Germany’s renewables have set a new record. According to the Fraunhofer institute, they produced about 81 TWh, or 31% of the nation’s electricity during the first half of 2014. Solar production is up 28%, wind 19% and biomass 7% over last year. Meanwhile, with the exception of nuclear energy, all conventional sources are produced less. The output from gas powered plants was half of what it had been in 2010 and brown coal powered plants are produced at a similar level to 2010-2012.
Close to 29% of Germany’s electricity, during the first half of 2014 came, from renewable sources. It was a new record. Ironically, the story was released the same day that Bloomberg published: German Utilities Bail Out Electric Grid at Wind’s Mercy. Listening to some of the critics of Energiewende, one sometimes gets the impression the nation’s utilities are on the verge of collapse. In reality, Germany has one of the World’s most efficient grids.
Around thirty people landed on Grace Islet Tuesday. Regardless of whether they went above the high water mark and were legally “trespassing”or not, the Grace Islet landing reminiscent of Gandhi’s civil disobedience campaigns.
The photo above, and videos below, were all taken during a blockade of Grace Islet, on Salt Spring Island, on August 1. Grace Islet is a recognized First Nations burial islet but, thanks to a series of beaurocratic foul-ups, it was zoned residential and a house is being built there. This would not be allowed if those were European graves, but this is British Columbia and the burials are First Nations.
It has been almost ten months since the NRG eVgo Freedom Station in the Fashion Valley Mall, in San Diego, opened. It was hailed as the first station capable of supporting “all EVs on the road”. There are now eVgo networks in Los Angeles, San Francisco, the greater Washington, D.C. area, Dallas and Houston. A company spokesperson says that, in conjunction with their new partnership with BMW, they will be installing 100 DC SAE Combo Fast Chargers in California. One of their infograms shows a band of green stretching from Washington state down through California and across America to Washington DC. Much of this is future, but eVgo is not the only charging network. Tesla’s expanding Supercharger system is expected to make their vehicle to 80% of the US public this year. Are we approaching the EV tipping point?
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