Renewable Energy News: June 2020 Round-up
Vancouver, Canada-based electric vehicle company Electra Meccanica is is checking out Casa Grande as a possible factory location; a new study reports that the sun’s rays can electrify plants into producing renewable energy; Lucid Motors is about ready are about to start rolling electric cars out of the Arizona desert; and more. Read the full report below.
Electric car company eyeing Arizona for manufacturing plant
Electra Meccanica, a Vancouver, Canada-based electric vehicle company, is checking out possible factory locations in seven states: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, according to a press release from the company. The company makes the electric Tofino sports car, an electric two-seater eRoadster and is working on a single-seat, three-wheeled electric commuter vehicle called the Solo. The company has a 60-year history of building high-end custom cars and started work on electric cars in 2012.
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Sun’s rays can electrify plants into producing renewable energy
For years, scientists have been trying to crack down on the evolutionary capabilities of plants to produce energy and have had only partial success. But a recent Tel Aviv University study seems to make the impossible possible, proving that any plant can be transformed into an electrical source, producing a variety of materials that can revolutionize the global economy—from using hydrogen as fuel to clean ammonia to replace the pollutants in the agriculture industry.
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Electric cars are about to start rolling out of the Arizona desert
On the outskirts of a small town less than 50 miles southeast of Phoenix, a 720,000 square foot electric vehicle factory is arising in the desert. If all goes as planned, a luxurious new battery-electric sedan will roll off its production line by year’s end. Lucid Motors is building the factory and slated to start manufacturing its debut model later this year for delivery in early 2021. Lucid says construction has stayed on schedule at a time when other automakers have been forced to halt output and delay key models due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Phoenix still ranks high for solar power in cities
Phoenix dipped slightly in a national ranking of solar power capacity, even as the total amount of power generated and the power per person increased from last year, according to a national report released Wednesday. The “Shining Cities” report by Environment America said Phoenix’s 272.4 megawatts of solar capacity was fourth-highest in the nation last year, down one place from the year before, while the 164 watts per capita was good for eighth place, a drop of two spots. Still, the city ranked again as a “solar star” for its overall capacity, which Mayor Kate Gallego called a testament to the city’s dedication to solar power.
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Energy efficiency efforts are going virtual as COVID-19 slows home improvements
Energy efficiency experts from the Minnesota-based nonprofit Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) have been making house calls over the past decade, looking for opportunities to lower residents’ energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint while making their homes more comfortable. The group’s “Home Energy Squad” typically spends several hours with each customer, completing basic retrofits and installations – weatherstripping doors, switching light bulbs to LEDs, and swapping old faucets to low-flow models, for example. It also prepares a customized report providing information about more in-depth opportunities to save energy, such as hiring a contractor to add insulation or replace heating or air-conditioning systems.
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