value of the tax credit for building qualifying clean energy projects," Podesta said. "That's a game-changer for our ability to spread the benefits of clean energy to every community in America." "The Inflation Reduction Act's biggest tools are tax credits, which provide an unprecedent 10 years of policy certainty for the clean energy sector," Podesta said. Conventionally, states, territories, tribes, local governments and nonprofits have not been not eligible for tax credits, because they do not derive profits from which to deduct the value of a tax credit. Taken together, the two bits of guidance stand to grease the flywheel of climate tech investment already being spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Persons: Podesta, John Podesta, Joe Biden, what's, Wally Adeyemo, Adeyemo, Michelle Moore, Moore Organizations: US Department of Energy, U.S . Department of, Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Biden, Washington DC, White, IRS, of, Washington , D.C Locations: Medicine Bow , Wyoming, America, Washington, USA, Washington ,, U.S, Baltimore, of Refuge, , Maryland , Illinois, Georgia, New York

☆ Biden's budget proposal calls for boosting climate resilience funding
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

President Joe Biden's budget proposal for 2024 includes billions of dollars spread across federal agencies to combat climate change, with a bulk of investment going towards boosting disaster resilience and conservation, cutting pollution and advancing clean energy technologies. Among the most ambitious of Biden's funding requests is the roughly $24 billion to help build communities' resilience to climate-related disasters including floods, wildfires, storms, extreme heat and drought. The proposal also comes as the White House continues to implement provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate bill ever passed by Congress. The spending is spread across agencies tasked with combatting climate change, advancing climate resilience and bolstering clean energy technologies. The White House proposes $16.5 billion to support climate science and clean energy innovation, with more than $5.1 billion to fund research on climate adaptation and resilience across agencies like NASA and the Interior Department.

☆ Elon Musk met senior Biden officials to discuss working together to ramp up EV production
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk met two White House officials to discuss increasing US electric vehicle production. The Tesla CEO talked to Biden's advisors about laws including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It comes after Musk criticized Biden for not recognizing Tesla's contribution to EV production. Jean-Pierre also said: "The outreach and the meeting says a lot of how important the President thinks the bipartisan infrastructure legislation is." The $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill was signed into law in November 2021.

A Reuters witness on Friday saw Podesta, Landrieu and Musk entering a downtown building that houses both Tesla's Washington lobbying operation and the Center for American Progress, a think tank Podesta founded. BIDEN, MUSK TENSIONSRelations have often seemed antagonistic between Biden, who has pushed for companies to use union labor, and Musk, who has pushed to keep unions out of his factories. Musk called Biden "a damp sock puppet in human form" last year after Biden highlighted EV production by GM and Ford in a tweet but left out Tesla. Biden only publicly acknowledged the role of Tesla in U.S. electric vehicle manufacturing over a year after taking office, after Musk repeatedly complained about being ignored. It also includes new U.S. battery production credits that Musk said earlier this week could have significant benefits to the company.

Musk responded on Twitter to the initial exclusive Reuters report that he met with the officials, saying it was "True." Later, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed the meeting took place and added that Musk did not meet with Biden personally. A Reuters witness on Friday saw Podesta, Landrieu and Musk entering a downtown building that houses both Tesla's Washington lobbying operation and the Center for American Progress, a think tank Podesta founded. BIDEN, MUSK TENSIONSRelations have often seemed antagonistic between Biden, who has pushed for companies to use union labor, and Musk, who has pushed to keep unions out of his factories. Biden only publicly acknowledged the role of Tesla in U.S. electric vehicle manufacturing over a year after taking office, after Musk repeatedly complained about being ignored.

☆ How to speed up the transition to green energy, according to leaders at Davos
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Freya Graham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Leaders at Davos say government policy to incentivize the transition can push things forward. There's no 'silver bullet' solutionThe energy transition involves a huge variety of solutions coming together — renewable energy, electric vehicles, hydrogen technology, and nuclear power, to name a few, will all play a role. Andrés Gluski, CEO of energy company AES, said there isn't "one silver bullet" for the energy transition. Daniels said that while the US is using incentives to drive the energy transition, the EU is using rules and regulations. Ciorra also called China a champion of the electric transition, because "they are making this as a business."

☆ Arun Majumdar's mom cooked over a coal stove on the floor, and now he's the first leader of Stanford's new climate school — here is his story
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Building a successful climate school that both educates people and scales up technological solutions in its accelerator arm requires thinking beyond the bubble of Silicon Valley. Majumdar's understanding of the importance of a global perspective for the climate school is also personally informed. He was also a professor, did research, and worked at Google for a stint before eventually getting the opportunity to lead the launch of the Stanford climate school. The lessons he learned at ARPA-E are helping form the foundation for the accelerator arm at the Stanford climate school. Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability Photo courtesy Cat Clifford, CNBCSo far, the sustainability school at Stanford seems to be popular with students.

☆ What to watch on Tuesday at COP27
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 8 (Reuters) - World leaders will take the stage again on Tuesday as the COP27 climate summit enters its second full day. Among the expected speakers are outspoken advocates for measures to compensate poor, climate-vulnerable countries for damage already being wrought by global warming. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will also speak on Tuesday, along with European Council President Charles Michel, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and dozens of others. U.S. President Joe Biden won't arrive until next week, but his delegation will open its pavilion at the COP27 venue on Tuesday and Special Envoy John Kerry and John Podesta, Biden's senior adviser on clean energy innovation will be there. Reporting by Valerie Volcovici and Sarah McFarlane, editing by Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UAE and U.S. reach deal for $100 billion in clean energy projects
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ABU DHABI, Nov 1 (Reuters) - The United States and United Arab Emirates have reached an agreement to spend $100 billion on clean energy projects with a goal of adding 100 gigawatts globally by 2035, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday. The two governments signed a memorandum of understanding in Abu Dhabi setting out the framework of the deal, Blinken said in a statement. "This memorandum of understanding is an important step forward in our joint efforts to accelerate our collective movement toward clean energy," Blinken said. Under the initiative, the UAE, an OPEC oil producer, and the United States would provide technical, project management and funding assistance for commercially and environmentally sustainable energy projects in other countries. The statement said the partnership would "assemble and stimulate" private and public sector funding and support for clean energy innovation, carbon and methane management, advanced reactors including small modular reactors, and industrial and transport decarbonisation.

☆ UAE and U.S. to spur $100 bln in clean energy projects - WAM
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ABU DHABI, Nov 1 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates and the United States have signed a partnership to spur $100 billion of investments in clean energy projects and add 100 gigawatts of clean energy globally by 2035, state news agency WAM reported on Tuesday. "Together, we will spur large-scale investment in new energy technologies, in our own countries, around the world and in emerging economies," U.S. energy envoy Amos Hochstein said a statement carried on WAM. The statement said the partnership would "assemble and stimulate" private and public sector funding and support for clean energy innovation, carbon and methane management, advanced reactors including small modular reactors, and industrial and transport decarbonisation. Under the initiative, the UAE, an OPEC oil producer, and the United States would provide technical, project management and funding assistance for commercially and environmentally sustainable energy projects in other countries. Reporting by Ahmed Tolba; Writing by Lina Najem and Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Louise Heavens and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. and UAE sign strategic partnership deal to spur $100 billion in clean energy investment
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Solar panels are set up in the solar farm at the University of California, Merced, in Merced, California, August 17, 2022. ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The United States and United Arab Emirates on Tuesday announced the signing of a strategic partnership that will see $100 billion mobilized to develop 100 gigawatts of clean energy by 2035. The deal, signed during the Adipec energy conference in Abu Dhabi, is entitled the "Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy" (PACE) and encompasses four main pillars: the development of clean energy innovation and supply chains, managing carbon and methane emissions, nuclear energy, and industrial and transport decarbonization. "Today President Biden again demonstrated his deep commitment to ensuring a global clean energy future and long-term energy security as the United States and United Arab Emirates announced a robust partnership to ensure the swift and smooth transition toward clean energy and away from unabated fossil fuels," the White House statement said. The two countries will set up an "expert group" to "identify priority projects, remove potential hurdles, and measure PACE's progress in achieving its goal of catalyzing $100 billion in financing, investment, and other support and deploying globally 100 gigawatts of clean energy," it said.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine has renewed interest in nuclear power. But without a reliable source of the high assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) the reactors need, developers worry they won't receive orders for their plants. But only TENEX, which is part of Russian state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom, sells HALEU commercially at the moment. And this chicken and egg conundrum is complicating the smooth development of HALEU supply. "A reliable HALEU supply is one of many factors under consideration," the company said in an emailed statement.

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